More Travel
4 Oct 2008Well, I’ve sufficiently recovered from my lack of French speaking skills while in Paris and therefore have decided to challenge myself with an even less convenient language: Dutch. That’s right, I’m off to Amsterdam the weekend after next (October 18th and 19th) and next weekend (the 11th and 12th) I’m heading to Bath in Western Britain.
While I have certainly felt the lack of travel the last few weeks, what really has spurred this mad dash to book up the next few weeks is the temperature. It is just so cold in my Top Floor Flat (and the rest of London unless you’re on one of the really deep tube lines during rush hour) that despite my best effort to get going this morning, I just couldn’t get going to Windsor Castle as I had planned. I didn’t have a train or entry ticket so I just couldn’t be bothered to bundle up and get out. Buying the tickets this morning made me feel both productive and like I won’t be able to bail out the morning of.
I’ll still make an effort to go to Windsor tomorrow but Sundays are my chores and shopping days which means if I lose my Sunday, I’m scrambling for groceries all week. In any case, I’m really excited about Bath and Amsterdam. I’m still getting final details sorted out (I was having some trouble with the National Rail online ticketing site to get my tickets to Bath, and I’m working on getting a B&B in Amsterdam) but if anyone has any suggestions for what to see in either city I’d love to hear!
Paris Itinerary [Part II]
14 Sep 2008Right, well, we’re going to start moving through this Paris trip at a bit of an increased pace – mostly because I’ve got so many other things to talk about that have happened in the last three days (for a stay-at-home weekend, this weekend became incredibly busy!).
Wednesday in Paris was the unofficial Museum Day. I spent most of the day at the Louvre which, according to my tour guide the day before houses so much artwork that should you attempt to view each piece for 25 seconds, you would spend a total of six months in the museums (by which time they would have changed or added an exhibit and you’d have to start over). Opting for the three hour tour over the six month one, I followed the audio guide through French artistic and architectural history. One of the most stunning parts of the tour was the Napoleonic chambers. While Napoleon himself never lived there, they were decorated in a style associated with his rule and were private residences as recent as a few decades ago. The opulence and glamour was stunning.
I was also, of course, impressed by some of the early Northern Renaissance art which I had studies in school and saw on the tour. Before leaving I did make my way to the hideously crowded Italian masters wing where I got to glimpse Da Vinci’s work, including the Mona Lisa, and the works of the rest of the crowd who got Ninja Turtles named after them. Now I am as much in awe of these great works as the next art history dabbler but it was a little off putting to see them along with so many tourists who effectively viewed the entire exhibit hall through the lens of a camera, snapping pictures just to say they had.
Wednesday afternoon brought me to the Picasso museum which was small but very impressive. I think it’s surprising for many people just how much of a range Picasso had – he’s so often associated with the post-impressionism and cubist paintings from somewhat later in his life but he worked over such a long period of time and in so many different medias (there were a number of his sculptures on display as well) that it’s impossible to characterise his work by that style.
Having already spent a good deal of time on my feet, I grabbed some food to take back to the hotel and had an early night in anticipation of Versailles the next day.
Versailles was indescribable – I had been looking forward to this part of my trip perhaps most of all and it definitely didn’t disappoint. After the simple train ride from Paris to the chateau (about 40 minutes) I started off with the tour of the actual palace, including the famous Hall of Mirrors. This turned out to be a good move because even though the tourist crowds had been relatively light throughout my trip, Versailles turned out to be particularly crowded and even just after opening I found myself shuffling through the gorgeous rooms with huge groups of people.
After the palace I wandered out into the gardens and towards Marie Antoinette’s private areas (which included the working farm where she was said to enjoy pretending to be a milk maid). The entire thing was exquisite and what was particularly nice was that as I moved farther away from the main palace, the crowds thinned out and finally I found myself walking for up to half an hour at a time through the gardens without seeing another person. I actually ended up almost completely lost and turned around (not exactly a laughing matter on the huge estate) but couldn’t be much bothered as I kept coming across new gardens, grottos hidden behind fountains, paths to new buildings and more. It was near the middle of the afternoon and when I was the most lost that I happened upon an open building labeled the theatre. Inside was the most beautiful miniature theatre (probably just a few dozen seats) but with a full stage and set. I can’t even imagine living a life like the one the inhabitants of Versailles must have had and am glad I planned to spend the entire day there so I could truly explore the area.
