Quickie in London

note: texts in bold are clickable

Get your mind out of the gutter! That's not what I meant :P.

I have mentioned here   that we went to London to watch Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon had been gone for a while but now they're back but they're only shown in London and I really want to see that show.

I have always wanted to try taking the Eurostar (or any European train) to see the countryside and just to experience it. It doesn't matter where it would take me, I just want to try it (i love trains). The hubby, on the other hand, had always wanted to try the French trains (they make good and fast trains) and he wants to experience taking a train into the English Channel Tunnel, so there you go, a perfect excuse.

the eurostar

The hubby booked the Standard Premier. it's between Economy and Business Class. I'm OK with just Standard (Economy) because it will just be a short ride anyway, but the hubby wants the comfy seat and better  food and better service.

not the eurostar but the inside of one of paris' metro trains

So on our 3rd day in Paris we took the Metro to Gare Du Nord  and took the 11:43 AM Eurostar train from Paris Nord to London St-Pancras.

Gare Du Nord International Train Station

The hubby was reading about it and based on what he have read so far, the Eurostar runs 186 miles per hour, but slows down to 100 miles per hour when going through the English Channel Tunnel. It's almost 300 miles from Paris to London which is almost the same distance from Philadelphia to Boston (or almost the same distance from Manila to Ilocos Norte). Which means, if you drive, it would take you at least 5 hours but in the case of Eurostar, it only took 2 hours and 15 minutes! Isn't that impressive?!

a video while inside the eurostar

When we got to the Gare Du Nord station, the first thing we did is look for our train, then we checked-in and went through immigration. Yes, it's pretty much like at the airport. When we got inside the train the first thing I noticed is racks of magazine, I did grab a couple to take to my seat.

inside the eurostar & ignoring my nook because the sceneries outside is better

The hubby chose the seat. Like on planes, you can also choose your seats on Eurostar. The hubby chose the 2 seats facing each other so there won't be anyone else sitting right next to us.

i got the cheese platter and a small bottle of rosé and the hubby had
some sort of couscous and small bottle of red wine...

It was a very enjoyable trip coming to London and back in Paris. I want to do this European train thing again, maybe  somewhere farther, and maybe book a bunk bed, mmm, dream, dream...

Anyway, back to the London trip story. This was our second time in London, the first one was back in December 2010. We stayed there for 3 days prior our 16 days first European tour. It was raining in London when we got there but our hotel is just walking distance from the train station (Picadilly)  so it wasn't that bad. We stayed at the theatre district, very close to where Miss Saigon is showing (Prince Edward Theatre, about 3-5 minutes walk). When we got to our hotel, it was almost 2 PM already and we got lucky and got upgraded. They gave us their most deluxe room. Too bad we're only staying for a night so we only got to enjoy the room for 2 days and 1 night but we're still thankful.

After we checked in we hopped on a tube to go to the London Tower. We weren't able to see it the first time we were there plus I really want to have a picture of me at the London Tower bridge.

The rain was still on and off but we were indoors anyway so it really didn't bother us a lot. We went to different rooms/buildings inside the Tower of London but the highlight for me is the "Crown Jewels". If you are in a hurry and you're in Tower of London. I suggest you at least see the Crown Jewels, it's very mesmerizing specially if you're a girly girl like me. Be warned though that the line could get very long but it moves fast.

getting in line for the "Crown Jewels" at the Tower of London

i laughed at these signs on street crossings...but
it's very helpful though... i remember  how I almost always
got run over at Macau because I was looking
at the wrong side when crossing, lol

We also went to see the Big Ben again because I don't remember having my photo taken next to it (or infront of it) during our first trip in London. It was still raining though, so the pictures I have aren't worth sharing.

The Miss Saigon starts at 7:30 PM so we made sure we get back to our hotel in time to change and to find the place. It was  pouring when we got out of our hotel and we got lost but thanks to the Waze app we found the Prince Edward Theatre but we got there a mere 5 minutes before it starts.

The show is fantastic! I cried a few times while watching it. It was a sad story but it was very good and I am so proud of the Filipino actors on stage (ie: The Engineer, Kim, Gigi). If they show this in New York, I will watch this again.

the casts

my travel gnome and the playbill

The next day we checked-out early because I wanted to go to Harrods to find the luggage that is only sold in the UK. Unfortunately, I didn't find the luggage but we did have enough time to go to King's Cross so I could line up for my Platform 9 3/4 photo. Yes, Harry Potter fans, it's true, they have it at King's Cross. Being the Harry Potter fan that I am, of course I won't skip that opportunity.

