Mürren

June 3 we packed up our bags and got back on the train to leave Zermatt and it was another several hours of train travel. On the journey we made a stop in Interlaken (or the city between lakes). While it was very pretty, it was also pretty hot and since I had been in chilly London for the past 5 months, I only had long pants and long sleeves. So needless to say, I was not a happy camper.

We didn't stay for very long, we were just switching trains. From Interlaken, we took this tiny train into Mürren. This city was built up into the mountain, so in order to get to it, you had to take a train to Lauterbrunnen and from there a gondola. From the gondola, we had to take a train to the city. There were 2 other cities that were set up on the mountain next to Mürren, and it was the last stop. From there, we had to drag our luggage to the hotel. And there were no cars in the town, although the hotels had little golf carts to shuttle to and from the gondola station. Once we finally checked into our hotel, it was time to go explore!

We took two trams to get to the bottom of the mountain, where we could have taken a bus to get into town, however we decided to walk. It was weird walking, it was mostly just green meadow, with trees scattered here and there, and two walls of straight mountain on either side. I would say it was only 3 or 4 miles from wall to wall. While we were walking towards town, there was a water fall on our right side that ended up running into a river. 

We were walking to Trümmelbach, is a long waterfall that comes from 10 different glaciers and it is completely inside the mountain! The waterfall carries 20,000 liters of water per second! The walk from the bottom of the mountain to Trümmelbach was about 1.3 miles and I felt like it took us forever! When we finally arrived, we just caught the last elevator ride up to the top, after that we would have missed seeing the falls entirely! 

It was pretty dark, cold and wet inside the cave that let us view that waterfall, honestly, I was super afraid of dropping my phone into the water. 

After walking down 9 flights of stairs to get back to the bottom, it was another 2.1 miles back to Lauterbrunnen. We walked by several sheep farms and Megan and Josh were able to pull some weeds up and feed the sheep. The sheep in the farms all had bells on, so that it was a constant noise while we were walking. At some point on our walk to the city, someone kept shooting a gun, which wasn't too bad, but the close proximity to the mountains caused it to echo, until it sounded like a huge thunderstorm where we finally collapsed at a restaurant and had some much earned dinner. 

Dinner was pretty tasty and we were able to eat outside and listen to the lovely sheep bells.

After dinner, as we waited for the tram to come pick us up, JH was looking in the vending machine and found candy that he really liked while he was in Spain. Of course he had to buy some and get the rest of us hooked, so throughout the rest of the trip we were hunting for this candy. Now I'm not sure what the name was, but it was a Galaxy Mix of Fini (not sure how you spell it), but to sum it up, it was almost like a Sour Punch Straw filled with marshmallowy goodness. And fortunately it's not sold in the US, or I'd be an extra 20 lbs.

We finally made it back to our hotel room where we were able to crash with the windows open of course and listen to the sheep. Dad read us a story from his weird book and then we went to sleep. 

The next morning (June 4) we woke up early to head to the top of the Schilthorn to have breakfast. In order to get to the top of the mountain, we had to take two gondolas for about 10 minutes each. During the ride up, we were crammed in with a bunch of Asian tourists. This one lady, had a selfie stick and the camera that she had on her stick kept making this ridiculous beeping noise! Once we arrived at the top, we were able to go to the rotating restaurant for breakfast!

Now this restaurant is somewhat famous, one of the many Bond movies was filmed in this restaurant! (Don't ask me which one, I have no idea) But they had a buffet style breakfast with a couple different meats and cheeses, bread, cereal, juices and tea (drank by yours truly). 

The only annoying part was while we started by the buffet at the beginning of our meal, we had to walk quite all the way around the restaurant by the end. 

After breakfast, we went out on the viewing platform, where the annoying camera Asian lady was again and took in the amazing view. 

It was super bright!

After spending time on the deck, we went downstairs from the restaurant and went into their Bond museum, where they had relics from the James Bond movies and some fun activities!

