Bonjour From Paris!

(Photo 9) There is a shop on the corner with delicous sandwiches and sweets. This was our first meal in Paris, jambon and gruyere on a baguette. We ate this while walking down rue Sevres toward Bon Marche


(Photo 10) Gaiten chose a new Chanel fragrance at Bon Marche





(Photo 13) With her Dickenesque gloves, Gaiten thought her mother looked like a homeless lady with her head buried in the warm popcorn


(Photo 14) The girls dined on Croque Monsieur thanks to Mme. Lesley's recommendation


(Photo 15) Gaiten gives the chocolate crepes a thumbs up


We are now beginning leg two of our journey. We got up early this morning and met our driver at 7 a.m. to catch an early train. We found out at the Eurostar station that we would be on two different cars. That made us a little sad since we thought we could be together on the trip. We handled the luggage situation without difficulty. We slung our bags onto the train with the best of them and unloaded just as quickly. If you can't tell, we were just a little proud of ourselves. We got a taxi at the station, but needed two taxis because they won't let a passenger sit up front. There also wasn't room for all of our luggage in one car. Amy was glad that she had written down the address for the hotel because the taxi driver did not know it and had to look it up on a map. Our hotel is very small and quaint. One of Sara Beth's favorite things is the Mac in the lobby that I am typing on right now. We do not have a converter that is safe for a computer so we cannot use the laptop until we find one. Soooo, there will be no pictures until we resolve our quest. We unpacked our suitcases and headed out exploring. Sara Beth and Gaiten had lost their gloves and that was our first priority. The hotel is located in a really neat part of town with lots of shops and eateries up and down the street. Amy and Hallie grabbed a ham and cheese baguette sandwich and Sara Beth and Gaiten found a slice of quiche and off we went down the street. After finding some gloves in and around the Bon Marche (a department store) we tried out the metro station. It is a little more challenging especially since everything is in French (including the ticket machines) but we asked for help from someone standing nearby and made our way to the Eiffel Tower in time to see it light up for the evening. We ate supper at a local creperie near the train station. The girls tried Croque Monsieur and thought it was pretty good. Sara Beth ordered something that she did not know what it was, but was delighted to find out it was a tuna paninni and deemed it good. Amy ate quiche lorraine with a light salad and it was good too. We shared chocolate (nutella) crepes for dessert. We found a local grocery near the hotel and stocked up on snacks and water. We came back to the hotel for an early evening to make plans for tomorrow.

The Grand Finale!

(Photo 1) Our view of the parade from the grandstands














(Photo 13) Our beautiful girls all smiles back in the hotel after dancing. While filming the dance, Sara Beth was a little overcome with emotion and cold at the time so please pardon the shaky video. To find the girls, look on the third row near center frame for Hallie's black knee brace and Gaiten is to Hallie's left. Gaiten has a swingy pony tail.


Today was the day we have all been waiting for. Our girls woke up bright and cheery to a cloudy and cold day excited about dancing in the parade. They were able to sleep late since they were the next to last group to dance and their bus would leave later than the other buses. The adults were treated to a very nice brunch at a hotel near the parade. The brunch was very good and we think it was a fairly British meal. We were surprised to see something that looked like pork and beans and also button mushrooms cooked with tomato halves as well as scrambled eggs, ham, and sausage links. The tables were set beautifully with a formal setting with platters of fruit, croissants, rolls, and jam on the table. After brunch, we walked to the grandstands where we had reserved seating to watch the girls. The parade was three hours long but was so fun to watch that the time went by quickly. The grandstands were covered so the cold weather really did not affect us too bad. This parade is celebrated as a fundraiser for various charities by the burroughs so parade goers from the different burroughs had floats in the parade and would walk along with buckets to collect coins along the way. We were also surprised by the numbers of people that were in attendance that were not parents of parade participants. We were so excited when our group finally came along. They danced their dance perfectly. The girls are sent a DVD in early December so that they can learn the dance. There is only one practice held at the hotel. When they attended their practice, they had to learn a whole new ending to the dance because when they performed it, the coordinator didn’t like the way it looked. Apparently Hallie and Gaiten did a really good job learning it, because they earned a spot near the front of the line. Those who didn’t, were further to the back. The girls told us after the parade that we were located about halfway into the parade. They walked for 2 miles and performed their dance 30 times which was a UCA/UDA record for this parade. Hallie said she was not even tired after the parade. Gaiten said that performing in the parade made the trip all worth it. After we arrived back at the hotel, it was time to pack and eat supper. We ate at an Italian restaurant named Zizzis that was located near our hotel. The food was delicious, especially the chocolate hazelnut torte for dessert! For those who are wondering if we have eaten any authentic English food, we did start our trip here with fish and chips, and baked chicken with potatoes and fried aubergines. None of us are tea drinkers and just looking at the clotted cream will make you a coffee drinker really fast. We have yet to see any scones although the hotel has fed us lots of pain au chocolat! Tomorrow we will leave early to catch the Eurostar for Paris. We do not know what kind of internet situation we will have, so hopefully you will hear from us again tomorrow.

New Year's Eve day

(Photo 1)) thank goodness for Starbucks, even if it is decaf!


(Photo 2) Sara Beth and Gaiten on the move


(Photo 3) The girls and Sara Beth in front of St. Paul's


(Photo 4) Riding down the escalator in the tube station


(Photo 5) The Millenium Bridge to Tate Modern


(Photo 6) Sara Beth at the Tate Modern cafe




(Photo 9) No tears!


(Photo 10) The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben as the light fades





We checked the weather report and were expecting a clear and cold day today, but the weather changed quickly to cold and very overcast. We slept in some today and had a late breakfast. We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral to go inside since we had only seen the outside on our tour. It was very special for Amy to go inside because she was one of the millions of people who got up in the wee hours of the morning in 1981 to watch Lady Diana marry Prince Charles there. It was a fairy tale wedding and she was 17 years old, the same age as Gaiten and Hallie. We spent some time admiring the architecture and before we left, the female priest (imagine Sara Beth smiling) welcomed the crowd and led us in reflective thought and the Lord’s prayer. The acoustics were amazing! We then walked over the millineum bridge to the Tate Modern. This was something that Sara Beth had really been wanting to do. This is a modern art museum and some of the artists that we saw were Dali, a Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Miro, Manet, Chagal, Frances Bacon, Jackson Pollock, Magritte, Ernst and a variety of other artists. Sara Beth couldn’t stop grinning! We ate lunch at the café at the Tate Modern and had a marvelous meal. Collectively, we ate potato and garlic soup and roast chicken breast with roasted sweet and white potatoes. It was a nice sit down meal and allowed us to relax a little. We then rode the tube to Big Ben so that Hallie could look at it without tears in her eyes. Gaiten and Hallie took a picture in front of it and we did a little souvenir shopping. We then had quite an adventure trying to find our next tube station. We have learned that when an Englishman (or woman) gives you directions, “around the corner” could mean a mile away and “just over there” could be a twist and turn around 5 blocks. While trying to find our station, we happened across a passageway filled with graffiti. Hallie was in hog heaven. She couldn’t get a hold of Amy’s camera fast enough. Amy was very leary of the area, but Sara Beth was in “New York watchdog” mode and made sure we all were carefully monitored. We were also comforted that there was security everywhere due to setting up for the New Year’s Day parade. We finally found our station and made our way to a shopping area that the girls were interested in. We neglected to make reservations for dinner on New Year’s Eve and wound up back at the hotel eating from the last of our vouchers this evening. Sara Beth and I were very glad that we had eaten a great meal for lunch. The girls were tired and decided not to attend the New Year’s Eve party here at the hotel. Sara Beth reluctantly gave up on trying to find a party of her own to attend and we resigned ourselves to ringing in the New Year from the comfort of our beds. Tomorrow is the highlight of our trip as our girls will dance in the New Year’s Day parade. We have heard over and over how much the people here look forward to the parade since they don’t have marching bands and dancers of their own. We have tickets for grandstands which hopefully means we will be sitting down while we wait for the parade. Until tomorrow…

Posh or Poo?

(Photo 1) The city of Windsor


(Photo 2) The Royal Swans - if you touch one, it is an automatic 5 years in prison


(Photo 3) Eton College - the elite boys school where the Princes have attended


(Photo 4) The dog in front is on a leash and he is holding in his mouth the leash of the dog in back. It was the cutest thing!


(Photo 5) Windsor Castle - the Official Residence of the Queen




(Photo 8) flowers still blooming in December




(Photo 11) Amy and Sara Beth before we ate the yucky meal at the Beefeater. Actually it wasn't all yuck but we wouldn't want to ever go back!


(Photo 12) The girls ready for the theatre. Could they be more different?


(Photo 13) The Palladium Theatre



(Photo 15) Sara Beth was enthralled with these star-shaped light nets attached to buildings and strung across the large avenue.


(Photo 16) Improvised gas mask of the moment!

Today was a travel day to the city of Windsor. The day was bright, clear, and very cold. We were to be at breakfast at 7:30 a.m. but an unexpected call from Gaiten at 6:30 a.m. threw a wrench in the day’s plan. Gaiten was feeling very ill this morning and did not know what to do. By her symptoms, we thought she might have sinus trouble and luckily there was a doctor on the tour that was available to the dancers so Sara Beth took her to see him. He verified that it was sinus trouble and thankfully not anything more serious and Gaiten decided that she should stay at the hotel, take the medicine he gave her and not go out in the cold air until she felt better. So, Hallie and Amy went on the tour to Windsor and Windsor castle without Gaiten and Sara Beth. It was sad leaving them behind, but we knew it was for the best. It was a beautiful day to travel and our guide was the same one that we had on our city tour. He talked all the way to Windsor, pointing out significant things in the city and beyond. I found him very interesting, but Hallie closed her eyes and slept all the way there. Windsor castle was bigger than Amy anticipated and more grand than Hallie had ever seen. It wasn’t as grand as the Palace of Versailles in France, but after all it is a castle. Hallie really enjoyed seeing Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House on exhibit. It was quite large with everything in it made to scale and operational. It had a tiny derringer that shot real bullets, lights that worked and hot and cold running water. The house was as big as a small room. It was behind glass and we could walk all around it to see all of the sides. Hallie was also very impressed by the Limoge porcelain dolls commissioned for King George VI’s daughters, the princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret rose. They were presented by the French government in 1938. They came with a complete wardrobe made by the leading Parisian Houses of the day. The clothes were exquisite! Hallie admired each and every piece with awe. We also saw a photo exhibit in honor of Prince Charles 60th birthday. I’m not sure that Hallie had ever paid attention to anything royal so this was very interesting to her. She decided that she definitely did not care for Camilla after learning of her relationship with Prince Charles and she wishes Harry would be king because he is the cutest! There was an exhibit of Royal China that we whizzed through pretty quickly and then a self guided tour of the castle staterooms. We ate lunch at McDonalds with our tour vouchers and we are happy to report that the McDonalds here is very similar to the one back home. Hallie and I went to a grocery store on the way back to the coach for some English cookies to share with our bunkmates . We arrived back to the hotel around 3:30p.m.and found Gaiten feeling much better and ready for our next adventure. The adults had a scheduled dinner at the Beefeater Medieval Buffet. Sara Beth and I went and wished we had not. Mr. Brian, it was Yuck!! Earlier, we had walked the girls to a Subway sandwich shop to make sure they knew the way back and we wished we had stayed with them. We had to rush through dinner to make it back to the motor coach because our next event was a trip to the Theatre. We saw The Sound of Music at the Palladium Theatre! We arrived a little late which was awful, but made it to our seats pretty easily. It was WONDERFUL! Sara Beth and I both cried, surprise, surprise! The girls really enjoyed it. Gaiten had never seen it before and Hallie had seen it but was just excited to see it in the theatre. As we were walking back to the coach, we were led by our guide into a narrow passage between a park and a food cart. We followed our guide despite our better instincts and smelled a telltale odor as soon as we stepped onto the coach. Apparently, the entire bus stepped in something that smelled very rank and pooish. Sara Beth and I spent the entire way back on the bus with our noses in her leather gloves, trying not to smell the lovely fragrance permeating the bus. On the way back to the hotel we traveled along the Thames River and were able to see the buildings lit up and the holiday lights still in place. Very Festive! Seeing Big Ben all lit up was a favorite. Once we arrived in our hotel, we verified that yes indeed, we had stepped in poo. Who’s or what’s we don’t know but it was still poo! All in all, it ended up as a great day.