Rome - Day 5

There's nothing like waking up at 1:20 a.m. to the obnoxious and extremely loud sound of a fire alarm!!!!!  I think my heart was pounding about 200 bpm as I jumped out of bed and rushed around in the dark trying to find my shoes...I walked out into the hallway and a man who was casually walking back to his room made no mention of an emergency, so I went back inside and phoned the front desk.  They said it was an accident...whew!  However, it took me about 30 minutes to get my adrenaline level back down to sleeping level...I don't think Brett even got out of bed.  We had an apology letter from the hotel manager slipped under our door when we woke as well as our check-out information...nice service in the executive suite!!  We headed up to the Executive Lounge for breakfast and to check the Sweet 16 scores again before meeting our pre-booked driver at the hotel lobby at 9:20.  He was 10 minutes early and we were ready to go.

We arrived at Heathrow around 10:30 for our 12:35 flight to Rome.  We quickly printed our British Airways boarding passes and exchanged our remaining pounds for Euros.  After going through security, we settled in to some comfy seats and listened to our iPods while waiting to board the plane.  We were planning on carrying on our luggage, but as we were boarding, they said that our flight was full and we would have to check it...very disappointing.  Also, I forgot to check us in online (we were not able to do this on international American Airlines flights), so we didn't even get to sit together.  However, the people we sat next to were very nice and friendly.  By the Way...British Airways is the bomb!!!  They serve booze, beer and wine for free and we also got a small free meal on a 3 hour flight...very nice :)

We landed about 45 minutes late b/c we sat on the plane for a while before leaving London.  Mark, our driver we pre-booked at www.romeshuttlelimousine.com was waiting for us.  We had to get our bags off the baggage claim carousel and headed to the apartment.  Mark was a really cool 30-something Italian man who spoke English well and listened to American 80s music in the car.  He wore a bomber jacket and some sweet aviator sunglasses...he was really cool :)  We arrived at the apartment about one hour later and Mark said "Arrivederci."  We were standing outside of the building and pushed the button for apt #16 as instructed, but there was no answer.  I hadn't emailed the apartment owner since we arrived in Europe, but I had checked my email several times and hadn't heard anything from him.  By now, it was getting slightly dark outside and I immediately started having visions of having trouble reaching him and having to find a hotel at 9:00 p.m. in an unfamiliar city where everyone but us speaks Italian...YIKES.  Determined that this would not happen, I walked across the street to a small cafe and had my first encounter with an Italian who speaks NO English...

It was very intimidating, but I was confident that I had learned just enough Italian to ask to borrow his telephone.  I said "Parla Inglese?" (Do you speak English?).  He looked at me with a puzzled look and waved his hand side-to-side as if to say "so-so" or "a little."  I attempted to ask him if I could borrow his "telephono" and he corrected me "telephone."  lol...oops, I guess I was channeling 9th grade Spanish on that one :)  He either didn't have one or didn't want the American girl to use his phone, so I showed him the email from Mauro, the apartment owner and he crossed the street to help Brett and I.  I really didn't expect him to do this, but I was thankful.  However, he proceeded to press all of the apartment buttons and ask the residents if they had a "Bed and Breakfast."  I'm sure they were thinking there was a loon out there.  I actually knew what apartment I needed, but he just took over.  About 5 minutes, Mauro comes walking across the street and immediately notices who we are.  The friendly Cafe owner returned to his shop and I think I told him "Gracie" (thank you) 5 times.

Mauro was very nice and spoke very good English.  He had been watching the flight times and noticed that we had left London a little later than expected.  He said he didn't think we would be there just yet.  But, he showed us the ropes of the apartment: light-switches, keys, window covers, etc. and then took off...we were officially on our own in a Roman apartment...now what?