MH and I looking super 007y

We couldn't spend too much time on the Schilthorn because we had another train to make that afternoon. We left and had to stop at our transfer gondola halfway down the mountain. This stop was called Birg and while it wasn't as great as a view as the Schilthorn, they had a glass observation deck, so you could walk out and feel like you're just walking on air. It was such as weird feeling, looking down and seeing the ground a couple thousand feet beneath you.

Once the gondola arrived, we headed back down the mountain and took a bus to get back to Lauterbrunnen. From there we all piled into a train to take us up the mountain. We made several stops and transfers, one of them was in Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen (we will come back to these), until finally, about 90 minutes later, we had made it to Jungfraujoch or the tallest mountain in Europe that you can take a train too! 

The mountain was surrounded by other mountains covered in snow and lots of glaciers. It was set up so that you could not only get to see the observation deck, but also get to do some cool activities. On one side of the mountain they had a large sledding hill along with a zip line. The snow on this side of the mountain was very fresh and we enjoyed throwing snowballs at one another. JH got it into his head that it would be funny to throw snow at some unsuspecting sledders, and he almost managed to hit someone! It was pretty funny to watch the snowball land and have the sledder whip his head up at us. 

On the inside of the mountain, they had a room full of ice, and I think we all slipped at least once. Dad was the only one who managed not to slip and fall on his bum.

There were a few ice sculptures, but Scratt was the best.

There was an observation deck that was built on the top of the mountain and there was an observation deck that allowed you to walk on the snow cliff to look around. The snow was pretty dirty and wet there, but we ate gummy bears and tossed them to the birds that were handing around. It was so bright we had to wear our sunglasses otherwise we couldn't see anything!

As much as I hate the snow, it was all pretty cool to look at! 

We stopped in the Lindt Lindor shop where the chocolate was very cheap and they were giving out samples along with free samples if you bought anything. (Once we left the shop, Dad decided that we hadn't bought enough, so we got to go back and buy some more!)

It was another long trek down the mountain. We stopped in Kleine Scheidegg for some souvenirs while we waited for a train and again in Wengen for some snacks (Which we were unable to find). By the time we finally made it back into Lauterbrunnen, it was close to dark and we were starving! All of the shops in Mürren were closed, so we had to suffice with dinner in our hotel. Let me say that it was very expensive and we got scolded because we didn't order any water, but kept drinking sips from our water bottles we already had. I don't remember what I had exactly, but it had asparagus and strawberries in it and it was delicious! 

Traveling with the family

We woke up the morning of the first at about 4:30 so that we had time to eat breakfast and catch the shuttle that would take us to the airport. Thankfully, it didn't take that long to get through security and before long we were waiting at our gate. Let me tell you that my dad did not like Stansted Airport! He said he felt like he was herded cattle moving through the security and waiting for the gates to be called. He also said that he wasn't going to be coming back through that airport anytime soon.

Thankfully, we were able to sleep for a bit on the plane, it was about an hour and a half flight to Basel. It was a pretty weird airport, once we landed, you were able to choose if you wanted to leave via the Swiss border or the French border.

We left on the Swiss border, so we had to stop at an ATM and pull out Swiss Francs. (Which by the way is a super expensive country!)

The four of us took a bus into the city to get to the train station where we bought our Swiss passes (they are tickets that will allow you to ride the train pretty much anywhere in Switzerland, but they cost a pretty penny.) And stowed our luggage so that we could walk around the city and have some lunch. Basel is the city that my Grandma Bethley grew up in and we thought it would be a good idea to see were she spent a good portion of her life. 

This was a beautiful cathedral that we walked pass on our way to find some lunch.

We took off in search of food and ended up at a little restaurant/cafe. MH thought that she would put her German speaking skills to the test and ordered us some water. This turned out to be a good idea, until it ended up being that she ordered us mineral water that cost about $7 a bottle. On top of that, each meal was about $25, so our total was over $100 for lunch! It was a great start to a vacation! 

This was the most expensive fish and chips I had ever had! 

