Paris, Je T'aime

Versailles

We went on a coach tour and visited the Palace of Versailles. It was a bit of a boring day. I liked Windsor Castle a lot better. We bought a ticket to go on a train ride through the gardens but we couldn't go on it because we would have missed our bus home : (

There was some pretty cool stuff there but my favourite part was eating an ice cream at the end.

 Versailles was pretty spectacular, those French kings had stacks of money!

 Gold gates with ornate sun symbols. Every home should have them.

Kael on the steps of the palace. He was kinda over palaces and cathedrals by this time. 

Crazy woman

When we got back from Versailles we did a long bus ride on the open top bus which took us around to see all of the sights of Paris as it was getting dark. But before we got on the bus, we went on this bridge where lovers put padlocks with their names on it on the bridge and throw the keys in the water. It is supposed to mean that the will love each other forever. I asked dad what happens if they don't - we both thought it sounded like a pretty silly idea.

When we were walking off the bridge, this old lady leaned down and picked up a gold ring, and asked us if it belonged to us. We said it didn't, and she looked around but then gave it to dad and wished him luck in Paris, then she walked off. We kept walking but a minute later she came back and started asking dad for money to buy a coke. An American woman walked past and said that she'd done the same to her - she was tricking dad for money. There are lots of dodgy people in Paris.

Checking out some of the zillions of padlocks - the city of love! Watch out for the dodgy lady!

Here are some of the sights of Paris from our bus tour:

Saussices, croissants et spaghetti bolognaise

One of the things I promised dad before we left was that I would try lots of new things. I ate some different foods like the sausages and potatoes from the man on the corner, and lots of croissants (they're better in Paris than Canberra). But dad reckons I had spaghetti bolognaise 4 times on this trip (I think I had it only twice). It is good to try new things, but dad did something crazy that I would never do...

Catching up with family, and snails (ewwwww!)

On our last night in Paris we went to a French restaurant with Nana, Darrel, dad's auntie Christine and uncle Phil. It was pretty good. I tried a sausage that was really horrible. Everybody else said it was horrible too. We didn't know but when dad asked it was made of pig's intestines (blleeeuuughhh!). But I still don't think it is as gross as what dad did. L'escargot - SNAILS! I wanted to vomit while I watched him. He said all trip he was going to try them but I didn't really think he would. He reckons they taste like stringy lamb.

Having a laugh with Darrel and Phil at dinner

Le Tour Eiffel la nuit

After dinner we raced off to see the Eiffel Tower lit up, which happens every night at 9pm and midnight. The tower itself looks amazing at night, but I didn't think the lights were all that great. We've attached a video for you to see for yourself (Editor update - this seems to take hours to upload, clearly I'm doing something wrong. I'll keep trying but might be more homework for Australia). It was really great to be there on our last night in Paris.

The view from our vantage point for the light show - It's so big it would be hard to get a bad spot, 

but this one sure was good!

Incroyable!

Adieu Paris, Dag Amsterdam

On Thursday we caught the train to Amsterdam. It is a bit of a strange place. Everybody is nice and speaks English, which is good because we don't know any Dutch at all. The whole city is built on canals, like rivers that run throughout the city. We spent our first afternoon wandering around looking at canals and fountains and eating frits (yummy Dutch chips) and dad drank Dutch beer. Dad likes Dutch beer.

 Having a giggle near the canals - for some reason lots of people giggle in Amsterdam.

For those with a keen eye, check out the old Rasta in the boat behind Kael. That's his home. He sits there in the afternoon drinking beer and consuming other substances, on his boat. He's a happy man, smiles and waves, not a care in the world. Made me contemplate the concept of happiness just a little.  

The ubiquitous canals and bikes. I've got millions of photos of Amsterdam. They all look just like this. 

The Rijksmuseum

We went to a place called the Rijksmuseum, which is a big art gallery but also has lots of cool things to look at. The building is really amazing, the towers look a bit like the ones on the tower bridge. I got a model of the building to make when I get home to Australia. Dad won't let me open it no matter how many times I ask.

