Inky Paws

First Stop: England

The following three posts are all about my People to People trip to England, France, Belgium and Holland that I went on this summer.  I had a ton of fun and I'd like to thank everyone for helping me get there!  But without further ado, let's begin...

NOTE: I took some videos on the trip and I've added them to the posts in some places - hope you like them!

Day 1

My trip started at about 3:30 in the morning, when I got on a hotel shuttle along with some other kids to go to the airport.  We were all pretty tired, as you might have guessed.   A few hours after arriving at the airport we were on the airplane and on our way to England.  I got a window seat and so was able to watch the clouds as we flew over them.  I have only this to say: sunrises are pretty when watched on the ground and even better when you see them from the sky.  

Luckily for you, you get to skip the (long) plane ride and get right to our first day in England.  Only a few minutes after driving away from the airport in a coach (on the wrong side of the road) we stopped and walk to two memorials: one for the Magna Carta and one for John F. Kennedy.  

The interesting thing about the John F. Kennedy memorial is that England gifted the land surrounding the memorial to the US, so technically we were back on US soil.

Next we got a chance to see some of the city.  We got free time to walk around Piccadilly Circus, so I walked around with Sierra, a girl who I made friends with on the plane.  I couldn't pass up the chance to take a photo in a phone box.  

After exploring Piccadilly Circus we walked to lunch, and from there had a bit of a walking tour while on the way to the London Eye.  We passed Big Ben, though of course we didn't actually see it since it's the bell and not the clock...  Our guide made sure we didn't get them confused.  We also passed 10 Downing Street on the way.

The Eye was a bit larger than I was expecting.  It actually can hold 800 people at any given time, which I wouldn't have guessed!  The line waiting for the Eye was LONG but it was nice to have a little rest after walking at approximately the speed of light to get there.  (Our guide, Viktoria, somehow managed to look like she was having a leisurely stroll even though she was walking extremely fast.)

Of course the views from the Eye were great, and gave us a good sense of the city, but I have to admit that I find actual Ferris wheels to be more fun because you get to swing around a bit and smell the fresh air.  Still, I get to say that I've been on the tallest Ferris wheel in the western hemisphere.  

After the Eye we drove back to our hotel, got settled and walked to dinner.  It was a nice start to the trip and good to not do too many things the first day when we were all so tired.

Day 2

After breakfast we drove to St. Paul's Cathedral.  You weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside, but I can tell you that the ceilings were tremendously high and the whole building was just humongous and really beautiful.  I really liked walking around inside it because it was so quiet and peaceful.  

You can kind of tell by the size of the door just how giant the inside was.  

Next we went to see the changing of the guard.  

We actually were there on the 4th of July, and so this was the closest thing to a 4th of July parade that we saw that day.

We lunched with Kind Henry VIII.  Everyone concurred that the potatoes were delicious.  

We bade farewell to our king and then walked to the Tower of London.  (Less commonly known as Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, which while longer makes more sense to me than the more popular name.)  Our guide told us some fascinating stories about different people who lost their lives at the Tower, and then we were given time to explore in groups.

Sierra and I went and saw an exhibit of torture in the Tower, an exhibit where we learned all about different types of armor, and of course the crown jewels!  Along with the crowns were other things, such as rings, scepters and swords.  My favorite item was actually a colossal punch bowl that an 8-year-old could have taken a bath in.  Really, who needs that much punch?  The picture above is of Coldstream Guards marching through the streets in the Tower.  

When we had finished our exploration of the Tower, we took a boat ride along the Thames in the fresh air.  We then took the tube to see Little Ben, and had a little time to visit the shops surrounding the clock.  We ate dinner right across from Little Ben and then took the tube back to our hotel.  I know I fell asleep pretty quickly...

 

Day 3

Today our big event was getting to meet a former member of parliament - Patrick Nicholls.  He gave a wonderful talk about how English government works and then took questions from the audience, which was made up of several People to People delegations.  I asked him to elaborate on the different political parties and that led to the hung parliament, which I have to admit was much more interesting than I would have expected!

We had lunch and then walked to the Imperial War Museum.  We were given a couple hours to go around the museum, so Sierra and I started at an exhibit on submarines.  We also saw an exhibit on the lives of children during WWII, and one on the Holocaust.  Our last stop was a replica of a trench, which you could walk through and really feel like you were in the middle of a war with the sounds of guns firing all around you.    It was very accurate - even down to the smell.  

From the museum we walked to the Covent Garden Market, where I didn't notice a lot of plants but I did notice a lot of art, antiques and high-end shops.   

There was a man selling paella there on huge paella pans, and there was also a group of violinists playing some of the more well-known works. 

