An Australian in Paris

I'm back in London after my weekend in Paris, with some awesome memories...and very sore feet.

Well, after my brief post of our first day in Paris, Hannah and I headed back out to take some pictures of the Arch de Triomphe, Champs Elysees and Eiffel Tower all lit up at night. Just amazing. We eventually found a Franprix supermarket to stock up on some supplies for the following day, as it was going to be a big one.


Saturday morning started with a trip to a local market just around the corner from our hotel, where, after chickening out of buying some "fromage" and a baguette (I was afraid I would say the wrong thing!), we purchased a croissant and then went into Starbucks, where Hannah ordered her coffee in French and I asked for the loo, in French. It has to be said that I was very proud of myself!

The first stop of the day was to the Metro station, where we managed to buy a day ticket for the train with the help of the customer service lady who did not speak a word of English, but we managed to understand each other OK, and we were soon on our way to Montmartre.



Seeing the Sacre Coeur was just like being on the set of Amelie, one of my all-time favourite movies. We climbed up all the steps and had a good look around. The weather was absolutely perfect, but very windy, and the views of Paris were breathtaking. Hannah suggested we take a tour of the crypt, and I agreed. It would be good to see underneath the church. How stupid I was. After attempting to read the sign, written in French, that mentioned something that looked to me like "300 steps" we purchased our tickets and went through the turnstile, of which there was no return. I remember thinking it was strange for there to be 300 steps down under the church. That seemed like a very long way to me.


Once through the turnstile, I was faced with a spiral staircase...leading UP! Oh, yes! We were taking the stairs all the way to the top of the dome and yes indeed, there were 300 steps, if not more! The stairs didn't really bother me, but it was very narrow and winding, smelling very strongly of a toilet, and I began to feel really dizzy. Although the views that I saw when I made it to the top made the whole thing seem worth it. See for yourself:






After Montmartre, we headed out to the cemetery at Pere Lachaise, which is where Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison from The Doors and Marcel Marceau are buried. It was the most beautiful cemetery I have ever been to...and I have been to lots. I love to wander through cemeteries, even though most people I know think that is strange. Hannah, luckily, was not one of those.










After spending the morning in the cemetery, we grabbed some lunch at The Cat Cafe across the road, where the staff did not speak a word of English, but again, with the help of my trusty phrase book, we managed OK.

Back on the Metro, which is a very efficient, if somewhat smelly and hot experience, and off to Notre Dame. This cathedral was incredible.





After Notre Dame, it started to rain, the first and only time over the whole weekend, and we walked along the Seine to Pont Neuf and then back on the Metro to Champs Elysees, to buy our tickets for the Lourve on Sunday. My feet had just about fallen off by this point!







Back at the hotel to put up my feet for a while and then we headed out to a French restaurant for dinner...at 8pm! That may not sound strange to you but as a nanny who eats with the kids at 5.30pm each night, eating at 8pm was a luxury!

Our waiter, thank God, spoke very good English and offered to translate the whole menu for us! At one point, he was explaining a dish and could not think of the word in English, so he pointed to where his kidneys would be on his body, which, if I had liked kidneys, would have made me change my mind about ordering it. There's something just a little disconcerting about being shown a potential menu item on the human body! But the food was delicious and, in case you're wondering, it was Cote Vignes in the 16th Arrondissment. There's a free plug!

The only downside of the evening was we had decided to dress up and I had my high heeled boots on and could barely walk, and we went the wrong way down the street and turned a three minute walk into a 10 minute hike!

Sunday was another beautiful day and we went to the Lourve. I have no words to describe that place. I could have spent days in there and never been bored. We got there early which was great because we got to see the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa without the crowds. After the Lourve, we walked to the Metro through Jardins des Tulieries and sat by the pond in the sunshine. I didn't want to leave.

















But the Eurostar waits for no man (or woman) and I had to say farewell to Paris.



Before I came, I never had any great desire to go there, but now, I know it is a place to which I will definitely return.

Bonjour, tout le monde!

Bonjour from Paris!

Today started at 2.00am for me, after four hours sleep, a drive through sleepy London to St Pancras station to board the Eurostar to Paris! The train trip was uneventful and after wandering around Gare du Nord, we eventually found our Metro line and made our way to our hotel. The room was ready, and even though I couldn't remember the word for "thank you so much", I think my wide smile got the message across.

Dumping our bags and arming ourselves with maps, we headed out to explore, and promptly went the wrong way! But who cares? We are in Paris!