When I arrived back in Paris, I was quite tired but happened to notice as I was walking back to the hotel that my museum pass (which I had purchased for Wednesday and Thursday as it included Versailles) included a tour up the Notre Dame tower which offered an amazing view of the city. I was very glad that I found that as it offered a completely different look at the city than from the Eiffel Tower.
On Friday morning, I got up early to beat the crowds to that famous tower but the weather wasn’t really cooperating. It seemed a bit misty and overcast at ground level but by the time I had made it to the second platform on the tower (about 1/3 of the way up) I realised that misty at ground level is proper rain and high winds when you’re very high up. Of course I went to the top of the tower, and admired the view from the open air platform but couldn’t take the weather for long so after not too long returned to the second platform for a hot coffee and then walked the stairs all the way to the ground.
After the tower, my plan had been to continue through the art museums but realised I was right next to the Hôtel des Invalides, which was a hospital established by Napoleon for veterans and soldiers which still acts as a veterans hospital today. It also houses the tomb and remains of Napoleon and has a wonderful war history museum that explores French and European history. After the tour of Napoleon’s tomb, I wandered into the World Wars I and II exhibitions and ended up spending nearly two hours going through the truly fascinating exhibit.
For my final afternoon and last morning in Paris on Friday and Saturday, I wandered back through the areas of the city that I had become most familiar with; specifically the islands, Rue de Rivoli which is the main road that runs next to the Louvre and Champs Elysees and the Tuileries park in front of the Louvre. Before leaving Paris I made one final stop at Angelina’s for hot chocolate and brunch before heading back to London on the Eurostar.
Of course I couldn’t end my trip without one final bit of drama, however. I had been waiting nearly an hour in the train station waiting for information about my train, which just wasn’t coming up. Finally, with only 15 minutes to go until the train was supposed to leave the station, I realised something was wrong – in fact I was in the wrong place and had to get through baggage check and customs, and make the train in 15 minutes. Thankfully I made it on board with approximately 30 seconds to spare (I was still making my way to my seat when the train left the station).
Over all it was a fantastic trip. I’ve learned about a lot of places I’d like to visit when I return to Paris in the future but for a first pass of the city, I think I did quite well. Enjoy the pictures, but don’t think things are going to be boring now that I’m back in London and not travelling for a while. Just wait until you hear what I did this weekend….
Paris Itinerary [Part I]
13 Sep 2008Paris was spectacular. I highly recommend to everyone that at some point in your life you travel to a city you don’t know, on your own, not knowing the language. It’s quite a rush and although at times I was stressed or nervous or just a bit lonely, none of those feelings could last for long in Paris and the feeling of accomplishment and freedom was indescribable.
To start off on Monday morning, I took the Eurostar train from London to Paris. For those of you who haven’t traveled from London to Paris lately, it may be a bit of a surprise that this trip is now so easy. Two hours after boarding the train in London, I had arrived (and in fact they’ve just added two more trains that run at 220 mph to the route so you could make it in even less time). Upon arriving, I grabbed my caret of tickets (billets) and with relatively little incident, made it to my predetermined metro stop in order to check into the hotel and dash off for the Rodin museum (planned stop one for my Paris trip). What I didn’t count on, however, was exactly how turned around I would get once above ground. After about an hour of increasingly panicked wandering (with my 30lb backpack on my back with all my belongings) it occurred to me that I still had the number of the hotel in my phone and called them to confirm the address. Of course, I had been in the right place all along and just hadn’t seen them. It was with some relief that I tossed my belongings down and simply admired the Parisian view from the window.
Having already lost much of the time, inclination and nerve necessary to make the walk across town to the museum I decided instead on a walk down the Seine which, for the most part, wouldn’t get me lost. I spent most of the evening making my way from the Bastille (where I was staying) to the small islands in the river, past the Louvre and through the parks. I had regained my confidence throughout the walk although up until that point I hadn’t had to speak to anyone. But it was nearing the end of the day and I was getting hungry. With an oath to myself that I would absolutely not, under no circumstance would I eat at an American fast food joint, I set out to find a meal.