We had dinner and then walked to the last activity of the day - the musical Blood Brothers.  The story is basically about twin brothers secretly separated at birth and raised by different families.  The first act is really sweet and funny with some dark undertones, but in the second act the buried darkness rises to the top and the scenes are filled with raw desperation.  It was really effective and added up to be a simply amazing musical - definitely the best that I've ever seen.  I can't say too much without spoiling it, but the ending made everyone jump about a foot.  I would see it again in a second, if I only lived near the theatre!   It's really too bad it's not more well known here - it's been running for over 20 years in England.  The musical remains one of my top favorite things I did on the whole trip. 

Day 4

We left London today and drove to the city of Oxford, where we got to go punting on the River Cherwell!  I really enjoyed that because it was so nice and quiet as we moved slowly along the water.  Ducklings swam next to us literally inches away and a ladybug landed on my hand.  Unfortunately it turned out that there was a group of English schoolchildren who were also punting, even though they had absolutely no idea how to do it.   They kept running into us - literally - but it was actually pretty funny after a while.  

We boarded the coach again and drove to Warwick Castle, which is an actual castle that is now a kind of medieval theme park.  We were given time to explore, so Sierra and I decided to start by visiting the State Rooms, basically a part of the castle remade to look as it would have during its use.  We then went to something called the Royal Weekend Party, in which you were invited into a party in 1898 with the Countess of Warwick.  There were actual people dressed up and acting their parts at the party, and even a maid to announce you when you came in.  I happened to enter before my friends and so she asked my name and then brought us into the room and said loudly, "Announcing Lady Chloe and guests!"

Sierra and I also traversed the castle wall and towers, which apparently means we climbed somewhere around 500 steps.  

This was on top of Guy's tower, which overlooked the River Avon.

I don't think I'd like to anywhere near the stocks if I could transport myself back to medieval times...  But I don't mind taking my photo with them as long as no one throws any rotten tomatoes at me!

After the castle closed  my delegation and five others gathered outside the castle to get trained for war.  There were four stations that we went around to.  The first was a man who taught us how to fight with large sticks called Quarterstaffs.  The second was led by the man in the middle there, called Master Frost, who told us all about medieval trebuchets.  (He was absolutely hilarious!)  The third station was led by the man on the left, who taught us some basic sword fighting steps.  The last station was all about archery, and though we didn't get to actually do it ourselves, we got a great demonstration.  

The amazing evening was finished off with the trebuchet, from which they flung a ball of fire.  The trebuchet is actually the largest in the world currently (there have been larger ones in the past)  and it was really awesome to watch.  

 

In case you were wondering, before I started taking the video one of the men was telling us how they prepare the fireball.  Right at the beginning of the video he's saying "he holds" because the man running the trebuchet has to wait long enough for the fireball to light on fire, but not so long that he actually sets the whole machine alight.  (Not to mention himself.)

From my trip journal:  "I walked back to the coach wishing that I could stay at the castle longer.  It is DEFINITELY on my list of favorite things on the trip so far."

Day 5

Today was, sadly, our last day in England.  We spent the morning in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare himself.  This house, situated on Henley street, is where it is believed that Shakespeare was born in 1564.  

We went on a walking tour around town and then had lunch at a restaurant called Marlowe's in a building that dates back to the 16th century.  We ate in the upstairs, which was tiny and had extremely warped floors.  Still, it wasn't bad for being 500 years old!

It was a bit of a drive from there to something I'd really been looking forward to...  Stonehenge!  I know some people thought it was boring and just a pile of rocks, but to me it represents a mysterious feat of strength and hard work.  Imagine hewing those rocks by hand, then stacking them in a precise pattern without any modern machines!  The rocks literally weigh tons, and would have to have been carried tens - and sometimes hundreds - of miles by land and water.  Imagine all of this taking place 5,000 years ago...  Amazing.

  

 I was sad to leave Stonehenge, but I also couldn't help being excited because that night we boarded a ferry for France!
 

Second Stop: France

Day 6

We landed in Normandy and our first stop was Pointe du Hoc, where we saw actual bunkers and actual craters left over from bombs.

We drove from Pointe du Hoc to Omaha Beach and had a few minutes to dip our toes in the water.  It was surprisingly warm!

Next we visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.  It was sobering to see so many gravestones - 9,387 in total.

We  had a ceremony for the men who gave their lives on D-Day and laid a wreath.

At the hotel that night I discovered how hard it is to type on a French keyboard.  The Q and A are switched, the M is in a different place, and instead of using shift to get symbols like & and @ you use shift to get the numbers and even the period!  Very confusing...

Day 7

Versailles was the big event of the day, and it was swelteringly hot.  

A guide named Nicolas took us around the grounds of Versailles before we went in.  He told us all about the history, from the 49 years it took to build the Palace of Versailles to today.  It has 700 rooms and 5,000 people used to live there!