It's nice that they actually embraced this Harry Potter scene in London and made a tourist (and harry potter fans) spot out of it. I would love to see 221B Baker Street  (fictional detective Sherlock Holmes address) next when we get the chance to visit London again .

i'm late for my hogwarts train!
(they make you choose the scarf  for the photo...
i chose gryffindor's, the hubby has slytherin's)

After the photo opp, we went to see the Harry Potter store right next to it. It was nothing spectacular. If you've been to "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" in Orlando, Florida, you wouldn't appreciate this store. So after that very quick tour of the very tiny Harry Potter store (appropriately named, platform 9 3/4), we back tracked our steps to the St. Pancras station (it's under the same roof) to catch our 13:31 PM London to Paris train. We got back in Paris around 17:00 PM. Please note that London time is 1 hour behind Paris time.

We hope to visit London again soon and watch the Wimbledon (crosses fingers, toes, eyes!).

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Does the moonlight shine on Paris?

Does the moonlight shine on Paris

After the sun goes down

If the London Bridge is falling

Will anybody hear a sound

If you follow the sunset will it ever end

Does the moonlight shine on Paris

*note: texts in bold are clickable.

That song kept repeating on my head whenever I look at the majestic Eiffel Tower.

I may sound like a broken record but if something wonderful happened in your life you just want to talk about it again and again. Paris has a special place in my heart because my life turned 180 degrees in this place. It redirected my life to a different path. It's amazing how a  "yes" could just change your life in an instant. Yes, I got proposed at in Paris, and the Eiffel Tower was our witness (and maybe a few other people celebrating New Years Eve). If you're curious about the proposal story, click me.

Anyway, enough melodrama. We went back to Paris for 7 days to celebrate our 2nd year wedding anniversary. It was a late celebration as our wedding anniversary was 2 weeks ago prior our departure to Paris but we wanted to take advantage of the holiday long weekend (US Memorial Day) that's why we pushed the trip 2 weeks later.

I may sound like a broken record, but when something wonderful happens in your life, you tend to revisit it often. Paris holds a special place in my heart because it quietly rerouted my life. One simple “yes” was all it took to send everything in a new direction.

Yes, I was proposed to in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower as our witness (along with a few other enthusiastic New Year’s Eve celebrants). If you’re curious about how that unfolded, you can read the full proposal story here.

Now, enough sentimentality. We returned to Paris and stayed for seven days to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. The timing was slightly delayed because our actual anniversary was two weeks earlier (I'm referring to the official one, the May one). But we moved the celebration to take advantage of the US Memorial Day long weekend. Paris, as it turns out, doesn’t mind being celebrated a little late.

Day 1.

We booked a Premium Economy flight from British Airways. There's nothing special about it. It's still coach class with wider chairs, more leg room, more amenities/features and better food than regular Economy class. The hubby's tall and he hates flying so he always insists that we do at least Premium Economy when flying. We left Philadelphia on a Saturday at 6:45 PM. We arrive in Paris Orly airport on Sunday at 8:40 AM (or 3:40 AM EST) but by the time we're done getting off the plane, going through immigration and getting our luggage it was already almost 10 AM. The good thing is the super shuttle we booked was already waiting for us holding a tablet with the hubby's name on it. Unfortunately, we had to wait for four other passengers coming from Spain and won't be arriving until around 10:45am so we waited a little bit more. I didn't mind that though, I just took a nap. We paid 78 euros for 2 pax round trip (airport - hotel / hotel - airport) for the  super shuttle.

orly west

The super shuttle dropped us off first since we had to wait for the other passengers and by the time we got to our hotel it's almost noon. Our room was almost ready as the couple who previously occupied it had already checked-out but they still need to clean it. So we deposited our bags, had lunch and came back after an hour.

our favorite hotel in Paris....this is the 2nd time
we stayed here, 2010 and now....
Stn: Bir-Hakeim Metro Station (6-light green)

We had ambitious plans to tackle a few touristy stops on our first day, but jet lag had other ideas. If not for our dinner reservation, we probably would have slept straight through the afternoon and into the night.

At 6 p.m., we finally dragged ourselves off the bed, changed clothes, and headed out to the Seine River for our cruise dinner with Bateaux-Mouches - Point de l'Alma at Pont de l'Alma, proof that Paris is sometimes best experienced half-awake and fully committed. 

It was a lovely way to begin our Paris trip. We had done a Seine River cruise before, back in 2010, but that one didn’t include dinner and was simply part of an Eiffel Tower dining package. This time, however, the experience with  Bateaux-Mouches - Point de l'Alma ,was on an entirely different level.

