London Day 1-5

[ sorry about the delay on my adventures in london, better late than never!]

London Day 1 - Thursday, October 16th
to start our london trip out right, becky and i painted our nails a green mermaid-ish color. we took the train to london: 2 hours for the first one, then transfer trains in Brussles...
we got a few more stamps on our passports!!
when we go into london, we made our way to "Elephant and Castle". it was a main stop and eventually we got quite accoustom to it.
we ended up staying with a friend of a friend...of a friend...of a friend.

anyway, Red and Richmond were WAY too nice to us gals. after comming and finding us at Elephant and Castle, Red walked us to their apartment. a short distance, but with a purse, and a [extremly] heavy duffle i was dragging my feet! they had a room all ready for us, a queen size bed and a bunch of blankets.. also they had some muffins for the morning(YUM!)

after we dropped our stuff, we decided to dash to Club KOKO, which is were Of Montreal (on of my favorites!) was playing. we already had tickets, so we were determind to make it to see them! when we walked in they just started playing... i was so excited! i have only seen them once in vegas, so i was looking forward to this so much!!! although there were a lot of [tall] people, it was a great show... it was weird though, they came back to do the encore, which is always nice, and instead of doing one of their songs, they did Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit"... a bit of a let down, if you know Of Montreal, you will see why i was a bit confused at this song.. ohh well.. the concert was really good though!!

after the concert we found a little burger place, just enough to hold our tummies till morning.. then it was back to the apartment for a good nights sleep...

it was a squishy sleep though: tess spoke the floor, so that left a queen size bed for me, becky and laura. we three took turns sleeping the "upsidedown way".. first becky, then laura, then me.. i found it most comfortable, so i took the last night too...


London Day 2 - Friday, October 17th
we slept in a bit, got ready for the day, and then made our way to Big Ben. being that i have issues with reading time from clocks with hands, i decided there would be no better challange than big ben him self... and yes, it was tricky for me... i think it was about 11:43... if im not mistaken. we took a few pictures then made our way to Buckingham Palace.
we saw the change of the guard, caught a glimpse of some fancified olda folk leaving the palace, im only guessing, but im sure they were just leaving after a lovely tea luncheon... i didnt get too much of a chance to make a guard laugh, but i did wave at a guard, and i am certain the weight shift he made was his way of waving at me! also, i was hoping to see the queen, but i did not. i kept my eye out though. we went to the Queens Gallery next, a lot of pictures and artwork, and some of her bling blingin' jewlerys. a nice security guard at the gallery pointed us in the direction of a quant little cafe. i had a tasty tomato basil mozzerella on foccia. yum! we planned on seeing the Royal Mews, but it was closed on fridays. i must say, im not too sure what it is, but i was looking forward to seeing a lot of Royal Kittens(HAHA, im funny! see.. a joke... Mews..Kittens..Mews.. funny!).
we decided to make our way to the Noel Coward Theater to see Avenue Q.. it was perfect! being a fan of the soundtrack for almost 4 years now, i was so excited to finally see it! i would definatly go again!!!
for dinner after the show we ate at Foxtrot Oscar, a Gordon Ramsay creation. it was quite tasty and ever so fancy!!! i ordered a 9oz rib eye steak with bernase sauce and a side of green beans. yum yum! i felt a bit under-dressed there, but we made reservations in advance, so we were put in the more quiet basement.

London Day 3 - Saturday, October 18th
we started the day by visiting the London Tower Bridge. with our London Pass we were able to go for a self-guided tour on the top of the towers. we took an elevator to the top then walked in an enclosed hallway to the other side of the bridge, then the elevator back down. this bridge was not so bad at all!
we went right across the way to a yummy Asian inspired meal Wagamama, it was very very good. with our London Pass we got 2 of our meals for free! nice! i ordered the Ginger Chicken Udon. so good! the seating there was a cafatera style, long tables. i guess the Wagamama chains are all over, there are even some in amsterdam! definatly something to remember for next time!
after lunch we visited the Tower of London. it was a castle from way back when. we spent a lot of time there. we found a great view of the London Tower Bridge, and watched the bridge raise and lower for a passing ship. perfect timing too!
we ventured over to the Tate Modern Art museum. i really enjoyed this one! it was so much more interesting to me. out of all the museums and gallerys and castles and palaces.. the Tate was my favorite! we were there for quite a long time... but it was good.
it took us a L O N G time to find a bus to get home, but we finally got one. a double decker too! how exciting! at this point we were starving, so we found a decent priced place and filled our bellies with yummy bar food.


