I thought I would put one more
adventure in the books to wrap up 2013, a year of traveling! I had to get a new
passport for this trip, as mine was about to expire! I was so relieved when it
arrived in plenty of time. I traveled to London the day after Christmas. London
is my favorite city I’ve traveled to. I love the diversity of the people and how
there is something new to discover with every visit. I flew into Heathrow where I met up with my
good friend and travel partner, Matt. Matt is an amazing photographer and
documented the whole trip. I’ll share the link to his blog post about our trip
below. I wish I had taken more photos! It happens every time I travel.
We spent the night outside of
London before traveling down to Cornwall, where Matt is from. We stayed for a
few days in St. Ives. We traveled there a year before and I wanted to go back.
St. Ives is a very charming seaside town with cobblestone streets and cozy,
little homes stacked on steep hills. There are many great art galleries; the
WhistleFish gallery was one of my favorites. It had lots of inspiring art. It
was a nice relaxing part of the trip. One rainy evening we walked down to this
little, old cinema that was near the B&B we were staying at to see the film
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I really wish salty or sweet were popcorn
options in cinemas in the US! The girl working the counter read my mind when
she said I could even have them mixed together. It’s the little things in life
like that I enjoy. I wish we could have stayed longer in St. Ives.
After St. Ives we headed by
coach to London to catch our flight to Paris. I’ve been to Paris several years
ago, and had always wanted to go back. We stayed in a small, very stylish
studio in idyllic Montmartre. I really liked using Air BnB on my previous trip
to London and decided to try it again in Paris. If you are not familiar with
Air BnB it’s a great website for finding apartments, homes, tree houses, tents,
castles, etc. You name it. You can rent it. I like this way of traveling over
hotels because it makes you feel more at home, and I love having a kitchen to
cook in when I travel. It’s so much more affordable to go to the grocery store
or local market and prepare your own food. It also makes me feel like I’m
actually living in Paris, if only for a few days.
We traveled by metro to Montmarte. The first thing we saw when we got on the street was the neon lights of the Moulin Rouge. It was a few blocks from where we were staying. Montmarte was once the haunt to many famous artists during the 19th century, which is what attracted me so much to this spot in the city. It was mostly rainy during our stay in Paris, and we had to seek shelter under café awnings a few times, but despite the weather the cobblestone streets were bustling with people. Large crowds gathered to see the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur. It’s a beautiful church that sits high on a hill in Montmartre, which offers an amazing view of the city below. We rang in the New Year with other travelers and locals on the hilltop, where off in the distance you could see the Eiffel Tower’s light show and fireworks going off across Paris. The streets were noisy and people were shouting “Bonne année!” as we headed back to the studio. It was a great atmosphere and by far the most exciting place I have celebrated the New Year. The rest of our time in Paris we spent wandering around taking photos and getting lost in the streets of Montmatre. We also ventured down to the Eiffel Tower and walked along the banks of the Seine. You don’t realize how big the Eiffel Tower is until you actually stand under it. It looked magical all lit up at night. I finally and barely made it into the Musee d'Orsay! We waited about two hours in line, in the cold and rain to go in (thanks for being a good sport, Matt!), but it was well worth the wait. So many great pieces of art are housed in the museum that was originally a railway station. I loved the time spent in Paris, but I was excited to head to back to London!
We traveled by metro to Montmarte. The first thing we saw when we got on the street was the neon lights of the Moulin Rouge. It was a few blocks from where we were staying. Montmarte was once the haunt to many famous artists during the 19th century, which is what attracted me so much to this spot in the city. It was mostly rainy during our stay in Paris, and we had to seek shelter under café awnings a few times, but despite the weather the cobblestone streets were bustling with people. Large crowds gathered to see the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur. It’s a beautiful church that sits high on a hill in Montmartre, which offers an amazing view of the city below. We rang in the New Year with other travelers and locals on the hilltop, where off in the distance you could see the Eiffel Tower’s light show and fireworks going off across Paris. The streets were noisy and people were shouting “Bonne année!” as we headed back to the studio. It was a great atmosphere and by far the most exciting place I have celebrated the New Year. The rest of our time in Paris we spent wandering around taking photos and getting lost in the streets of Montmatre. We also ventured down to the Eiffel Tower and walked along the banks of the Seine. You don’t realize how big the Eiffel Tower is until you actually stand under it. It looked magical all lit up at night. I finally and barely made it into the Musee d'Orsay! We waited about two hours in line, in the cold and rain to go in (thanks for being a good sport, Matt!), but it was well worth the wait. So many great pieces of art are housed in the museum that was originally a railway station. I loved the time spent in Paris, but I was excited to head to back to London!
For our stay in London I,
booked a flat with Air Bnb in South London. It was a nice cozy flat that was
near the Tube, which was perfect. We
probably spent an entire afternoon on Oxford Street. I was very determined to
go to Selfridges department store, which I entirely blame on Masterpiece, for
getting me hooked on the series about Selfridges. Surprisingly, I think I spent
more time wandering around the confectionary department and the food hall than
I did in the clothing department. There was so much to look at! Oxford Street
still had its Christmas lights up and the street looked beautiful at night. On
our last night in London we headed over to Tower Bridge, took in the smells of
Borough Market, and walked along the Thames. It was another great trip and it
always helps when you have good company when traveling. Mark Twain put it well,
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like
people or hate them than to travel with them.” I look forward to another
adventure!
You can see Matt’s blog post here. I would love to know where do you think I should go next? Leave a suggestion in the comments below.
Happy traveling,
Julia