Here's where we went today:






Tonight, we're headed back out to see it all lit up.

Au revoir!

Sunday Snapshots

Woke up early on a beautiful, and freezing cold Saturday morning to go to the Harrod's Christmas Parade.


This year was a Wizard of Oz theme.


Then on Saturday night, we drove down to Chiddingfold in Sussex for Bonfire night.


Those who know me, know that I am terrified of heights, but on Sunday, I went on The London Eye. All I can say is I am very thankful for the seat in the middle to hold on to and it was a lot better on the way down!


Very glad I did it though. The views of London are just amazing!


And finished off Sunday night with a look at the Christmas lights on Regent and Oxford Streets.

A Week or Two in the Life

Sorry I haven't been on here for a couple of weeks, but I haven't really had anything interesting to blog about.

The kids have been off school for half-term and I have been working lots. The weather has turned colder, wetter and it's now darker thanks to the end of British Summer Time. We have been rugged up in wellies and rain jackets and hitting the playgrounds and feeding the ducks.

As for exploring London, there hasn't been much of that happening, I'm afraid. I did get into the city one day, but that was with two kids under five in tow, so not my idea of ideal sightseeing circumstances.

I am also on day 6 of a 10 day detox, which means I haven't had anything to eat since last Monday. After feeling shocking for the first three days, I am now feeling really good. I never thought I would make it this far and I am determined to see it through to the end. The good news is that my cold has completely gone. There were a few nights that I had dreams of Quarter Pounders and roast chicken, but other than that, I'm hanging in there.

In other news, my friend Hannah arrives tomorrow and I am driving to Heathrow to pick her up. Yes, driving to Heathrow. I am slightly terrified, but I'm hoping that I'll get there OK, without getting too lost! While she is here, I haven't made too many plans, but we'll get out and do lots of things that I haven't done yet, like The London Eye, an open-top bus tour (weather permitting), a live recording of BBC TV's My Family and just see more of this great city. There is also the trip to Paris to look forward to.

Last night was Halloween and due to being on this detox thing I had no candy in the house, so I spent the evening inside, babysitting, with all the lights turned off to avoid all the little spooks and their trick-or-treating. On my way downstairs, in the dark of course, I managed to miss the last step and fell on my arm which is now really sore and developing a very large bruise. I guess it does serve me right! Today I spent pumping up a double air mattress with a foot pump that kept sticking, only to discover it has a slow leak so, sorry Hannah, it will have to be the single. At least I got a good leg and bum workout!

So watch this space! I'll be back out exploring next week and have some new pictures to post.

Sunday Snapshot - Paris

This weekend I booked a trip to Paris for November when my friend Hannah is over from Australia.

I have never really had any great desire to go to Paris, but now that I have booked my trip, I really can't wait! We'll be heading off on the Eurostar on a Friday, very, very early in the morning, staying right near the Eiffel Tower and coming back to London on Sunday night.

I have even bought some French language cd's and have been trying to learn some basic words that I am sure I'll forget as soon as I get there!

So this Sunday Snapshot is of somewhere I haven't been yet, but since I have had the flu and haven't been out much this weekend, it's the best I can do!

The Salon

The last time I lived in the UK, I did not have the best experience with hairdressers. Although, it has to be said, I had the best hairdresser I have ever had in the small town of Crieff, as soon as I moved to Manchester, the good hairdressers seemed to vanish.

There is a lot to be said for the recommendations of friends, and not knowing anyone in Manchester, I was left to blindly stumble on.

The first hairdresser I went to was one where you did not need to make an appointment, you just showed up and had to wait your turn. After two and a half hours, I got my turn and could not seem to make the hairdresser understand how I wanted it cut and left less than impressed. The second time, I went to a very well known salon chain, paid the premium price to a top stylist, and after the lovely head massage, the cup of tea, I was told that I could not have my hair cut how I wanted because it was not in their book of hairstyles! Yes, they had a book and were only "allowed" to cut the styles in the book. This was one of the very few times I have lost it in public, and I left with a style I didn't want and fumed all the way home on the bus.

After that, I grew my hair long and waited until I got home to Australia to have it cut.

This time, knowing I would be in the UK for longer, I kept my hair long and then, just a few months before leaving, I got it all cut off. I knew this was a risk due to my previous experience at hairdressers in this country.

I was not convinced that my experiences would improve when, just after I arrived, my boss recommended I go to the local Headmasters Training Academy to get my haircut by students training to be stylists. Students...I don't think so!