London Day 4 - Sunday, October 19th
we started the day off at the Camden Market. there were so many people there! i bought a cute little dress at the market. i started freaking out over so many people but the part that really got to me was the food part. there was a section for all the food vendors, and when you walked down they would all offer their food samples, and people were talking loud, it was so overwhelming! i couldnt decide what to eat so i just decided to wait for a while for lunch. the girls all got food but i just couldnt do it. i picked up a blueberry muffin though from starbucks later on. so i didnt starve..hehe.
we visited Shakespears Globe. with our london pass it was free!
we went to the Picadilly area where we could watch a movie for free thanks again to our london pass! the movie theater was called Curzon Soho. it lookes a bit sketchy, but it was really scene. we watched "Burn after Reading" .. loved it!
after the movie we wandered around looking for some fish and chips... we decided to go into The Stockpot, a little place tess's host parents recomended us. i wasnt as pleased with my fish and chips like i was hoping for, but i think i had really high expecations.

London Day 5 - Monday, October 20th
our last day in London was a sucess! it was a bit rushed, but it was great! after packing and getting things all ready, we headed over to Picadilly again, this time to meet a friend of Beckys. we went to Harrods, a huge shopping center. Harrods reminded me of a Dillards meets Ikea. being our last day in London(and being a bit short on cash) we decided to eat in a cafe right outside Harrods. Richmond met us there and we chipped in on his meal to thank him for letting us stay at his place! we met up with Becky again, then hurried to Richmonds house to get our luggage. then we Rushed to Kings Crossand made it there right in time, about 5 min to spare!

Final views of London:
london was great! after a few days of using their transportation i feel confident. the london fashion was so glam/ casual= either not too much to look at or so cute and posh! everything we did seemed a bit closer, almost more realistic. for me london was a lot more enjoyable than paris, london was a bit more modern... not so focused on history, musuems, art, and buildings. i would love to go back to visit and explore more of london.

SIDE NOTE:
there were quite a few adds all about Londons transportation, magazines, and newspapers about their new emergency numbers. richmond works at the police station call line and said that they just recently made a new addition to their emergency numbers. richmond says that both numbers essentially go to the same place, but 999 gets there faster.
here is a ad i saw in a newspaper:
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Call 999: if your car is bein stolen
Call 0300 123 1212: if your car has been stolen
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when i saw these ads all over the place i imediatly thought of The IT Crowd... take a look at this little snippet i found on youtube to share with you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBuo41qYOgw

enjoy.

Adventures in Holland pt.5

whew!!! all that Paris blogging! sorry to bombard you with all that-- but i couldnt think of a better way to share all my thoughts and feelings on paris...

yesterday becky and i biked to the hoofddorp station... its about a 30 min bike ride from her house...

my legs were in such pain!!!

we went to amsterdam for the afternoon, picked up some lunch, enjoyed the Jordan Market, and walked around...

we made it back in time to pick up the kids, and rush home to make some dinner.

anyway, today we just finished getting ready for the day, we are going to go the store and get some foods for dinner, pick up the kids and have dinner ready and yep, that will be that!

Paris Day 4

Paris Day 4 - October 12th



after a long day at disney we were all so exhausted.



this was our last day in paris!



after our continetal breakfast we packed all of our things and headed out on the train.



we found a place with lockers to put our luggage so we didnt have to carry it all over paris.



we went to the Arch de Truimph..(or something to the sort) took some pictures, then rushed to the Eiffle Tower.



we spent the most of the day at the Eiffle tower, we had lunch with the perfect view!



we had some time to grab some coffee and relax a bit before we had to rush to our luggage then our plane home...



we planned on being to the airport at 5:30, but didnt make it there till about 6:00 or so, but it turned out alright...



on the plane trip home none of us got to sit by each other, but it was only a 40 min flight so it was ok...



we landed in amsterdam, had a quick dinner, said our goodbyes(till london!) then becky and i traveled home---



a long, but good day!!!

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my final thoughts on paris:



it was nice and touristy. it seemed like there was trash everywhere, and a lot of grafity too. if i would have known more history and information i know i would have enjoyed it more. i had a good time, and i am glad i got to go there...

