Souvenir…se souvenir

Can’t really say this is an artistic picture. Just wanted to share with you my souvenirs from the trip.

So, there are those 2 books, “A brief history of Britain’s kings and queens” and “Les trois musquetaires”. Some Skittles left in there….(if you find some around Europe, think of me and buy some for me too:P). I love London key chain. Paris bracelet. An iPod silicon protection (the iPod itself is not a souvenir but I recommend it for those of you who want to make an investment…). A Swatch watch. A “mind the gap” teddy bear key chain. And of course, Bertie Botts every flavour beans. Still have some of those. Dad ran into a chilli flavoured one, so I don’t expect to run out of beans any time soon.

On another subject, yours truly got her driving licence today. After many months of turmoil, I can say. Luckily, I got it from my first attempt, otherwise I would have had to start all over again, with the studying and such. The policeman who supervised me was super cool and really gave us a chance to prove what we knew. I was witness for two guys and believe me, no one was born with the driving skill in their blood. So for all the girls out there, men aren’t so good as they say.

Super extra happy.

Day 11 – Paris, Versailles

Last day of the trip. Couldn’t believe it was actually there.

First of all, we got to see a Pantheon in the middle of Paris. It looked pretty Roman to me, nothing to do with the city itself. It was like, from another world. Anyway, it had this pendulum in the middle, which shows the exact hour, depending on the meridian it is situated. It showed the people from the past that the Earth is moving. Cool.

We saw the University of Sorbonne, from the outside, because the school year was over so we couldn’t go inside just like that. Nothing interesting, I was expecting something more thrilling.

The driver really took his time in finding a place where to park the coach, near the Notre Dame. Finally, he managed to, and we could arrive in time to witness mass and to visit the cathedral. Lots of Romanian gipsies, of course. The cathedral is pretty impressive on the inside, something I really didn’t suspect, if you were to look at the outside.

We left Paris and headed for Versailles. I myself am a fan of the French monarchs of the past, including all the Ludovics, although I am not at all pleased with their way of living (like, they brought their lovers at the same table with their wife!!!) so I was a bit anxious to get there. To see the palace where these people ruled in luxury and had no worry in the entire world. We stood for an hour in line to get tickets. I got a free entrance (oh, the advantage of being young, many from our group said that they arrived too late in France ) so I didn’t mind it too much. The Palace was cool on the inside, but again too many people, especially my “friends” the Chinese. We didn’t have time to see the Gardens of Versailles too, but I managed to get some shots from inside the Palace. It was an amazing view, better than the one from the ground I suppose.

All in all, great day and thank God it was the last.

Conclusions: Never again I’m going on a trip like this with my parents, mainly because we can’t cope with each other for so much time. No offense, I love them, but I simply can’t stand their problems for so many days in a row. So we agreed on never to do this again unless necessary. Also, next time I’ll try to visit places outside the peak periods. Too many people in England and France that could be avoided if going there in fall, winter or spring. The group wasn’t too united, we were too many I guess, too varied in age and personality. I agree to the fact that we can’t choose who we go with, but still…. I missed my people, if you know what I mean. Of course, the girls were okay, but they weren’t that talkative, we couldn’t exchange information pretty much, it was like conversation for the sake of conversation. I don’t need that. I need feeling. And they were too…. self-centered or whatever.

To wrap it up, it was okay but could have been better.

Day 10 – Paris

Decided not to go with the group, so instead we went on our own to see the Louvre Museum. Got there by underground (absolutely loved it) and we were amazed by everything. Those pyramids looked gorgeous. Wish I could have taken them home.

I was the only one who entered in the museum, although I was feeling horrible by the time we got to the entrance. I said, what the heck, once in a lifetime you come to Louvre, why not go inside? It was also a free entrance for people under 25 so there was my chance. I had only entered to get a glimpse of Mona Lisa, to be honest, but in the meantime I passed through so many coridors and hallways, that I couldn’t help myself not to look at some of the paintings there. You might just skip Mona Lisa by mistake, cause there is a special room for it, and you might just pass without even noticing. Lucky me, I was on the lookout. Even took some decent pictures without flash, cause it wasn’t permitted. I got out soon afterwards, I was getting even more sick. The heat combined with my stomack combined with the huge mass of Chinese guys really wasn’t a nice picture.

Outside the scenery was wonderful. It’s a shame I didn’t get to see the Tuileries Gardens, they were right there next to the Louvre. But I couldn’t stand it anymore and went to the hotel with dad, while mum went shopping (by herself) in Paris. Imagine that. She also bought me some stuff. Nice stuff.

Day 9 – Brussels, Waterloo, Paris

We couldn’t leave Brussels without seeing much more, including Manneken Pis, the statue of the little boy who is surely taking his time to take a piss. He’s been doing it for quite a while. We also saw the Royal Palace, did some shopping, bought a Swatch watch .

Before we arrived in the so awaited city of Paris, we had to make a stop in Waterloo. This is the place where Napoleon was defeated (finally someone did) by Wellington and another dude I can’t remember the name of. There was this lion on top of the hill and you had to climb 200 and something steps to get there. Of course, yours truly had nothing better to do than to go up all the way there. You can see me, very small, in a picture below. And it was awesome at the top. Nice view. And I didn’t even take my camera with me. Dumb. The old ladies from our group thought that Waterloo was in England somewhere, due to the British resonance of the name. Come to think of it, I thought so too.

So, here we were finally heading for Paris. We got there at 7 in the evening and we had to make a stop at the Eiffel Tower, so that everyone gets to have a picture with the iron bunch. Honestly, if the Romanian people would put their butts to some effort, they might as well build something similar and turn it into a masterpiece and tourist attraction. Imagine the money it would bring if it were very good. The Arch of Triumph doesn’t look any different, although we just saw it from the coach. The hotel was worth its 2 star classification, that’s for sure.

Day 8 – Brussels

Last night I had a midnight session of fitness with the girls from our group. Our hotel had a fitness room and free too. There were all kinds of machines there, but I resumed to running. The girls seemed okay, some more quiet, others more talkative. But I was like…. okay, are we going to start bonding today? With only a few days left? It was okay I guess, also because I was missing my people from Bucharest so much, that I said, what the heck? These girls might as well replace a bit of what I was used to in my country. We laughed a lot, listened to Michael Jackson (one of them was a huge fan, reminded me of my best friend) and did some exercise.

We had a free day in Brussels, because almost everyone gave up on Luxembourg. So we walked through the city for some hours and did some shopping. Not too many pictures, because we were to see Brussels the next day too.

I must say I had lots of headaches during this trip, due to some nerve wracking situations. Don’t imagine eveything went so smooth all the time. But I guess I am the person who forgives eveything to everyone, so what did it matter?

Day 7 – Rotterdam, Den Hague, Antwerp, Gent, Brussels

The pictures below are all from Hague, I guess, mainly because Antwerp and Gent were a waste of time, in my opinion. We finally left Rotterdam (didn’t like it that much) and the first stop was Den Hague, like the people there call it. Cool city, I must say, small and quiet. We got to see the Parliament’s buildings, where the Parliament of the Netherlands holds its activity. Not too much activity at that time of the morning, it seems

Before we left the town, we got to see the Court of Justice, very very famous in the whole world (Tribunalul de la Haga, pentru cunoscatorii limbii romane) which you can also see in the pics below. “May peace prevail on Earth” is their motto. Cool.

As I said, Antwerp and Gent seemed a waste of my time, not to mention we were all anxious to get to Brussels already. Nevertheless, our guide had to take us through these cities, as they were included in the circuit. Of course, we got at the hotel sometime around 8 and a half in the evening, when eveything was already closed, including the Carrefour nearby. We had to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. Well, at least I wasn’t hungry anymore when I went to bed.

Day 6 – Amsterdam

Another city I’ve fallen for is Amsterdam. You simply cannot resist it. I mean, it’s like the father of all cities of the Netherlands. It has everything for everyone. Too many museums if you ask me, but hey, these Dutch really had it with art and such. The first thing that we could have visited was the Rijksmuseum, the most famous one. We didn’t, because it was like 10 euro and they didn’t even let us take pictures. And I’m not an art person, so we gave up and walked through the city instead.

We had to be careful, mum and I, not to cross with the people riding a bike. Man, these people won’t grant you the right to walk on their track. A lady almost got hit by one. After people got out of the Rijksmuseum, we went to a Diamonds Museum. Yep, they have one for diamonds. They must have one for everything lol. It was close to the Rijksmuseum, that’s why they call this place Museum Place/Square, probably the most famous and photographed, you’ll see below why. We had a diamond presentation (in Romanian!!!) and it was awesome to see those little stones that value probably more than anyone of us could afford.

The thing I enjoyed to the full was the boat trip around the canals. Impressive. Not too long, about an hour or so, but very relaxing. People were even waving at us as we glided by. Especially turists that were anxious to try the same experience.