The Rijksmuseum was so cool! Before we went, Dad showed me a video of a thing called a flash mob in an Amsterdam shopping mall. They played out this famous painting called The Nightwatch. Here is the link to the youtube video: Nightwatch Flash Mob

When we got to see the real painting, I was really excited. It was awesome! There were a bunch of other great things too, like a giant dutch battleship model and a real aeroplane, and another HUGE painting of the battle of Waterloo. But I think I loved watching an old video of people making radios and loudspeakers and lights most of all. I sat waching it for ages until dad said we had to go.

 The Rijksmuseum. A beautiful place that both of us loved very much

 Kael, gettin' a bit of kulcha into him!

 I used to make model aeroplanes as a kid...this is ridiculous!

 "Hello? Is it the Rijksmuseum your're looking for?"

(Some historical figure called Johann De Witt looks a lot like 80's pop icon Lionel Richie)

There's one of those model planes I built as a kid.

The end of the meal

When we left Dubai, we said that Dubai was the entree of our holiday, and that Paris and London were the main course and Amsterdam was the dessert. Tonight is our last night overseas. We've seen a lot of things, done a lot of walking, and got heaps of photos. I had a great time, and I hope some of you people reading my blog will be able to go overseas too sometime. If you do, have a good trip! But there's no place like home and I can't wait to get home. I'll see you all in Australia very very soon. Mum and Sien I can't wait to see you!

This moment is the spirit of the trip. Makes me laugh and cry. 

Love, Kael (and Pete).

Farewell London, Bonjour Paris!

Leaving London

I was sad and excited to leave London. I loved all the things we saw there, and I really loved our hotel. I loved the view from our window over the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, but I think most of all I loved the buffet breakfasts. Piles of baked beans and bacon, toast with jam, as much apple juice and hot chocolate as I liked. Most days we didn't really eat a proper lunch, we just had a big breakfast which kept us going until we got home from our adventures that day.

On Saturday we caught the EuroStar train from London to Paris. It goes under the English Channel through a tunnel called the Chunnel. You are under the ground under the water for 25 minutes, and then you're in France. It was a very cool train ride, and dad got to practice his French for the first time ordering food from the dining car.

When we got to Paris, I thought I'd be able to see the Eiffel Tower from everywhere, but we didn't get to see it at all on the train. But that afternoon dad and I caught the Metro (the French underground train system) to a place called Trocadero, and when we got out of the station and around the corner we saw it properly for the first time. It was so huge and amazing! We didn't go right up to it because we were going to catch the lift up it during the week, but we took lots of photos.

There are hundreds of men from Albania who try and sell you souvenirs, but dad told me not to talk to them. Every couple of seconds they ask you to buy an Eiffel Tower statue. We played a game where I pretended they didn't exist.

Then we walked to the Arc De Triomphe, which took about 20 minutes. It was also really awesome. We've done so much walking on this holiday, my feet keep getting sore and I ask dad to stop for a rest. He buys me an apple juice (I think his best French is "Je voudrais un jus de pomme, sil vous plait!") and we stop for a while, but then he keeps making me walk!

I love the Metro. I worked out on our first or second ride that if you stand at a certain spot on the platform, you can get into the front carriage. There is a window into the driver's cabin, and if you put your face up to the glass you can watch through the front windscreen as the train goes through all the tunnels in the underground. It is really cool, you can see all the stations coming up and the trains going the other way. I love it!

 EuroStar out of London

J'arrive! Vive La France!

 For those of you who asked Kael what he was looking forward to the most, this and the next 4 photos perfectly capture his gut-wrenching excitement at exiting the Metro at Trocadero knowing that somewhere nearby he would see La Tour Eiffel for the first time. I love my boy.

 You've seen a million photos, but seeing it in real life is breathtaking.

 Speechless, momentarily

Kael was strangely...humbled? Just in awe maybe.

 Another magnificence. Don't get me wrong - I love the MCG, but I'm starting to wonder if it is really the greatest structure on earth?

I still don't know how you physically get to it - there's about 8 lanes in a never-ending roundabout of manic traffic.

Kael positioning himself for Metro back seat driving

Notre Dame

On Sunday afternoon we caught the Metro to Notre Dame cathedral. We had a sleep-in and dad did some washing, so we didn't do too much today. Breakfast at the new hotel is very different. We get a basket with some croissants and other pastries with some fresh juice, fruit and a pancake. It is a very different kind of hotel, but it is really nice too and I have a friend called Samia who works here and she is very nice to me.

Notre Dame had a festival on for people who cared for disabled people, so it was really crowded and noisy. We didn't get to go in, but we walked around and walked along the Seine River for a while. We tried a meal called saussices avec pomme de terre, which is sausages with potatoes. Dad thought they might be spicy, but they were super nice. I've tried a few different foods, but nothing too crazy - no l'escargot.


Up the tower

Today (Monday) we went up the Eiffel Tower in the lift and walked around the first and second floors. We didn't get to go all the way to the top, but it was really amazing anyway. I got to look through a telescope at all of the big monuments around Paris, and we got some great photos. I've always wanted to go here, and today was very special. I had to work hard at my 'Invisible Albanians' game, and I had to stick close to dad because there were millions of people around.

In the afternoon, we went to Gallerie LaFayette which is a massive and famous shopping centre. It has an amazing roof. It has a toy section, but they don't have any Thomas and Friends at all. I was really patient when dad did some shopping and I thought I could get something Thomas when we were finished, but I had to get some other trains instead.

 Ready to go

 Arrgh, land ho!

 Not a bad view

 Looking up at La Tour

Football by the river

Lost in translation

(Pete) Went to the local supermarket today. I haven't been kidding myself, my French is woeful, but when I deal with people who have a little English and I combine it with my very little French, we get by pretty much every time. It's actually been a lot of fun, and maybe my confidence has been ill-founded through these positive experiences. Today I got two rude awakenings - first we got a taxi with a guy who knew no English and didn't know our hotel or our street. After trying to guide him for a while I gave up and we walked  part of the way home. I felt quite embarrassed and stupid. I knew what I wanted to say but didn't have the skills.

Then I went into the small supermarket just around the corner. I got a few items from the fruit and veg section, but the checkout was a bit like Aldi - pack yourself, they just scan and take the money. I hadn't realised that you need to weigh your own produce, print off barcodes and take them to the register. I got to the register and the checkout chick did not speak any English at all, not a word. I'm getting used to ordering food, asking directions, exchanging currency - very basic stuff. But when you're being told you need to weigh and barcode your produce before you come to the register - holy cr@p I was so far out of my depth it wasn't funny. A very amusing situation arose whereby a (very, very attractive) local woman started translating from several places back in the customer queue, and I placed my tail between my legs and went back to weigh and barcode my produce. Such a tourist!

We have finally caught up on our blog! We have two more full days in Paris before we go to Amsterdam on Thursday. Nana and Darrel arrive here tomorrow, and we think we'll see Christine and Phillip here too. We're going to Versailles tomorrow afternoon.

We're both a bit tired, and missing people back home. It's a lot of fun, but it's also hard work and we really only have each other for company. I don't think it matters how great the trip is, you still miss home. And I think that although we've been genuinely great company for each other all the way through, if truth be told we'd both like to be spending a little time with people in our own demographic right now.

But onwards and upwards, there is much to see and do, and these intrepid travellers are up for any adventure!

Love to all.

Thomas Land

Some people dream of faraway lands, say, trekking to Machu Pichu; the mysteries of the Orient; the romance and style of Paris; or the hustle and bustle of The Big Apple.

