London/Paris January 2024

Since I got in to the perioperative nursing program, I was unable to use my vacation time in September so I decided to use some up in January. Since I am nervous travelling during the winter months due to the potential of cancellations due to snow, I wanted to go somewhere that I could get to direct from Halifax. Options were limited but there was a flight to London direct. My initial plan was to fly in and out of London direct but as I planned to go to Paris as well I decided to fly home from of Paris. Complications on the way home are not as stressful. So alas, I booked my trip to London, from there I would take the train to Paris, and fly home from there. I also decided I would go to Disneyland Paris, which is a big player into why I did not stay in the UK the whole time. 

Day 1: arrival to London

My flight to London departed at 1100 Halifax time. The flight was quite empty and I had a entire row to myself, which was great for a 6 hour plane ride. I got to get myself cozy to read for my flight. 

Once in London, customs was extremely easy. I just scanned my passport and no one even had to speak to me. If felt odd and I felt like I was missing something, but it really was that easy for a Canadian entering the UK. Since it was a Saturday night not all the trains were functioning at full capacity. I had to take a train to Paddington, and switched from there to a train to Fadington where it was just a quick walk to my hotel: Yotel London City. I had stayed at the one in New York so I was confident it would be a great place to stay. I particularly liked that it was close to the train station where in a few days I would be departing for Paris. I arrived and checked into my hotel by 2200. Just before getting to my hotel I caught sight of one of the infamous red phone boxes. In London for barely an hour and I already spotted one.

Day 2: London

I started my first full day by walking to a pancake shop: Where The Pancakes Are. The walk there was very nice. It was a Saturday morning so the traffic was not too bad. I always really love walking through European neighborhoods and seeing the older style buildings. 

At the restaurant I ordered a pancake with dark chocolate sauce, banana, and marshmallow cream. It was good, though I do think I prefer buttermilk with maple syrup. Similar to chocolate, sometimes I feel like simple is better than the more complex fancier types. 

Now with food in my belly, I continued on my self directed walking tour of London. The first spot on my map was Neal's Yard. On my way there I came across the building where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child musical takes place. The building was quite nice, though this was not the play I would be seeing today. Continuing on I made my way to Neal's Yard. If I had not placed it on my map it would have been easily missed. It was down an alley before opening up into a colourful yard surrounding by buildings of reds, blues, and oranges. A very beautiful site. Many of the alleys and streets were like this in that you would not think to go down them unless you already knew something was down there. In one instance I did see a street that looked interesting and veered off my current course to explore. Which is part of the fun of walking around a new city.

 One alleyway that was particularly intriguing was Goodwin's Court. which was supposedly the inspiration for Harry Potter's Knocturn Alley. There was some construction going on so I didn't get to see the best angle but it was neat to walk down the eerie feeling alleyway. One of the windows even had some Harry Potter decorations such as; broomstick, owl plush, and picture of Sirius Black's wanted poster. The next street nearby: Cecil Court was the inspiration for Diagon Alley and the layout of the storefronts did resemble the street from the movies. 

Leicester Square was the next area I came across. I noted quite a few famous "British" characters from pop culture scattered around the little park like area in the middle in the form of statues. Such as; Harry Potter, Mr.Bean, and Mary Poppins. Funnily enough I also noticed that on top of one of the buildings there was a statue of Batman who is not a British character. 

By this time I still had quite a bit of time before my viewing of Wicked at 1500, so I started slowly making my way towards Big Ben. I could stop off at other places I wanted to see on the way. Sometimes it is just fun to walk around and see what you come across. I walked through some parts of China Town, Trafalgar Square (where some of Harry Potter was filmed), Scotland Yard, and around that area in particular is where I saw the guards that everyone seems to love taking pictures with. I was a bit confused at first. I had thought they were stationed at Buckingham Palace. I did not cross the street for a closer look, but it was cool to see them in person even from afar.

Not too far from there I got my close up view of the famous Big Ben. I would say it lives up to the hype. It is a beautiful building, with so many details that you don't always notice in pictures and in films. I was particularily excited to see it due to my love of Peter Pan. 

I crossed the nearby bridge to get a different angle and view of Big Ben and walked along the water a ways before crossing back over. I got a nice view of the bridge that the Night Bus from Harry Potter went over in the third movie. 