Paris Day 3

Paris Day 3 - October 11th
DISNEY!!! we all woke up so excited to go to disney!!! it really was so great! for the most part it was the same as Magic Kingdom, and then an extra park like hollywood studios, then even a downtown disney one.


there wasnt any pin trading going on... we only found about 2 pin carts, making it difficult to find a pin saying the year, and disney land paris....


tess and i were the only 2 i saw with mickey ears...i guess its not a popular there.


there were smoking sections, but NOBODY followed those guidlines...


there were so many people at the parks this weekend!


each ride was just about 30-75min waiting time...


anyway here is a break down of each park, and what i thought of each ride we went on...

DISNEY LAND PARK:

• first things first, i had to have some mickey ears, after searching for them high and low, we spotted some and made a purchase.
• Big Thunder Mountain - this was prettty good! usually this ride leaves my neck in pain, but this time arround was great!
• Indiana Jones ride - it seemed a lot like big thunder mountain, but different things to look at.
  
• Pirates of the Carribean - basically the same! but always good! (*side note: we saw Captain Jack Sparrow outside of this ride!*)
  being almost halloween time, we found Jack and Sally from The Nightmare before Christmas and got some pictures with them, they were great!!!
  disneyland park in paris has Sleeping Beauty's castle. this was great! we could actually go up inside a bit, they showed the story of sleeping beauty. it was just a walk around, but it was nice!
  
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant - this was great, and seemed a bit faster than the one in WDW, but other than that, the same!
  Mad Hatters Teacups - i was planning on turning this ride down, because i know i can get sick on it, but i just had to do it! all of us girls sat in one teacup and took turns spinning, in teams of two... im sure we were the fastest ones there!!!
  
• It's a Small World - the same cute little kids, but it was a bit different, looked newer! at the end of the ride there was a little walk through thing, it was nice.
  
• Buzz Lightyears Laser Blast - this line was sooo long, but it was fun, the ride was just about the same, the lasers were different, they wernt hooked into the ride, there was a cord so you could point more easily... i ended up with the highest score out of us.. i think it was about 723000.... if im not mistaken..

• Space Mountain: Mission2 - ohh my goodness this ride was GREAT! usually after this ride at WDW my neck and sholders are aching from sinking down into my chair in hopes of not getting my head chopped off... not on this one! it started of with a quick upside down loop, a lot of bright colors, and it was great, i hardly even saw the bars and wires holding the lights up! anyway, this one was great!!!
  
• we ate lunch in Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost - i had a kids pasta with red sauce, small water, and ice cream for about 6euros... i liked eating at colonel hathis(he is the elephant from jungle book!)
  

Walt Disney Studios Park:

• we got to see Sully as soon as we walked in!
  
• Rock n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith - we went twice on this one! it really was good! the begining part where they all stand around and talk about their concert and the limos wasnt there... it was more of their faces, and their music in the background.. but it was nice-
  

Disneys Village:

• 
  
  when the parks closed at 11 we went do the Rainforest Cafe for dinner, we were all sooooo tired, i think i had a hawaiian burger, quite tasty! it had a pineapple slice and bbq sauce --
  

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so that was disney day - boy oh boy, it was filled with disney!!! i loved it! we were all so tired afterward though,!!!

Paris Day 2

Paris Day 2 - October 10th

we woke up today and went downstairs for continental breakfast. it was pretty ok!
there was a little grocery store right by our train station, so we picked up lunch each day... fresh bread, cheese, cous cous, peanut butter.... we definatly saved money! each lunch ended up being about 5euros each... which is GREAT!!!

• we headed out to Notre Dame. WOW it was so high up! the building was so beautiful and big! so many gargoles!!!after waiting in line for a while we finally made it inside...the tour was filled with walking up sprial staircases, looking out over paris while being high up in the sky, standing so close to the walls in fear of looking out and falling, and then finally walking down spiral staircases...my heart was pounding!!!i feel like such a wuss, because i didnt even make it to the top, but when i looked up and saw how high i was, i was proud of myself... the gals went up a bit more while i was safe on the ground! even though i was scared when i was up high i had a brave moment and looked out, i finally felt like i was in PARIS... i could see the Eiffle Tower!!! **side note: the Notre Dame tour is meant for those who are NOT afraid of Heights!**
  


• on day 2 i noticed that pairs is so touristy. lots of pan handlers.. each time we get on the trains someone(kid/mom/dad) hands out these little yellow cardstocks, saying something about not having money, and to donate 1 or 2 euros, or even a train ticket.. then they come back around with their hand open and collect the cards... we didnt ever give them money, the first time i got the yellow card i kind of wanted to give them something, but tess and becky said, that the people pass out yellow cards all the time.. they were right, it was just about every single train ride!
  


