On March 22, 2000 we boarded our flight to London,
England. This was our first trip to Europe but hopefully not our last. Our trip
would take us all around London and the surrounding English countryside and then
to Paris via the Chunnel. While in France we were also able to escape the
Parisian city life in order to experience some of the more remote destinations
of the country. It would prove to be an amazing cultural experience where we
were able to see historically important architecture and modern marvels. We hope
you enjoy reading some of the highlights of our vacation.
Who could visit London without witnessing the
changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace or a whirlwind tour of Parliament,
Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Of course we did all of those things and several
other tourist activities including Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Harrod’s
shopping, Tower Bridge, the Albert Memorial, the British Museum, and of course a
spring walk through the many splendid parks. In addition to the afore mentioned
highlights we also took excursions to Salisbury to see the cathedral and to
visit Stonehenge. This circle of stones was absolutely incredible. Thinking
about how they might have gotten there was truly mind-boggling. So intense was
the experience that we didn’t even mind when we were pelted by hailstones while
we waited on the bus. I will never forget the three of us sitting on that bench
in the freezing cold laughing as the hail started to fall. Nothing could put a
damper on our enthusiasm.
Other excursions that we enjoyed were Windsor Castle,
Hampton Court Palace, the Portobello Road Market at Notting Hill, and Highgate
Cemetery. Highgate is a gothic cemetery with incredible architecture. We took
the guided tour and learned about some of the more famous residents, including
the guy who invented toothpaste, and about how the cemetery has been saved from
vandalism over the years. Among the more famous occupants are Karl Marx and
George Eliot. Another macabre tour that we decided to go on was the Jack the
Ripper Walk. On this tour you follow in the footsteps of the famous murderer to
see where each of the victims were found and it includes a stop at the Ten Bells
pub where “Jack” was known to scope out his next victim. This tour is done at
night and walks you through the seedy sections of Whitechapel in east London. We
thought it was quite a thrill but it could potentially freak some people out, so
chose your companions wisely.
Our next European city was “The City of Lights” Paris,
France. Having heard rumors about how rude French people could be we were
pleasantly surprised at how friendly and helpful everyone was. Not one person
was rude or short with us and they were all very patient with our attempts at
speaking French. Paris is a beautiful city and we were able to see many
spectacular things in our brief five-day visit. We toured the Louvre, Notre
Dame, Saint Chappelle, the Arc de Triumphe, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, and of
course the Eiffel Tower.
Notre Dame is fantastic especially from the top. A
spiral staircase leads to the top where you can get a good view of the city with
the famed gargoyles standing vigil. We climbed more spiral staircases on this
trip then I probably ever will the rest of my life. It seems as though all of
the monuments have such stairs leading to the pinnacle, and of course we had to
do them all. Not far from Notre Dame is the cathedral of Saint Chappelle and I
have to say it was one of my favorites. The colors inside the cathedral are
superb so don’t miss this often-overlooked church.
Another must see are the many gardens around the city.
Our favorite was the Jardin du Luxembourg. Here you can see the beautiful Palace
St. Sulpice and the Medici Fountain. The grounds of this garden were in full
bloom when we were there in April of 2000. We couldn’t have been more pleased
with the spring carpet of flowers. Flowers also brought a beautiful touch to the
Eiffel Tower. Forsythia bushes in full bloom framed the monument wherever you
looked. Strolling through the grounds of these Paris landmarks as people enjoyed
the sunny day was a highlight of our trip.
Continuing our tour into the macabre we decided to
stop at the cemetery of Pere Lachaise where Jim Morrison is buried. Finding his
grave proved to be quite difficult, but walking around the cemetery is amazing.
The above ground tombs truly give meaning to the term city of the dead. Once we
found Jim’s grave we were watched by guards who were making sure that no one
tried to remove anything from his plot. They have had many vandals over the
years that have defaced not only Jim’s grave but those of his neighbors as well.
The vandalism has gotten so out of hand that when the lease runs out on
Morrison’s grave they want him removed. It is sad when people are so
disrespectful. Our last venture into the underworld would prove to be the most
entertaining. I am talking about the Catacombs of Paris. Millions of bones form
walkways in this makeshift graveyard. The care that was taken to place these
bones in orderly stacks and to arrange them in patterns is truly eerie.
Trains would take us from the city to a couple of very
interesting places in the French countryside. Versaille and Chartres were our
two picks for these excursions. Versaille was a gorgeous palace but the day we
were there it rained like crazy and it was quite cold. The atmosphere definitely
added an ambience to the castle but it did little for our comfort. Nonetheless
it was a place I am glad that I got to see. In particular the Hall of Mirrors is
exquisite and the palace grounds were still beautiful in the pouring rain.
Thankfully on our second excursion we were blessed with perfect weather. We took
the train to Chartres, France in order to visit the medieval cathedral that
graces the city. The cathedral was spectacular, even better then Notre Dame.
Once again we climbed the spiral stairs that lead to the top of the crumbling
church. Evil looking gargoyles stare from every corner of the cathedral giving
it a definite medieval air. The narrow catwalks on the top of Chartres Cathedral
are not fenced like they are at Notre Dame and it adds to the vertiginous
adventure.
Our Europe
trip is filled with great memories that are too hard to put into words, but we
hope that our brief write-up gives you a glimpse into our fun-filled vacation.
Please enjoy our photos from the many spectacular sights of London and Paris.