From there I just wandered around and checked out some stores. One really cool store called Magical Platform and another one called House of Spell, both of which had a lot of Harry Potter merch and even some from other fantasy fandoms. If I did not travel with with carry on, I probably would have bought something. I guess carry on only is a good way to keep the spending in check! I also browsed a couple of local bookstores including the gigantic Picadilly Waterstones. The store had at least seven floors of books! It is said to be the largest bookstore in Europe. There were so many books that I wanted. I usually prefer the UK editions to the US, so it took a lot of restraint to not buy anything. I even told myself in my head "I need to get out of here". 

It was about time for Wicked so I was able to run away before buying an armfull of books! So I made my way to the theatre, passing Buckingham Palace along the way. Similar to the time I saw Hamilton in New York, I had bought "obstructed view" tickets because I could get cheaper tickets closer to the stage. At times I could not see some things that were far back to the left, but otherwise I thought my seat was pretty good. I also thoroughly enjoyed the performace and story. I have owned the book for years but never read it. I might have to now! I also just realized they are making it into a film later in 2024, so another reason to check out the book. The performers were all really good. I would definetely reccomend Wicked to others!

After the performance I went to check out Big Ben at night to really get a Peter Pan vibe. It had started raining a bit, but just a light drizzle. Big Ben looked more enchanting at night and was worth the extra little walk. I also got to see the London Eye lit up as well, which was a pretty purple colour. 

My next aim was to pick up some cookies from Creme, which I had read was supposed to have some really good cookies. I stopped at MinaLima on the way and got to see the Prisoner of Azkaban exhibit they had going on. Lucky for me since that is my favourite of the Harry Potter books! After that and after picking up my cookies I headed back to my hotel, picking up some McDonalds along the way. Not sure if it was just the one I stopped or if all the London ones are the same, but I was not impressed with the McDonalds. The coke was really gross, almost undrinkable. Luckily I had my cookies to make up the disappointing meal. And they were so good! On par with many of my other favourite cookies. And that ended my first day in London.

Day 3: London

My first aim for today was to head to King's Cross Station to visit the Harry Potter store and to get my photo at "platform 9 3/4". From my hotel it was only about 30 minutes to walk. I enjoyed the morning walk while taking in the neighbourhoods I walked though. Seeing the iconic front of King's Cross was really cool. On the inside I liked that they had stars on the ground that mentioned some of the films that had filmed there. Unfortunetly I would not be able to see where they actually filmed platform 9 3/4 as that was at the station travelling nationally, and the next day I would be travelling internationally. I made my way to the store and where they had a photo spot for a sign that said "Platform 9 3/4". The store was closed, which was unfortunate. Google did not mention that. However, they still had the photographers set up to take photos at the "platform" along with a trolley going through the wall. They provided house scarves for the photo and had someone threw the end of the scarf in the air while the photo was being taken so it looked as if you were actually running through the platform. So, all in all, despite the store being closed, I still think the journey was worth it. 

Continuing on I made a another Harry Potter related stop in a area of houses that Grimmauld Place where Sirius Black's house was. They even have similar looking buildings at Universal Studios in Orlando (thhough I somehow forgot to take a photo when I was there!). 

My next aim was towards Leadenhall Market. But before getting there I came across some interesting sights. I came across at little garden type area with some dessicrated looking buildings that looked interesting. Soon after I found myself in what I presumed to be the 'financial district" of London. It reminded me a lot of the financial district in New York with all the white stone buildings and some with Roman/Greek inspired architeture with the classic white pillars. I loved the contrast between white stone buildings and the newer glass buildings in behind.

Leadenhall Market was stunning. It is where they filmed parts of Diagon Alley, and you can believe it. The red and creme coloured boarders looked like something out of a movie. Add in the cobblestone walkway and covered ceiling and you felt instantly transported out of the busy London area.

Soon after I came to another garden type area within the center of an old church. This came up in my searches of hidden gems, and it was a cool place to walk around. There were not too many people so I could take the time to walk around and enjoy the peacefulness. It almost looked like ruins with the signs of age with green and black creeping up the walls. 

Since I was close to it, I decided to head towards Tower Bridge, walking past the castle along the way. I walked over the bridge to explore the other side of London. Some cool sights including an interesting scultpture that appeared almost steampunk in its design, more old worn looking buildings, and Borough Market where I read that they had filmed the outside of the Leaky Cauldron from the third movie. 

Then it was back to the main side of London. This time by going over the Millenium Bridge which... you guessed it, it another film site of Harry Potter from the later films. 

I took the tube further inland to visit some bookstores. First I checked out Daunt books. I really loved the aesthetic of this store. The stain glass window with books in front of it was really pretty and I loved that the upstairs was open in the middle so you could look down at the floor below. I wanted to get my copy of The Hobbit from here but they did not have one. I would have to look somewhere else. 

