Tower of London, part 2

 In one part of the tour, where you could take pictures, was all the weapons and armor that was used. This sword was the largest one we saw.

 They had replicas of all the kings horses.

 They also had all their swords.

 I thought this jousting stick was pretty cool cause I never knew how big they were.

 This is the largest and smallest armor made.

Then there was a room with weapons. Cannons and guns. 

It was very interesting to hear about all the people who lived there and the stories surrounding their lives. The jewels were amazing and we really enjoyed the whole thing. 

Tower of London, part 1

 Tower of London was one of our favorite things that we did. We spent 4 or so hours touring it and listening to every part of the audio tour.

 This is where the Crown Jewels are kept. Of course we couldn't take pictures, in fact someone did and security was all over him. I couldn't believe all the jewels and how big they were.

 Here you see the London Bridge in the back.

 Here is a view of the grounds.

 They also had a changing of the guards. (It was better to watch.) The men that gave the tours and ran the place were called Yeomen Warders or Beefeaters. These men are the ones who look after the jewels and back in the day look after the prisoners. They actually live there with their families.

These were the biggest ravens I had ever seen and they are very well looked after. It is believed if the ravens ever die then the tower and monarchy will die also.

Westminster Abbey

 We made it to Westminster Abbey but we couldn't take pictures inside. It was another amazing building. I love the history in the walls of all the buildings we went in.

 This is where we came out, the gift shop.

 After Big B needed a break. I will admit that I'm not one to take it slow. Not in my normal life and not on trips either. We had a lot to see and so I didn't want to stop and rest.

 We made it to Trafalgar Square where they do a lot of celebrations. 

They were getting ready for the Olympics so this count down was there and they had some performers representing different countries.

Also in the square is The National Gallery. (Behind the count down thing.) We couldn't take pictures in  there but there were some very famous pieces of art. Some of the artist included Monet, de Vinci, Rembrandt, van Gogh, and many more.

Changing of the Guards

 Our friends told us not to bother with the changing of the guards but the timing worked out so we thought we'd check it out. 

 There were so many people there and it was hard to get a good look.

 It was definitely a big show. There were several different groups that marched in and then stood there.

Then another group started marching outside the gates. This group was a band. We did get tired of watching it so we left.

Big Ben

 When I went to Europe as a kid one of the things I remember is Big Ben. I would also like to note here that I did change my outfit everyday but because it rained everyday I wore my coat everyday. The weather was not in our favor but without kids it really didn't phase us much.

 One of the few pictures with both of us.

 Another view of Big Ben.

So our friends came to London a few years before us and they were telling us that they got a picture with the famous red phone booth, Big Ben, and a double decker bus. Well of course we had to one up them...so our picture has the phone booth, Big Ben, a bus, a taxi, and the clock is straight up 6:00.

Paris to London

 I know this isn't as great as all the other things we did but I still thought it was worth having a record of. Not that we live in a small town but we are definitely not in the big city. Our mass transit is far from helpful and we were amazed at how you could get around Paris and London. But then to be able to get from Paris to London so easily was great too.

 We just hooped on a train that took only 2 hours to get us to London. 

 The amount of trains and people getting on those trains was amazing. I really wish we had a better system here in the U.S. or at least California.

After our 2 hours of sleep, ease dropping/people watching, and staring out the window at the beautiful country we were in London.

Notre Dame

 We made our way to Notre Dame on the last day in Paris. It is a gorgeous building and so interesting.

 The inside was even more beautiful!  I can't even imagine all the time, energy and money to make a cathedral so pretty. 

 The dome ceilings, the stain glass that told story after story from the bible and everything else. I loved the history inside.

 It was fun to get to go to the top of Notre Dame too. To see the gargoyles up close was so interesting.

 The views were amazing!

 You see that it is eating somethings head off?!

 We also got to see the bell inside.

 Good thing we are in pretty good shape because everywhere we went I felt like there were stairs like this.

We were able to take this picture by ourselves and get the Eiffel Tower right in the middle of us.

Louvre

 So after this trip I've decided that Big B and I are not really museum people. We went to tons of them but mainly so we could say we were there. 

 We saw the Mona Lisa. The crowds we unbelievable but luckily we got in the room before a big tour group. We got a good look at it. I was surprised at what great shape it was in.

 In the same room hanging on the opposite wall was this painting. We thought it was interesting that such a large picture with more detail was not as popular. People were still surrounding it, just as we did but mostly because of its size.

 Big B and I probably liked this angel statue the most because we could read all about it and the history behind it. In a separate case they had the hand that was found after the angel. 

Sorry it's a little inappropriate but I have seen this statue so many times and now I can say I have seen it in real life.

Eiffel Tower, part 2

 We were hoping to be able to be at the top of the tower for both a day view and a night view but it didn't work out that way. I can't say I was too disappointed because the view from the bottom was spectacular.

 It was so so cold and we almost didn't wait for it to get dark but I'm so glad we bared the cold. It was so beautiful when the lights turned on and then for a few minutes it had sparkling lights too.

 It really was a sight to behold! Sorry for all the pictures but looking back on them I'm missing our trip and just can't narrow it down.

Eiffel Tower

 Our hotel was very close to the Eiffel Tower so we actually got to see it a lot.

 I like this picture because it gives you a little perspective on how big it really is.

 Big B and I LOVE crepes! We had at least one a day. Nothing better then eating a real french crepe under the Eiffel Tower. (In the past we have had to settle for the Eiffel Tower in Vegas.)

 This is the view as we went up the elevator. Below is one of the very few picture we got of us together. It wasn't at the very top but still an amazing view.