We rested for a minute and then went down the street to the supermarket and got some necessary items for the week: ham, cheese, Coke, mustard, bread, mild, cereal, HOt Pockets, cookies and Chicken Cordon Bleu.  It was very tricky to ensure that we were getting what we wanted.  I had to pull out the English-Italian translator a couple of times just to double check on some things.  All-in-all, it went well and ended up saving us some money eating at the apartment.  We headed home and made some dinner and watched the BBC (only English on the TV).  I did some laundry in the washing machine and ran the dishwasher before briefly updating the blog and turning in for some sleep...here are some pics of the apartment:

front entrance

living room (tiny refrigerator next to the couch)

kitchen (tiny oven with tiny dishwasher to the left)

bar looking into the kitchen

bathroom (complete with bidet, toilet and "phoneboth" shower)

bedroom with (surprisingly) comfortable bed

computer and desk with free WiFi

London - Day 4

"It's going to be a pig's ear of a day."  I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea what that really means, but this is how the BBC weatherman described the forecast for the day.  Through the process of deduction, I assume that means it's going to be cloudy and rainy with patches of sunshine, because that's what happened on day 4.  First things' first...check the scores of the Sweet Sixteen.  During breakfast in the executive lounge, I headed straight for the computer to check the scores...March Madness is my FAVORITE sporting event of the year, so I was really bummed to miss most of it.  After the updates, Brett and I enjoyed breakfast before heading out for our double-decker bus tour.  We started with the Tower of London.

This was a really interesting visit.  Once we paid our admission, there were free tours by Yeoman Warders, more commonly known as beefeaters.  In the present day, they are retired servicemen who have received at least 4 medals from the Queen.  They live inside the walls of the Tower of London and are very knowledgeable in British history.  We saw several interesting sites including the Bell Tower, with White Tower, the British crown jewels, and several set of ancient armor.  It was a very informative tour and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  Following the tour, we sat down outside in the mist for some traditional Fish 'N Chips and ... Dr. Pepper (very difficult to come by in Europe).

Without much time to spare, we headed back to the bus and to our next destination, Westminster Abbey and Parliament.  We got off at the wrong stop and had to take a little hike backwards, but we eventually found it.  We decided not to go in, but we got some great shots of the front of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.

We then made our way to Buckingham Palace.  Although we didn't get to see the infamous "Changing of the Guard," we took some pictures of the outside of the building and went through the gift shop quickly where we picked up some stamps and postcards for our family.  We found our way back to the bus stop and, unfortunately, wasted about 45 minutes waiting for our bus tour to pick us up...totally messing up the itinerary!  Finally, the bus arrived and we headed toward Harrods - a HUGE department store/mall that is pretty famous.  We weren't sure which stop we needed to take because it's not a really big attraction, so we AGAIN went to far and had to backtrack!  But, we did get to stroll through Hyde Park (very similar to Central Park), so that was a nice way to see this historic landmark.  

About 2 miles later, we arrived at Harrods.  It had so many stores, but it's not like your traditional American mall.  There was no atrium or middle section where you could look around and walk by all of the stores.  You would just walk from one right into the next with no entrance or barrier...you would have to look carefully at the walls and clothing tags to even know what store you were in.  My mission...comfortable shoes!!!  We found the Harrod's athletic shoe section and they didn't have any women's shoes my size again, so I started looking at men's 

...I was desperate!  Finally, I found the shoes of my dreams...well, they felt like HEAVEN on my feet!!!!  I was so excited, I didn't even care how much I had to pay for them...they were worth every penny!!!  Before leaving Harrods, we checked out the HUGE chocolate/candy shop on one of the floors.  It was HUGE and reminded me of an American mall's make-up department...large well-lit glass cases with a variety of goods and 3 to 4 women with huge smiles on their faces ready to serve.  We couldn't resist picking up some treats before leaving.