But I have since had my hair cut three times there and each time, although taking up to two hours for a cut, has been amazing. Yesterday, I went for a haircut and decided to get a fringe cut. I haven't had a fringe for at least 20 years, and that was the big lacquered one that all my friends had in year 12! I am very pleased with it and they did a fantastic job.

And it's really good value. Might be worth a look if your searching for a decent hairdresser.

Sunday Snapshot - The Aston Martin

Did you know...
That the Aston Martin is built entirely by hand? That five cows hides are used for each car interior? That these cows are sourced from Scandinavia, where they are kept in electric-fenced yards to avoid barbed-wire damage to the hide? That each car interior is stitched by one person to maintain the integrity of the stitching?

I had no idea of any of these things until this Sunday when I got the chance to have a ride in an Aston Martin Vantage, worth over 100,000 pounds. To say it is a very nice ride is an understatement, especially when you're travelling at 120 mph (yes, that's MILES per hour!) down the motorway. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

What I know about cars can be counted on a hand with no fingers, but when it comes to the Aston Martin, I don't know, there's just something about it.

I think Handsome Rob is to blame...!

Seasons

This week so far has been pretty wet and miserable...for some.

I happen to love this weather! It is so nice to have actual seasons again. I was walking to Kingston the other day and was looking at the leaves that had fallen on the ground and it hit me. I am actually going to have an autumn and a winter this year. After living in Queensland, as much as it is a beautiful place, I have really missed the seasons. I don't mention spring, because, thanks to hayfever, it's not my favourite season, and summer, well, Queensland was just one long summer!

On Monday, I went shopping and it was bucketing down with rain and I finally bought a jacket, a new umbrella and wellies. Not just any old wellies, but bright blue ones!

I am now ready for all seasons, so bring it on!

Sunday Snapshot

Trafalgar Square on a sunny day

Manchester

This weekend, I went back to Manchester.

Although, whatever possessed me to book a ticket departing Euston Station at 7pm on a Friday night, I'll never know. One slow, hot, overcrowded bus ride, one manic change of trains at Victoria (where, despite the crowds, I still managed to give three people directions, including two ladies who spoke very little English. Does this make me a local yet?), I squeezed myself and what I had thought was a tiny suitcase, out of the tube at Euston, and onto my Virgin train to Manchester.

It was an oasis.

I had only booked my tickets last week, so naturally the only tickets available were First Class ones and I am so glad they were. I had a window seat to myself and there were complimentary drinks and snacks...who would have thought? I don't know if I'll ever be able to travel in standard class again!

Just over two hours later, I arrived in Manchester and, not totally sure I was going the right way, I followed the crowds and ended up in familiar parts of the city and made my way to my hotel, which just happened to be the hotel I worked in when I first arrived in Manchester 5 years ago. Luckily, the "Dragon Lady" (aka, my old boss) no longer worked there!


On Saturday, I walked from the city to my old stomping ground, the lovely Hulme. Most things were exactly the same as I remember them. There were a few new apartment blocks and the shortcut I used each day to the bus stop was overgrown, and could almost pass for a nice park. It was green, anyway! The ASDA we used to shop at has been extended and now is huge. There is also and Argos catalogue store and a Pound Stretcher next door, which are new, and would have been very handy to have nearby when I lived there. The Caribbean food stand had been replaced with a larger building, but you could still get your Goat Curry, which is good to know!


The old house was still there and looked even more dreary than when we had lived there. I would love to have seen the inside, to see if they had fixed the leaky shower, painted the walls and repaired all the cracks. Aaah, home sweet home!


It felt like I had only been away for 5 days instead of 5 years.





After strolling down memory lane(s), I jumped on the bus and headed out to The Trafford Centre, once my favourite place to shop. I used to think this shopping centre was big, but that was before I had been to Dubai! I caught up with my friend Lisa,a fellow Aussie who has lived in the UK for almost 10 years, and still has some of her Aussie accent left and then met up with Pam, who I used to work with (at my favourite office job ever...after I left the job from hell at the Novotel!), for afternoon tea in Chorlton, a lovely village south of Manchester city.

After walking all day, it was back to the hotel for me for a nice, long bath and room service for dinner. This is the life!

Sunday morning, I decided to sleep in, since checkout wasn't until 12 noon, and treat myself to a buffet breakfast, before heading out to see the city centre. I walked up to Piccadilly Gardens. Still the same. Wandered down Market Street. Same. Then I went into the Arndale Centre and this was all new. Five years ago, it was about half its current size, after being rebuilt following an IRA bomb in 1996. The centre is now finished and is a great place to shop...which is what I did, although not too much because I'm still not a fan of shopping. But I was hot and had only brought a thick jacket, underestimating the mild weather in Manchester.