This proved exceptionally more difficult that I had anticipated. After another hour and a half of wandering past expensive restaurants with fois gras and escargot, snooty-looking waiters and lots and lots of people speaking French, I finally found myself at a café that looked like a place where I could at the very least get a sandwich. I quickly ordered a glass of wine and was told in both French and English in no uncertain terms that I would be woefully uncultured if I didn’t order a cheese platter which arrived so afterwards with a baguette and a smelly (but delicious) assortment of cheeses. While not exactly what I had expected for dinner, it did fill me up, make me feel quite as if I had a proper French meal (which I probably didn’t) and get me back to the hotel where I had an early night with the promise of an tour in English and at least one meal covered for the next day.
Tuesday dawned clear which was a relief as I was off to Paris by Bike tour which was absolutely the highlight of my trip. I understand completely why this tour is ranked as the number one attraction in Paris by TripAdvisor.com users as it was not only a wonderful guide to the city, its sites and history but it also recommended cafes and restaurants along the way, familiarised me with the streets I would use most often during my week stay, and had some of the most friendly guides I could imagine. Perhaps my favourite moment on the tour was when we paused on the bikes to look at a beautiful old house that used to be a private palatial home in the center of Paris. Our attention was then directed to a small cannon ball, almost out of sight, that was lodged in the wall of the home from when rioting revolutionaries had stormed the city.
The tour lasted through the morning and into midday and by the end of the tour at 3pm I felt ready to take on the city. I might not know any French but at least I could find my way from my hotel to the place where most everyone spoke English. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays so I crossed the river to visit the Musee d’Orsay which houses much of the wonderful impressionist and post-impressionist art in the city. I was shocked by the fact that people were allowed to, and did, take photos of the art work but by the time I had passed through the Monets and Van Goghs I had started snapping a few of my own to remember the amazing artwork I was experiencing.
After the Orsay, I crossed the river again to head to Angelina’s – a famous tea room which I had been told by multiple recommenders had the best hot chocolate this side of the Aztecs. It left nothing to be desired although on a whim born of the overwhelming amount of sweets and pastries available I did order another strawberry sort of creation with custard and burnt sugar and strawberries which I thought might be somewhat more savoury with the hot chocolate but proved to send me into a sugar rush from which I didn’t quite recover for the rest of the day. The weather had gone from overcast to proper rain so instead of wandering through the city by foot, I hopped on a Seine cruise which took me up and down the river to see all of the main sites from the water. The boat was covered so it was an excellent excuse to get out of the rain and continue my sightseeing.
After the boat tour, it was well into the evening and it had been quite a long day. With plans to see a number of museums the next day, I called it an early night.
Part II of Paris soon!
Paris Photos
11 Sep 2008I’m still trying to find the time to do a full update on my Paris trip, including a proper recap of the itinerary that actually happened (slightly, but not too, different than planned) but in the meantime here are some photos from the trip.
First day in Paris, standing in front of the famous glass pyramid that serves as the main enterance for the Louvre.
- Wonderful Musee d’Orsey which used to be a train station, as you can see from the photo. Had some of the most amazing impressionist and post-impressionist artwork!
- I think this photo is sort of obligatory for anyone who goes to Paris. But it was quite cold and wet when I was at the Eiffel Tower unfortunately.
At Versailles, you can see the main palace behind me. It was amazing and so nice that I had some sun for that day trip!
Well, that should be enough for getting on with! There is a proper recap coming but tonight was another late night with dancing. Exciting weekend around London coming up as well with the last BBC Proms of the summer. I can’t wait!
Meaghan Fitzgerald is a marketer and entrepreneur building and growing consumer and gaming products and experiences. A Silicon Valley native, she started her first company, DormWise, in 2006 which she later sold in 2009. Meaghan spent 7 years in London in early stage consumer startups, two years at Xbox as a product marketer for Minecraft, and is currently the head of product marketing for VR experiences at Facebook and Oculus. Meaghan writes here about business, technology, gaming, and marketing. She has been named a top