Day 5 - Transition: From Crepes to Fish and Chips

Woke up in Paris to a delightfully sunny day for a change. A perfect day to explore the Montparnasse area as well as the Latin Quarter - which is even more nearby than we thought. We started in Jardins de Luxembourg, which was gorgeous and only a few short blocks away. There is a palace, built for Marie de Medici and now used by the French Senate, I think. The grounds are extensive and meticulously manicured. There are even palm trees all around and a huge pond in the center of the park - complete with rentable toy sailboats.

Our next stop was the Pantheon - a magnificent structure and home of Foucault's Pendulum. It's other big claim to fame is being the final resting place of such literary greats as Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo. There are actually dozens of 'folks' interred in the crypt - halls and halls of them. And quite a few noteworthy - like Marie Curie. Sam and I have no earthly idea why someone would ever want to end up in a cold, dark crypt that doubles as a tourist attraction. Scatter me on a beach any day. (Well, not ANY day...)

Next we explored some more side streets throughout the Latin Quarter - again passing the Sorbonne and the St. Michel area. (By the way, the ONLY thing I bought for myself in Paris was a Sorbonne t-shirt - finally did find one). Some people leave with Versace or Louis Vuitton - not me - give me collegiate wear any day. (Yes, truly ANY day.)

We stopped for baguettes and then found ourselves just across from Notre Dame. We were so close that I had to give the old girl a decent farewell. So we parked ourselves in front of her and enjoyed the sunshine and her magnificence one more time. Had fun people watching in the square. We get such a kick out of the truly fashionable and those who just think they are, but are failing miserably. Others of us know better than to even try.

We walked back up to Luxembourg Gardens and relaxed in the sunshine until it was time to pack up and go. Sam sketched while I listened to music by the pond. Lots of people wandering about during the lunchtime hour. Had a little drama when a backpacker was, for some reason, asked by a gendarme to leave the park. He refused, kept going, and the two soon got into a shoving match. Very quickly, three more gendarmes appeared. They were having a LOOONG discussion with the backpacker. Soon, about five more gendarmes showed up and they talked even more. No resolution by the time I had to leave - about half an hour later. I took pictures, which are quite comical - showing more and more policemen showing up.

We headed back to the hotel around 1 pm, checked out and then clambored aboard the Metro for the last time. :( We hopped off at Gare du Nord and quickly found the station for the high-speed Eurostar train to London. Took us a while to get checked in, and then go through passport control and customs, but before long it was time to board. We LOVED the train. Spacious, comfortable, fabulous service, and a full meal - all during a two-hour trip. Sam actually turned to me at one point and said, 'I LOVE this train!' And she has been on more than a few.

We arrived at St. Pancras in London around 4 pm local time. That station is a bit of a zoo, but it wasn't too difficult to find our way to the Underground and the Picadilly Line. I was shocked at the price of a single Tube fare - 4 pounds (about 8 dollars) as opposed to about 1.25 euros (about 2 dollars) in Paris. We will need to buy a combination pass tomorrow, as we plan to be on and off the system quite a bit. It was a fairly long ride - literally across the city - to Earl's Court - the area in which our hotel is located. We quickly checked in and then headed out to stretch our weary legs. Ended up taking a LOOONG walk to Kensington Gardens. Very busy place. Took a quick peek at the palace, but we weren't really in sightseer mode - just trying to get some fresh air.

On our way back, we stopped at a pub and Sam got some fish and chips. I ended up with just a jacket (baked potato) since I was still fairly full from the train fare. Next we stopped at a grocery store to get my morning Diet Coke and a big bottle of water to last for a while. It was fun being in a grocery store and seeing the 'regular' people. It just feels so different here. I actually really miss the French signs and French language. It was comfortable - even though I didn't understand all of it. It is nice to be able to understand what people are saying, though. Yet on the other hand, London is such an international city that we don't understand half of the conversations anyway.

Tomorrow we're planning to do the 'major' tourist attractions - since the weather is supposed to be nice and we don't have much time here.

Cheers for now!