After my small amount of retail therapy, I decided to explore a part of Manchester that, for whatever reason, I had never been to when I lived here. It was Castlefields, an area of Manchester situated on the canals, and apparently dates back to Roman times. It was gritty and urban, just like Manchester on the whole and I loved it. It is really beautiful, in its own way.





It felt good to be back in Manchester and I am pleased to say that I did all my exploring without a map and was even asked for directions, which I could give with confidence. I realised that Manchester will always feel like home to me...one of my homes, anyway!

Exploring done and most old haunts re-visited, it was time to go back to the hotel, have a quick drink and head off to the train station. First Class on the way home again...lovely!

That was until I arrived in London to a closed Victoria Line due to engineering works, escalators that weren't working, so many stairs with a heavy suitcase, three trains just to get me to the end of the line and a 30 minute wait for the bus home.

Good to be home!

Sunday Snapshot

I went to see Wicked on Saturday and it was amazing!

I found out at the late Friday that I had Saturday off so I got online that night and booked tickets for the next day. And I got awesome seats. Four rows from the front and right in the middle.

If you're in London and haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? It was absolutely brilliant!

Sunday Snapshot (and a little bit more!)

Today, I went to Covent Garden. Loved it!

I love stumbling across random things and instead of a photo this week, here is a video of some street performers at Covent Garden today. I arrived a bit late into their set so I have no idea who they are, but they were amazing!



This week has been an interesting one. On Monday, I checked my bank balance in my Australian account to check if my sister had paid the money in for my fridge that was sold a few weeks back and I found an amount of money that I was not expecting. In other words, it was a LOT more than I was expecting! I called my bank in Australia and asked them what the amount was for.

It turns out that it was my tax return. Apparently, I had paid too much tax and received a lump sum payment as a result. The ATO was now my new best friend. As great as this was, this left me with the question of the best way to transfer this money to my UK account.

After searching the web, I went with Tranzfers, a company recommended by WorkGateways.com, an essential site for any person wishing to move to the UK. They gave me a great exchange rate and my first transfer was free, compared to the almost $100 my bank was going to charge me. I highly recommend them.

So this week has been a good one, and next week will be even better once I have the money in my account (delayed, thanks to another Royal Mail strike!).

Now, about that shopping list...

Sunday Snapshots

Bridges I've crossed...


St Paul's Cathedral from the Millenium Footbridge


York Bridge at Regent's Park


View from London Bridge


London Eye from The Jubilee Footbridge


Westminster from Westminster Bridge


Tower Bridge

Be Cool to Your School

School is back today and with it came drama and tears over breakfast cereal, threats to send me back to the airport (because according to Little Boy 3, that is where I come from!), one crazy traffic jam and a mad sprint to the school gate as a result.

Let the good times begin.

I, for one, am glad that school is back. My routine is back with it, I am working more hours and will be earning more money. The last two days of summer holidays have been exhausting. On Tuesday, I took the kids out on the bus, then on the tube into London and a boat ride to Greenwich for a picnic in the Park. It was a great day out, everyone was well behaved (including me!) and after the trip back home, we were all worn out. Wednesday was a wet day and I had planned to spend the day at home so we could all have some down time before school started.

Imagine my horror when their dad mentioned that we could go the London Transport Museum...in the city...on a wet day...with two kids under five! After trying to convince them that a whole day inside playing "Farmyards" would be much more fun, we all got our rain jackets on and headed once again into London. The weather could not make up its mind what it wanted to do, so it was rainy, windy, cold, warm, sunny and the jackets were on and off more times than I could count.

Our first stop was to visit their dad in his office and pretty much as soon as I arrived, I wanted to leave. I hadn't been in an office since I left Australia and I realised that I didn't miss it at all. In fact, I was sure that if I stayed there too long, they would make me start answering the phones! It was enough to make me want to run screaming from the place!

Anyway, we did leave without answering a single phone call, and headed to Covent Garden and the London Transport Museum. I was expecting to be bored, but it was actually great fun. The kids played in the play area mostly and I had a look at all the old buses and trains. Also, I never realised what was in Covent Garden itself and is definitely a place to come back and explore...without kids!

We caught two trains and a bus home and we were all dead on our feet after our day out. But at least the kids slept well...lucky them!

Here are some pics of the Transport Museum: