Europe Part 4: Florence and Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy

Day 9 - Travel to Florence

It is always sad to leave somewhere that we have just started to get to know, and Paris was no exception. We had one last memorable breakfast with Fred and since no other guests were there it was just the 3 of us. We found out that Fred bakes the croissants fresh each morning (and all along we thought he was buying them each day). We are going to miss those so much. Maybe we can add that to our list of things we want to learn how to make. It was so amazing to us how people from other countries know so much about the US and how we know so little about them. Fred (and others) knew not only about our government/political issues but also various scandals, pop culture, you know name it.

Fred, the B&B owner

Being the information repository that he is, Fred told us how to get to the Orly airport in Paris. We took the RER C line from Vitry Sur Siene to Orly and then took a bus from the train station to the airport. Still a bit confusing since we don't know any French but we made it there none the less.

We arrived in Florence on time and found our hostel pretty easily, although the walk was longer that we thought it would be. It was kind of hot so the walk was pretty difficult with the bags. (We just kept telling ourselves what a great workout we were getting although with all the food we ate it was probably a wash.) Once at our hostel, we immediately made our museum reservations for the Academia and Uffizi and also for a tour of Tuscany the next day. I guess with of the other details that go into planning a trip like this it completely slipped my mind to make these museum reservations ahead of time. We paid more for the tickets but on our tight schedule we had no other choice.

That evening we took the Rick Steve's walking tour of Florence, bought gelato that was amazing but super expensive (14 euro total compared with others that were about 5 euros or less). I do have to say that was my most favorite gelato of the trip and worth every cent. We wanted to find some of the great markets that Florence is known for but they were closing up as we got there so we decided to shop the next day. One of the most romantic places in Florence is on Ponte Vecchio. It is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River and has some amazing jewelry shops open during the day. In the center of the bridge you can see out on both sides and at night the view is amazing. There was a great guitar player on the bridge that was fun to listen to. He played some in Italian and also some American music. After visiting Ponte Vecchio we found an orchestra playing near the Uffizi and sat to listen. The orchestra was terrible but because of the beautiful scenery and fun people watching we stayed for a while. When do you get to sit outside, listen to music and look at beautiful statues like the ones in Florence (like Michelangelo's David to the right of the stage)?

Piazza del Signoria - main square in Florence and has beautiful statues throughout

Ponte Vecchio - you can see the shops along the outside of the bridge

View on Ponte Vecchio

Orchestra in Piazza del Signoria (David is on the right)

One of the things we love about Florence is being able to walk through the streets at night and see so many interesting things. On this particular night there was an artist doing a huge drawing on the street, a clown performing to a large crowd (although it was funny how bad he was - maybe that was the point?) and lots of foods and drinks to taste. From there, we searched for a to-go pizza place and took it to the hostel. We could climb out the window in our fifth floor room and get to a balcony. It was beautiful weather and we could still hear the hustle and bustle going on below. No one else was on the balcony so we had a romantic dinner all alone. I don't think we could have asked for a more perfect ending to this day.

Artist drawing with chalk on the street. He draws something different each night and then it gets swept away each morning when the streets get cleaned.

The clown that was funny because he was so bad!

I was hoping he would pick Bentley from the crowd.

Day 10 - Touring Florence and the Tuscan Countryside

This was our first full day in Florence but I also really wanted Bentley to experience the beauty of the countryside. We contemplated a bike tour which sounded amazing but it was a 25 mile tour (all on bike) and we were already exhausted from the travel so we opted for a bus tour where we got off at multiple stops. We took an olive oil and vineyard tour of the Chianti region. Our bus left at 9:30am and stopped at a family plantation in the beautiful Tuscan countryside that was known for their olive oil but we also had a huge brunch in an outdoor area with different meats, cheeses, breads, fruits and olive oils. The setting was beautiful and the food was great.

Bentley at the table with our new Australian friends

The next stop on our tour was Casa Sole which was a vineyard. We learned how both wine and olive oil are made as well as tried different types. The setting almost did not seem real it was so picturesque. The countryside was gorgeous and everywhere we turned that was something more beautiful. We learned the differences between types of olive oils and why extra virgin olive oil is very different from others. We toured the entire facility and had a wonderful time meeting some new people. We met some Australians who were telling us how common it is for young working adults to take a 6+ month break and travel the world. Many of them were traveling with a company where they drop you off in a city and then pick you up 3 days later. You have the flexibility to plan your trip and it is a jump-on-jump-off system. Plus, when you take this 6 month break from work, you do get paid for a portion of your time. They want to keep you from burning out!!! Sign us up for that!

Casa Sole

Beautiful buildings at Casa Sole (Bentley and I had flashbacks of cutting down vines like this at our house)

Stunning view of the scenery

Inside the winery - these are the barrels the wine is stored in

From there we made a quick stop in an ancient town called Monteriggioni that was the setting for The Gladiator. No trip would be complete without gelato so we had one quickly and browsed through the tiny town. We only had about 30 minutes in this town and believe me that was enough because the town was so tiny.

View from inside the Monteriggioni city walls looking out to the countryside

We both napped on the way back to Florence which was great so that we were recharged once we got back. When we got back, we changed into our "dressy" clothes (which is an understatement since we didn't really bring anything nice) and went to the markets. We shopped around a bit to find the best briefcase for Bentley to carry for his possible new job. (Which he did get but we didn't know at the time). This was fun and I had a great time bargaining with the different vendors. We had decided for dinner we wanted to try a place we saw the night before while walking aroung. The restaurant was called Ristorante Osteria Dei Baroncelli and the food was absolutely amazing. When we walked in it was clear that our "dressy" clothes were still leaving us under dressed. They did let us eat there but took us to a room that no one else was in. We did have a seat by the window which was nice so it didn't bother us to eat in the "people who weren't up to dress code room". We ordered beef filet stroganoff (that had an Indian flavor) and young roster, spaghetti al a Ragu and roasted potatoes. That was one of our favorite meals of the trip.

One of the many wonderful markets in Florence

After our dinner we were exhausted but decided to return to Ponte Vecchio for more sightseeing and people watching. This is a beautiful spot at night to watch the sunset. The same guy from the night before was playing his guitar and singing Hey Jude by the Beatles. This was another perfect day and a great way to spend another night in Florence.

Beautiful view looking off of Ponte Vecchio

Day 11 - Florence Museums and Castiglion Fiorentino


This day was going to be a whirl wind and we needed to get an early start to fit it all in. We had early reservations at the Accademia and then an 11am reservation at the Uffizi (thanks to our hostel) so that we could make it to Castiglion Fiorentino by early afternoon. On our way to the Uffizi we grabbed breakfast and ate it on the road. We are pros at multitasking especially when one of the things involves food!

The Accademia is much smaller than the Uffizi but houses some amazing sculptures. This was Bentley's first time to Florence so this was all new to him. It had been since the summer of 2002 for me so much of it seemed new (or I had just forgotten). The main attraction in the Accademia is Michelangelo's David which is beautiful. The sculpture was over 17 feet tall and very polished. We were not allowed to take photos but we got a good picture of the replica in Piazza del Signoria. Rick Steve's describes the Accademia and Michelangelo's David by saying "This museum houses Michelangelo’s David and powerful (unfinished) Prisoners. Eavesdrop as tour guides explain these masterpieces. More than with any other work of art, when you look into the eyes of David, you’re looking into the eyes of Renaissance man. This was a radical break with the past. Man was now a confident individual, no longer a plaything of the supernatural. And life was now more than just a preparation for what happened after you died. Hello, humanism. The Renaissance was the merging of art, science, and humanism. In a humanist vein, David is looking at the crude giant of medieval darkness and thinking, “I can take this guy.” (David was an apt mascot for a town surrounding by big bully city-states.) Back on a religious track, notice David’s large and overdeveloped right hand. This is symbolic of the hand of God that powered David to slay the giant…and enabled Florence to rise above its crude neighborhood city-states...."

Next we had a reservation for the Uffizi at 11 am but had some extra time and quickly went to the the Cathedral of Florence or better known as the Duomo. This cathedral and its unique red dome can be seen from far away and is one of the famous Florence landmarks. It was pretty on the outside with it's green and pink marble but inside did not compare to Notre Dame or Saint Chappelle in Paris because of their intricate stain glass. While we were listening to the audioguide of the cathedral, Rick Steve's mentioned that people are paid to sit inside and "sshhh" you. Sure enough, not long after being inside we were "sshhed". That made us laugh a bit and were quickly "sshhed" again!

The Duomo

Duomo Bell Tower

The namesake - its dome

Beautiful ceiling inside the dome

For the Uffizi, we had a Rick Steve's audio guide to give us the highlights. We followed the guide to see the most important pieces and use our time efficiently. Just like we experienced in Paris, exhibits do get moved and that requires a little extra effort to follow the guide but overall they are extremely helpful. We saw Botticelli, Michelangelo, Rafael, da Vinci but many were out for restoration (this seemed to be a comical theme to our trip).

After our morning of museum tours, we were moving on to the travel portion of the day. We walked quickly to the train station, grabbed lunch to eat on the train and headed for Castiglion Fiorentino and Santa Chiara (where Lisette studied abroad while at A&M). Once there we walked up the hills to the center only to find it was closed. This would be our luck since Bentley's school in Lancaster had also been closed. We were in Castiglion Fiorentino on 9/11 so most of the students were away at a memorial. We looked through the windows, walked around the center and saw someone sitting in a room and asked him if we could come in and walk around. He graciously met us at the front door and let is in. I showed Bentley around and pointed out my old room, classroom, dining room and courtyard. Since most of the students were away no one was around. This was both a little creepy (because it is an old monastery and so quiet) and fun to be able to roam without anyone wondering what we were doing.

The street entrance heading towards Santa Chiara

Entrance to Santa Chiara

After showing Bentley around Santa Chiara we walked around the beautiful town (which if you have seen Under the Tuscan Sun you can imagine the city) and up some very steep hills. I had warned Bentley about the steep hills but I think he was pretty suprised once he walked them. It took me some time to remember how to get places in town (although it is small). We went to the main square, and Cafe Roggi (a favorite of mine when I studied there before) but were not able to eat there because they opened too late. We did play pin ball (one of Bentley's favorite games and did agree to own a pin ball machine in our home one day) at Cafe Roggi even though we could not eat there. Many European towns (especially the smaller ones) take advantage of siesta time. I like taking a siesta but it can cut into my traveling!! Finally we ended the night at Regerrios back in the square and had their amazing pizza and pasta. I do have to saw that I am so glad both Bentley and I studied abroad while in college. I think it was the best decision we made while in school.

The amazing scenery of Castiglion Fiorentino

One of the very narrow streets in the city

Main town square with some of my favorite hangouts. We ate dinner under the arches on the right side of the sqare looking over the valley.

The mini market I shopped in while living there. Not many choices!

Earlier that day when we arrived in Castiglion Fiorentino we saw a sign saying there was a train strike beginning that night and decided to take an early train back just to be safe. We literally ran to the train station just to be sure we were there on time since dinner took a bit longer than expected. If we hadn't caught the train we would have had to spend the night in Castiglion Fiorentino without any of our things or a reservation (which when I was planning our trip I could not get a reservation in town and is why we had to get back to Florence for the night). We did not get gelato but did go by Coco Palm (another one of my favorite hangouts) during our run down to the train station. There was no one on the train so we were able to sit in first class on the ride home. Our train arrived back in Florence about 10pm. The last thing on our agenda for the night was to do our final loads of laundry for the trip and to get some sleep. Goodbye Florence, hello Pisa and Cinque Terre!

Europe Trip Part 3: Paris, France

Day 6 - Travel to Paris

We sadly said a quick goodbye to Lancaster, England and took a train back to London. From there we decided to walk to the London St. Pancras station to take the Eurostar Chunnel to Paris. We got a bit lost on the walk to St. Pancras and with our heavy backpacks we could not have gotten there fast enough. The train ride to Paris was great with beautiful countryside views. We had some very loud and obnoxious guys sitting next to us for the ride and decided the seats with tables aren't the best because you don't have leg room. Bentley was basically straddling a guy the whole way, very uncomfortable! All that said, I was very happy we took the train because we didn't have the airport hassles. It only took about two hours to make the journey from London, under the English Channel, and into Paris. As the train pulled out of the station we heard rumblings about a strike that would was to begin in Paris that evening.

Once we arrived at the Paris Gare du Nord station we figured out the metro system and made our way to La Mansion B&B. We were greeted by the B&B owner, Fred, upon our arrival. Fred showed us to our adorable little room and then invited us to have coffee and tea with him in the kitchen. I do not think we could have picked a better place to stay because Fred was so helpful with information and planning each day. He gave us more information about the strike and exactly how it would affect us.

Our first evening in Paris we took a relaxing walk around the beautiful city, saw the Eiffel Tower, walked to Tocadero Square for another view of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and walked down the shopping paradise of Champs Elysee's. We walked by the Louvre that first night and got to see it lit up in all its beauty. Before our trip we watched the da Vinci Code and had a great time looking at the same landmarks from the movie.

Eiffel Tower as it is starting to get dark

Arc de Triomphe

The Louvre at night - so beautiful

It started raining on us at the Louvre and we were tired from our long day of travel so we went back to our neighborhood and (with Fred's suggestion) got some take-away pizza from a great little place. There was a bit of a language barrier but that almost made ordering more fun because we weren't exactly sure what we would be getting. We took our mystery pizza back to our B&B and had a picnic on the floor while listening to music in our room. When we got there we met the other couple staying at the B&B who were Australian.

Day 7 - Tour Paris

We woke up just in time for breakfast at 9:00am. The days travelling were starting to take a toll on us and we needed some extra sleep. For breakfast, Fred made us fresh croissants and some packaged madelines with café and “hot chocolate.” This was simply cold chocolate milk that was warmed in the microwave. We learned not to ask for that anymore.

With our impeccable timing, we managed to be in Paris the day the national strike started and we were told is was fairly wide spread affecting a majority of the government owned entities, which is basically everything in France. Fred was very helpful in suggesting activities and museums that would be open. We were able to alter our schedule so that the strike would not ultimately have a major effect on our trip. The only thing we had to completely remove from our agenda was Versailles.

After 6 days of travelling, it was time do the most dreaded activity of all…LAUNDRY!! Now, we don't even like doing laundry at home, much less on vacation. Needless to say, it had to be done. We had two options, 1) was coin operated do-it-yourself laundromat and 2) we could drop off our laundry and come back later when it was done. The second option sounded better but we could not understand how much it was going to be and when it would be ready so by default we went with option 1. This was a much more difficult task than either of us could have imagined. We first had to find a store to buy the detergent which was very difficult as everything was in French. I am still not sure that we didn’t get dish washing detergent instead of what we needed. At the Laundromat, it took us several minutes to figure out how to wash our clothes. We had to put our money in the machine on the wall, punch in the correct number of our washing machine and select how long we wanted to clothes to wash. Sounds simple in English but in French there is an added layer of complexity. Once we figured out the process, the clothes didn’t take too long to wash and dry. The whole process took about 2 hours to complete. This two hour pit stop was well worth the alternative of bringing an additional week’s worth of clothes. We were such professionals by the time we were done that we were teaching others how to do it.





With this task complete, we were ready to start our first full day in Paris. By the time we got into the tourist areas, we were starving so we decided to grab a bite to eat. Our first destination was the Eiffel tower, so we decided that we would find something quick to eat around that area. We found a small stand that made sandwiches and crepes to-go. We got two different sandwiches, ham and chicken, and got a nutella crepe with extra sugar for dessert (Bentley's recipe -and they looked at us strange when we ordered it). We found a small picnic area just off the side of the Tower and had lunch. While we were eating, we listened to Rick Steve's describe some of the history and architecture of the Tower. It was great listening to him talk about specific attributes and be able to see exactly what he was talking about.

With plenty of energy from the extra sugar, we were ready to climb the 50 stories of steps to get us to the first level of the tower. We climbed to the first level and took a break by walking around the perimeter of the whole level to get a complete panoramic view of the city. Then climbed to the second level and got an even better view. It started off pretty easy but several flights in we were high up and it was a little scary to look down. There was an elevator that took people up to the third level, but we decided to pass as the line was too long.

Taking a break - this is hard work (although I think he might be "Hudsonizing" a little)

We can't be far up because I don't look tired yet!

We decided to climb back down the stairs which was obviously much easier than going the other direction. Back on the ground, we were greeted by literally hundreds of street vendors all selling the exact same thing, crappy plastic Eiffel Towers and Paris flags. We would deny one vendor, only to be asked seconds later by another vendor. Can they not see that their buddy just got rejected? Come on guys! Bentley was baffled at this business strategy - if there even was one!

After the Tower, we took the metro to Notre Dame. The inside was beautiful with the intricate stained glass and high vaulted ceilings. We were not able to climb to the bell tower today because of the strike. After Notre Dame we went to St. Chapelle. This was a chapel made almost entirely of stained glass which tells the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. It was quite relaxing to sit and follow the story.

Notre Dame Cathedral

We then decided to go on a “Fat Tire” bike tour through the city of Paris at night. It was a four hour excursion that took you through the streets of Paris stopping at the most popular landmarks such as Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Pantheon, the famous pedestrian bridge, and the Louvre. One of the most remarkable moments was riding through the plaza of the Louvre with the entire façade in lights. We also stopped to get gelato at one of the most famous places in Paris, Berthillon Ice Cream. The end of the bike tour included a cruise down the Seine River that was timed perfectly with the lighting of the Eiffel Tower that occurs every hour on the hour at night.

On our bikes in front of The Louvre

Eiffel Tower at night - absolutely amazing!

The tour was great, but getting back to our hotel was another story. The tour ended around 11:00pm and because of the strike, our normal metro line was not running. Before we left, Fred instructed us to take another metro to a stop about 5 miles away and get on bus 182 which would stop right outside of his house. However, we could not find the bus stop that we needed. It was raining and late so there were very few people to ask for help. We thought we knew the general direction we needed to go so we just started walking. Luckily, about 1 minute into our walk, an empty taxi drove by and we hailed it down. The driver did not speak any English, and we of course did not speak any French, so giving him correct directions proved to be highly difficult. We told him which metro we typically get out at as this is right by Fred’s house. However, there was still some confusion. The driver got very frustrated at the “stupid Americans” and tried to kick us out of the cab after we have been driving for about 15 minutes. We were stubborn and refused to get out and he eventually agreed to take us where we needed to go but we still aren't sure how we ended up there!

We finally got back to Fred’s at 1:30am after nearly 3 hours of pure confusion. Needless to say, our bed was very comfortable that night. We had some leftover cold pizza from the night before and slept great. Wonderful but tiring day!!


Day 8 - Tour Paris

After our fun-filled but exhausting day before, we slept in (a little). Again, we started our day with breakfast at the B&B and enjoyed fresh chocolate croissants. Fred always sent us with snacks for the day in case we got hungry. We could tell it was going to be a very rainy day so we took our little umbrellas with us.

We bought the Museum Pass the previous day so almost everything we wanted to do was covered for one very reasonable fee. Our first stop for the day was Notre Dame and our goal was to climb to the top (400 tight, winding, very very small steps). Once at the top we had some amazing views of the city and the gargoyles.

The most famous gargoyle at Notre Dame

As we left it started to rain so we went to the crypt of Paris which was basically ruins of the city and browsed quickly. At this point is was raining so heavily so we quickly spotted a place for lunch that was indoors. We ate at the restaurant next to ice cream place that we had stopped on our bike tour. Finally we enjoyed some traditional French food. Lisette had beef burgeon and Bentley had duck breast and we both loved our choices. We could not turn down the amazing ice cream next door (the same we had during the fat tire bike tour) so we got one more for the road.

Since it was raining so heavily we went to the Pantheon. It was a good choice because there was not a line and it is inside. Thanks to our handy Rick Steve's guide book we found out the earths rotation was first demonstrated here in 1851. There is a very cool model set up inside of how this actually happened. This pendulum device supposedly proves the Earth's rotation.

Upon leaving we just happened to pass an adorable little French bakery and of course we had to stop. Everything looked so good but we decided to split an eclair (Sheryl we thought of you) and a chocolate twist. Yum! At this point it was still raining so we needed something else that was indoors. We decided to go on the Sewer Tour because it was covered by the museum pass. We were thinking it was a museum about the sewer but that was not completely the case - it was still a sewer. It is still an actual functioning sewer where water still flowed below the city (which is where the tour was). Fact - Paris did have the first sewer. Fact - I don't think we would do the tour again.

