Jessica Writes

Yesterday, we hopped on a 3 hour train to Paris and it went under the English Channel - now that is a major engineering feat! We got to the hotel and Carrie was already there! She flew in from Orlando on Wednesday night. We went down to the city, to an area called Pont De L’alma. We sat in a cafe and had a really good meal while we waited til it got closer to sunset so we could take cruise on the Seine River. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, and we got on the cruise in time to see the half moon shining with the sunset over the city. We went by many sights including Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. The tower was lit up in the 2007 rugby cup colors of green and white. Later, after it got dark, the lights began to sparke - its really indescribable. It literally looks like a sparkling gem lighting up the night. It was breathtaking, and obvious when you see it, why its so famous. Afterwards we saw the Arch D’Triumphe, and had a bite to eat before we passed out in our beds.
This morning, we headed out to Versailles. The day was perfect- blue skies and mild temperatures. A beautifuld day and a lovely experience. I had no idea how massive the grounds were, how regal the palaces would be and how immaculate the gardens were. I just knew that Marie Antoinette spent time there! There was so much more too it, it was just so grand and outrageous. She had a small home, called petit trianon, which was quiant, but when you stepped beyond the house and walked through her gardens you got the whole picture. She had her own chapel and her own theatre, where she performed for her friends - it had a fancy stage and sets, as well as seating for up to 200. We then walked out across the grounds and found “the rock” with a waterfall that made a rainbow. We kept going and saw the grotto, which made me wonder how Marie spent her time there. We kept walking and saw Marie’s great vision — she had her little town from her childhood in Austria recreated. Then we saw the Temple of Love. I forgot to mention we went through the grounds on the golf carts — there was no way to see all that we saw if we would have just walked. It was like a huge town yet in the countrside. Then there were the gardens and the grand canal — it just went on and on and on. After four hours of nonstop touring, we had yet to see the main palace — made of pink and white marble. It was grandiose to say the least — it was like pure indulgence. Everything was so big, so golden, so rare and expensive. And to imagine people ate and slept and went about their daily lives in such rich elegance. It was hard to imagine. We went inside there and saw the king and queen’s beds, and the hall of mirrors. There was so much more to see, but we had spent three hours there, and Chris was ready to drop dead.

Update: Pictures from Versailles

A little area with a pond, sculptures and grotto.

The theatre outside the Petite Trianon, where Marie Antoinette put on sophisticated performances

The hamlet is in the background, it was where Marie Antoinette recreated the town of her childhood.

The Temple of Love, which can be seen from Marie Antoinette’s residence.

This is only a small part of the palace …

The view from the palace. The large canal in the background used to have ships cruising on it

One of the many rooms full of massive paintings in the palace.

The infamous hall of mirrors in the palace.

I haven’t posted since Sunday because I picked up a nasty cold, and it has really affected what we have gotten to do.

After leaving Dublin yesterday, we caught a short flight to London. The city is awesome — the combo of old and new, similar to New York city but not quite. We took a walk through the theater district and purchased some discount tickets to see We Will Rock You, the Queen musical. Chris really wanted to see it, I would have preferred seeing Kelly Osbourne in Chicago but I have been a drag the last few days so I let him choose.

We ate dinner at a great little cozy restaurant and checked out a pub. It was a great night.

Today, we got up will all the intentions to see the major sights of London. First we went to the Tower of London, which was fascinating, and we got a great historical tour from a Beefeater (a Yeomen Warder) — guards of the Tower of London.

My favorite highlight was seeing the crown jewels. The royals definitely had some bling going on. We saw what is the second world’s largest diamond, 530 carats!! It was unreal.

We also saw the axe that beheaded Anne Boleyn, and I just finished reading a historial fiction about her — so that was cool in a grisly sort of way.

After the Tower of London we went to Westminster to take a look at Big Ben.

Then that was about all the excitement I could handle. We’re heading to the theatre soon (hopefully with a quick stop at Harrods first for some shopping), and will grab a late bite to eat before coming back to the hotel to pack.

We will definitley need to come back to London sometime time, we only got to scratch the tiniest of surfaces here and there is much more I would like to see.

Tomorrow, we head to Paris!

Today Chris went home to the motherland. No, I don’t mean Ireland, I mean he went home to the land of the perfect pint. He went to the Guinness Storehouse to see how his favorite beverage is made.

See the giddy excitement as Chris arrives on the premises.

Chris gets schooled on the health benefits of Guinness.

At the gravity bar, we each got a perfectly poured pint. Note the shamrock froth, and Chris’ greedy little hands impatiently reaching for his long-awaited Guinness.

I personally preferred the view of Dublin over the Guinness. You could see the city at 360° - an amazing view.

We took in the Police concert last night –it was hilarious to see our fellow concert goers in the crowd of 50,000. Men in suits arm-in-arm swaying to the music and singing at the top of their lungs and a family of four, a son around 12 rocking out with his beer drinking older brother, probably 15, and two hip parents. It was an interesting sight.

After the concert, we hit a few pubs and ended the night with a taste of what was to come as we stopped in an Irish pub and listened to Johnny Cash and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Today we landed in Dublin, and it was warm and sunny — very unusual for this part of the world. We took a long walk around the city center, through Trinity College and then lingering at the picturesque Saint Stephens Green park. We watched the ducks and little children rolling around gorgeous, bright flowers and the greenest grass I have ever seen. Now its about 10:30 pm and we are off to a corner pub for some dinner. Tomorrow, we’ll travel to Ennis and I learn more about my married namesake!

An amazing sight — Blue skies!!!

Hello all! We made it safe and sound. We had a great flight — we had enough points on our Amex card to fly first class. That was a first for both of us. Wow, I could SO get used to that! It was very nice. They constantly fed us, and we were able to stretch out, recline and get a little bit of rest before landing. Our flight arrived an hour early, and it was still dark we we got to the airport.

Veronica and Maarten were there to pick us up. It was great to see them! We just got up from a short nap and are about to head into the city. Its about 60 degrees and overcast here. Tonight, we’ll see the Police play a concert. Tomorrow, we will head off to Dublin for three days.