Onward to Edinburgh...

We arrived a few days ago into London.  It has gone by so quickly.  We are now in the train up to Edinburgh, sitting next to the definition of “rude Americans” They are talking louder than anyone on the train and have continued to be snotty and loud the whole time so far.

Anyways, back to London. It was really dirty and busy.  Way dirtier than Paris.  As we walked past the cute little red phone booths I noticed they were laced with porno, like the pamphlets that the people hand out in Las Vegas. Why you would want your picture taken with them, I have no idea.   Buckingham Palace was very plain but won my heart over when we watched the changing of the guards. 

 They had everything from bagpipes, kilts, an Irish wolfhound, fuzzy bear-skinned hats and Frank Sinatra.  (That’s right, I heard the royal arms play “I did it my Way by Ol’ Blue Eyes.” My mom commented that she was half expecting the Queen to pop out onto the balcony and sing the chorus.) (I will try to post a video of it later.) 

We also visited Trafalgar Square.  It is so busy and seems like the party place for all the citizens of London. (That is where they have their citizen celebrations for Christmas and such) We also went to the National Gallery. There were rooms and rooms of great art. I saw Paul Delaroche’s Execution of Lady Jane Gray.  (A rather grim look at the end of poor Lady Jane Gray’s life.) Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers was as pretty as you could expect. (I got a huge kick out of the Van Gogh doll in the museum gift shop with a removable ear.) And as always, Monet’s paintings always impress me and the way he uses color is so beautiful.

The best part of our trips has definitely been the dinners. Not particularly the food (the food has been delish though) but the conversation. After the tiring day, we have sat down and had some great family conversations with much laughter, and a little wine. Rehashing some stories from the past that have been controversial (whether Amy flooded the kitchen or not; who Megan dated, what exactly did I do in Montana all those summers) and some that are just humorous, like how my sisters like to embarrass their children.  I love the fact that it has been a long time since were have all been together and it is still fun to just hang out with one another. 

London's Burning...

Adding to the many first time adventures of the Tsukamoto-girls, we had Amy helping my mother with her hair, but unfortunately they had a hard lesson to learn when it came to Voltage adapters.  They are apparently very important.  Case in point, when my sister picked up the curling iron, she said it was very hot. After she put it in my mothers hair, a small amount of curl from the back quickly singed off.   It was a traumatic experience, but a good laugh for us later in the day.  (and no one will even be able to tell where it burned from!)  

Anyways, back to the actual trip.  Today we took another bus tour around the city (they are the best way to get a real feel for the sights.  We started at Green Park (home to Buckingham Palace.) and weaved through the city to all the great sights like Westminster Abby, Big Ben, Parliment, and the Tower of London.  It is amazing to see the largest cut diamond in the world (which is 530 carats.) Beautiful, but oh so out of reach for commoners. Tommorrow we will head to the National Gallery.  Sorry this is a short post, but my internet I paid for will expire in about ten minutes. :) 

I see London, I see France....

 

Coffee and a Crossant in Paris, Life is great!

These past 4 days have been a serious whirlwind.  I rode on the flight for about 10 hours next to my mother who had a bout of  motion sickness somewhere over South Dakota.  (I haven’t 

prayed so much in a long time and 

thankfully those air sickness bags remained empty.)

We arrived at the airport after a long night (about midnight our time, but 11:00 am Paris time) We waited in a long line though customs, and finally made it to the baggage and Taxi area. Apparently all those ideas you had about the speediness of the drivers around here are absolutely true.  We drove through the city and ended up at our hotel after a few horn honks and a few cut off cars. (Scary!!!)

The room was a perfect Parian room with two windows that opened up and overlooked a rather busy street.   I loved the fact that our hotel was not in the middle of a tourist hub, but instead was closer to actual neighborhoods.

We walked down to the Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, but didn’t go in because it was a military museum and we weren’t really into that (I know you may say, you should have gone anyways but I think that 1: it is all very overwhelming, and Europe is pretty expensive right now with the exchange rate.) 

The next morning my sister Amy joined us and we were off to the Eiffel tower after a fresh croissant and a latte. (The coffee here is way stronger than even Starbucks but oh so good) When we got to the tower, which is a marvel in itself, we got to the back of the line. 

My mother learning to use her camera.

We moved so slowly and decided to try it later and to go on a tour of the city like a traditional tourist. We got on the open top Red Buses and went on our way for a deal of 24 Euros, (which is about $30-35 US dollars.)  The bus drove us all along the city, weaving in and out of traffic, and taking us to some of the most prominent Parisian sights. 

We saw everything from the Opera House, Louvre, Notre Dame, and my personal favorite, the Arc de Triumph.  We jumped off the bus (which was great because you could rejoin the tour anytime you wanted to.)  and had a quick bite at a covered sidewalk café on the Champs el elysse.

 We were seated right as the clouds opened up and started to downpour. It is so laid back and relaxing but you feel rushed because there is so much you want to see. After lunch we headed over to the enormous Arc de Triumph.  

For only 9 Euros (about $15 dollars.), you could take the 284 stairs to the top.  We even got my mom up to the top. 

Proof my mother made it to the top of the Arc de Triumph! 

It was so amazing because you could see everything in the city.  All the architecture in Paris is so intricate and has so many little details, no wonder all the great creative people have been here before.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel to take a rest.  We went to another café for dinner and somehow ended up walking back almost to the Eiffel tower. 

The most surprising thing about Paris is that there is graffiti everywhere… on the train overpasses, on the storefronts, on the side of chimneys.  I can’t believe how everything in this city is so old and gorgeous but has graffiti around it and somehow it all works.  Crazy.  The people have been pretty nice too considering my mom has been a sub par translator for us. (I think it is the fact that they speak really fast.)  It has been a fun time trying to learn as much as possible.

We are on the train heading toward London through the Chunnel, then I will update later. 

** Made it to London and will post more about that tomorrow, hopefully! :) (This is me riding in a taxi to our hotel.) Miss Everyone! :) 

Tickets are purchased!!!!

We have finally taken the plunge and bought the tickets for our Girls trip to Europe this Summer. (sorry boys, you can go next time).  We surprised my mom by flying directly into Paris

from the 'tah. 

We will then  take the Chunnel to 

London (and spend a few days) and then take the wonderfully named, "Flying-Scotsman" to end up in Edinburgh, Scotland (and spend a bunch of days there). So excited... I definetly hope my 7th grade French will come back to me.  Oui! 

And I am way excited to go on a once in a lifetime trip with my mom and sisters.   Thanks, Dad! I don't know how I could ever repay ya! Love ya!