Ben’s Visit!! Part 2

So, starting where we left off- Thursday night after Westminster Abbey. We got a tour of Parliament!! My friend Jackie works there as an intern, as many of you know since I need a chaperone to get into barliament every Thursday night. We got to see the House of Commons and Lords. Interesting fact- the queen and her representatives are not allowed in the House of Commons. In fact, a police man gave us a quick tour of the room and told us if they were in session, he would be kicked out and even be put in jail!! We got to see where the Prime Minister sits, and where the queen sits, and all the fancy statues. Then, we got to eat in parliament! I had mashed potatoes and roast! Yummy!

Ok, the best part of the whole visit- Paris. We woke up super early to catch our train (doesn’t that sound cool?) to Paris (the Eurostar). We got to St. Pancreas and realized we had arrived 10 minutes after our train had already left the station. We smooth talked the ticket guy and he moved our ticket to a later train, free of charge- thank god. We finally arrived in Paris and headed to the Louvre. We took the masterpiece tour with our audio guides and saw the Venus de Milo, The Victory, and the Mona Lisa-wasn’t nearly as cool as I was expecting, intensely small, quaint I guess.

Anyway, after we took a four hour nap and realized we were in a different time zone, we looked for food. It was after 9pm and everything was closed except our trusty American fast food chain-McDonalds, on the Champs-Elysees, of course. Then, because we were there, we headed to the Arch of Triumph which housed their memorial to the forgotten soldier.

Next day, we went to the Notre Dame and saw street performers! The place was gigantic and they had all sorts of chapels dedicated to different saints (the church, not the street performers). We then walked the Latin Quarter and saw a protest. Something about taking arts out of schools. Anyway, there were balloons, music, singing, and flares. We ate crepes, and croque monsieurs, and hot dogs!

Then we were off to the Eiffel Tower. After waiting in line for the stairs only entrance for half an hour, we waited another 45 minutes in the lift line (or queue if you’re feeling British). We finally made it all the way to the top and I have to say it was breathtaking. It was a bit foggy that day, which made it even prettier in my eyes. Ben and I kissed at the top- something many people will never be able to say in their whole lives.

So, that’s our trip to Paris in a quick flash. Ben had to leave early the next morning, which was sad and made me cry. But, I will be home in a few short days and in the arms of my future husband. Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa, Angie and Bill. You guys are the best; we had the greatest time and can’t wait to have a lifetime of travelling together.

Love from London,

B