We had read a lot about the best times to visit the Louvre and when to absolutely avoid it. We had also read not to go through the main entrance because of the long lines. Armed with this information, we walked right in through a back entrance at what seemed like a great time. Finally the highlight of the Paris sightseeing adventures... The Louvre. We followed the Rick Steve's audio guide for the museum because there is so much to see you have to be selective about where you spend your time. You could visit the museum everyday for a week and not see everything. We saw Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Ramses, many da Vinci paintings and tons of other amazing pieces. The Rick Steve's audio guide was extremely helpful giving background info on some pieces and information about the time period. We tried to find a few items not on the guide but we got so lost and only found a few. We spent at least 3 hours in the museum and at that point were on information overload and decided to call it a day.

What visit to Paris would be complete with seeing Mona Lisa?

Tired and hungry (although we had eaten enough so I am not sure how we were hungry) we left the Louvre after not finding the last few items we were looking for and headed for the Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre. The guys from the Fat Tire bike tour suggested a fondue restaurant near the area called Refuge Des Fondus (definitely not The Melting Pot in Addison but it had it's own charm). It was so much fun! The place was so tiny that you literally have to stand on a chair then step over the table to sit on the other side. One side of the table is a long bench and you are sitting right next to people you don't know. Basically all you order is either cheese or meat fondue. Thankfully we ordered the meat because the cheese is only bread and cheese although Bentley wood have loved it. Once seated they quickly bring you a plate with meats, cheese, pickles and olives. For the fondue portion, you get meat and potatoes which cooks in oil. The atmosphere is great and there is writing all over the walls and ceiling. Thanks Fat Tire for the wonderful recommendation!

Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre

The restaurant is literally just as wide as the red store front

We left the restaurant full and happy but could not turn down one last crepe. I mean we are in France and when do we have the opportunity to eat all of this amazing food and then walk a ton of miles to work it off - so we took full advantage! Back at the B&B we packed, listened to music and got ready for the next leg of our European adventure - Italy!!

Europe Trip Part 2: Lancaster, England

Day 5 - Lancaster

This was one of the days we were really looking forward to, going to Lancaster to see where Bentley spent almost a year of his life while in college. We were supposed to take an 8:45 train from London to Lancaster but we were late leaving our hotel and the tube line we needed just so happened to be under construction that day. So, between leaving late and the tube construction we missed our train to Lancaster. But, not to worry, there was a train an hour later so it was not a big deal. Once in Lancaster, we walked from the train station to our hotel which was about a 15 minutes away. Add in some tough hills and our large backpacks, it turned out to be a pretty tough walk. Not to mention that we were starving!

Our hotel was an adorable little place. They were not full that night so they upgraded us for free to a bigger and nicer room. Too bad we weren't going to get to enjoy the room except to sleep but it was great. Probably the nicest room on our trip.

Lancaster Sun and Bar Hotel - it is cuter in person than the picture shows

We dropped our bags and headed for the Lancaster Castle, and the nearby priory, which was not far from our hotel. We took a tour of the castle and learned some interesting things about Lancaster history and the witch hunts that happened there hundreds of years ago. After the tours, we had lunch in a restaurant called The Merchant. Part of the restaurant was underground and built like a cave. We had their sunday special, roast, which was a tradition for Bentley while he was here. We got one beef roast and one chicken roast. It came with the traditional English fixings including mash, veg, and Yorkshire puddings (which was more like bread than pudding).

Lancaster Castle

The Priory

Next we took a double decker bus to Bentley's school, Lancaster University. We wandered around the entire campus and Bentley pointed out where his classes were, his dorm and where he spent his time. The students had not started to arrive for the semester so we could not get into many of the buildings. There was a ton of construction and lots of new buildings were there since Bentley left in 2004. He thought that the campus looked completely different because of all the new buildings. It was a beautiful campus and very different from what I was expecting. I am so glad I got to go back there and experience that with him.

Management School where Bentley had several classes

Bentley lived in Pendle College - each dorm was called a "college"

The courtyard of Bentley's dorm

Entrance to Bentley's dorm

Bentley pointing to his dorm room on the second floor (Wayne - this one is for you)

The workout center at the University

We left the University and took a bus back into town where Bentley showed me the places he used to hang out with his friends. It was such a fun town and I can see why Bentley enjoyed it so much.

One of the places Bentley liked to go in Lancaster (he liked it so much we also found one in London)

The next morning we had a homemade breakfast at our hotel before heading back to the train station. It was a fast visit but we had a great time.

England was great to us but now we are on to our next adventure...Paris.