Disneyland Paris

Today was really fun (obviously since it's Disneyland), but it could have been a lot better if the weather would have cooperated. When our bus got to the park at about 9:30 it was cloudy and kind of windy. So it was a little cold, but it was the morning so I was expecting that. Once we were allowed on to Main Street and I was waiting to get into the castle, it started raining. It was raining off and on for a couple of hours this morning. That put a little bit of a damper on things, but I refused to let it get to me. Once I had explored the castle, including the dungeon, I went out into Fantasy Land. Actually, a lot of the rides I wanted to go on we're closed because they are under repair. So after I had explored the entire park for a couple of hours and had some lunch, I went to the souvenir shops. I bought a couple of things (I was bad and splurged but I mean it's Disney). After I had picked out my souvenirs, I went to Disney Studios, which is where more of the rides I wanted to go on we're anyway. I had to wait an hour just to get on the Tower of Terror for a 5 minute ride. Then I immediately went over to the Rock 'n Roller Coaster. That was by far my favorite ride! Having Aerosmith blasting throughout the ride and then the roller coaster itself with all its turns, inversions, and such, it was really fun. When I was finished with that I went to look at the wait time for the Crush's Coaster and it was over an hour so I decided to head back to Disneyland to get some ice cream and get ready for the parade. I also bought some supper right before the parade started. The parade was really good and the little girl next to me for sure thought so because I thought I was going to go deaf from her screams at Anna and Elsa. When the parade was finished I just walked around Main Street and went into all the shops before heading back to my bus. Then, after we got back to the tour office (which was about an hour) I walked back to my hostel. I was able to get both to and from the tour office to my hostel with ease and without even getting lost. I was so proud of myself. :)

First entering Disneyland. As you can see there are the dark clouds looming. 

Here is Sleeping Beauty's Castle, which you can walk around in. 

This is the dragon in the dungeon of the castle. 

This is up inside the castle looking at some of the stained glass windows. 

This is Fantasy Land from inside Alice's Curious Labyrinth. 

London to Paris

I took the train from London to Paris today and was actually surprised at how little time it took. It was only a two and a half hour ride, but my ride to Edinburgh was almost five hours. I asked the person working the front desk at my hostel how to get to London St. Pancras and he told me to go to the Victoria station and buy an oyster card just for this one trip. So I just said thanks and hailed a taxi around the corner. Then I went through security and customs before boarding my train. I tried to stay awake for as long as possible but it didn't happen, I was so tired (it was daylight savings time this morning). We were going through so many tunnels, I had no idea which one was the actual English Channel tunnel and I just remember opening my eyes after one tunnel and seeing s bunch of French flags flying. Then I fell asleep again for about 45 minutes and stayed awake for the rest of the trip into Paris. I personally like the English, Scottish, and Norwegian countryside better than the French countryside I saw; however, I know this isn't the best area for beautiful countryside in France. After my train arrived at the station I was starving so I bought a chocolate crossaint, which was delicious. Then when I walked over to the taxi queue, I found out that well over half of the taxis were motorcycles. All of the normal cars were occupied so I was decided what the heck why not take a motorcycle taxi. So I had my first motorcycle ride today and loved it. It was such a beautiful day out and it was just really fun to be driving through the streets of Paris on a motorcycle. After I got to my hostel I checked in and put my backpack in the luggage room before heading out to The Louvre, which I took a normal car taxi to. I went and checked in with my tour and got my audio tour (I never used it though) and then walked across the street to the Jardin des Tuileries, which is just the garden outside the Louvre. I spent a little bit of time in the gardens first because it was so beautiful and nice out. Then I decided to head up to the museum and start my tour. I had pre planned what I absolutely wanted to see and that's pretty much all I saw. There were so many tours going on and so many peoe and I just could not handle it, I do not enjoy crowds of people. So I fist went to Napoleon's Apartments, which were very gaudy and ornate. Then I saw the Vensus de Milo before heading to the Mona Lisa. I'm just going to throw this out there, but my god were the Asians there super pushing. It took me forever to get to the front to take a picture and they kept trying to push me out of the way. Once I got a decent enough picture I could live with I booked it out of the museum. I was pretty hungry at this point because the museum is huge and I had spent a lot of time and energy trying to find my way around. So I went to the museum cafe and bought some chicken, fries, and a coke, which was all really good. Before I left I bought some chips for later. Then I went back outside to take some more pictures of the museum and park. After I walked around a bit and returned my audio guide, I decided to head back to my hostel and I was determined to find it on my own. Before I had left I had grabbed a map and the desk clerk had highlighted where the hostel was. So when I set out I thought I was doing really well and then I took a quick detour to look at the gardens around the Palais Royal, which were just as beautiful as the ones by the Louvre. Then I set out again still determined to find it, but then I got a little lost; however, I had found some church and metro station so I told myself that I had everything under control because I knew where I was (or so I thought). I think I circled that metro station about three or four times before deciding to just go straight down a road. Then I started to see stores I remembered seeing on my way to the hostel the first time, so I was totally cofident again. Then I came across what I think is Tour Saint Jacques (not really sure though) and was lost again. So I finally broke down and hailed a cab. It was starting to rain and I had been wandering around for two and a half hours. I had actually walked by the street to my hostel so many times without even knowing it. Oh well, I don't really mind because the city has really beautiful architecture so I was fine with getting lost until my feet stated to hurt. Tomorrow is Disneyland Paris and I'm super excited! That's pretty much the main reason why I wanted to come to Paris. 

