Snow bother
20 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in All about me, Edinburgh, Travel, Uncategorized Tags: Edinburgh, scotrail, snow
Was it just a month ago that I was bemoaning the lack of snow and dreaming of it’s fluffy whiteness? I take it all back, I’m over it now. After falling flat on my back on Princes Street on day two of the snow I was fed up. Not just fed up, but fed up and cold, wet, bruised and sore. My feelings towards the snow haven’t really improved since then.
However, look at some of our playing in the snow photos, I must admit that this was a lovely day in the snow. Old disused cemetarys take on a beautiful quality in the snow.
The snow was up over the top of my wellies, but since the cemetary is across the street from my flat wet feet were nothing to worry about and we went for a good explore.
That day in the snow was fun. What wasn’t fun was the day Lothian Buses stopped all bus services (completely understandable, I’m not complaining about them) and I got stuck at work and had to walk 5 miles home through the snow which in parts was elbow deep! I tell you, walking on the road on the A71 is a terrifying experience, but it’s one for the grandkids!
Despite all of this, my absolute worse snow moment of the year was trying to get the train from Edinburgh to Inverness yesterday. The train was half an hour late, which meant I had to stand in the snow on the platform at Haymarket for 45 minutes losing all feeling in my feet.
The train was then so ridiculously cold I can’t even describe it. I kept all my layers on and wrapped myself in a blanket too – thanking my foresight of packing one. It just didn’t get warm. Then they put the air-conditioning on and it was so cold you could see your breath. The only thing I can compare it to is when the dementors come onto the train in Harry Potter. Add all that to a nasty hangover and it really was the journey from hell. On the plus side, I’ve now made it home and wont be stranded in Edinburgh for Christmas.
The City of Lights
17 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Travel Tags: Eiffel Tower, Metro, Montparnasse, Notre Dame, Paris, Sacre Coeur, Travel
Ah Paris, how I love you so. I arrive and immediately feel welcomed. If ever there was going to be a foreign city that I might call home, you would be it.
From arriving and getting lost in the Gare du Nord (not a good moment, all laughable now though), to a homeless man jumping on my back to try piggy back through the barriers without paying (the less said about my resulting hysteria the better), to getting on a double decker train for just one stop to say we’d been on one, to squeezing through barriers at Charles de Gaulle airport to avoid buying another ticket (classy I know); I love the metro system. It’s just so much more efficient than our underground system.
Getting up in the morning and avoiding the usual low quality, high price hotel breakfasts by wandering across the street to our local patisserie and enjoying freshly made pastries for breakfast. Walking through the small streets frequented by locals not tourists to find the perfect place to buy and eat lunch. Finding our away to Montparnasse to the streets filled with creperies to take our pick of the family owned restaurants to have dinner. Paris, your food is amazing; I genuinely feel sorry for the tourists who eat in McDonalds , Subway and massively overpriced cafes in the tourist spots.
Strolling on a sunny day around the windy streets of Montmartre, exclaiming in delight as you spot one of the hidden artwork gems; be it a statue coming out a wall or randomly placed grafitti that makes you think, it really is a pleasure.
Walking the 5k from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre, not going in due to the crowds, but spending just as long admiring the Tuileries gardens and the Louvre building itself as you would have looking for the Mona Lisa.
The churches. Well, are there any words? Climbing to the top of the Dome at the Sacre Coeur and collapsing in a heap at the top while the view takes your breath away (or is it just the 300 spiral steps?). Looking out over the city, trying to work out what all the different spires and towers are. Lighting a candle to remember a loved one. Running past all the street sellers outside trying to draw your picture ot tie a bit of string around your wrist. Attending your first ever mass – in Notre Dame no less – and despite it being in French, finding it a really enjoyable experience. The churches, cathedrals and chapels are incredible to see, and a great place to find some peace in a busy, bustling city.
The tower. The Eiffel Tower. Possibly the most beautiful landmark I have ever seen. Yes, it’s just a mass of steel, but the feeling you get when you first see it is incredible, and that feeling has never left me even after countless visits to Paris. Sitting in the sunshine, reading a book, in the trocadero gardens, with your feet in the fountains, overlooking the Eiffel Tower. I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Sitting on the banks of the Seine at night, looking up at the Tower waiting for the light show, it’s just amazing. Even more fun is to be up the Tower when the light show is on and to see all the people on the ground clapping and taking photos, makes you feel like a celebrity by association. No trip to Paris would be complete without spending time just looking at the Eiffel Tower. For me, she sums up all that Paris is: classic, timeless, and heart-breakingly beautiful.
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