The live music, the good food, the atmosphere, and yes, the ambiance, made it unforgettable. Gliding along the river while passing Paris landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral is hard to beat. I even attempted to capture the moment on video, questionable quality, but sincere effort (see below).

                                                                                                                                                  the Bateaux-Mouches dinner cruise



Day 2.

Day 2 was reserved for our post-nup, also known as our trash-the-wedding-dress. A photoshoot with a local photographer. I brought my church wedding gown, while my husband packed his wedding barong along with a regular one for variety. We booked a 2 + 2 session: two hours early in the morning, when the city is still mercifully uncrowded, and another two hours in the evening, because Paris, of course, saves its best light for night.

Our call time was 7:45 a.m., which meant I was up three hours earlier for hair and makeup. J, our photographer, arrived right on time and picked us up at the hotel. We started at the Trocadéro, then moved through locations around the Eiffel Tower, weaving in nearby cafés and quiet streets along the way.

our early morning photoshoot at Trocadero

We wrapped up the morning shoot around 10:30 a.m. and agreed to meet again at 9:15 p.m. We managed an early lunch, went on a short hunt for île flottante, my favorite French dessert, and fully intended to squeeze in a nap before doing some sightseeing.

That plan, unsurprisingly, did not materialize. Jet lag and an early call time won. We slept straight through the afternoon and woke up around 7 p.m. to get ready for the second photoshoot. At exactly 9:15 p.m., J arrived to pick us up, punctual as ever.

We began the evening session at the Louvre Museum, then returned to the Trocadéro for nighttime shots of the Eiffel Tower, and finished along the Seine River, Paris doing what it does best after dark.

Night time at the Louvre

Day 3.

Day 3 would be a separate post because it's a whole different story worthy of posting on a separate blog but to give you a short gist, we left for London in the morning on Eurostar to watch Miss Saigon, stayed in London for the night and took the Eurostar again the next day to go back to Paris.

Here's a short video of the Miss Saigon play:

Day 4.

was split between London and Paris. We returned to Paris close to 5 p.m., stopped by the hotel to change, and then headed straight to Moulin Rouge for our dinner-and-show reservation.

We ended up sharing the evening with two wonderful Australian couples seated nearby. As always, swapping travel stories with fellow travelers turned out to be half the fun. They even gave us their contact information and told us to email them if we ever needed tickets to the Australian Open, weee!

The Moulin Rouge show itself was spectacular, easily one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York, which is hard to beat, and I’d confidently place the Moulin Rouge in the same league. The costumes, the choreography, the precision of every act, absolutely fabulous. It was very much worth it.

The hubby booked the Belle Époque option, which meant a better menu and better seats, we were just two tables from the stage. And the food? Genuinely fantastic. Not an afterthought, not a filler between acts, but a full-on gastronomic delight. Yes, that good.

So if you’re going to see a show in Paris, skip the cheap can-can knockoffs and do this properly. Some experiences are worth committing to.(book the real deal).  

after the hearty dinner and great show

we're not allowed to take photos inside so this is the only photo i have during the dinner/show...stage is to your left

Day 5.

We stopped by the Paris Museum Pass office near the Louvre Museum to pick up our passes, grabbed a quick breakfast (yes, at McDonald’s), and headed straight to the Louvre.

I’d been there before, but that first visit was rushed, I almost missed discovering my favorite sculpture. This time, I was determined to do it properly and even had my photo planned. Of course, it turned out the piece was out for restoration. Frustrating doesn’t quite cover it. I was ready to call it and leave.

Instead, we wandered through the Roman, Greek, and Egyptian collections, and I’m glad we did. They were extraordinary. I’ve always been more drawn to sculpture than paintings, and these galleries reminded me why. As for the Mona Lisa, I’d already seen her on my first visit, so we skipped the crowds this time. No regrets.

just too happy to be back here, lol

The sun finally decided to show up that day, after days of drizzle and clouds that followed us from London, and we took it as our cue. We’d been wanting a picnic at the Champs de Mars, so as soon as we left the Louvre Museum, we headed back to the hotel to grab the picnic blanket and the small picnic bag we’d packed for exactly this reason.

The bag itself was modest but efficient: napkins, wine glasses, and a bottle of wine, though I repurposed that space to stash utensils and plates, which were really just a couple of sushi mats wrapped in cling film and rolled up. Practical improvisation at its finest, lol. A supermarket just steps from our hotel supplied the rest: red wine, Coke, a selection of cheeses, fresh French bread, a couple of cured meats, and something sweet for dessert.

