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Paris and London
  • Robert Chambers
  • Robert Chambers

Paris and London

A 15-day adventure by Robert Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 13, 2023
    Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Here we go...

    May 13, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Time to find my wife, she's in Europe somewhere. Managed to keep my check in down to 7kg. Not bad considering I have two sets of hiking poles.

    No trains. Waited for bus that took to long so I booked an Uber. Nice guy named Robert drove me to the airport.

    No waiting to board for the first leg to Singapore. Flight has been delayed, we're boarding 20min late. I have 4 hours in Changi so it should be ok. The flight is full though. The check in queue was huge.

    Paris here I come.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Paris

    May 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    France is a long way from Sydney. The first leg via Singapore on a very full Scoot flight. It was half an hour late but I had 4 hours between flights.

    The Air France flight from Singapore was a killer. And also half an hour late. I named almost 7 hours sleep but it wasn't a good sleep.

    Today was a recovery day. Plus Grace want arriving until the afternoon. I found a supermarket to buy some supplies. French wine is cheap here so lunch was olives, cheese and red wine.

    We managed to find the only English Mass in Paris. It's very near the Arc de Triomphe.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Paris

    May 15, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Grace and I just finished the Eiffel Tower. We caught the lift because it's a long way up and we've already had a big day.

    Morning stayed with a walk to the Botanic Garden and the Natural History Museum. We even saw some wallabies and kangaroos in the menagerie attached to the gardens.

    This was followed by a walk to Notre Dame, but we stopped to look at the Grand Mosque of Paris along the way. The mosque had some beautiful tile work and rose gardens.

    We had lunch that cost more than it should (but we're on holidays, who cares?), served by a very enthusiastic server.

    This was followed by a tour through St Genevieve's basilica...I mean the Pantheon.

    23,000 steps today.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler
    11

    Palace of Versailles

    May 16, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    In contrast to the previous day, yesterday was a nice sunny day. It was the perfect day to visit the Palace of Versailles. It turned out to be a popular day because the place was buzzing.

    The place was amazing. So opulent and over the top. You could spent two days and not cover everything to see. I'm glad we chose this day. The original plan was to do this on our last day, but we might not get back in time for a train to London.

    Desire the sun, it was cold outside due to the wind. Not unbearably so, but enough to wish I'd bought another layer.

    The statues and paintings alone were worth the visit, but the Palace and the grounds were a sight, especially walking up to the entrance with the sun shining off the gold trim of the building.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Musee d'Orsay

    May 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    First museum visit for the day. Musée d'Orsay. There is a Degas and Manet exhibition so I booked to see that. Not many people know I did at in high school, and my favourite style is the Impressionists. Technically these two are not Impressionists but they dabbled a little in the form.

    The museum used to be a train station, evident by the large clocks. There are a number of more modern artworks. More modern in that they are 19th and 20th century. Unlike the Louvre Which had puces dating from 18th back to 200,000BC(?). I'm not sure that last date, but that's what the sign said.

    There are also many artworks that are NFFF. Not Fit For Florida. Too many names bodies.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Musée du Louvre

    May 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I booked an afternoon at the Louvre, unaware of what we were in for. It's much bigger than I considered. It was confusing to navigate, though eventually we found a method to follow the map but it was still not easy.

    We did make to find the Mona Lisa, but the queue filled the room and there was so much to see. Again, to many pieces of work that were NFFF.

    This was our last full day in Paris. Tomorrow we head for London in the afternoon.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

    May 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is situated on a very prominent hill with a 360° view over Paris. To get a better view you can pay €7 to climb the steps to the Dome. There are 300+ steps to climb, most in a narrow, claustrophobic staircase that just seemed to wind around forever.

    We stayed for Mass because it was Ascension Thursday, a public holiday in France and a Holy Day of Obligation.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Sainte-Chapelle

    May 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I was looking forward to this chapel. It's out last so before travelling to London. It has over 1,000 pieces of stained glass, 70% are the original. The chapel was built to house relics of the Passion.

    The chapel is two chapels in one, with one on top of the other. You walk into the lower chapel first, I was a little underwhelmed. Where is all the stained glass? There is some, but nothing like what I was expecting. Then we found the stairs to the upper chapel...