• Next was The Lourve. when we arrived there we walked the grounds a bit, the weather was too nice to go inside, so after eating our picnic lunch on the grass and resting. we decided to go inside. we were there for such a long time.... it is a museum of art... first we visited the sculptures... then to the paintings... apperently im not one for museums... there were a few peices i recognised, but most of them i didnt care for. i did get to see the Mona Lisa... and yes, it is a lot smaller than i thought it would be... im pretty sure that the painting my mom has in our white room is bigger than the mona lisa.. but it was fun to see it.. we spent a lot of time in the Lourve... im sure if i would have known more about some of the artists, or paintings, i would have really enjoyed it... but i am glad we were able to be there.
  


• for dinner we found a really great place outside of the Lourve called "Ragueneau" - it was so perfect, they they had a jazz band playing, we each ordered a 3 course meal for about 25 euros. it was really nice! the atmosphere was so great! i would definatly go there again!!! my meal was:
  STARTER: Warmed Veggie Plate. Green beans, Carrots and Potatoes.
  MAIN: Fillet. ohh so tender with [more] Green Beans on the side
  DESSERT: Cream Bruelle - delightful!!!
  

Paris Day 1

Paris Day 1 - October 9th

after work the night before, tess and i traveled to beckys where we all slept. 4 girls on 3 mattresses... but i must say i was quite cozy!!!

we started our morning early... 4:45AM. we had to be ready for our Taxi by 5:30am.

we arrived in paris about 9:30am via KLM Airlines.

after purchasing our Orange tickets(bus/ train passes good for the whole weekend **strongly recommended!!!**) and finding the train we ventured to our Hotel, Campanile, in Bussy-Saint-Georges.....

becky and i shared a room, while tess and laura had the other.

after getting setteled in a bit we made our way to Versailles.

i dont really remember too much of Versailles, but im not sure i would go again...

after a lot of walking and train-ing... we made it back to our Hotel just in time for dinner. there wasnt much option, so we ate at the hotel restaurant... it was not the best.. and we all voted not to eat there again for dinner.

i wrote in my book that it didnt feel like i was in paris yet...

Adventures in Holland pt4... Escalator Escapades

wahoo-- tonight i am spending the night at tess' house... it took us about 1 hour 35 min or so to get here from beckys... we took, bus, train, then rode bikes here...



today we went to a Palace owned by the king and queen of Holland- it was big and pretty.... the outside was real nice as well---



i am taking pictures, but dont really feel like wasting time loading them and posting them yet... expect pics when i return..but dont get too impatent ...



anyway - tomorrow i get to be with tess during her work... im not to sure of our plans yet.. but i am excited-



we had birthday cake for becky today too... it was a strawberry cake with whipped cream, cut strawberrys and strawberry frosting.. that was nice.





ok way past time for bed--- nighty night.


ahh yes, and before i forget: a great story to entertain you all!

Schipohol Airport; The Escalator Escapades.

this story begins with 4 wonderful ladies on their journey for a fun filled day of adventures and laughter. while Becky, Tess, Rachael and Laura were looking for the right platform for their train, there was a mysterious hold up at the top of an escalator... after taking a closer look, it seems as though a mother in her mid-40's along with her 2 small children were baffled by the escalator. they were halted and showed no intention of proceding onward. after a gathering of people waiting to decend the wonderful moving staircase, the mother and her children started getting ancy...
in what seems like slow motion, the little boy(about 3 years old) decided to take on these amazing stairs.. one step, good... two steps, good... three steps, no good!!! suddenly realizing it was moving and his mother was moving farther and farther away, he tried running up. the mother at this point was getting all nervous, so just like any other mother, she grabbed for her son. he made it safly back to the top of the escalator... but in the mothers sweet endevors, she herself somehow ended up riding down the escalator, with her youngest child in arms... becky grabs the youngest child, saving it from what might be down those terrifing stairs... Laura tried despratly to help the mother escape this horrifing stair monster, but try as she might, Laura could only hold on for so long.. slowly, slowly, slowly the escalator carries the mother down, down, down. suddenly out of nowhere a man appears coming up the opposite escalator, he pushes everyone out of the way, grabs his son, and takes on the escalators like a man. he slowly rides to his wife, who at this point is still riding the escalator, laying down, hand stretched out, waiting for someone to just grab on and save her. up at the top the Tess and Laura grabed what was left behind; diaper bags, purses, ect and make our decent towards the distrot mother. becky handed the mother her child, asked if everything was ok. without an extra look or care, the mother and her family disapared into the crowds...
that day will forever be rememberd by The Escalator Escapades.
THE END

and yes, this is true,
and yes, im laughing while im typing this,
and yes, it will be funny tomorrow!


