London Day 3 & 4!!

Sorry we didn't write yesterday, we got home late and were totally pooped! Yesterday morning Emily and I got up early and took the tube into London with Ryan. He showed us how to find a couple stores and the bus tour we wanted to take. So we started walking down Oxford street, which is the most busy shopping street in the world. Delanie told us about this store called Primark, she said they have clothes similar to H&M, but cheaper, so of course we had to go! Everything was very cute, really cheap, and we could have bought everything, but didn't. We did find a number of cute things, and neither of us spent more than 15 pounds! Then we walked to the Big Bus Tour stand and bought our tickets (Sorry Gramma Karen we wanted to try your London bus tour, but we didn't think we had enough time and didn't have enough confidence in ourselves yet). This tour took us all around! We saw the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, the London Eye (which we might go on either tomorrow or Monday), Buckingham Palace and Westminister Abbey. We got off the bus at Westminister Abbey and went in, I (Sami) remember the cloisters from the last time we were there. The church is beautiful, but we felt like there were tombs and graves shoved into every little space available. We also got off at Buckingham Palace, there were no guards outside the gate, unfortunately, but we did see some. We also got off at Saint Paul's Cathedral and climbed up to the top. These stairs seemed like nothing compared to the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe and Robert's apartment everyday. It wasn't that hot all day, especially in the morning. We think the British are a little crazy if they call this a "heat wave." So we took the tube back at the end of the day to get changed and go out with Ryan and Delanie for drinks and dinner. We took a taxi to the Punchbowl, which is a club owned by Guy Ritchie, Madonna's exhusband. We had this drink which was good, we have no clue what it was, but it was good. Then we went to Hush a really cute restaurant not far away. There I had Victorian sausages and Emily had a steak pie. Then to drink we were hooked up with a Champagne Rose Beer, it was really interesting, but pretty good, very light. Then when we were walking down New Bond Street after dinner trying to hail a cab, the paparazzi swarmed and out of a car comes Kissinger's daughter and STEVE MARTIN. They were going into Gordon Ramsey's restaurant at the Claridge Hotel. He was looking pretty old, but that was our first star sighting and it was pretty cool. Then... this morning after waffles we headed towards Camden Market. It is an adventure traveling the streets with the boys, but a fun one. On the way we went to Abbey Road! I (now Emily talking) was so excited :D We got some good pictures walking across the famous road and in front of Abbey Road recording studios. I even walked across the street barefoot, just like Paul! Afterwards we walked to Paul McCartney's London house. Then we were off to the market. Camden Market is where punk rock evolved. It was such a cool area and we could've spent all day there! There were so many booths, eateries, and people. It was a lot of fun. Sami and I then headed off to Harrods, a huge famous department store. It was really busy because right now all the summer sales are taking place. The store is amazing, especially the food area. There are champange bars, practically every kind of restaurant, and sections devoted to cheese, wine, candy, and almost any food you can think of. We strolled through the different departments and even looked at wedding dresses and versace gowns :) The washroom (bathroom) was very impressive. There was a woman there greeting you and directing you to an open toilette. They even had a wide spread of perfumes on the counters you could try when you were finished washing your hands. Sami used Marc Jacob's rain and I used the classic Chanel No 5. We left Harrods and went into a couple other stores nearby. Then we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. There was so much to see, but Sami and I are a little exhausted from museums. We did our best exploring and headed back to Delanie and Ryan's. When we got down into the tube there was a huge backup because so many people were trying to get on the line. The platform was so over crowded they stopped the ticket machines and made people wait to go down to the platform. Finally the train came and we were let through. We had a delicious dinner, including a hummus platter, coos coos, and shiskabobs. During dinner and before hand we watched the Wimbeldon championship matches. They were great. After dinner when the boys went to bed, Delanie, Ryan, Sami, and I watched Twilight. I was very excited because it is one of my favorite movies and none of them had seen it. Tomorrow Sami and I hope to make it to the London eye, but if not there is always Monday! We are also planning on going to the music festival in Hyde park tomorrow evening. That should be lots of fun. We have a ton of pictures, but we will probably wait to post them until we get back to Paris. We miss and love you all!

Sami and Emily :)

London Day 1 & 2!!