One of Napoleon's rooms

There is the Venus de Milo

Here is my picture of the Mona Lisa that I basically had to fight my way in for. 

Here is the famous pyramid, which is the way in and out of the museum, along with part of the museum in the background. 

The view of the Jardin des Tuileries from the riverside. 

The garden at Palais Royal

Here was the church next to the metro station when I was lost. 

Here is the monument that I think is Tour Saint Jacques (unless it's a street name or something) when I was lost again. 

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath

It wasn't a very nice day weather wise at all. We started the tour at Windsor Castle, where it was raining and a little windy. We got there a little early so we had to wait about 15 minutes to get into the security building before starting out actual tour. Windsor Castle is the largest permanent residence in the world and I'm very jealous of Queen Elizabeth that she gets to live there. I also found out while waiting to start the actual tour that castles were military fortresses first and foremost and palaces were for showing off your riches and status. When we finally got into the castle our guide brought us over to the entrance for the Doll House, which where the tour of the castle basically starts. The doll house is a huge doll house that took a year and a half to make because everything is real; the toilets actual flush and work, it has real carpets, etc. Next you move on to the art gallery, which isn't that big of a deal to me because I'm not much of an art buff, so I made it through there fairly quick. Then it was on to the state rooms. They are absolutely gorgeous! Everything about them is so stately and ornate. I loved them, I want to live there. After I finished my tour I took a selfie with the palace guard of course and then went and bought some lunch before returning to the coach. Then since Stonehenge  isn't fun to go to in rain, we went to Bath. We went there to see the Roman Baths (England was once ruled by the Romans). We actually saw the last Catholic Church ever built in England there too. The entire town has a law stating that all buildings in the town limits have to have the exterior made out of the local limestone; so the entire town is one color. We saw the Roman Baths, which were kind of cool because they are the only thermal spas in all of the UK. I even drank some of the spring water, which tasted like normal well water to me except really warm. Once everyone was done it was off to Stonehenge. Now, while we were in Bath, it had quit raining and had become a little more windy. By the time we got to Stonehenge, it was partly cloudy/sunny with pretty much straight line winds. I don't know how many times I was either literally pushed to a stop by the wind or almost knocked over. Before we were at Stonehenge I figured it was just a bunch of rocks that no one really knows why or how they got there. After the tour, I found out I was right. The only thing they absolutely know is that there used to be human sacrifices there, lovely. My tour guide had his theory that he stuck to, but for all I care aliens put them there. :) It is actually pretty neat to look and and imagine how old it is. After we all hurried back to the coach for shelter from the wind, we had a hour and 40 minute ride back to London. I was dropped off at the Victoria train station, which I had never been to, and I managed to find my way back pretty easily. Overall this was a great day and I learned a lot of fun facts and saw a lot of historic English sites (even though the only reason I signed up for this tour was to see Windsor Castle). 