    The upper chapel is amazing. Almost floor to ceiling stained glass panels. Each tell a story, being different books from the Bible. The appear more blue or purple depending on the light. Simply stunning.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Hello London

    May 19, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We arrived via the Eurostar. Very nice. Fast, comfortable and on time. We stayed in a very small room near the London Monument and London Bridge.

    Next stop Ambleside in the lakes district.

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Ambleside

    May 19, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We took the train up to Ambleside via Oxenholme and Windermere.

    Another train broke down in front and we were stuck on the train for a couple of hours. We eventually made it to our accommodation and did a little walking tour before dinner.Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Rydal Cave – Caves loop from Waterhead

    May 20, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Our first hike in England. The route said caves, but really they are just towards the end. We had to climb over a mountain first. Admittedly not a very tall one, and it probably doesn't clarify as a mountain in the UK. It was still more than 300m about the surrounding area.

    The view around the district and across the other fells was amazing. And it's such a nice day to hike.

    The caves are old quarries used for the stone that make up most of the houses around town.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Grasmere Lakeside – View of Rydal Water

    May 21, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Our second hike. Grace didn't like the elevation of yesterday's hike so today's is more flat. It's also 50% longer at 15km.

    The weather was not as good as yesterday, quite overcast, but still good for walking. We passed William Wordsworth's home. Several of them. I think every house the man even looked at has a sign saying he was there. Anyway, it was closed today, though the house he lived in for 37 years until his death was open.

    We covered nearly 17km (more than in the plan) around two local lakes. Up the village of Grasmere for lunch at the Tea Gardens ( and a beer, Les would be happy).    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler
    111

    Waterfall at Stock Ghyll – Wansfell Pike

    May 22, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Our last full day in Ambleside. It's a more chill day...for Grace. We started off with a walk through town to find a waterfall. After completing the loop of the waterfall I left Grace to find her way back while I tackled a mountain. Well, it's 460m, so technically it's not a mountain here, but it is a very big hill.

    Half way up I realised Grace made the right choice. The slope had a gradient of over 30% in places, and it just kept going. However the view more than made up for the struggle up the hill.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler
    1

    St Mary's Church, Somers Town

    May 23, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    This was an interesting discovering. An Anglican-Catholic church. Still Anglican, but following more Catholic traditions than the usual Anglican Church. In fact, walking into the church it looked like a Catholic Church. Until they closed. Then the "perpetual" sanctuary light was turned off.Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    British Museum

    May 24, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The British museum is very close to where we are staying. It's also free to visit. I thought we'd spend a couple of hours here then go visit the Tate, but there is so much to see. We ended up spending most of the day here.Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler
    1

    Westminster Cathedral

    May 24, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    This is Westminster Cathedral. Not to be confused with Westminster Abbey. This is a Catholic Cathedral while the Abbey is Anglican. It's also free to visit while the Abbey is £21!

    Built in the really 1900's, it's still not complete. The ceiling and some side panels are incomplete, but the side Chapels themselves are nice.Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Tate Britain

    May 25, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We visited the Tate Britain gallery this morning. Mostly to see the Turner gallery. On his death Turner donated an astounding 30,000 items to the Nation. Were they all paintings? Maybe they included items like sketch books, paint brushes and pallets, etc.

    I didn't find the Turner I wanted, it must be somewhere else. They also had some Henry Moore sculptures. Plus some works I don't understand...I must be old.    Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Temple

    May 25, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Church of the Knights Templar. Until they were run out of town. It was also where the Magna Carta was written and the American Letter of Independence. Built with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in mind, after a returning Knight was inspired by the Church in Jerusalem in the 1200's, it was detailed by an incendiary bomb in 1941. It's now a church that is under direct control of the Crown. It doesn't report to a bishop.Read more

  • Robert ChambersParis and LondonTraveler

    Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3

    May 26, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    It's Friday. I have to work on Monday so I better fly home. To give myself the best chance of not falling to sleep at my desk (how embarrassing) is to get some sleep before Monday. So I'm flying with Thai on Friday, arriving Saturday night. Maybe I can also on the plane (spoiler, no, not really), or sleep that night (also no).Read more

    Trip end
    May 27, 2023
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