Luckily, we then got to hop right back on the bus and rode through the remainder of the stops back to the hotel.  We were SO tired and our dogs were really barking at us!!  However, we did get to see another view of Picadilly Circus as well as St. Paul's Cathedral and several great views of the British Airways London Eye.  When we got back to the hotel, I took a very relaxing bath in the nice large tub and Brett went down the block to one of the bike shops we had spotted nearby.  We went to the Executive Lounge for cocktails and snacks before eating a great dinner in the hotel restaurant - a 3 course meal at a very reasonable price and turned in for our last night in London.

I was not looking forward to leaving.  I love the British culture and,

honestly, it was nice to watch TV in English :)

London - Day 3

After a long day in Paris, we slept well and I was in the shower by 0600.  We departed Hotel Valadon at 0655 without breakfast or getting to see Othello again :(  We were on the metro by 0700.  By this time, he pretty much have the subway system figured out.  And other than lugging our bags around, it was very easy to navigate.  By 0720, we had arrived at our subway destination, Gare du Nord station.  This was probably the craziest, busiest and most chaotic trains station that we encountered on our trip...think Grand Central Station, Paris style.  After some frustrating navigation, we found the automated ticket machine that we needed to print our pre-booked tickets.  We had to rush through the Passport check and security and made it to the train by 0755 for a 0807 departure...yikes, a little close for comfort in my opinion.

The Chunnel experience was really nice.  The seats are comfortable and the train is really smooth.  I was worried about getting motion sickness, but this definitely wasn't a problem!  The first 45 minutes of the ride, we saw mostly French countryside.  Then, we were in the tunnel under the English Channel for about 20 minutes and briefly saw the English countryside before getting to London.  Brett watched a movie on his iPod while I tried to teach myself some more Italian with some flashcards I had downloaded onto my iPod.  It really was nice just to sit for a while and not feel rushed for the first time in several days!

We arrived in London at 0927.  It is in a different time zone, so we gained an hour, which was nice.  The first thing we did was eat since we didn't get breakfast in Paris.  We found a great coffee shop called Costa.  Brett ordered a Coke and a sandwich because he wanted "something with meat" for breakfast.  I had the BEST vanilla latte EVER and a breakfast loaf.  After breakfast, we found our way to the Tube (British for the subway) and purchased some 3 day travel passes.

London's subway system FAR surpassed the one in Paris.  There are lot more lines and the stations are very clean and smell decent.  We finally got to see and hear the famous warning "Mind the Gap."  The loud speaker would come on and a recording would sound, "Please mind the gap between the platform and the train."  It made me laugh every time (just imagine it in a British accent).  And, of course I had to take a picture of the sign.  We easily found our way to our hotel and we were just going to drop off our bags before heading out for some sightseeing.  However, when we arrived, we were told that we had been upgraded to an Executive Suite and would have access to the Executive Lounge!!!

We stayed at the Hilton London Tower Bridge thanks to Brett's pilot friend Chris York who has more Hilton rewards points than anyone could every spend in a lifetime...and I am NOT exaggerating.  Since we were upgraded to the Executive Suite, our room was ready around 1130.  While we waited in the Executive Lounge, we got free beverages and snacks.  After checking in to our FABULOUS room, we headed out for some London sightseeing.

We took the Tube to Trafalgar Square and visited the National Museum.  Unfortunately, we did not get to take any pictures inside, but it was filled with mostly painting and sculptures.  We ate lunch at a place called the Texas Embassy.  Yes, Tex-Mex in the middle of England...and it was actually pretty good!  We then took the Tube to Picadilly Circus where I took a gait examination at the Nike Running lab.  I was DESPERATE for new shoes, but the sales women basically laughed at me when I told her what size my foot is...11 in US if you don't already know :) 

By the time we made our way to the British Museum, we were EXHAUSTED again...we sat down at every bench possible to rest our "barking dogs."  I distinctly remember asking Brett, "Do you think they would mind if we just laid down here and took a nap?"  I was serious!!!