I could live in this city. If it weren’t for the bike-people. I don’t know how to ride a bike, that’s my problem.

Day 5 – London, Dover, Calais, Brugge, Rotterdam

We left London at 7.15 in the morning, all sleepy and tired. We left behind the English shore some hours later, when we took off from Dover, somewhere in the extreme south of England. We boarded a huge ferry-boat. We spent like 1 hour and a half on board, where we entered this huge shop and bought some cool stuff. I bought a set of 2 mascara and eye-liner from L’Oreal. Because I deserved it lol.

We docked in Calais, on the French shore. Didn’t stay long, because the border was crossed somewhere at sea. We headed straight for Brugge. I must admit it is one of the cities I would love to live in. Here, 3 hours were spent doing some shopping (most of the time, me and mum) and we even bought some clothes. A huge difference from the Brits, that I can tell you.

We crossed to the Netherlands, to the city of Rotterdam, where Feyenoord plays. 3 countries in one day. Damn, so tiring.Everything looks so quiet in Rotterdam. Not so many tourists, in fact I seriously doubt there were any besides us. At least I can get some peace and quiet.

Day 4 – London

We had a free day in London today. I must say, it was a blessing not to go running after the guide anymore. We headed for Madame Tussaud’s. But before we could “enjoy” what was in store for us inside, we waited in line for about 1 hour and a half. Just to get the tickets. We didn’t even look when we paid 25 pounds (!!!!) each. We said, what the heck, you see this once in a lifetime.

Once inside, we were shocked to see sooooooo many people in soooooo little a space. I mean, common, you know people are too many inside, why don’t you close the attraction for a bit? Anyways, we made our way through, very hard, but we made it. I took shots of George Clooney, Justin Tymberlake, Brad&Angelina, Beckham, Tom Cruise, Will Smith (gosh, he looked hot), Morgan Freeman, Arnold Swartzenegger, Indiana Jones, Hitchcock, Michael Jackson (awww….they were even having a contest on stage, his music was playing in the whole room), Bush, Obama, hmmm…. Lewis Hamilton (couldn’t find Schumi, though, and Lewis was all alone in a corner), who else? Oh, Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Lady Diana, Freddy Mercury…..Shrek, somewhere around there…. Many famous people, from all kinds of domains. They should be ashamed they didn’t have Nadia or Hagi there. But I guess it was ok like that too. We got out before we got to see Marylin Monroe, because it was getting too hot in there and I couldn’t breathe. Really. TOO MANY PEOPLE.

We then decided to do some shopping, so we took the tube (ah, my love) towards Oxford Street, London’s main fashion street. Mum found a pair of pants. Went back to the hotel soon after that, because my dad wasn’t feeling well.

All in all, I don’t know if I’d have entered the wax museum would I have known that it was so full and so not worth the money. It’s like, when in London, go to Tussaud’s.

Day 3 – London

I liked what I wasn’t supposed to and was dissapointed in what I was supposed to enjoy. This is how I would characterize this day. Our coach had to rest for 24 hours (according to EU law) so we took the London Tube instead. I must admit I wasn’t ready to like it. I was convinced it looked worse than ours. But, happy me, I loved it. Very short distances and quite quick. Even the “Mind the gap!” thing appealed to me. We were close to the King’s Cross station so we took it from there. Yes, the King’s Cross train and tube station. Remember 2003? And I told you, so Harry Potter-ish

Anyways, we stopped at The Tower of London and made a short visit there. We got to see some of the Crown Jewels. Yey! Impressive indeed. We got only a glimpse of the Tower Bridge, the famous bridge in London.

The one thing that let me down completely was the Buckingham Palace. I was expecting to get really close to the main gates, but instead we were thrown at about 200 m away. Even with my other lens I couldn’t catch most of the change of guards. You must know that the change of guards doesn’t begin at the Palace, but at the entrance to St. James Park, at 11 a.m. I managed to shoot there a couple of pics. There were so many people at the Palace, that I decided to stick to doing some panoramas, the only thing I could do, actually.

We bought some souvenirs from the Tower of London shop. I bought a book (duh!!) with a brief history of Kings and Queens of Britain.

On the way back, we waited for our train for 25 minutes. System screwes up from time to time, even in London. Almost didn’t have where to climb in. Imagine us, like sardines. At Liverpool Street, everyone got off. LOL. It’s like their Unirii Square or something.