Afterwards, we walked around the city getting a feel for the architecture and culture. We walked to the river that we had ridden over on the train and it was beautiful! 

I loved the look of all the houses, it felt like I was in a movie! 

After walking to the river, we had to rush to make the train. Since there were 4 of us, we decided to take up 2 compartments to spread out since it was a bit of a train ride. Once we arrived in Bern, we checked into the hotel that we were staying at (it was more like a hostel that adults and families could stay in) after that, we took the book that my dad used to plan our trip and went on a self guided walking tour. 

Bern (pronounces Bearn) is the capital of Switzerland. It was named after the first animal that was found on a hunting expedition, which was a bear. The city actually keeps bears in a little zoo in the center of the city, unfortunately, they weren't out while we were there. 

Bern is full of many different types of fountains. It is actually sometimes referred to as the city of fountains. There are over 100 of them of all shapes, sizes and ages. (In fact, dad, JH and I made a game of counting them as we passed by) Now I'm not really sure why there are so many fountains, but it was pretty cool to see. The city of Bern has a bulge in the river, just like London, and its super hilly. So walking around was pretty tiring after a while. 

Bern also has a cool clock. (Why is it that so many cities have famous clocks?) 

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to pick up Megan and to find some dinner. We couldn't find anything that we really wanted, so we went to a grocery store nearby and got some food to eat, including chocolate bars! We then tucked in for the night because we were exhausted from traveling. (Let me also say that dad read a lovely story from his strange fishing book that he was determined to read to us every night)  

The next morning (June 2), we packed our bags, had breakfast and then checked out of the hotel. Thankfully they were very kind to let us leave our luggage while we left to go to the Temple which was only a 15 minute train ride from where we were staying. 

I really wish we could have gone in and do baptisms, but we didn't have much time on this trip. Maybe next time! 

It was time to leave the Bern area and move on to more beautiful locations!

We picked up our luggage and headed back to the train station. This time we had to transfer several times and even take a tiny train of 4 carriages to the next town we were staying at (Zermatt). Most of the time on the train was spent sleeping (MH), watching videos (JH), looking at the sights (dad) and reading (me) (although I did look spend about half of the time reading AND looking at the sights.) 

It looks like a picture you would only see in a National Geographic magazine and I couldn't believe I was there! 

We finally arrived at our destination around 2:30 in the afternoon and rushed to check into our tiny little hotel close to the mountain. We had a beautiful view of the Matterhorn from our attic window. 

Our main reason for being there was to see the mountain up close. So we ran back to a different train station that would chug us up the mountain! This was also a small train, but it was packed with people from all over the place. 

The view was AMAZING!!! 

As much as I HATE snow, it didn't bother me too much and it wasn't too cold either. 

Thank goodness that it was cloudy, or it would have been super bright. I don't know if I can really describe the beauty that was surrounding me that day. I was just grateful to share it with my family! 

After spending a couple of hours up on the mountain, we headed back down because we were starving and the shop on the mountain had already closed. So we piled back in the train and scrounged for food in our bags that we were carrying. Once we arrived back in Zermatt, we headed to  dinner for fondue, which we loved! Our server was a guy who spoke seven different languages and was learning his eighth! HOLY COW. 

We walked around the city for a little bit, there was a little cemetery that we passed to and from the hotel. The city also had a small river cutting through it, it was a lovely picture! We then headed back to the hotel and called mom to check in with her and show her our amazing view. 

5 months and counting!

It'll be a short post today! (thats if anyone is still reading this...)
After arriving back in London, I stored my luggage in St. Pancras (the train station), that way I didn't have to lug it all around London. I knew that this would be one of my last chances to be alone in London, so I went and walked to my favorite places. I went to Shepard's Bush to look for fabric for my quilt (I still needed some to represent London and Wales). While I was over there, I stopped for dinner at Byron's at Westview (the same place the Avenger's Premiere was at) and I looked around the mall a bit to kill time.

