Category Archives: Travel

Travel Diary- Day 8

05 Monday Oct 2009

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Sundays are road trip days. We jumped in the car and went off  Woodstock to tour Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke and Duchess of Marborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. It happened to be the Brompton world championship bike race on the grounds that day so we had the pleasure of seeing them at the start. Hilarious outfits. Top hats on top of bike helmuts and tails with shorts.

The Brompton bike race

The palace is beautiful but when going in the doors, never turn left…they trap you in to view “the untold story” of the palace….from room to room you are not allowed to leave until the next part of the story is ready to begin. For a claustrophobic person, doesn’t really work for me. Turning right, you got to wallk through the rooms and see the beautiful paintings, rooms and pictures of the family.

Jen, Malinda and me in front of Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace

Walking the grounds was amazing. You could walk forever and feel like you have never reached the end.

The stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace

We then walked through the cute town of Woodstock before heading to the car and driving to Oxford. Loved Woodstock. Such amazing old buildings and houses.

Woodstock

Oxford was next on the agenda. We walked to the Turf Tavern where we had some food and a drink. This is the place that Bill Clinton apparently smoked pot but of course never inhaled.

Turf Tavern Pub in Oxford

The streets of Oxford

At the Head of the River Pub in Oxford

A shot from the Head of the River Pub

More streets of Oxford

Last stop was the Kings Arms Pub. Had one more drink and then headed back to London. It was a great Sunday road trip!

Kings Arms Pub in Oxford

Travel Diary-Day 8

04 Sunday Oct 2009

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I wanted to go for one last run in Paris but managed to set both alarms wrong so I was lucky to get up in time to make it to the train station, Gare de Nord, to take the train back to London. It was an absolute gong show in the station. Trying to find where I was supposed to be was a bit of a chore but I manage to get all checked in with about 5 minutes to spare before boarding. I had a great time in Paris but was definitely ready to go back to London.

I was told how crazy the Kings Cross metro station could be on a weekend and I sure witnessed it. Chaos. People being herded to the right metro. You really had to push your way through it all. After about 30 min on the metro and a short walk from Parson’s Green station, I was back at Jen and George’s.

A spent the afternoon blogging and relaxing and then went to meet up with a friend from Vancouver, Paul Meehan, who was in town on business. I hadn’t been to Covent Garden yet, so we went to a pub called Porterhouse. A huge place with loads of different beers. Jen, George and their two friends, who were also from Vancouver, met us there. We definitely sampled some of their beer selection before going to a lounge near by called Light Bar which is in the St. Martins Lane hotel. It’s a small place but really nice and they really know how to make a drink there!

Jen, Paul and Olivia on the iphone

George, Paul and Jen

Just the three of us

It was a great night hanging out with friends and checking out a different area of London.

Travel Diary- Day 7

03 Saturday Oct 2009

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This was my last full day in Paris so I wanted to slow things down and really just enjoy the city. I got up early for a run along the Seine just as the sun was coming up. Totally inspiring.

Running along the Seine

Montmartre neighbourhood was my first stop. Wandered the steep, thin streets. This area has so much character. The only one irritating thing is all of the people trying to sell you something or draw your picture. Takes a bit away of the experience but I tried to ignore them. I ended up at the Sacre Coeur, overlooking Paris. Another stunning view of the city.

The streets of Montmartre

The view from Sacre Coeur

Apparently this is the club that Picasso used to party at. It was called something else though.

I stopped for lunch at a little cafe. Just watched the people walk by and laughed at the gong show of trucks trying to navigate the tiny streets. When two trucks try and get by eachother…total chaos!

I wandered the cementary where many famous people are buried including Degas. I tried to find his grave but it was a maze and could not find it to save my life. But it was fascinating walking through it.

Montmartre Cemetery

You can’t come to this neighbourhood and not check out The Moulin Rouge! It would have been great to see a show there but a picture will have to suffice!

Moulin Rouge

I spent the rest of the day just walking the streets of Paris. Peaking into shops, sitting at cafes, looking at the old buildings. It was a great way to spend my last  day. I was trying to think of how I wanted to spend my last evening. Not a whole ton of fun eating a nice meal on your own so I decided to do a nighttime cruise along the seine. See Paris in all its sparkly nighttime glory. And although I was the only single person on this cruise, it was really interesting and beautiful. It was the perfect  end to this unforgettable trip.

A view from the Seine

A view from the Seine

Final thoughts on Paris: I really can’t believe that I finally got the opportunity to be here. It was everything I thought it would be and more. I feel very blessed to have experienced it.