Finally…..
I am not alone in the fact that pre-pandemic in 2019 we had started to plan a vacation with our friends to Europe and the Mediterranean in 2020. We wanted to tour England and had some specific locations that we wanted to visit and then onto a Mediterranean Cruise to see even more of Europe. This was one of our dreams of things to do in retirement. We had talked many times about the place we wanted to go….always in the future. With the onset of the pandemic and the closure of the world, really, our plans were put on hold indefinitely. Then the vaccines arrived and we like our neighbors and friends and people around the world felt like there might be some hope that life would get back to normal. But the road to normalcy was taking the world the long way around to it’s destination. Like millions of people, afraid, uncertain, and overwhelmed by the news stories that we terrifying watched every day, our plans were postponed again. The uncertainty about the safety of travel even when countries began to open was more than enough for us to say we needed more time to adjust as we waited to see if we would feel safe enough to travel to Europe. Finally, in January of this year, we had to decide if we were going to take our trip or cancel it entirely. What we all decided after discussing….and after having known these friends for over 40 years we knew we’d all be on the same page with this….we decided to cancel the Mediterranean Cruise but to instead continue with our plans for a tour of England and then cross over to France and spend some time in Paris. We felt that we could somehow control our distance around others more if we were not on a ship at this point….even though we were all a little disappointed that this part of our trip was cancelled….at least for now. And of course….masks were always close at hand.
And so….we were off! An overnight flight from JFK in New York brought us to Heathrow in England and we were ready to go. Our trip to England was planned with a private tour guide who picked us up at the airport and was with us as our guide and chauffeur for most of our tour. He was an actor who was also an independent guide who enjoyed guiding small groups and bringing the history and the various places we visited to life. Henry the 8th was integral in the British history and our guide was well versed in his life and times as he had acted as Henry in a theatre production.
Our tour included the Opening Ceremony of the Tower of London,
Windsor Castle and the breathtaking Crown Jewels.
The Serene Westminster Abbey which has so much history
and is the final resting place for so many famous and infamous people,
with all it’s magnificence and glorious gardens
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And to the Roman Baths, (no place that you would want to bathe in now)….
Then on to Stonehenge and all of it’s mystery…..
We finished our last day in London on our own by seeing the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (with thousands of other people)
Our final stop of the day was Harrods….which was definitely a place like no other…..
At Harrod’s, we also had high tea which was fun…mainly because from where we sat we were able to watch the pastry chefs make the beautiful pastries for the diners to enjoy!
The Harrod’s elevator was gorgeous and the Harrod’s doorman made entirely of Lego’s was a sight to behold!
We could have spent hours and hours there…there was so much to see….and was truthfully an experience we will never forget.
A short flight….
And then, Paris! Beautiful Paris! The view from our hotel room of the Eiffel Tower standing guard over the city was breathtaking!
The top of our hotel had a lounge that provided an absolutely stunning view of the city and the at dusk and beyond the light show on the tower was not to be missed.
An elevator ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower and views of all of Paris and beyond,
and then a tour of the Palace of Versailles in all it’s glory,
and then on our last day a visit to Montmartre which we had seen in the distance from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Although we visited Paris a dozen years ago, we had never been to this area. Montmartre, built on a hill, had a beautiful view from the steps of the The Bassilica of the Sacre Coeur (The Bassilica of the Sacred Heart). Being so high up on the hill made it seem like the church was in heaven!
The streets near the church were filled with artists selling their paintings, or doing portraits of the many tourists enjoying the day, or doing charcoal sketches of young and old alike as they walked through the streets. A man playing La Vie En Rose on the accordion added to the charm of the area and the sidewalk cafés were a great place to stop and have some coffee and take in the sights.
It was a beautiful day and a quintessential French community. It was a short visit for us to Paris, but we had a wonderful time. Now that we feel more comfortable with traveling, we can’t wait to plan our next adventure! Let’s go!!!
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