From London to Paris---Valentine's Day!

Well, it has been said by some mockers that by the time we finish this tale of our two week vacation, it will be time to write about our retirement. To you we say, "Maybe...maybe we are still trying to relish in the memory of such a enriching experience that has forever shaped our lives and influenced our behaviors. Maybe we like to contemplate the past instead of rushing into the next event like those people who only live for thrills, going from one blog to the next searching for that fleeting rush of new subject matter. Yes, maybe we like to savor life. Or maybe we have just been to busy to post. So with that, here is Valentines Day of '07...

We started at a couple of the free museums in London, first with the Museum of Natural History built in this beautiful old building.

The front entry was quite impressive...you walked past some pretty strange creatures to ride the escalator up into a planet sphere thing.Here are some pics from inside...the first is an ant farm where the little guys have to climb across the branch to get the food on the right, and then return to their nest on the left. Enlarge it to see better.

And the most popular exhibit? A moving growling T-rex...some children around us were crying (I held Jay's hand).

Next was the V&A (Victoria and Albert) Museum which is just a collection of really old and cool stuff from kings and queens and their treasures...

They let kids put on these frock things, so being the demanding wife that I am, I made Jay try one on against his will...just don't tell him I published this picture!










And then we had to walk to Harrods, which is a huge department store similar to Macy's here in NYC, although a little older, and a little fancier, and a lot more expensive with the exchange rate!



We spent a little too long looking at Harrods, and had to run to catch our train (which isn't fun with heavy backpacks and humidity, but we made it). We rode the Eurostar, which takes you to France under the channel at break-neck speed. Paris here we come!














These pictures in no way give credit to the beautiful sunset we saw as we rode along the English countryside.








So the first thing we saw when we got to Paris was this strange person who apparently worked in the station????



















We arrived at our hotel, dropped off our stuff, and then had a lovely and romantic (and long!) walk along the Seine river. We saw many incredible buildings...including Notra Dame.







And then we finally saw it---the Eiffel Tower! And it was sparkling! I never knew that for ten minutes on the hour it sparkles. It really was beautiful...I guess that is why it is so famous!















Some shots from below...




Happy Valentines to us!