Top Five Fave - London and Paris
How in the heck do you write about your travels? It would be silly to ramble on and say things like...”and then we did this, and then we did this, OH and then we did this...” Nor can I sum it all up in one, brilliant jewel of a sentence. I was thinking maybe a numbered list. Maybe something Cosmo like “Top Five Fave Things...”! Seems appropriate for the blog arena, oui? Ou non? Eh, whatever.
Top Five Fave Things to Do in London (so far)
1. Visit the National Gallery. I love paintings. It’s really weird for me to say that because, up until a few years ago, I thought art was just pretentious. Nature was where it was at. As if it had to be one or the other. I’ve since learned otherwise. In fact, a big turning point for me was getting a guided tour at London’s National Gallery. The guide was so enthusiastic and so, not pretentious, that he helped to instill his love and passion for art. Thanks art dude. That really helped. I don’t know much about art. Nothing, in fact. But there’s just some art that makes me feel really, really good and there’s some very good-feeling art at London's National Gallery.
2. Eat fish and chips at The Sea Shell. Wow. What can I say? Atomic Mama, you did not lead us astray. Those may very well have been the BEST fish and chips I have ever had. Why? Well, you get to choose the fish (which I had never experienced at a fish and chips joint before - I chose the halibut), the fish, itself, was incredible (fresh, thick-cut, you get the picture), the batter was perfection (so light and crispy), and the chips were not merely a side dish, they were obviously given the deep-fried attention they so deserve. Damn good meal.
3. Walk through Harrods. We ducked into Harrods to escape a brief, torrential downpour and it was like stumbling into a grocery/department store Eden. I had no idea such a place existed outside of myth and legend. Frankly, we were a bit overwhelmed and I just can’t do it justice. Go there. Admire. Buy something....anything (a chocolate-dipped strawberry...or maybe a little Stella McCartney outfit, whatever) and just experience the apex of all things retail.
4. Walk through Hyde Park. I like it in the morning. Like when the normal people (are they normal if they can afford to live next to Hyde Park?) walk their dogs, jog, or run their pony (oh yes). And I really really like the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Despite the fact that the Princess was never a fascination for me...I just think they did a great job with the fountain. It’s like poetry really. To me, the flow of the water is like life, and it tumbles over the rough spots and it glides over the smooth spots and sometimes the stone gives way to the water and sometimes the water wears away the stone. At least that’s what I see.
5. Eat Indian food at the place that Tommy Lee recommends with your sister and a good friend from high school that you haven’t seen in years. How do you pick out an Indian food joint in Covent Garden, where every other restaurant is Indian? Simple. Look for the one Tommy Lee recommends. St. Martins Spice was it’s name. I think the food was great but I enjoyed the company so much I don’t even know if I really tasted it. Thanks for the recommendation Tommy.
Top Five Fave Things to Do in Paris (so far)
1. Museums. I could spend all day in a museum, which makes me a pain in the ass to many people. But if you feel like you have a lifetime of art to catch up on, Paris is a good place to start. For this trip the museum highlights were the Picasso Museum and the Musee d’Orsay (I started choking back tears as soon as I walked into the Van Gogh exhibit...I think it must have something to do with his art yanking on my soul...but I’m not sure). Next up? The Rodin and L’Orangerie.
2. Go to Montmartre at night to hang with the peeps on the stairs of Sacre Coeur and watch the Eiffel Tower light up with the moon hanging right over it. I had only been there in the daytime so it was a real trip to go there at night and witness the scene. Throngs of people congregated on the steps, overlooking the lights of the city. Sitting, drinking. Beautiful, lively. We hung out to listen to some French kids and an acoustic guitar doing “Hotel California”. The world just gets smaller and smaller.
3. Eat. You just can’t go wrong. From the citron crepe at the sidewalk stand to the onion soup (oh. my. god.) and canard et peche (duck with peaches). How in the hell do those women stay so thin?