It was already past 3 p.m., and the afternoon couldn’t have been better suited for lingering. We sat on the grass, ate slowly, people-watched, and caught glimpses of the French Open playing on a large screen nearby. Nothing hurried, nothing planned beyond enjoying the moment, just one of those Paris afternoons that quietly gets everything right.

the one on your right is not sushi..it's cheese with different toppings..

just chilling after finishing the wine

pa-kyut lang ang peg, lol

i took a quick snapshot of the approx spot
where the hubby proposed on january 1, 2011
(new year's eve)

We would have happily stayed longer, stretched out on the grass, but we had a dinner reservation at Les Ombres at 7 PM and it was still a good 20-minute walk back to the hotel, with a wardrobe change waiting for us before dinner.

view at Les Ombres

The food was fine, good, but not memorable. I still preferred the dinner at Moulin Rouge, or even the meal from our Seine River cruise. The view from our table is good but we didn’t linger long enough to see the Eiffel Tower light up anyway; we still had places to go, so it worked well as a quick, efficient dinner. 

I’d been reading about a famous Paris bookstore long frequented by writers, Shakespeare and Company, and being the bookworm that I am, it was non-negotiable. Unfortunately, it was closed. I hadn’t realized it was a holiday, and they shut their doors early at 8 p.m. instead of the usual 10.

I did manage to take a few photos of the storefront and made myself a promise to come back the next day, which I did (scroll below)..

they close early on holidays

Next, we headed to the Pont des Arts. Yep, the Love Lock bridge . Because we had brought a lock with us. I know, I know… jologs (read: corny, cheesy, mildly embarrassing). But we thought it would be fun, so we leaned into it.

Finding space for our lock turned out to be harder than expected, but the hubby managed to locate a spot. Our lock didn’t come with a key, so there was nothing dramatic to toss into the Seine River, but that was fine. It’s the gesture that counts, right?

Afterward, we wandered into a nearby souvenir shop and spotted a sign that read: Engraved Locks. Naturally, we stopped. The lock we liked, a double overlapping heart, was €10, with an extra €5 for engraving. I balked. Politely declined. Walked away. The sales guy, engraving tool already buzzing and clearly invested in our love story, chased after us and offered the engraved lock for €10 total.

The hubby was sold. I relented.

Which is how we ended up with two locks on the Love Lock bridge.

No regrets. Just commitment, apparently in duplicate. Don't judge us, LOL.

first lock:  pink, second lock: engraved

We're aware that they cut off those locks every 5 years or something, and that's fine. We're in it for the experience. I do remember not seeing these much locks on the bridge the first time we were in Paris in 2010 so I guess they do clean up the Love Lock bridge from time to time.

i took this photo of the Love Lock bridge on December of 2010... 

and this is what it looks like now, May 2014

We hailed a cab back to the hotel so I could grab my tripod and camera remote. I had my heart set on taking night shots of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro.

By the time we arrived, it was already past 10 p.m., and the place was still buzzing with people. I tried my luck anyway, managed a few long-exposure shots, then decided to let it go. Some nights cooperate; others don’t.

So we did the sensible thing and stepped into  Cafe Trocadero for a drink and a small bite, letting the night pass at its own pace. 

The food was decent. The view, less so. We could see the base of the Eiffel Tower from our table, though much of it was obscured by trees. I wasn’t especially hungry, so I kept it simple with French onion soup and a soda. The hubby went for a beef dish and red wine. I enjoyed my soup; he described his entrée as… fine.

A couple of hours later, we headed back to the plaza where I’d been taking photos earlier. The crowd had thinned considerably, though a few people still lingered.  I took the opportunity and set up anyway. Sometimes you just have to work with the moment you’re given.

Below are a few of the shots I managed to capture that night.

Day 6.

We wanted to start early but we didn't get to sleep the other night until around 3 in the morning so we ended up waking late and start touring late.

We started Day 6 at Sacré-Cœur. We figured it made sense to tackle the farthest stop first, before fatigue and laziness had a chance to negotiate. We did get lost looking for the funicular and lost a good twenty minutes in the process, but we eventually found it, which felt like a small victory in itself.

The view from Sacré-Cœur was worth every misstep.Wwide, luminous, and unmistakably Paris. A gentleman playing the harp nearby only added to the moment, turning an already beautiful scene into something quietly unforgettable.

steps at Sacré-Cœur

Our next stop was the Musée des Arts et Métiers. Essentially Paris’s answer to the Franklin Institute. The collection leans delightfully geeky, with scientific instruments, mechanical innovations, early communication equipment, transportation exhibits, and a range of historic computing devices.