The famous Galerie des Glaces, or Hall of Mirrors.  Mirrors were some of the most expensive items to own at the time, so this room must have been especially impressive back in the 17th century.  

After dinner we drove to Paris and got a quick look at the city before settling into our hotel, knowing that during the next two days we would really get to experience Paris.

Day 8

We started the day off with a tour of notable places and things around Paris, such as the chapel Les Invalides where Napoleon is buried, the Champs-Élysées, and the Arc de Triomphe, below.  Surrounding this giant monument is an equally giant roundabout that doesn't even have any pavement lines painted on it.  

Since the Louvre is very close to the Arc de Triomphe, that was our next stop.  We separated up into different groups headed by the adults and were sent off on a sort of treasure hunt to find some of the more well-known pieces of art.

Of course we saw the Venus de Milo, art lovers' favorite amputee...

 

And of course the Mona Lisa.  There wasn't actually as large of a crowd as I was expecting, and I got up to the front pretty quickly.  I wish I could have seen the painting closer, especially with it being so small.  Unfortunately we didn't get much free time at the Louvre.  I definitely need to go back and spend a lot more time there.  I really wanted to see some Vermeer paintings but I didn't have time. 

We left the Louvre and walked to Notre Dame.  Outside the cathedral is this bronze star set in the ground.  It represents "point zero" and is considered the official center of the city, but there is also a legend that says if you step on the spot you will return to Paris.  Everyone stepped on it!

Inside the cathedral was an abundance of votive candles, all flickering quietly away.  It's not often that you go inside a building filled with so many people that's so calm!

After dinner tonight everyone was excited because we knew we'd be seeing the Eiffel Tower the next day!

Day 9

We got up at 6:30 and breakfasted on croissants before driving to La Tour Eiffel.  We got there before they opened and were practically right at the front of the line.  When they opened we were delayed a little bit because of some issue with confirmation...

...But after about twenty minutes or so we we on our way up to the top!  (The adults kept exclaiming how fast we got on.  It seems that it usually takes a lot longer.)

The sky is a lot more prominent when you're up that high.  Not to mention that it was kind enough to be a beautiful bright blue on that day.

Since it was right when the tower opened, there weren't too many people there yet.  I think it's probably one of the best times to be on the tower.  (Though I would also love to be up there at night time to see the City of Light in its full glory.)

We had free time so Sierra and I decided to leave the tower and take a photo from far away before walking around the streets surrounding the area.

While walking we came across a patisserie, where Sierra and I both ordered macarons in French.  We decided if we were going to have macarons in Paris next to the Eiffel tower, we should have the fancier version that has fresh fruit in it.  It was probably one of the best things I've ever eaten.  

 

Next a bus ride took us to Montmartre, a hill in the north of Paris.  On top of the hill is the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur, and near that is a square called Place du Tertre, where artists gather to make portraits and sell their art.

This lady was playing the accordion for us while surrounded by a whole lot of fake flowers!

You can't see it here, but Sacré Cœur is literally just a little to the right of us at this angle.

Turn to the right and this is what you see!  A very beautiful building.  Another thing you can't see here: a whole bunch of men selling chilled bottles of water for a euro each from their buckets of ice.  There was also a man making dogs made out of jumbo pipe cleaners for two euros each. 

Oh yes, I forgot to mention how many steps we walked up today.  Our whole group walk up the hill, then down the hill on a little tour, then back up again.  We were then given free time, so Launa, Liam and I walked down again to look at this street market, then back up again to go to the artist square.  After everyone met up again, we all walked down once more.  Somehow I managed to not get of a picture of the actual hill, but it was a pretty good climb.  (The photo below is the view you get when your back is facing Sacré Cœur.)

Later, an unofficial activity was offered to us: would any of us like to go watch the last game of the FIFA World Cup under the Eiffel Tower tonight?  Nearly everyone said yes, so we went.  (A few people stayed at the hotel.)  As you can see below, a giant screen was set up below the Eiffel Tower so that everyone could watch the last game.  We were up above the main crowd of 20,000 or so, which is why it was a little hard to see the game even with that giant screen.   

  

   

Spain was playing the Netherlands, and this game would determine the overall winner of the World Cup.  I stayed standing up watching the game from 8pm until 11:30, which was about the time that someone finally scored - Spain!  Spain ended up winning 1-0 and everyone went crazy.  Even the Eiffel Tower was glittering...   

We were all planning to take the metro back to our hotel, but we had to walk for 30 minutes to get to a station that wasn't full of people.  It was an amazing walk - the whole way people were streaming through the streets just screaming and shouting and singing and sounding air horns and blowing vuvuzelas and honking their car horns.  People were driving by hanging out their car windows holding up Spanish flags.  Any time someone with a Spanish flag saw someone else with a Spanish flag, they'd start screaming "España!" even louder than before.  It was the most noise and activity I've ever seen at midnight.  It was awesome!