But for Kael Nolan, those dreams focused on a two-bit nothing town in the middle of England. A bit like its namesake in NSW, Tamworth UK is known for just one thing. It is here you will find an amusement park called Drayton Manor. This is actually a really cool amusement park with massive rollercoasters and some undie-discolouring rides that I reckon I might've had second thoughts about - had there been any chance at all that I might get near them. But no, only one small part of this large theme park got a look-in from its Australian visitors - THOMAS LAND!!!

A quarter of this park is dedicated to Kael's one true love - Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. It has about a dozen kid-friendly rides, themed gift shop, ride-on trains and model trains. Kael was pretty bored, not really his kind of thing.

He summoned up the courage to go on the troublesome trucks rollercoaster, and loved it so much he went back another four times. He went on the Cranky the Crane drop tower, which was lots of fun. There is an expression that Kael and I share (which Kael says I'm not allowed to use on the blog) to describe the sensation that comes from dropping fast and feeling a tickling sensation in one's nether regions. He giggles uncontrollably every time (see photos below). Needless to say if Kael had met an untimely end falling off the Winston or Bertie the Bus rides, he would've died a happy boy.

Check out Kael's best day ever in pictorial format below:

 Kael checking out the park - note the actual scary rides in the background (if only Sienna was there)

 This is the face I referred to above (Kael has requested that this concept not be discussed with children)

 The Main Man

YYYEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!

 Mr Cool on the left, hangin' with Henry

The Fat Controller requested a photo with Kael

More London, and other bits of England

Hi everyone,

World's slackest bloggers. We've actually arrived in Paris now, so we have much to catch up!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

On Monday, Dad took me to Leicester Square and told me to wait in the shop while he bought a surprise. But it only took about 5 minutes before we saw a giant billboard and I guessed that the surprise was going to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the musical in the West End of London. We didn't get any photos because you weren't allowed to use a camera. But I have a book with all the pictures. It was a fantastic show which looked like it had scrumdiddlyumptious chocolate. My favourite bit was Violet Beauregard's song 'Juicy'.

St Paul's Catherdral

Here are some photos of St Paul's. We walked from our hotel which was a good long walk through London. You can't take photos inside, but we got photos of some squirrels outside! We did a tour inside and it was really beautiful.

 Hello? Is this the Queen?!

 The buildings are just incredible, photos don't do them justice.

 Respek!

 "Squirrel!"

 Kael on the steps to the side entrance of St Paul's

It's really special to be able to meet up with family on the other side of the world.

Harry Potter

On Tuesday we caught the Underground train to Victoria and got a coach from Victoria Coach Station to the Harry Potter Studio. I had no idea, dad kept it a surprise all the way until we arrived at the studio.

It was totally awesome! They had most of the sets, costumes and props from all of the movies. It started in the Great Hall, and then went through heaps of different sets where you saw lots of really cool stuff. Then we got to get in the Weasley's car, the Knight Bus and Hagrid's motorcycle. That was my favourite part. I also liked Aunt Marge's costume from when she was floating away. They had a creature shop where they had lots of moving props from the movie, like the Monster Book of Monsters and a Mandrake. I was very glad that the enormous Aragog didn't move, but it was very scary to walk under it. After that we saw Diagon alley. I made dad take a video just for Sienna of the Puking Pastilles. All of our Harry Potter photos are on the video camera and we are having problems getting them onto the computer. We might not be able to fix this until we get back to Australia : (

Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge

We went on another bus tour to Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge. It was a very long day. My favourite part was walking around the castle looking at all the amazing stuff that the royals own. The had a listening tour for kids which dad and I both did together, it was lots of fun.

 The castle - seems standard that you can't take photos inside, which is where all the best stuff was.

For those about to rock...

 Kael meets The Crazy Pigeon Man of Bath, and his accomplices.

 Bath is really pretty, whole town seems to be in slow motion. Very charming place. 

It's just weird. Took me 5 minutes to fully apreciate just how freakin' weird the whole thing is, then it ran out of mystery for me. I reckon just some end-of-the-world cult with too much money. 

Coming up in our next installment:

Tamworth (yes, Tamworth!)

Goodbye London, Bonjour Paris!