Today Sami and I got up dark and early at 4 am! Of course we didn't get out of bed until 4:15, but we did get ready and ate breakfast with time to spare so we headed off to Gare du Nord at 5:45. We took the metro to the train station and got in line to go through check-in and customs. We got our passports stamped twice, which we were really excited about! The train ride was a little more than an hour and was interesting. In our cabin of four sets of quad seats there was one obnoxious family. They had a toddler and a nine year old who were constantly talking, whining, and making noise the entire ride. Fortunately Sami and I had our iPods so we slept and listened to music the majority of the time, but that family definitely didn't make the ride enjoyable. Inside the train got really cold when we went under the Chanel, but we were able to get sweaters out of our bag. When we got off the train we went to a currency exchange and exchanged some of our euros to pounds. It is so nice to be in a country where they speak English! Sure, the French experience is an exciting a good one, but it is nice to speak in english once again. We got a cab with no trouble and our driver was a cute, older man whose accent we loved. The drivers in London are crazy and we have already learned that pedestrians do not get the right away. Just as we were driving down Ryan and Delanie's road we saw Delanie walking home with Layton! The driver let us out and we walked down hill for a block with Delanie to their house. The Hamstead area is so charming! All the houses are made of brick and have elegant gardens. Private drive ways that lead to beautiful brick homes are closed with ivy covered gates and the streets are quaint. Their home is absolutely beautiful! Layton, their youngest son at the age of two, is adorable. He is loving the attention from Sami and I and was showing off to us. Sami and I are so thankful to be here in Ryan and Delanie's wonderful home! This afternoon Sami and I went with Delanie to pick up Hudson from school. He is four years old and adorable. He even has a little British accent! Then we walked to the Heath, a huge park where there were lots of ponds and grassy fields. We were able to see out over London on the top of a hill. It was a bit hazy, but the view was still great. Then we went to a little Italian restaurant for dinner. It was delicious. Then Delanie took the boys home and Sami and I wound through the streets of Hampstead. We are just hanging out tonight and may watch a movie later. Tomorrow Sami and I are going to get up early and take the tub to one of the tour bus' stops. There, we are going to ride around and hit up all the big tourist spots we have on our list of things to do. The bus will be so nice because you can get on and off at the stops as you please and we will be able to see everything the city has to offer! We are very excited for our stay here :) Just wanted to let you all know we made it here safe and sound! We miss and love you all!

Sami and Emily :)

Paris Day 14!!

This morning we headed to Montmartre! When we were walking to the metro this morning we noticed it was cooler than it had been yesterday, so we were hoping it would continue for the rest of the day. We made it to Montmarte without a hitch, but once we got out in the air it took us a little bit to figure out where we were. But we walked over to Sacre Coeur and up the main stairs. There were lots of Africans trying to put bracelets on people's wrists, including ours. One guy walked up to Emily, but she was able to blow him off pretty easy. Then another guy walked up to me (Sami) I told him no several times and he put his hand on my arm and was asking me why I was being so sour and why I didn't like Africa, but I just told him no really sternly, finally I shook him off. But I was walking the whole time, oh well I delt with it. When we got up to Sacre Coeur we realized we weren't going to be able to go in because we weren't wearing the proper attire. But then we walked around the corner and saw the crypt and decided we should check it out. When we were buying our tickets, the guy there asked us if we were going to go up, not knowing what he ment we said yes. Well we got in and found ourselves winding up these stairs and realized that we were going up to the dome of the church! The stairs were dimly lit, narrow, no railings and poor air circulation, but the view from the top was spectacular! There was a breeze that cooled us down and after taking pictures of everything we sat to enjoy the scenery. When we were leaving the crypts the air raid siren from WWII went off and Emily freaked out. She thought maybe there was someone with a gun or something, and I was just a little puzzled. Then Robert called us because he knew Emily would be sared to let us know what it was all about. Then we walked to the Musee du Montmartre where artist such as Renoir and Lautrec once had studios. There Emily found some of her favorite pieces of art. The gardens there were quaint and elegant. Then around the corner is a small vineyard, which reminded us of home. Emily was reminded of work and I was reminded of Pat and Leigh's vineyard. Then we walked to the tourist square where there are tons of artists. We got our silhouettes done (2 coppies!) and they look exactally like us! Then we went around the corner, down two flights of stairs to the metro without any problems! Once we got back to the apartment we had lunch and packed a little. Tonight we are going out to dinner with Pat, Helen, Stephane and Robert for Pat's birthday. Tomorrow we go to London until Monday! We will try and post when we are there! Pictures of our day to come later! We miss and love you all!
Sami & Emily :D

Paris Day 13!!

This morning Emily and I (Sami) made french toast!!! It was soo delicious, we had 4 pieces each! Oh but before that a little before 6 this morning there were three girls sitting on the step in front of the building. They were talking so loud it woke us up. So I (Sami) got up and stuck my head out our window and said, "Hey girls, could you keep it down out there?" They were speaking english so we decided they must be with the American students upstairs. So they got quiet for about a minute, then their friends from upstairs came clomping down. They slammed the door shut and headed out. It was good they left then, because I was about to go yell at them! Robert helped us figuring out how to get to Ile de bois Vincent. In order to get there we had to take two new metro lines, we handled the transfer a lot better than we did on the way to the Eiffel Tower. Once we got there we found the pond and rented a row boat. So I rowed us around for a while and we soaked up some sun. Neither of got burn, maybe a little tan even :D Earlier today both Robert and Emily told me (Sami) that I looked tan, I do believe that is the first time anyone has told me I look tan! But the pond and and scenery was beautiful, there were tons of adults and children bearing the heat. We picked up some ice cream and headed back to the metro station. We had made three stops and a twenty minute walk from home when the train stopped at the station, we didn't understand what they were trying to tell us, but after waiting 10 minutes we got off the train to figure a way home ourselves. We wound ourselves to the Louvre and from there to the bus station. Once we got home we made ourselves lunch then headed up to Robert's. When we got up here we had a nice suprise, Stephane is back...with our dresses! So we tried them on! Emily's looks so pretty on her and very elegant! I tried on two, the first one he was just hoping it would fit, but I couldn't breathe very well :( But, he had another one ready for me! They both are amazing and we are sooo excited! We don't know what is going on tonight, but probably dinner :D We are planning on Montmarte tomorrow, hopefully it is a little cooler! We miss and love you all!