It was definitely a good way to spend our last night in Paris.  The next day we'd be on the way to Belgium!

Last Stop: Belgium and Holland

Day 10

We drove all day today - we were stuck in really bad traffic.  We were in traffic when the time for us to go to a museum came and went.  We were disappointed but at least we would still get to go to the chocolate factory, we decided.  We were still in traffic when our appointment time for the chocolate factory passed.  We did eventually arrive in Brussels - much later than we had planned.  We had dinner pretty late and then went to our hotel.  The leaders offered to take some of us out for a walk around the city, and so I and a dozen or so other kids decided to go.  We went in a souvenir shop and a chocolate shop and then were on our way back when we heard music and saw lights.  

What we found was this church that was lit up with lights that went along with music that was being played.  It was really cool, so we sat down on the smooth cobblestones to watch it.  It was over pretty quickly, but we all felt like we'd witnessed something pretty exciting.  (The unplanned stuff is always amazing!)  

You may want to turn the speakers down a bit - the violins go up really high on this clip!

This is the ending of the last song that played that night...

Somehow we managed to take a wrong turn and get lost after that.  We walked around until we found someone who gave us directions, and we made it back to our hotel somewhere around 1 am.  (I don't know about everyone else, but I had a lot of fun being lost and getting to see more of the city!)

Day 11

We left Brussels in the morning and drove on to Holland.  We stopped in a little village named Volendam for lunch.  We got to walk around a bit after we ate.

Next we went to a cheese factory and learned how they make cheese.  It made our mouths water for some cheese, which is good because next was the tasting!

There was a lot of cheese to try and I had a little bit of each.  (And a little bit more of the ones I particularly enjoyed.)  There was a basic cheese, a cheese with stinging nettles in it, a garlic cheese, a goat's milk cheese and a smoked cheese.  The smoked cheese was definitely my favorite but the stinging nettle was second favorite.  (You wouldn't know it had stinging nettles - it just tasted like some really delicious herbs.)  

We walked right from the cheese factory to the maker of wooden shoes, where we got a quick demonstration.  (The actual carving doesn't really take that long.)  Below is what the ceiling looked like.

You can't really leave Holland without riding a bike, can you?  I ride my bike a lot and I'm used to going pretty fast, but it was nice to slow down a little and see the sights as we peddled by.  

 

Halfway through we stopped at this lake and were invited to swim.  We didn't have swimsuits, but we all wanted to go in so we went swimming with our clothes on!  It was so warm and so perfect.  We all wanted to stay in a lot longer.

Much too soon we had to get out of the water and get back on our bikes.  We were all dripping but I don't think anyone who went in regretted it.  

 

Our bus driver, Tony left that night.  We all had grown very attached to him and we gave him a bunch of goodbye presents.  I missed him before he even left!

Day 12

After breakfast we went to visit the Anne Frank House, which was my favorite museum of the trip.  It really is the place where she hid during WWII.  I read her diary right before I left on the trip so that I would know her story, and I'm glad I did read it.  There were no photos allowed, which is why I don't have any!

After lunch we went on a boat ride on the canals in Amsterdam.  

The ride lasted an hour and a half, and somewhere in there I decided to take pictures of random things like Liam's sunglasses. 

When the boat ride was over we walked to a diamond factory, where we learned how diamonds are cut and how they are classified.  Below we are being shown different carats.  

After dinner that night we were greeted with a torrential downpour.  It was a bit of a walk back to our coach, so we were all nice and wet when we climbed into our seats.  It was not a good time to be wearing glasses! 

That night in our hotel we had a little party for the four delegates who had birthdays on the trip.  We then sang a song to our delegation manager Viki, who was awesome, and also gave her some presents.  

Since it was our last day, bed checks were at midnight.  I know I wasn't the only one who wished the trip wasn't over!

Flying Home

In the airport the next day we said goodbye to Viki, because she would be going on a different flight.  The leaders posed for one last picture with her before she left.  (Our fourth leader, Tammy, wasn't there because she had to go help one of the delegates in a different part of the airport.)

 

The flight back was nonstop, and much easier than the flight going over.  They even served pizza and ice cream, which I have never had on an airplane before!  (That was probably the best airplane meal I'll ever have.)

Once we'd gotten through customs we all went to meet our parents and we had to say goodbye.  I've already seen two people from the trip around town, though, and I practically just got back!

It was an absolutely amazing trip and I really wish it could have gone on longer.  Thank you again everyone for your help.  I couldn't have done it without you!