London 9/9/09-17/9/09 Paris 17/9/09-20/9/09
9/9/09
This day we spent on a bus. Because our apartment was right near the Tower there was a tour bus right near us which we jumped on and took a tour of the whole city. We saw Trafalgar square, Piccadilly Circus, the London eye, the Globe theatre, Big Ben, houses of parliament. We got off at the stop of Buckingham Palace, had a look round at the funny guards and then got back on the bus. We did this for the whole day and from this we got a good view of London and we now knew where everything was in relationship to each other. We also got a feel for the town which we always find important.
10/9/09
With the bus tour tickets we got a free boat cruise down to Westminster or Greenwich. So we took the cruise early in the morning down to Greenwich. We went through the observatory and looked at heaps of clocks and I learnt how to know which latitude and longitude you’re at when no landmarks can be seen. The second part of the exhibition was about astronomy and we got to stand on the Prime Meridian!
We then jumped back on the boat and headed up to Westminster (all free :D) we had a quick look around and then we went to the Abbey. The Abbey was closed form tourist visitors but we still got to go in because, after looing at the cloisters and the garden, we joined in in evensong. Dad was happy because we got to go in for free :P. It was beautiful and the choir was great.
11/9/09
This morning dad stayed at home because mum and I had pre booked tickets to go on the London Eye. We walked passed the reeeally long queue and got our tickets and we jumped on it. They never stop the eye and we had to run on. It was great and we had a fantastic view of London. The whole trip took about 45 minutes.
After the London eye there was this free 4D experience that came with the ticket. It was 4D because the video was 3D but then when there was something with bubbles the spurted water at us.
Then we went to the Dali exhibition. It was ok, I actually found it a bit too weird for me. I liked the melting clocks though :P
Then we got sucked into the movieum which was again ok. The beginning was boring but it got better when we saw some of the Harry Potter costumes and props along with Darth Vader, C3PO and R2D2 :D
After that we went for a big walk to St Paul’s cathedral down Fleet street and I think we did the whole Monopoly board that day :P. inside the cathedral it was unbelievable. The mosaics were a bit like the ones we saw in San Marc’s in Venice except these had slight glass cuts in them which meant they glittered like diamonds. When we first arrived a pries had welcomed everyone with a prayer so after we looked around we went to thank him. He then asked me if I was a Harry Potter fan and of course I said yes. He then showed us a secret staircase that no one else sees. He got the key and let me unlock the door. This staircase was used in the third Harry Potter movie! ARGH I was so excited. I had been on the London eye that day and seen one of the most famous cathedrals that day, but the staircase was the best of all!!!
12/9/09
The next day, we took a train to Kew Gardens where mum and I spent about half an hour in. Afterwards we went shopping but we left dad there and he thoroughly enjoyed. Mum and I both ended up getting a few more outfits but the best part of the day was going into Harrods. It was the most consumeristic place I’d ever seen! We even went through a wedding dress section! It blew me away!
That night mum and I went to the Lyceum and we saw the Lion King stage production!!! It was absolutely fantastic! I loved it I loved it I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13/9/09
This day dad and I went to the natural history museum. We learnt about Volcanoes and earthquakes and loads of rocks. Afterwards we had to meet mum (who had been in an art gallery) at Diana’s memorial fountain and then we went into a big tent where we watched a performance of Peter Pan. It was a centred stage with seating all the way around (except one side) and above us was a projection screen so when the kids got picked up by ropes and began flying it sort of felt like we were too! The best part was that Captain Hook and the father was played by a man called Jonathan Hyde who was one of the people in a movie called Richie Rich and he’s also in Titanic!!!!! I was very excited :D
Afterwards we met up with Scott who was on our Egyptian tour! That was really good. We went and had dinner and then walked back to our apartment, had a quick cuppa and then walked out to Tower Bridge and watched fireworks!
14/9/09
The next day mum and I took a train to Hampton Court Palace where there were lots of little acts going on. People were dressing up as Henry VIII, Jane Parr, Thomas Seymour and some other randoms that told the story of Jane Parr’s marriage to King Henry VIII. This way we could learn about all the past as well so all the other wives were mentioned as well. They were really good! At one point mum and I went into the gardens and we went to the maze which we quickly got lost in and the found ourselves too :)
15/9/09
This day it rained all day and I spent it inside the apartment blogging non stop while mum and dad went to the British museum. But when they came home we took a big walk to the Globe Theatre. Thanks to my aunt Jenny, we went to watch “As you like it” one of Shakespeare’s comedies. Its performed in the reconstructed Globe and performed exactly as it was in Shakespeare’s time with no microphones. Though they did use some lights but no spot lights or special coloured effects, just yellow lights so everyone could see. It was really funny :)
16/9/09
Today was our last tourist day in London and we spent it in the London Tower. Just like at Hampton Court Palace, they were doing skits. Today we watched Anne Boleyn’s trial and we were the jury. Every said not guilty but we were all threatened to be locked in cells but, everyone knowing it was just a play everyone still said not guilty. In the end they just gave up and sent her away as “Lady Anne Boleyn” and no longer Queen.
We also looked at King Henry’s armour. There was an exhibition called Dressed To Kill on and as we went further and further into the exhibition we gradually saw the armour grow bigger to fit his enormous amount of fat he carried!
We then said goodbye to the tower, tower bridge, the eye and everything else. *sniff*
17/9/09
We had left our apartment early and we had caught peak traffic on the metro. It wasn’t very nice with our packs on but it wasn’t very crowded which was really good. We took the tube to the station closest to the bus stop. We waited about half an hour and then we were on the bus until 5 in the afternoon. We went on a train at one point. All cars and buses get loaded into a train and the train takes you through the chunnel (cross between tunnel and channel- the tunnel under the channel). I was kind of annoyed coz we couldn’t see out but the small windows showed us it was just dark anyway. :( just before we boarded the train we saw another white horse in the hill! It was a brilliant farewell from England.
We then arrived in Paris and took the metro to our hotel. It was a short walk and perfect from the metro. I think that night we just found some food and slept. We were all pretty tired from the early morning.
18/9/09
For our second last proper day we took a bus around the city and saw some things we missed last time but I realised how much we had seen. I felt so at home. I don’t know why but it felt really comfortable even though everyone spoke French.
19/9/09
For our very last day mum wasn’t very well so dad and I went La Grande Arch which is a huge arch that is in line with The Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Eleysee’s. There was a museum up the top where we saw heaps of ancient computers and 3D pictures and negative pictures so that when you stare at them and then look on a white board you can see the original picture burnt into your retina! It was amazing!
That night (mum was feeling better) we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant and we planned on going on a night bus tour. Instead (because we needed to have booked) we walked down the seine (from Notre Dame) down to the Eiffel tower, which, at 10:00 and 11:00 all the tiny lights in it began to flicker making the whole tower look as if it was glittering. An amazing thing for our last night.
20/9/09
Our final day. We walked to the George Pompadour centre and sat by a fountain, sat at a big church and then went to the airport. I wasn’t sad or happy. Just was.
I’m not really sure when the next day started whether you look at Paris time, Singapore time or Melbourne. Anyway, we arrived after a reeeeeeeeally long flight and a delayed waiting in Singapore (but we weren’t too late). We caught a bbus from Melbourne down to Castlemaine and arrived just before ten. We were greeted by so many and it was fantastic! Thankyou everyone.
And that’s it. Over and done with… The best experience of my life so far and perhaps my whole life, we’ll see. I’m so happy to be home and I still have all the memories. What more could I want???
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