BYE BYE

Adventures in Holland 3-

hello -

yesterday we went to Amsterdam again, it takes about 25 min to get there from Beckys house. we take a bus, then the train...

we went to the market, and bought some yummy Artichoke Dip, and some tomato flavored Tempede- we brought some bread from home and ate some lunch-

after that we went to the Anne Frank House- it was quite an experience. there was so much energy in the house, even in the different rooms. i was also surprised by how recent the Holocaust was. the dates were all 1942-1944ish - that wasnt too long ago. but i wouldnt mind reading the Anne Frank Diaries again, the last time i read it was in middle school- so now would be good again!

after walking around Amsterdam, we had dinner at a little place and i had Shoarma. it was almost like a taco meat, but becky sait it was layers or Lamb, Beef, and Pork cut into strips and cooked. (i think anyway) we put the meat into some Pitas.

the roads are quite small here, enough for the main roads to be two lane... there are bicycle lanes, and then sidewalks

most everyone wears boots and long winter coats.

its been quite rainy and very windy... its been cold. so yep----

beckys people have been away for the weekend. but they come back today, and then they start work... so tonight i get to go home with tess, and Laura will stay here at beckys... then on wednesday night we will all sleep at beckys, wake up at 5am, catch a plane to PARIS!!!

so thats pretty cool -

in amsterdam there was a big huge bike garage type thing, it was 3 storys high, and there were just bikes and bikes all chained up and smooshed in there...

i havent been bike riding yet, but yes, i am very nervous-

anyway, all the girls are eating breakfast, so i suppose i should go too---

Adventures in Holland 2-

hello!

beckys birthday was yesterday- we had a great time in amsterdam!

when i got here i was worried about using the Euros, but its quite easy, they say numbers like we do, and their money is almost in the same denomancy- 50.00 - 20.00 - 10.00 - 5.00 and the coins are 1.00euro - 2.00euro, .50e - .20e - .10e - 05.e - 02e - .01e

for the one and two cent euros, they usually just round up or down, so they dont really use thoses...

but their money system is quite simple.
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for breakfast yesterday i had bread, with butter and these sprinkle things... Hagel Slag... on the other slice of bread i had a Pasta(chocolate spread..not neutella) topped with a Pindakaas(peanut cheese, like a peanut butter) then of course the Hagel Slag on top...

i was able to buy a nice coat, its grey and ohh so cute...

in amsterdam, we took a canal tour in amsterdam.
then went to visit Rijks Museum, we saw a lot of Rembrandts work-

after that we went to dinner at In De Waag (in the weigh)

it was so fancy - i had the chef special, it was a cheese dish, with veggies like radish, green bean, asparagus, cherry tomato, carrot to dip in the cheese. it was a bit salty of cheese, but tasty...

we got a tasty dessert, it was a bread type with cinnemon sugar/powered sugar topping, two scoops of Lavander icecream on top, and because it was Beckys birthday she got a super firework, just a sparkler type thing. we finished the dinner off with a Cafe Latte. quite nice...

so amsterdam was fun, im so glad the gals know where to go and the area -- its nice...



so thats that so far... quite exciting..

the time change is a bit hard to get used to, Laura and i both woke up yesterday morning at 4am here...so that wasnt so great.. but thats ok...

today we are going back to amsterdam, for the marker, then back to finish our canal cruise...

well, peace out

Violets Adventures in Holland! pt.1

hello- just arrived at beckys house! the plane ride was long, but luckily Laura and i got to sit next to each other both ways---

we had about 30 min to get to our next gate, which was a long walk- we didnt even have time to use the bathrooms---

the airplane trip was a bit bumpy, but i survived---

anyway so we are here now---

becky and tess both met us at the airport, with flowers and a poster!! it was a great welcome!

we stoped by a starbucks(the only one here is the one thats in the airport) and then took a train, then a bus here to beckys house..

so far its pretty windy, and it hasnt rained yet, but im sure it will soon- this are good so far!

anyway- its about 2:00pm here now, and im doing my best not to fall asleep so that my sleep sched wont be too messed up.

for the rest of the day, we are going to do some casual shopping, and then eat dinner, then early to bed! so thats that.

anyway, just wanted to say hello!

ill try and keep updating!