4. Have a picnic on the banks of the Seine with bread, salami, apple, cheese and wine...with the vittles picked up at the little shops on the Ile St. Louis and drinking the wine out of a water bottle because that was the best way to transport it from the apartment. This picnic is preferably followed up by the most amazing ice cream you’ve ever had at La Maison Berthillon. There’s only about 32 Berthillon shop fronts on the Ile St. Louis, each one sporting a long line of tourists stringing out in front of it, and those that weren’t in line, had their faces stuffed into the ice cream they had just bought. Quite possibly the key to world peace.
5. Hang out at the “sailboat pond” (can’t recall the park) where the little kids rent little, wooden sailboats and chase them around the edge of the pond. No tourists. Happy kids. Sitting down (ahhhhhh......). Great place to Parisian watch. I could’ve sat there for a very, very long time. Joy.
So there you have it. I could’ve listed a few more things...yeah, just a couple more. But in the Top Five Fave...that’s all you get.
Top Five Fave Things to Do in London (so far)
1. Visit the National Gallery. I love paintings. It’s really weird for me to say that because, up until a few years ago, I thought art was just pretentious. Nature was where it was at. As if it had to be one or the other. I’ve since learned otherwise. In fact, a big turning point for me was getting a guided tour at London’s National Gallery. The guide was so enthusiastic and so, not pretentious, that he helped to instill his love and passion for art. Thanks art dude. That really helped. I don’t know much about art. Nothing, in fact. But there’s just some art that makes me feel really, really good and there’s some very good-feeling art at London's National Gallery. 
2. Eat fish and chips at The Sea Shell. Wow. What can I say? Atomic Mama, you did not lead us astray. Those may very well have been the BEST fish and chips I have ever had. Why? Well, you get to choose the fish (which I had never experienced at a fish and chips joint before - I chose the halibut), the fish, itself, was incredible (fresh, thick-cut, you get the picture), the batter was perfection (so light and crispy), and the chips were not merely a side dish, they were obviously given the deep-fried attention they so deserve. Damn good meal. 3. Walk through Harrods. We ducked into Harrods to escape a brief, torrential downpour and it was like stumbling into a grocery/department store Eden. I had no idea such a place existed outside of myth and legend. Frankly, we were a bit overwhelmed and I just can’t do it justice. Go there. Admire. Buy something....anything (a chocolate-dipped strawberry...or maybe a little Stella McCartney outfit, whatever) and just experience the apex of all things retail.
4. Walk through Hyde Park. I like it in the morning. Like when the normal people (are they normal if they can afford to live next to Hyde Park?) walk their dogs, jog, or run their pony (oh yes). And I really really like the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Despite the fact that the Princess was never a fascination for me...I just think they did a great job with the fountain. It’s like poetry really. To me, the flow of the water is like life, and it tumbles over the rough spots and it glides over the smooth spots and sometimes the stone gives way to the water and sometimes the water wears away the stone. At least that’s what I see. 
5. Eat Indian food at the place that Tommy Lee recommends with your sister and a good friend from high school that you haven’t seen in years. How do you pick out an Indian food joint in Covent Garden, where every other restaurant is Indian? Simple. Look for the one Tommy Lee recommends. St. Martins Spice was it’s name. I think the food was great but I enjoyed the company so much I don’t even know if I really tasted it. Thanks for the recommendation Tommy.Top Five Fave Things to Do in Paris (so far)
1. Museums. I could spend all day in a museum, which makes me a pain in the ass to many people. But if you feel like you have a lifetime of art to catch up on, Paris is a good place to start. For this trip the museum highlights were the Picasso Museum and the Musee d’Orsay (I started choking back tears as soon as I walked into the Van Gogh exhibit...I think it must have something to do with his art yanking on my soul...but I’m not sure). Next up? The Rodin and L’Orangerie. 