After that, I went back to St. Pancras to pick up my luggage and headed to church, where I would be going home with a friend to spend the night. I went home with AI and we talked all sorts of nerdy things and then when KB finally came home. She let me sleep in her bed while she slept on the couch while her beau slept on the floor. By the time I woke up, she was already gone, but I left a little goodbye/thank you note on KB's bed and left for the train station that would take me to Heathrow where I would meet my family (mainly dad, MH and JH).

We went and dropped our luggage off at the hotel, and then left for Watford Junction, to catch the bus to Harry Potter Studio Tours!

By the time we were done at the Studio Tours, it was around 7:00 and jet lag was finally starting to hit the rest of my family, and all of them fell asleep on the train back to the hotel. 

Sleepyhead! I took pictures of everyone, but I'm sure JH won't mind me posting his picture!

We had a bit of trouble trying to find somewhere to eat, since most of the places were closed by the time we got anywhere close to being back in London. But we made our way over to the Notting Hill Fish House to have dinner so that JH and MH could have their first taste of true fish and chips, London style. At that point we were all pretty tired, so we headed back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep. 

The next morning, dad and I were up and eating breakfast, ready to start the day, but JH and MH decided to sleep in. (I guess dad had suffered jet lag enough that he had no problem shaking off its clutches) We took off to Borough Market to get some Mayfield cheese and a chocolate chip cookie for me. We then biked our way to Camden Markets, I wanted to show dad the other sorts of items that they sold (jewelry, shirts, tasty food, old vinyls, etc.) 

We got some tasty Danish Pancakes with Nutella, strawberries and bananas and at that point I was really full. So I was glad that we had the opportunity to bike back and forth. We biked back to the hotel and decided to try our luck at waking JH and MH up. 

Thankfully we managed this time and decided to bike/walk around some of the more touristy spots of London. We biked past Big Ben and the Eye and continued down the Thames until we reached the London bridge and decided to continue to walk. We walked past Borough Market, where I showed them that they had missed out on the glory of the market and the food. And then we decided to find a pub to sit at so that we could watch the FA cup final (Arsenal vs. Ashton Villa). Let me tell you, while I love being at the actual match and being in that atmosphere, I enjoyed being in the pub. It was a different atmosphere, but there was still the same excitement to be had. 

We biked around some more, until we headed back to the hotel we were staying at and crashed for the night. The next morning (May 31) was Sunday, so we had breakfast at the hotel, and then made our way to church. After church, we went back to the hotel, changed, checked out from the hotel, left our bags with the front desk and went to bike around London some more. 

This time we biked through Hyde Park, Green Park, around Buckingham Palace, down the Mall and to Trafalgar Square where we stopped in the National Gallery and browsed around looking at pictures (I don't think JH and MH were all that impressed), but I was finally able to show dad "Sunflowers" by Van Gogh. 

It was then time for dinner, which we had at Byron at Leicester Square. (I know, I'm absolutely obsessed with this restaurant!) JH accidentally spilled ketchup all over his red shirt when he shook the bottle (Thankfully, there wasn't much damage done). But both JH and MH agreed that these were the best onion rings that they had had in their entire life (I love converting people to Byron). 

It was time to say goodbye to London, we went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed to Stansted Airport, where we would be staying in a hotel close by so that we could take an early flight to Basel Switzerland! 

Paris Holds the Key to My Heart

If you ever get the chance to take the Eurostar from London to Paris (or vise versa) I would highly recommend it. While it may be scary to think of yourself trapped in a tunnel underneath the English channel, the view of the Paris countryside is breathtaking. I wish I could have captured a picture to post for you, but you'll just have to imagine rolling green hills with small towns placed throughout. Each of the small towns has a church centrally located and on Sundays, you can hear the bells ringing.

Thankfully, on the way to Paris, no one sat in the seat next to me, so I had the opportunity to stretch out and relax. Now, I don't want to brag or anything, but I spent 3 years of high school taking French, so of course I knew little to no French!

