London and Paris

I want to tell you about my trip to London and Paris last weekend. I want to tell you. But I just can’t find the words. I don’t know how to describe the sheer joy of walking those London streets and seeing things, in person, that I never thought I would see. Walking on the famous Abbey Road crosswalk, as toursity as it is, is something I never imagined that I would ever be able to do. I had always dreamed of visiting London, visiting anywhere overseas, but London in particular. I thought my fear of flying would stop me from ever doing it. But, what I’ve learned with the last few flights I’ve taken is that I’m really not scared of flying at all. And 8 hours on a plane wasn’t all that bad.

I also never thought I would visit London because travelling is not something I really do. I never travelled as a kid. I never went to Disney World or the Grand Canyon. I barely left the county. The idea of going somewhere so far away just seemed like a pipe dream. But there I was, in London. It was amazing. And I thank my husband for that. Without him, I probably never would have gone. Thank you for helping to make this happen.

We saw The Thames, The Eye of London, Buckingham Palace, 221b Baker Street, Lord’s Cricket Grounds, Abbey Road, Regent’s Park, The National Gallery, Emirates Stadium, The Dublin Castle, and that was just London. In our 22 hours in Paris we saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.

I fell in love with London. I would move there in a second. I loved taking the tube everywhere. I loved ordering a pint and getting things to “take away” versus “to go”. I loved how every corner had something super cool to see. I loved how it was so green in March. I loved the red phone booths everywhere. I loved the cool looking taxi cabs. I loved the traffic. I loved the architecture. I loved how every neighborhood had something to offer. I loved paying for things with pounds and pence. I loved the accents. I loved the slang. I loved the people. Everyone was so incredibly friendly. I loved London.

I want to go back.

Paris, on the otherhand, was cool for the moment you realized you were in Paris. When you looked to your right and could see the top of the Eiffel Tower peaking over the buildings. But, I did not fall in love with Paris. Far from it. It’s hard to complain about a city like Paris. I mean, it’s Paris. To say “I didn’t care for Paris” makes you sound like a pretentious snit. But, well, I didn’t care for Paris. The architecture was cool, but every building looked the same, so it wore off after a while. The Eiffel Tower, though awesome to see in person, was very Disneyland-like. A lot of long lines and concession stands. The inner streets and alleys offered the most interest, but it was easy to get turned around and we had so little time and had been walking for days already, that further exploration was not going to happen.

I think my time in Paris suffered from the very American-ized area we were staying in. All McDonalds and fancy restaurants. My goal in Paris was to stop at every deli to sample cheese, bread, chocolate, and every Pub/Café to try some wine. And to see Moulin Rouge. I did neither of those things. I had no cheese, bead, chocolate, or wine. In Paris. I couldn’t find any. In Paris. Very odd.

But, still, I was in Paris. And just that thought alone blows my mind.

I need to plan my next travel adventure. I need to see more of this world. I want to know if like a place like Barcelona or if I prefer Buenos Aires.

And I want to go back to London. Badly.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: I did not meet Noel Gallagher as planned. But one of my favorite moments from the adventure was sitting in the Roundhouse Pub in Covent Garden, having a pint, and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” started playing. Total happiness.