2. Go to Montmartre at night to hang with the peeps on the stairs of Sacre Coeur and watch the Eiffel Tower light up with the moon hanging right over it. I had only been there in the daytime so it was a real trip to go there at night and witness the scene. Throngs of people congregated on the steps, overlooking the lights of the city. Sitting, drinking. Beautiful, lively. We hung out to listen to some French kids and an acoustic guitar doing “Hotel California”. The world just gets smaller and smaller. 3. Eat. You just can’t go wrong. From the citron crepe at the sidewalk stand to the onion soup (oh. my. god.) and canard et peche (duck with peaches). How in the hell do those women stay so thin?
4. Have a picnic on the banks of the Seine with bread, salami, apple, cheese and wine...with the vittles picked up at the little shops on the Ile St. Louis and drinking the wine out of a water bottle because that was the best way to transport it from the apartment. This picnic is preferably followed up by the most amazing ice cream you’ve ever had at La Maison Berthillon. There’s only about 32 Berthillon shop fronts on the Ile St. Louis, each one sporting a long line of tourists stringing out in front of it, and those that weren’t in line, had their faces stuffed into the ice cream they had just bought. Quite possibly the key to world peace. 
5. Hang out at the “sailboat pond” (can’t recall the park) where the little kids rent little, wooden sailboats and chase them around the edge of the pond. No tourists. Happy kids. Sitting down (ahhhhhh......). Great place to Parisian watch. I could’ve sat there for a very, very long time. Joy. So there you have it. I could’ve listed a few more things...yeah, just a couple more. But in the Top Five Fave...that’s all you get.
Labels: Travel
posted by Millicent at 11:18 AM
9 Comments:
If you get the chance, next time look up something called the "Museum of London". It's kinda like the London historical society complete with its' own section of the old Roman city wall. Great time-tunnely look at a city so old it's hard for a Yank like me to get my head around...
Glad you had fun.
Yes. You did it up for sure. Reading your post just totally takes me back. We hit London then Paris at the beginning of our European honeymoon.
I had the same experience at the Musee d'Orsay - seeing Renoir, Monet (the ballerinas!) and Van Gogh. It was very, very moving. Definitely go to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam if you can make the trip. I grew up with Van Gogh, studied him a bit as a young girl. It was like visiting an old friend.
Will you be going to the Netherlands? If so, you must visit Haarlem...very close to Amsterdam. The Frans Hals museum. Oh! The Dutch Painters.
I envy you so.
PS - What did you think of the chunnel??
Hey wzgirl - I think my first "real museum experience" was the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam about a year ago. He made me cry then and he still makes me cry...and I'm still trying to figure out why. Would you have a biography of him that you could recommend?
The Chunnel? Well, I was fascinated and scared at first (and I still think it's a real engineering feat that is so inexplicable to me that I don't even want to think about it while I still have to travel through it), but now I've realized it's a really great place to catch a little shut-eye.
Total bummer that I haven't visited either one of these places yet, but can't wait for the opportunity! - Stephanie @ www.forksandchopsticks.blogspot.com
Oooooh, you have whetted my appetite for Paris, Millicent! I will write to you soon so that we can carry on this Paris love-fest! I've visited D'Orsay twice, both times during their once a week evening hours (Thursday, is it?). Both times, it was nearly empty. Heaven! Thanks for the post - I now need a bib.
Have I mentioned how jealous I am??
I could've gone straight to adoption and invested this IVF$ into traveling and having fun, maybe even with you! Oh well. I'll have to continue to live vicariously....... (0:
I can't believe this- we were in London 5 years ago, and did not do ANY of the things on your list. I feel robbed!!! I want to go back now, with your Cosmo guide book to help me out this time :)
Ahhh, good. But you should have gone with the cod... And I do hope you had mushy peas with that!
For your museum to do list - next time try to hit Tate Modern in the old Bankside Power Station. It's FAB.
And your Paris list was pretty perfect, too. Especially #2.
Post a Comment
<< Home