I arrived at Gare du Nord around 1:30 and made my way to Gare de l'est and onto the train that would take me to the airbnb I was staying at. My host, met me at the train station and walked me to his apartment about a 15 minute walk from the train station. It was a fun situation, he didn't speak a lot of English and I can't speak any French, so it was a rather quiet journey to his place. Once I was able to unload, I sent a message to AS (who had arrived in Paris earlier that day, she'd been traveling Europe for some time with her bf and thankfully our schedules matched up!) and took off to the center of Paris!

I met up with AS and MS at Notre Dame. And let me be honest, I'm really surprised I found them! AS didn't have any cell service while she was abroad and had been sending me messages through the internet, but the church square where Notre Dame was located, didn't have any wifi. So I had to search through the mass of people in the square to find the two of them. Thankfully, I did!

The three of us were ready for a snack, so we wandered down the street until we found a cafe that had a restroom and was selling crepes! 

After our bite to eat, we headed to Sacre Coeur, a basilica that sits on a hill in Paris, where you can see all of the city for miles! We took the metro to get there, and ended up in a really weird part of town. Every other store on the street was a hair place that sold wigs and different hair products. We made our way up the large hill (I wore the wrong shoes and there was a lot of stairs!) huffing and puffing. AS commented on how pasty white my legs were and I replied that they didn't get to see the sun very often in London because 1. there is no sun a good majority of the time and 2. it never gets warm enough to wear shorts! 

Anyway, we had finally reached Sacre Coeur and because it was Sunday, there was a service going on inside the church, but thankfully, we were still able to walk around inside. 

This is the lovely view from the bottom of the steps of Sacre Coeur.

After spending time on the hillside, we made our way back down to the main part of the city and just wandered. Around 6 o'clock we began looking for somewhere to eat. I only had one request, that they serve escargot! Because when in Paris right? 

We ended up eating at a place right across from Gare du Nord. 

Yes, this is how crazy big the exterior of their train stations are.

I got my wish! and while it may not look very appetizing, it was! The snails were cooked in some sort of garlic and herb sauce with lots of butter. And garlic and butter make anything taste better!

I even convinced AS and MS to try one:D

Afterwards, we agreed to meet up the next day at the Louvre! And went our separate ways, they to wander the city some more and me back to the airbnb!

The next morning (May 25) was another bout of luck. We had agreed to meet at the Louvre around 9. Unfortunately, we never really stated where, so I ended up getting in line before them and kept searching. To my relief I was able to spot AS while I was waiting in line and she and MS joined me and we headed in!

While I am not a huge fan of art, this museum blew me away! It was huge! You could have spent an entire day inside the museum and still not see anything! We made sure we saw the main pieces (yes the Mona Lisa was one of them) 

She is quite tiny and I was a tiny bit disappointed.

We also stopped by Winged Victory and snapped a quick picture. I felt like we didn't see much, but we stayed in the museum for over 2 hours!

Afterwards, we left and headed to the park just east of the museum. We got the chance to sit in chairs surrounding a pond and watched baby ducks swim around. 

We continued down the road towards the Eiffel Tower. 

Before we made it to the Eiffel Tower, we stopped at a bakery to buy some bread, where I got to practice my French and then a grocery store to get some cheese, meat and peanut butter M&M's for me and wine for AS and MS. We arrived at the park where the Tower sits in front of and sat down for lunch. To our surprise, the French open was going on and to celebrate, they had a projector set up on a screen for people to watch. And hanging from the Tower was a large tennis ball!

We spent another couple of hours just sitting in the shade and listening to the commentary on the match. 

After some tasty lunch, we walked along the Seine (I know! We didn't go up in the Tower! I had already been up to the 2st floor and AS and MS didn't want to wait in the long queue) We found the bridge that was used in Inception 

We also found Lady Liberty! 

I'm sure you're wondering why there's a Statue of Liberty in Paris, well I can tell you! She's actually not known as the Statue of Liberty in Paris. She doesn't really have a name in French. But she's a symbol of friendship, freedom and peace between the U.S. and France. So while I cannot say I've seen the Statue of Liberty in New York (yet!), I can say I've seen her sister in Paris! Interestingly enough, she sits on a small little island in the middle of the Seine AND it's right next to the Inception bridge. 