Sami & Emily :D

Our boat trip

Emily in her dress

Me in mine...both will have accessories added as well

Paris Day 12!!

Today Sami and I were up and out of the room by 10 and headed off to the Invalides. We took the metro and stepped out into the sun. It was really hot today... at least 90! We walked through the gardens leading towards the Invalides and enjoyed the hot sun. After walking around to the front, known as Eglise du Dome, we bought our tickets and headed to Napoleon's tomb. Inside was nice and cold because it is all marble. We enjoyed the change in temperature and the amazing architecture. Napoleon's tomb was huge! He is placed in five layers of coffin and then a sarcophagus. It is ginormous! Then we went and walked through the World Wars museum. It was interesting and very heavy on the mind. After that we went into the gift shop. I (Emily) bought a small poster of Libery Leading the People and I'm really excited about hanging it in my dorm room in the fall. Then we walked to the Grand Palais. As we were crossing the bridge we saw a bride to be, the fourth we've seen so far! She was very pretty and had an ornate gown. Sami and I started talking about what kinds of dresses we want at our weddings : ) The Grand Palais is currently under renovation so we couldn't go in, but we did get some pictures of it and of the Petit Palais. We took the metro back to the Louvre and from there we walked to the Palais Royal courtyard. We meandered through all the vintage shops and new stores, like Marc Jacobs (who goes to Robert's gym and has known him for nine years!) We felt a little out of place because everything was out of our price range, but it was still fun to look. Then we took the bus back to Robert's and had some fun rading the vacated apartments. We left with a lot of goodies, including orange juice, a beach mat, and other things. Sami and I have been relaxing and writing in our journals since then. It is still really hot out and the heat is suppose to keep up. Sami is getting creamy and I am getting tan : ) Sami's great aunt and uncle showed up not to long ago after an intersting journey. Who knows what we're going to do tomorrow. Maybe try on our dresses! Stephane isn't here quite yet, but he should be soon. Sami and I have accomplished a lot of our 'to-do' list, but there are endless things to do here in the city of love : ) We miss and love you all!

Sami and Emily : )


Sami conquering her third of the watermelon

Smile big!

At the Invalides

Beautifully ornate

Napolean's tomb layered in six coffins

Paris Day 11!

Wow it's day 11 already! Today Sami and I slept in :) but I (Emily) still got up at 10. We got ready and headed up to Robert's. After a lazy start we headed off to the market. There we bought an artichoke, watermelon, a crazy looking tomatoe, and some groceries. We listened to the street music and watched the couples dance, but not as long as we did last Sunday. Then we headed back up rue Muffetard and stopped in a couple shops along the way. Once back at Robert's we started getting lunch ready. Sami and I ran out to get a baguette. Then we started lunch with salad and bread and eventually, when it was ready, ate the artichoke. It was delicious! After lunch Sami and I went down to our apartment to figure out what we were going to do the rest of the day. We spent some time looking through our travel books and ended going to Saint Germain. There we strolled along and looked at street vendors, much like the ones you would find at the art fair. Then we went inside the church. There was a service going on so we didn't stay long. But it's huge even though it's apperance from the outside doesn't seem so. We bought some ice cream and headed towards the river. We crossed the courtyard of the Louvre and went into the Palace Royal. It was very peaceful and we loved looking into all the vintage shops that circle the main courtyard. Then we went to the ferris wheel! Although the ride wasn'tas long as we had hoped, the view was spectacular. We felt like we were eye level with the tops of the buildings. After our ride we went and sat around the main pond in the Tuileries. It was very relaxing and we saw the biggest pigeon ever! It was huge and we laughed at it because we thought it was too fat to fly. Then we took the bus back to the apartments. It was a relaxing Sunday :) Tomorrow Stephane gets back from Normandy which means Sami and I get to try on our dresses that we will be wearing in the festival. We are so excited! Don't know what tomorrow is going to bring yet, but we know it will be fun. We miss and love you all!

Sami and Emily :)

The Eiffel Tower from the boat ride yesterday

Robert after the Depeche Mode concert in his kilt!

Saint Germain

The ferris wheel, we're going to go again at night, hopefully :D

The Eiffel Tower and the Tuileries from the top of the ferris wheel