Of course I won´t bother you with all my 900 photos (that´s the digital age...), so I selected some. The photo above was taken as you can obviously see at Stonehenge. It was chilly and windy, but it was a very special moment for the young guy doing the peace sign. He´s been reading about it for quite a while and visiting the site was one of his highlights of the trip.
A happy traveler!
Bonds grow stronger during trips. :-)
I love lavenders!
From the London Eye.
Those fish give me the creeps. ;-)
The busy Thames.
Notre Dame de Paris
Chagall´s ceiling at the Ópera.
Where´s Wally?
Maybe Wally is in there ;-)
My favorite: Claude Monet´s house and gardens at Giverny, in Normandy.
6 comments:
Lu,
Thank you for all the photos! Your children grew up fast.
The stone henges looks quite orderly. I thought them more spread out here and there. I've gone to Giverney, but I didn't realize it was in Normandy. I'm excited to see the similar scenes. I envy you. I want to go there again. I'm sure you have a lot to tell, and wow, 900 photos! Please show us more and your thought about the trip. I'm sure you had mishaps, too, with the help of your children!
I'm glad your family survived an international trip.
Very interesting. I could have happily seen more. Thanks
Keiko and Vincent, I´ll upload some more pictures soon.
Regarding my thoughts about the trip, I have to say that I love London (and I´m not just saying that, Vincent). It´s not my first time there, and I wanted to take my children because I knew they´d love there, too. The museums are educational and free (of course we paid a symbolic amount, but because we wanted to), people are polite without exaggeration, and staff in stores and public places are very helpful. And not only in London, but in other parts of England that we visited.
Paris, well, how can I put this...I got tired of all that Napoleonic stuff. It´s a beautiful city, and the climate is very good for European standards, but really, it smells of urine! Plus, a lot of people are rude and bitter. You pay a lot to get in the museums and, although the art is wonderful, the restrooms are terrible, when you´re lucky to find them, and we´re humans, we need to go ;-). My children are really well-behaved (really, no kidding), and still I had to get into an argument with a female museum staff who yelled at them because my daughter jumped the last step of a staircase at the Musée d´Orsay! Give me a break! The lady apologized, but only because I reacted, not because she meant it. I´ll not even comment about Versailles. I´m not a big fan of 'decadence avec elegance'.
In Giverny it was different.No opulence, no glory, no arrogance. It was the beauty of simplicity. I really want to go back to France and explore the countryside.I think it can tell much more about France than Paris. We´ll probably do that by car.
Talking about Giverny, Keiko, a Japanese lady asked my son to take a picture of her with me and my daughter. I have no idea why, but she was so sweet in her way to ask that, I had to say yes, of course. Hope she doesn´t tell people she met a famous criminal. ;-D
Lu,
That's too bad about Paris. I'm glad you reacted to the museum staff. D'Orsay is not a wooden structure. I wonder why anybody care if a little girl jumps or skip a little. Strange.
About a Japanese woman,she probably thought you and your daugher are lovely and felt comfortable to ask you. You probably impressed her somehow, otherwise, she wouldn't ask you to be in the photo.
I look forward to see more photos and stories.
Lu,
What a fun trip and great photos! I'm glad to hear what you say about Paris. I thougth I wanted to go there one day, but I think that reading about it is enough for me. London sounds fabulous. I have to say, I just don't think I'll make it this far--for me it would take saving for a long time. But visiting these places in books, imagination, and now your blog, someone feels satisfying.
I must say, your shoes look quite comfortable. And the photo at Stonehenge, your children aren't really on their cell phones are they?
Glad you had such a great time!
Thanks Rebbs! You know,a colleague almost burned me alive for heresy the other day because I dared say not so flattering things about Paris. But as with everything, it depends on points of view (except the smell:that is undeniable ;-D ). I think every city has its own vibe and I happen to enjoy London´s vibe much more.But that´s me.
You got it right about the shoes! You know, two things will turn me into a very annoying person to be with during trips: being hungry and sore feet. I have very little tolerance of those two, so I always carry snacks with me and always wear comfortable shoes.
About the kids,although they look like very busy and important businesspeople on their cell phones,they are actually listening to audio guides. :-)You get them at the entrance of most places and set them in the language of your preference.
Post a Comment