The courtyard inside Windsor Castle. 

The round tower (the oldest part of the castle) 

There's my selfie with the guard. 

The Roman bath from the top terrace. It's green because of how dirty it is. 

Here is a view of Stonehenge from the most complete side. 

Just a closer up picture of it. 

Edinburgh, Scotland

Now I have officially been to three of the four countries I have ancestry from, I only have Germany left. I took the 7:30 train to Edinburgh this morning and got to Edinburgh around 12:30. The northern England and Scottish countryside are absolutely gorgeous! I wish I had had a window seat for that leg of the journey so I could take decent pictures of. I loved the city of Edinburgh! It was beautiful and actually has quite a history behind it. I learned that the term "shit-face drunk" comes from Edinburgh during the 1700s. Edinburgh didn't not have toilets so everyone used basins and the city passed a law saying everyone could dump their basins in the street after 10:30 at night. Well, all the pubs were closing so when the drunks were walking home and someone would yell that they were about to dump their basin, the drunk person would look up; hence, shit-face drunk. Okay back to my tour, which I was really lucky with because it didn't rain, it was only windy. I mean windy, when I first stepped out of the train I was nearly knocked over by the wind and quite a few more times afterward. So we started on the Royal Mile, which the original Edinburgh was only one mile long and a quarter mile wide, which is where the Royal Mile is (it leads up to Edinburgh Castle). I met my tour pretty much in the middle of te Royal Mile and we started. There is so much history about Edinburgh I learned today, I don't think I'll remember half of it by the time I get back to my hostel to write in my journal. We started just walking around the Royal Mile and learning all about the history of the city, starting 320 million years ago (that's when the volcano that Edinburgh Castle sits atop first erupted to create Scotland). We walked by St. Guiles Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, and a bunch of other places I don't even remember. I bought some souvenirs while I was there, of course, during our break. I also went to Mary's Milk Bar during the break because it was one of the "must sees" according to a lot of websites on Google. It did indeed have amazing ice cream like all of the sites said, plus it had a great view of Edinburgh Castle. I actually met a girl from Minnesota on my tour! She is studying abroad this semester in Paris and took a weekend trip to Edinburgh. She's from the cities so when she asked where I was from I just said a small little town in northwestern Minnesota. Later on she asked if I knew where Roseau or Warroad were because she's been there and I started laughing and said yes I was in the neighboring town. After my tour concluded, I booked it back to the train station to catch my train (I had about 20 minutes to do this and made it luckily). I got to ride first class all the way back to London and loved every minute of it. It's about a 4 and a half hour train ride. I got free snacks, Pepsi, and an outlet to charge my phone! Plus I had a window so I was able to take some pictures of the countryside. Overall, I absolutely loved Scotland and definently need to study abroad there or at least take a long vacation there (hint hint mom and dad). I would rank Scotland right up there with Norway as one of my favorite countries (which says a lot). Side note: I just used the bathroom on the train and the toilet seat says "Please don't flush sanitary napkins, diapers, old phones, your ex's unpaid bills, hopes, dreams, or goldfish down this toilet" which I thought was hilarious. 

This monument was right outside Waverly train station. My tour didn't go here and I don't have wifi right now (I'm actually on the train back right now) to tell you what it is. 

Edinburgh Castle from Mary's Milk Bar. 

St. Giles Cathedral (there was a wedding going on when we first walked by so I got to see a bunch of guys in kilts). 

Walking down the Royal Mile. 

My first class train car. 

This is probably the best picture I got of the Scottish countryside, but it doesn't do it any justice whatsoever. 