MS was nice enough to pick each of us pretty flowers that were growing on that little island, so of course we had to take some pictures. 

Our next goal was to see the Arch de Triomphe, which sits right in the middle of the Place Charles de Gaulle, which is this HUGE road that leads to a roundabout with no lights which people just drive onto. We didn't go up into the Arch, but stopped for a picture none the less.  

Can you just see the chaos that this would cause? Somehow the French have got it down.

Continuing down Charles de Gaulle, we found ourselves at Ladurée!

I don't even think I can begin to describe this place! So I'll just post pictures. 

Mostly known for their Macaroons, Ladurée is a shop/restaurant in Paris that sells amazing desserts! While I felt kind of bad for dragging AS and MS to the shop to wait in line to pick out treats, I'm sure they didn't mind once they got their desserts!

From there, it was time to say goodbye. We both had an early morning, they were off to Italy and I was going to Disneyland Paris! Thankfully it wasn't a painful goodbye since I'd see them again at home soon!

Tuesday, May 26th, was a bit of an early morning. Disneyland opened at 10:00 in the morning and you bet your butt I wanted to be there when it opened. I woke up at 7:30 to leave at 8 to catch a bus and then a train to Disneyland. It was pretty nice because there's a train stop that takes you directly to the park! Thankfully, it was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect and I didn't get lost!

My first ride of the day was Phantom Manor or the Haunted Mansion, just Frenched! To be honest, the ride in France was a bit more scary: meaning, I'm not sure if I would recommend it to kids younger than 8. There were periods of time where I was sitting in the complete dark and the graveyard scene where everyone is dancing and such, was a bit more gruesome, the skeletons a little more lifelike. But it was fun to hear all of my favorite rides in French! 

My next ride was Thunder Mountain. And it's still called Thunder Mountain! The only major difference is that they took my picture! (Maybe they do that now on the new Thunder, but I haven't been back since they reopened it in Cali). After that it was a quick walk to 

This ride was really different than the one in Cali: 1. I walked right onto the ride! I didn't have to wait at all! 2. The ride was an outside roller coaster with a loop-de-loop! 3. It lasted less than a minute. 

Next was Pirates of the Caribbean! This ride was almost the same, except it was backwards! We sailed through the chaotic town first, before floating through the skeleton ship. And then I moved onto It's a Small World, which of course was the same, but the song was in French!

After Small World, it was time for lunch! I headed back over by Thunder Mountain for some Mexican food. I got a taco salad and let me tell you, the French don't do Mexican food very well. So, I was a bit disappointed in my lunch as well. 

After the rather disappointing lunch, I decided to leave Disneyland and head over to Walt Disney Studios Park, this is France's version of California Adventure! Some of the rides are the same, whereas some are completely different. I started with my favorite ride: 

Yes!!! They had the Tower of Terror in France! As you can image, everything about this ride was the same. The best part was once we sat down in the elevator buckled in. The attendant gave his instructions in French, after he finished, he then said "Does anyone speak English?" Several people rose their hands (I was not one of them, I have the instructions memorized for that ride!) and he simple said "Good luck" smiled and closed the doors. 

My next ride was the newest ride at Walt Disney Studios which was the Ratatouille ride! This ride, because it was new broke down quite a few times, so I ended up waiting in line for about 25 minutes while they fixed the ride. I think the best way to compare this ride would be like the Toy Story ride in California adventure. You were placed in little rat carts and had to escape the kitchen with Remmy. I got a bit sick on the ride, but I pressed forward! 

The next stop was another ride that California Adventure didn't have, which was Crush's Coster. A fun little ride where you sit in upside down tortoise shells and ride the EAC. This was all inside, so imagine a Space Mountain, however the shell sits 4 and the 2 people in the back are facing backwards. So during the entire ride you are spinning and flipping from forwards to backwards, so to say the least, I was very sick getting off the ride and couldn't do anymore moving ride for another hour or so. 