Sometime around 5 or 6 p.m., we made it back to the hotel and rested until around 7:00 when we headed to the Executive Lounge where we had complimentary cocktails and h'our dourves.  We then walked around the surrounding area and were searching for a good British pub where we could eat some fish 'n chips and maybe try a pint of beer, but they were all SO crowded...we couldn't find a table.  So, we had dinner at a local Chinese restaurant which was really good and headed to the hotel to watch TV (in English, yay) and turned in for a good night's rest.

Paris - Day 2

After an exhausting first day in Paris, one would think that it would be difficult to wake up early, but it definitely wasn't.  I had my alarm set for 0700 and woke around 0640 and couldn't go back to sleep.  So, I started getting ready and Brett moseyed out of bed around 0730.  We met the owner of the Hotel Valadon, Victor, and his adorable dog Othello.  I had read on TripAdvisor that Othello begged for your breakfast.  Being a dog lover, this was actually one of the reasons I chose Hotel Valadon, and I wasn't disappointed.  As promised, Othello begged for our croissants, rolls, jam and French Press coffee!  After chatting with Victor for a while (spoke GREAT English), we began our LONG day of sightseeing.

We began walking to the Eiffel Tower, just about 10 minutes from the hotel.  We took several pictures and ran into a Japanese couple in the park who asked if we could take their picture.  Second to Victor, these two spoke better English than most people we encountered in Paris.  The Eiffel Tower opened at 0930 and we lined up in 40 degree weather with 20 mph winds around 0845.  It was COLD, but well worth the wait.  By 0930, there was a L-O-N-G line formed behind us with only about 20 people in front of us!  We made it to the top after two elevator rides.  It was even COLDER and WINDIER, but definitely worth it.  The views were incredible!

We then paid to get on our tour bus that would take us all around Paris with English commentary.  By 1100, we were at Notre Dame.  Entrance is free and the church is amazing.  It is gothic in style and very ornate.  The stained glass is truly amazing.  We walked through the church quietly and decided not to wait in line to go to the top.  We didn't feel like we had ANY spare time!

After visiting Notre Dame, we hopped back on the bus and headed to Musee d'Orsay.  This is a former train station that was converted into this amazing gallery of impressionist art.  This is my favorite style, so I was very excited.  Brett really enjoyed the Monets, Van Goughs, and Manets and took several pictures.  After touring the highlights of the museum, we headed back to the bus and made our way toward the hotel, stopping at the Arc de Triomphe for some photos.

Finally, lunchtime...3 p.m.  Since we were very rushed, we decided to stop by a grocery store by the hotel and pick up some sandwiches and chips for lunch.  We found  pretty much the EXACT same sandwiches from the Louvre at 1/4 of the price!  We walked to the hotel to rest our feet and eat lunch.  After about an hour, we headed back out.

Next stop, Hotel des Invalides.  This is a HUGE building with a gorgeous gold dome that houses wounded French soldiers and, most importantly, Napoleon Bonapart's tomb!  The domed church itself is amazing with a beautiful alter.  But, Napoleon's tomb definitely stole the show!  You just can't imagine how huge these things are unless you're standing right there.  It's impossible to describe!

Around 5:00, we headed to the Opera area for some shopping.  But, after a day full of walking (and some really uncomfortable shoes on my part), we were very tired and just did some window shopping and browsing.  I think this is about the time we coined the phrase "my dogs are barking."  Don't ask me, but Brett says it means that your feet are tired/hurting.  I thought it was funny and we said it countless times on this trip!

Shortly, we headed to the hotel to freshen up and had dinner at a random restaurant in the neighborhood.  Brett had a Long Island Iced Tea (surprisingly, they knew EXACTLY what he was talking about...I guess alcohol is a universal language?) and I had a refreshing glass of chardonnay.  The restaurant had several different types of food and (luckily) our waiter spoke some English!  Brett ordered a hamburger...go figure...and I had some roasted chicken.  We both chose French fries as our side...it just seemed wrong, but they are FRENCH aren't they???  After splitting some chocolate cake, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower for some nighttime pictures and called it a night shortly thereafter.