The End of a Great Visit

They're here!

One of the best things about being over here has been the opportunity to see things in a different way.  We will never forget what it was like when we got off the train in Truro for the first time.  This amazing little seaside town is filled with history but bustling with the activity of modern day life.  That first impression is something that we are always reminded of when we have someone come and visit.  In a way, we relive that first day again and again when friends and family visit. 

Blue Bar at sunset

After a few busy days in London, Katie, Mary and Rhonda made their way down to Cornwall.  It was a Saturday afternoon and after a long train ride filled with a few teasing glimpses of the sea they were finally here in Truro.  I was home all week preparing for their visit and I was getting ready to go to a wedding for one of my friends at work.  The ladies arrived, suitcases and all and quickly settled into our apartment for a quick rest.  After some deliberation they decided to come with me to Porthtowan.  The wedding reception was in town and there was a restaurant overlooking the sea where Mary and Rhonda decided to hang out while Katie and I stopped into the wedding reception.  This being another beautiful day, spending the afternoon at the beach couldn’t have been any better of an introduction to Cornwall for Mary and Rhonda.  Since we had a car rented for Saturday and Sunday, we all piled in and headed off to the west coast of Cornwall. 

We all literally spent the afternoon having lunch, visiting with my friends from work and sitting outside at the Blue Bar, one of our favorite spots to sip a beer (or tea) and look out at the massive beach that led into the ocean.  The outdoor patio was filled with people enjoying the day and we made ourselves quite comfortable there right up until the sun began to set.  That night, we just relaxed around the house, had some dinner and planned out the day of exploring that would be Sunday.

Sunday morning came way too early and we all found ourselves back in the car.  We quickly made our way down to Mawnan Smith, a very small fishing village just south of Falmouth on the southeastern coast.  If you recall a post from few months ago where I talked about a patient of mine who told me all about a place called Trebah Gardens, this was where we were headed.  Trebah Gardens is a large national trust site that consists of hundreds of different exotic plants and trees built into a cliff-side leading straight down to the beach.  Trebah Beach at the bottom is the famous beach known as the last departure point for hundreds of American troops heading for Omaha Beach in Normandy during WWII.  Lining the beach were numerous memorials to those American men who fought in D-Day and gave their lives during the war.  It was really amazing to be there and imagine the coastline filled with soldiers and war-ships preparing for the days ahead. 

St. Michael's Mount in the distance

From Trebah Gardens we drove across to Marazion, a small village on the southwestern tip of Cornwall down the beach from Penzance.  This is the location of probably the most popular and recognizable destinations in all of Cornwall…St. Michaels Mount.  St. Michael’s Mount is a very small, yet very tall island, on the top of which sits a large castle.  One thing that makes the island such a unique spot is that it is only accessible by foot when the tide is out.  When the tide is in, the island is completely surrounded by water and a small boat is the only way on and off the island.  But when the tide begins to go out, the water slowly recedes revealing a long stone path that connects the shore with the foot of the Mount.  Fortunately for us, the tide was out and we made the long journey on foot to the bottom of St. Michael’s Mount.  Katie and I have always joked about how we have been to so many places in Cornwall but for some reason we haven’t been here, its most popular destination.  I think that we always knew that the experience would be largely shaped by whether or not you had a clear sunny day.  On this day, we couldn’t have been more lucky.  It was not an easy hike, but the four of us slowly made our way up the many stairs and winding trails until we finally reached the top of the castle.

Historically St. Michael’s Mount became the site of a monastery after being gifted to the Benedictine religious order following the report of several apparitions by local fisherman in the year 495.  From that time the Mount withstood centuries of war, attacks and local government attempts at takeover before being sold to Colonel John St. Aubyn.  I think one of the coolest things about this island is that to this day, it is still inhabited by the family of Colonel John St. Aubyn.  A family continues to live here in the castle and only opens up a portion of it to the public for viewing.  Not a bad place to live. 

Boat ride back to shore

From the top of the castle you could literally see for miles.  The water was as blue as the sky and you turn 360 degrees and look down at water.  After exploring the castle, inside and out we decided that it was time to walk back to the mainland and have some dinner.  Much to our surprise, as we descended down the side of the Mount, we realized that the tide had already begun coming in and covering up the footpath.  As cool as it would have been to spend the night in a mediaeval castle, fortunately for us, the ferryboats were still running and we caught a ride back to shore.  Once again we were able to sit outside and enjoy a great dinner overlooking the Mount and the sea that was now completely surrounding it. 

Looking over St. Ives

The next day, as I headed back to work, Katie, Mary and Rhonda spent the day exploring what is probably Cornwall’s second most popular tourist spot—the beautiful coastal town of St. Ives.  They all spent the day shopping, walking on the beach and it was there that Mary and Rhonda had their first Cornish Pasty, a right of passage for all those who visit Cornwall.  That night, we grilled out, sat outside on our back deck and had dinner before spending the remainder of the evening playing “Tick,” the card game that would become the nightly ritual for Mary and Rhonda’s time in Truro. 

On Tuesday the girls spent the day shopping and exploring the numerous shops that fill the streets of Truro.  Katie and Mary got pedicures and had something called “Minx” done, which to me seems like someone just put stickers on their toes, but they assured me that it was much more professional and worthy of high fashion praise than that. J I guess they did look kind of cool. 

Katie had to work on Wednesday and that night we would enjoy what would be the last evening spent with Mary and Rhonda before they headed off to London in the morning.  Since they had a lot of packing to do, we decided to just stay in and have dinner at home, play some more cards and savor the last hours we had to spend with family. 

Dinner on the back deck

We all talked and laughed about all that we had shared in the previous two weeks.  We looked through pictures and shared the ones off all of our cameras so that nothing was missed and that no moment went un-captured. Saying goodbye is never easy, but saying goodbye to family after sharing a truly amazing few weeks together is something that Katie and I were both dreading.  As Katie put it well, “How often do you get to spend two weeks straight with your sibling?  That just doesn’t happen.”  The fact that those two weeks were spent in Paris, London and Cornwall makes it even more rare. 

Like I said at the beginning, one of the reasons we are here is to embrace an opportunity to see things in a different way.  Sharing the life we have built here with friends and family and seeing our home through their eyes makes us appreciate it all over again and reminds us just how lucky we are—not just for this experience but for the fact that we have amazing people to share it with.   

Enjoying Paris and London!

As John’s time in Paris was ending, Mary, Rhonda and I still had a couple of days left to enjoy the city.  And enjoy it we did!  After seeing John off Monday morning, we decided it would be a good time to take a day off from all the tourist sites and just enjoy some shopping.  We went to a cute shopping district called Chatalet and spent the afternoon in and out of amazing Parisian shops.  As the day was bright and sunny, we even took a break at a corner café for some beer, cappuccino and good conversation.  After a day’s worth of browsing and some great purchases, we decided to relax back at our apartment and then head out for the night for a Sienne River Cruise at sunset.  We couldn’t have asked for a better evening to spend on the water taking in the city lights.  It was clear skies and we were lucky enough to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle twice on our journey.  After a relaxing and informational cruise, we finished our evening with dinner at midnight by our apartment.  At this point we were getting used to and loving these late night dinners!

Outside Hotel De Ville

Tuesday was our final full day in Paris and we decided to spend it walking a bit more.  We began by leisurely walking through the Tuileries Gardens (which is by the Louvre) and up to Champs Elysees.  We then made our way over to the beautiful Hotel De Ville building and decided to sit for a relaxing dinner before we made our way back to our apartment.  After another full day, we decided to get home early (by Paris standards) and begin our packing as we were off to London in the morning. 

We were up early the next morning as we were catching the Eurostar to London.  We were looking forward to this train ride as we were going to be passing underneath the English Channel, but were surprised to find out we were only underground beneath the Channel for 20 minutes!  Definitely not as exciting as we were originally thinking, but we did get in a few games of cards along the way.

Mary "measuring" our room

Once in London, we checked into our hotel close to Paddington station.  We had a good laugh as our room for three people was tiny, but clean and all we needed for our couple nights here.  Our hotel receptionist encouraged us to start our time at Covent Garden, so we made our way by bus and checked out the area.  As it was afternoon and the shops were shutting down (a reminder we were no longer in Paris and back in the UK), we then decided to just do some walking and take it all in.  As we turned a corner and walked into Trafalger Square, we couldn’t believe it when we saw the entire square filled with people having picnics, enjoying drinks while watching a ballet broadcast on a large screen at the front of the square.  We stayed and enjoyed for a little bit, then realized it was time for a drink!  We made our way to a pub called Clarence House and were lucky enough to find an outdoor table where we could enjoy our first beer and cider in London.  We lucked out with another beautiful night of sitting outside enjoying some drinks.  We then made our way back to hotel only for Mary and I to realize that we were hungry for some snacks.  We decided that even though we were in our pajamas, we would still head to the market across the street to pick up some sweets.  Totally worth it!  If you can just imagine Mary and I crossing the street in our pajamas with armfuls of candy...another reminder that we are sisters.

Drinks at Clarence House

We started our first full day in London by doing the good ol’ red double-decker hop-on hop-off bus.  As the sun was out, we enjoyed learning about the history of London on the top deck of the bus overlooking the city.  We decided to hop-off at the Tower of London where we were lucky enough to catch a 41 gun salute for the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation in 1953.  After the salute (a tad boring), made our way into the Tower of London where we toured the castle and saw the Crown Jewels.  After some time at the Tower, we took a river cruise and saw the city from a different perspective and enjoyed hearing some more history about the city.  We hopped off outside Parliament where we then did an afternoon of walking by Westminster, Trafalger Square, back to the Covent Gardens before finishing with some shopping on Europe’s busiest shopping street – Oxford Street!  As we had another full day, we headed back to the hotel for a good night of sleep.

Shopping bags in Piccadilly Circus

For our last day in London, we began by heading to Regent Street.  I had seen a tea shop the day before on our bus tour and wanted to stop back to check it out.  During our time here, I have been collecting tea cups, so I thought I would give this store a try to see what I could find.  And luckily we stopped as I bought the most beautiful tea cup and already have it on our living room shelf as decoration!  After the tea shop and stopping for some gelato, we took a quick tour of China Town and then finished the bus tour from the day before.  Rhonda was loving all the information, though Mary and I decided to spend the time chatting away and just taking in the sun. 

The West End after Stomp!

Our final night in London was spent at the West End.  We stopped for drinks (as you can tell, a common theme of the trip :-) and then headed to see the show Stomp.  It was definitely an upbeat show and we enjoyed seeing how you can pretty much turn anything, and I mean anything, into a musical instrument!  Once the show was finished, we headed back to our hotel room and packed up once again for our next adventure……to Truro!  

Springtime in Paris (Part 1)

WE'RE HERE !!!

Well, we know that it has been quite some time since our last entry, but it has definitely been because there has been so much going on….especially in the last two weeks.  In fact, we have so much to blog about that Katie and I agreed to do this in two (maybe three) parts.  So, let’s begin with Paris. 

Two weeks ago Katie’s sister Mary and her step-mom Rhonda came to visit.  Regardless of all of the great traveling that we were all going to do together, the bottom line was that it was SO great to have family here visiting again.  It's always a reminder of how much we miss everyone and reaffirms that Katie and I WILL someday return to the midwest.  

The front door to our apartment - #13

Our trip in Paris began with a big reunion scene in the middle of the airport in Paris…these never get old.  Rhonda and Mary had a bit further to travel than we did but we were all very excited to be in Paris together.  After collecting all of our things, we took the train into the city and made our way to the apartment we had rented.  On a side note, if anyone is planning a trip to Paris, we have a great recommendation for a place to stay.  We stayed in a really great apartment for the four of us so it came with a full kitchen, laundry, etc.  The best part about it was that it was right in the heart of the Bastille neighborhood.  Like most neighborhoods in Paris, it was lively and full of activity right through all hours of the night.  We spent our first night exploring the neighborhood and settled on a nice restaurant for dinner across the street from our apartment.  This is where I tried “steak tartare" for the first time.  It was amazing and even though the ladies were a little grossed out, I was so glad that I tried it!  After dinner, it didn’t take us long to find the gelato shop right down the street from our apartment.  Just like in Italy, after the first bite, we immediately knew that this would be the first of many nights that would end with a pre-bedtime snack of gelato. 

Our first of many great dinners

We basically spent the night catching up, enjoying each other’s company planning out the days ahead.  I was only able to stay until Monday before heading back to work, but the girls were going to stay in Paris until Wednesday before heading over to London for a few days and then eventually making their way to Cornwall.  As a result we quickly agreed that they would save their shopping until the days after I left and that we would spend the first few days doing some of the more “touristy” things.  I definitely dodged a bullet there :)  

Arc De Triomphe

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and we headed straight for the Eiffel Tower.  Like most developed European cities, the well designed underground Metro system made for easy navigating….and we got to know Paris’ metro system well.  

The Eiffel Tower was everything you expect it to be but even pictures don’t quite prepare you for how big it really is.  After strolling around and under the tower and of course after taking our obligatory 1000 pictures with it in the background, we made our way to the Champs-Élysées, the famous shopping street of Paris.  This is literally over a mile long of luxury shops, cafés and theatres and was certainly something to see.  The week before we were there, I read that rent for 1000 square feet on this street went for over 1-million euro per year.    

After having lunch at one of the outdoor cafés we made our way to Notre Dame and were able to get inside after only a short wait.  Being inside gave you a true appreciation for it’s “Gothic” architecture.  It was dark and old, but still beautiful.  It was huge, but still small enough to walk through quickly and not feel like you are missing anything. 

Notre Dame

After Notre Dame, we made our way along the River Seine, across Pont Neuf bridge (ala Jason Borne) and straight up to the Louvre, one of the largest museums in the world.  It being a very warm day, we enjoyed some time sitting outside and relaxing in the sun before heading through the large gates to the famous glass pyramid.  Again, what a beautiful thing to see.  After this very long day in the sun, we headed back to our apartment to put our feet up and relax before heading out for the evening. 

Saturday night in Paris meant only one thing, watching the sun set over the city and a late night dinner.  As we all do this time of year, we enjoyed the fact that sunset wasn’t until around 9:30-10:00 at night so we had plenty of time to climb our way up to Sacré-Cœur. Sacré-Cœur is a large basilica that sits on top of a hill overlooking the city of Paris.  This being a Saturday night, there were literally hundreds of people who apparently had the same idea that we did.  Like most of them, we spent the evening sitting on the steps, chatting, and looking down on the city as street bands played the soundtrack for the sun setting in the horizon….one of the many “moments” we will take with us from our time spent traveling.   Once the sun was set we headed down the many steps to find place for dinner.  Off in the distance you could see the Eiffel Tower begin to sparkle and light up the sky as it would do every hour for the rest of the night. 

I quickly learned that you could tell how hungry our group was by how quickly we decided on a restaurant for dinner.  On this night, there wasn’t much deliberation : ) We had a fantastic meal at a little Italian restaurant (once again sitting outside) not far from the famous Moulin Rouge neighborhood.   After another stop for gelato, we headed off to bed to prepare for the long day that would be Sunday.

Palace of Versailles with the gardens in the background

Sunday morning came way too early as we were all up by seven in order to catch our train to the Palace of Versailles.  The palace was built by King Louis XIV and is located about 20 kilometers southwest of Paris.  King Louis built this as a country getaway and it eventually became the massive chateau that it is today.  This was also once the home of the famous Marie Antoinette.  The scope of this place was far beyond what any camera could capture and the gardens that stretch out beyond it are too beautiful to describe without sounding like you’re trying too hard.  The inside of the palace was just room after room of marble and granite floors, beautiful art, murals, fireplaces, you name it.  The tour of the house ends with you exiting onto the gardens that reach out so long that you almost can’t see where they end.  The perfectly manicured grounds are filled with fountains and squared off hedges that were clearly designed by and for a king.  The rest of the day was spent strolling through the gardens, eating lunch along one of the pathways and exploring the cottage where Marie Antoinette spent most of her time.  That was of course before the French Revolution resulted in the loss of her head :)

For anyone who has not been, we would highly recommend taking a full day and going to the Palace of Versailles.  It was a long day, but really worth the time and effort to get there. 

After heading back to the city and a short nap, we were ready for what would be MY last night in Paris.  We decided to check out the Eiffel Tower and were so glad that we did.  There is something about seeing the Eiffel Tower during the day and then again at night.  It was literally two completely different experiences.  It’s not difficult to understand why this is one of the most recognizable structures in the world.  The surrounding grounds were filled with people taking pictures, buying food from vendors and some just sitting under the tower looking up at it.  Katie and Mary quickly found the one vendor that made cotton candy….surprise, surprise.  From there we ended up having a great dinner (sitting outside) at a café right down the street from our apartment.

The next day, it was difficult to leave and fly back home, but there was no way I would have been able to keep up with the ladies as they plotted out phase 2 of their time in Paris...shopping, shopping and more shopping.  

Enough said...

As I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight, I had time to really think about our trip.  We knew that it would be fun, but I don’t think any of us could have known how incredibly well we all traveled together.  I think all four of us did a really good job of taking in every minute.  It’s not everyday you get to spend a beautiful Spring weekend in Paris, but it’s definitely not everyday that you get to do it with family.

Looking back, I don’t think the first few days in Paris could have gone any better.  We saw a lot of things in a short amount of time.  Normally, this would leave you feeling rushed and pressured to take in as much as you can – but in Paris the pace is just slow enough that this feeling is erased the second you sit down at a café for a late-night dinner.  Any day, no matter how busy, that ends with sipping a cappuccino at an outdoor café before savoring some gelato as you head off to bed is a great day…and Paris was filled with them.