And I am off... again

Hello everyone,

It has been an interesting week in Paris. I have seen so much - some good, some bad, some simply amazing! But it has been a long week and I am ready to move on to a new place. I find that anything longer than a few days and I get restless... I must have bedouin blood in me!

So, I thought I would lay out my favourite things I have done in Paris. So far, I have been pretty impressed with the museums, and there are a lot of them. My favourites have been the Musee l'Orangerie which has Monet's water lilly rooms and Musee Rodin, which features a number of his most well-known sculptures. The reason I have loved those museums is because they are so well laid out and allow the viewer ot immerse themselves in the art. I also went to another Modern Art Museum which has been a great break. Now, the Louvre is definitely the main attraction to Paris and should not be avoided but a word to anyone going to Paris - it can be done in 7 hours. My style is to walk through the museum and stop only at the pieces that grab my attention. So of course, I got stuck in the sculpture area.

Another place that I feel in love with was in Versailles. No, it was not the Hall of Mirrors (although it was nice) and it was not the well-manicured gardens of Versailles but it was in the Petit Trianon. This was the residence of Marie Antoinette and the gardens are the best part of the entire complex. She redesigned them to be free-flowing and real and natural. I spent an hour walking around and absorbing the surroundings - birds chirping, smells of flowers and fragrant trees and shrubs, watching the breeze dance of the tops of the grass, seeing the farm complete with animals, the Queen's hamlet of cottages and getting lost in the beauty of the entire garden. It was a little piece of heaven in the middle of France. Just wish there was someone to share it with...

As for things that can be missed while in Paris... going up the Eiffel Tower. I know, scandalous! But it is so overhyped and not worth the hour long wait to go to the top. Now, it is cool to see it lit up at night from the ground but it just isn't as spectacular as many make it out to be. For better views, climb up the Arc du Triomphe (amazing views of the pinwheel traffic) and Notre Dame Cathedral complete with gargoyles within reaching distance! Now that was cool!

Anyways, Paris has been exhausting and overwhelming and lonely. The HI hostel I am at is filled with children so it doesn't lend itself to meeting people my age. And Parisiennes are not the most friendly...

I leave tomorrow for Bayeux where I will spend two nights and plan on relaxing. I probably won't make it to the D-Day beaches as the tours are a lot more expensive than I thought and considering I have to stay in a pricey hotel (oops, my bad - I need to start planning ahead more than a few days). Then I will stay outside Mont St Michel for a night before taking the ferry to England. I am so excited to go to the UK and to be among English speakers again.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the food has been the one definite upside to France. A few words: crepes from street vendors while walking down the street, fresh warm baguette (at least one a day), rare steak with fries (yes Dad, I said rare and it was so good!), Onion soup which they do not call French Onion soup. Lets just say I have been a very happy person the last week! Sorry Steph, again I talk about food!

So, I love you all and can't wait to write about my experiences in England, then Scotland, then Ireland and back to England. Oh, how I love to travel!

Love, Lisa