London Sightseeing Tour

I'm going to apologize in advance for any mistakes in this because I did not bring my glasses with me on this trip and I'm doing this on my phone so my eyes start to go a little blurry after writing for a minute or two. :) Today I had a full-day London sightseeing tour and it turned out really great! I had to be at the Victoria Coach Station at 7:45 this morning, so of course I was there at 7:30 (never hurts to be early!). My tour group got on a coach and we started our tour. Because we had made "great time" getting started, we had a quick stop for some photos at Westminster Abbey while our guide gave us a brief history of the Abbey. Then we hopped back on the coach and went to the Tower of London. Our guide gave us a brief overview of the history befor handing us over to a "beef eater" to show us around (I don't remember the official name for them, but they are the guards that live there). He took us around and gave us a much more comprehensive history of the Tower, which actually consists of 20 towers. Then we had some free time to go into different buildings, so of course I went straight for the Crown Jewels. The one thing I wanted a picture of at the Tower of London was the Crown Jewels but of course you can't take pictures of them. They are spectacular! After I saw them I headed to the gift shop and then to our designated meeting place with our guide. Once everyone was back, we walked to our river city cruise. Personally, I didn't get much out of that. When that was finished we headed to Buckingham Palace to view the changing of the guard ceremony. We got there in time so we were able to see the guards and band walking toward the palace. Once they had passed us, we walked closer up to Buckingham where our guide told us more about the history of the building and ceremony. Here's a couple of fun facts I found out, on September 9th of this years, if Queen Elizabeth is still reigning she will be the longest reining monarch beating out Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years. Also, the reason why businessmen wear black shits is because when Queen Victoria's husband Albert died she went into mourning and asked everyone else to and every since then businessmen have worn black instead of the bright colored suits they used to wear. After Buckingham Palace, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral, which is where we got an hour and a half for lunch. I found a pizza place close by and ate there. Once I had finished I had enough time to go to the mall nearby and go to the top floor, which is an observation deck so you can see the dome of the cathedral. The city of London actually has a law stating that any new buildings being put up can not obstruct the view of the dome. After lunch our guide gave us a tour of the cathedral and then let us roam around for a bit. I went to the gift shop to buy some postcards of the inside of the cathedral since you can't take pictures from inside (I did manage to sneak one though). Then, our guide brought us back to our coach with a little pit stop by the London Stock Exchange, which is the largest in the world, in one day there is 1.98 trillion U.S. dollars transacted there. Once we were on the coach, I got dropped off at the London Eye for my ride on it. It was such a beautiful day so I'm very happy it stayed like that for my London Eye ride as well. Then once that was done, I got a taxi and went back to my hostel for the night (which was at about 5:30). 

Westminster Abbey at 8:30 this morning. 

The Tower Bridge. 

Our "beef eater" in his uniform. 

A view of the White Tower from outside the walls. 

This is where the Crown Jewels are kept. 

The band and guards going to the palace

Buckingham Palace (along with my tour guide on the right)

St.  Paul's Cathedral dome from the observation deck on the mall. 

My sneaky picture of the dome from the inside 

The London Eye

The view of the parliament building from the eye. 

First Day in London

Well today just was not my day. I woke up and Lita had emailed me to inform me that Odd couldn't drive me to the airport because he had put the summer tires on the car and it was storming out. So I got up and looked out my window and sure enough it was blizzard-like conditions outside. Then I made myself an egg and while I was putting salt on it the entire cap came off and salt went everywhere. Not a good start. So because Odd couldn't drive me, I hurried up and packed all of my stuff and headed for the train station. I had to trudge through about 3 inches of snow and it was still coming down pretty good. It took me twice as long to get to the train station because of all the snow, but the train was also delayed so it was okay. Then I got to the airport about an hour and a half early, but of course my flight was also delayed because of the storm, so it didn't really matter I was there early. It was delayed about an hour, but luckily it wasn't canceled like some were. When we landed in London, I swear to God that the copilot landed the plane and he was a trainee because it was an awful landing. Once I got through customs and everything, I grabbed some lunch and then got a taxi. My taxi driver was really nice, but he would not stop talking about his life and philosophies on the human race. By the time I checked into my hostel, it was already 3:30. So instead of going to Hyde Park like I was hoping, I only went to Harrods and back to my hostel. My God is Harrods a huge store!

This my street when I set out for the train station. 

That was the view out of my plane window while we were waiting for our turn to get the wings iced/de-iced or whatever they had to do. It was basically zero visibility. 

This is Harrods. It is huge!