Because I was feeling under the weather after the last ride, I made my way to a little theater show that was going on called Animagique. A little show that had the characters, Mickey and Donald go on an adventure through different Disney movies and sang songs. After that I took a studio tour, which was very much like the studio tour at Universal Studios.

I was feeling much better after the studio tours, so I made my way to the Rockin Roller Coaster with Aerosmith. This line took about 1 hour and of course the second I make my way up to the gate and am the next person in line, the ride stops. But the workers tried to keep the positive energy up, which I'm sure everyone was grateful for. When we finally got to go on the ride, it lasted less than a minute of course! This ride was exactly like Space Mountain, it just had Aerosmith playing in your ear the entire time. 

By the time I finally got of Aerosmith, Walt Disney Studios was closing. So I left and headed back to Disneyland where I saw a wonderful Disney Parade going on.

Then I went to Fantasyland, where I rode Peter Pan (which STILL had a long line), Pinocchio, and Snow White. Those rides were exactly the same. I also went up in the Castle! Yes! It told Sleeping Beauty's story and you could go outside and see over Fantasyland!

Afterwards, it was time for a snack. Now being in Disneyland I had been DYING for a churro. But apparently, thats only a California thing, so I got the next best thing at the food stand, which was a crepe! 

I know, how cliche! And no, I did not go on Star Tours, I would have thrown up my delicious crepe with Nutella.

But I did venture over the Buzz Lightyear and got a level 7, which I had never done before! I then wandered a bit around for some souvenirs and just to look around the park. They also had a Autotopia, but the queue was pretty long for that, so I skipped. They also had a Space Mountain, but it was closed for renovations. After walking around, I was pretty tired, so I decided to take a ride on the train that goes all around the park. Of course, this was the WRONG decision to make, apparently there was only 1 train circling the entire park, so it took an HOUR for the train to make its way around and then pick me up, and then another half an hour to go around the park again! By the time I was done on the train (which there was no dinosaurs, but there was a grand canyon), it was time for dinner. So just stopped on one of the stores on Main Street USA to get a hotdog and some crisps for dinner. 

Once I was done with dinner, it was time for the fireworks, which would take another hour, so I sat down to reserve my spot! 

15 minutes before the fireworks started, I realized that the trains stop running at a certain time at night. I couldn't remember what time that was, all I knew whats that I couldn't get stuck away from my train station when those trains stopped running or I would have to walk in an unfamiliar area in a foreign country. The fireworks started at 10:30, weird that it wasn't dark enough for them until then, and so I left at 10:15, hoping I would be able to get back to the airbnb before the trains stopped. 

Thankfully, I made it. I took a bus and then a train to the correct stop and I got home around 11:45. 

The next morning, May 27th, was my morning to sleep in! I slept in until around 9:30 and then stopped in the Starbucks at the train station for some breakfast and then went off to explore Paris!

My first stop was to find some fabric for my blanket, which I found easy enough close to Sacre Coeur. The entire street was lined with different sorts of fabric shops and the people were really friendly. 

I then walked until I found Moulin Rouge. Which I would suggest maybe not to walk around in that area. I ended up accidentally walking through the red light district of Paris! Oops!

This is where the Cancan originated! 

I continued to walk south, until I hit the Seine and walked past Notre Dame again. I continued along the river for about an hour and passed lots of these: 

Not only were people selling books, but they were also selling different baubles or artwork. It was nice to look at. 

Afterwards I continued to walk for another couple of hours until I headed back to the train station and  to a small grocery store where I bough my linner (lunch and dinner) for the day and then headed back to the airbnb to pack up and get ready to head back to London. 

My train the next morning left for London around 10:45 and I ended up back in London around 11:30! While I was on the train I sat next to a little boy, who's mother was on the other side of the isle. He enjoyed telling me about all of his toys while his mother apologized profusely. I was quick to reassure her that it was fine and that he wouldn't be a bother during the train ride.