It’s also where you’ll find the original model of the Statue of Liberty by Auguste Bartholdi, an unexpected and fascinating highlight. Personally, though, I was most drawn to Pascaline, the first mechanical calculator, created by Blaise Pascal. Seeing it in person felt like meeting the quiet ancestor of every device we now take for granted.

Pascaline : the first mechanical calculator

After geeking out at Musée des Arts et Métiers, we headed to the Rodin Museum. On my first trip to Paris, I’d tried and failed to find it, getting lost instead (a happy accident in its own way). This time, I made sure we finally made it there.

We actually have a Rodin Museum back home in Philadelphia, but you know how it goes, "proximity complex". Proximity breeds procrastination. When something feels easy to get to, there’s never any urgency, and so it waits… indefinitely.

By the time we arrived at the Rodin Museum in Paris, it was nearly closing. We had about forty-five minutes. Enough, as it turned out. I made my way through the galleries and the garden, lingering where I could, until I reached the fountain and the guards gently motioned that it was time to go. That was fine. Seeing Auguste Rodin’s work, even briefly, was more than enough.

I’ve always loved his sculptures: the detail, the precision, the weight of intention in every form. Meticulous and just remarkable.

Now I really do need to visit the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. I read that the The Gates of Hell has its first bronze cast there, with the second housed in Paris. Consider this my official reminder to stop procrastinating.

My 3rd "The Thinker" statue I have posed pictures with.
It was still drizzling on Day 6, ergo the jacket.

We went back to Shakespeare and Company after the Rodin Museum and this time it's open, yey!

It was a small bookstore, but the kind that feels increasingly rare, cramped but distinctive, a little old-world (both literally and figuratively). I wandered through the shelves at Shakespeare and Company, shoulder to shoulder with other patrons, when I noticed a stack of A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway tucked on a corner table.

The cover stopped me because it has a photo of Hemingway standing in front of the very bookstore I was in. It felt like too perfect a souvenir to pass up. I bought a copy, had it stamped, and left feeling like I’d taken a small piece of Paris with me.

Shakespeare and Company

don't forget to have your book stamped!

how to find shakespeare and co.

Next stop was Berthillon. I have read lots of great reviews about Berthillon and I didn’t get to try their desserts on our first visit to Paris, so this time, even with tired feet and zero energy left, we made sure we did. I ordered a single cone with two scoops: mango and peach sorbet. The hubby went for almond praline and chocolate cream. Both were, without exaggeration, heavenly.

Next time, I want to do it properly, sit at one of their tables and order at leisure. We actually planned to add a slice of cake and something to drink, but were promptly asked to leave because cones aren’t allowed inside.

Hmpf. Paris giveth, and Paris occasionally ushers you out.

berthillon

It was already past 7 p.m., but we still had one more stop before heading to yet another dinner reservation: Starbucks. Why? I collect Starbucks mugs, so of course the Paris one had to come home with me.

starbucks' paris mugs

After a quick rest and a change into something more dinner-appropriate, we walked to the Eiffel Tower (our hotel was just a short walk away). We found the right elevator and made our way up for dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant.

It was my husband’s idea to end our last day in Paris with dinner at the Eiffel Tower, and who was I to argue? This was actually our second time dining there, the first was back in 2010, when he had been considering proposing at 58 Tour Eiffel but ultimately decided against it because he didn’t like our table.

That evening, we ended up sharing the experience with a wonderful Australian couple seated nearby. We traded travel stories, tips, and a fair number of laughs. I’ve always found Australians to be effortlessly friendly, my husband likes to say he’s never met a snotty one, and so far, I’d have to agree.

Moments like that are one of my favorite parts of traveling: the chance encounters, the shared stories with strangers who don’t stay strangers for long. It turned into yet another memorable Paris night, one we didn’t rush, and didn’t want to end.

58 tour eiffel menu

I had my heart set on taking night shots of the Arc de Triomphe, so after dinner we stopped by the hotel to grab my tripod before heading to the Champs-Élysées. Unfortunately, much like my favorite sculpture, the Arc was under restoration, as the photo below will confirm.

I took a few long-exposure shots anyway, then let the plan go. Instead, we settled into one of the cafés along the Champs-Élysées for drinks. Sometimes that’s the better choice. After all, no trip to Paris feels complete without spending time there, at least, not for us.

Arc de Triomphe under restoration

at some random cafe at  Champs-Élysées

Day 7.

Last day was spent packing and waiting at the airport.


We love Paris and we'll never get tired of coming back.
We'll see you again in 2 years (because we have other plans for next year).

Update: We didn’t make it back for ten years, and when we did, we came with our kids. Paris was only a side trip this time, as Provence was the main destination. More on that soon.

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