Before moving up to more bookstores I stopped at a food area inside of a church. I got myself some ramen to fuel up. I decided from where I went yesterday to return to Hatchard's and obtain a copy of The Hobbit from there. Along the way I ended up walking up a street that appeared to be London's 5th avenue. Many, many expensive looking stores along Bond Street. With my new book in hand I returned to my hotel to rest up before going back out for my night tour of Jack the Ripper.

I arrived at Aldgate East station to await by tour. I obviously knew about Jack the Ripper but never actaully looked much into the murders. Walking around and hearing about the horrible murders was really intriguing. Even without the technology of today it is crazy to think that a person was able to murder two woman in the same night after people were already aware of a killer being on the loose. It is easy to see why "The Ripper" part is added to the name when seeing how the murders of the woman became incresingly brutal. A very enjoyable tour for all the talk of murders and interesting to know more about the history of life in London back then. Such as the boxes/beds people would try to earn money for to sleep for a night which would be side by side in a room with others, and the cheaper option of a rope to lean on in an attempt to sleep, as you would not want to sleep on the floor because of rats. 

Thus ends my two days in London. The next day I would be heading for Paris.

Day 4: London-Paris

With the added weight of my luggage, I took the tube one stop to arrive at St Pancras station to prepare for my journey to Paris. Going through the security was similar to the airport. On the otherside they had some shops and places for food. I got myself a drink and criossant to fill up for the journey to Paris. 

The train seats were nice and cushioned. Much comfier than a plane. Unfortunetly I ended up with seats that are looking at the two across from them. I think those seats were originally empty but two woman decided they would rather sit there for some reason, which was slighly annoying. I read the whole time anyway so it was not too big of a deal. The train went under the water through the tunnel that connects the UK and France which was pretty cool. Soon after the tunnel I had arrived in France!

From the station I followed the signs to the metro to take the subway towards my hotel. I would arrive before 1600 but was hoping I could store my luggage until check in time. It was one subway until I arrived at the notre dame station in the Latin Quartre. My hotel St Jaques was a 10 minute or so walk away. Luckily my room was ready so I was able to get settled in before heading back out. My room was amazing. One of the coolest rooms I had ever stayed in. I was on the third floor which involved walking up a beautiful blue carpeted spiral staircase with bronze coloured rails. Tucked away was my room that including a loft to where the bed was. I had storage under the stairs like a closet for coats or clothes, bathroom on the main floor, then up the stairs I had my bed. The key was an old fashioned one that looked like a legitimate key. Because it would be annoying to carry around and so to not lose it, the hotel had me give it to the desk everytime I left the hotel.

When looking in to what to do first, I decided on the Cimitere du Pere-Lachaise. It was one of the furthest places on my map so I figured if I wanted to go today would have to be the day. The walk would be about an hour but I figured it would be a good way to see some of the city on foot. Before leaving the staff at my hotel offered my an umbrella which I thought was really nice. It was not pouring and I did have my waterproof shoes but the umbrella would keep my bag from getting wet.

Since I was close to it and it crossed my path anyway, I made sure to catch a good view of the famous Notre Dame. Becasue of the fire it had recently it was still under some repairs but it was still a stunning building to see in person. The first portion of my walk was alongside canals which gave pictureesque European vibes. I found that the buildings in Paris looked older and more "European" than London. Especially with all the banisters outside many of the windows on the buildings.

The cemetery was incredible. I have never been to one like it (not that I go to cemteries often). It was also enormous. When I first walked in, I thought it was a decent size, but then it just kept going and going. They had the tombs like you only see in movies. Some even had stain glass in them. With the overcast day it had a bit of an eerie feel. The detail on some of them was incredible. Some had carved statues on or around them as well. There were two in particular that I wanted to see. Firstly; Oscar Wilde. An English author whom I have read his novel: The Picture of Dorian Grey. His tomb was interesting . It was rectangular and smooth with an Egyptian looking figure carved into it. Not entirely sure what the connection there is. His tomb was also protected with plexi  glass, as people used to kiss the tomb which led to errosion of the tomb intself from washing it off. Then next I tracked down Jim Morrison's grave (singer of The Doors).  His was a bit hard to find. Without google maps it would be very easy to miss. It was tucked in behind other tombs and was off the main walkways. It was also quite small compared to many of the tombs. His was actually more like a typical gravestone. It was filled with many flowers and other gifts for the singer. 

Next I took the metro to the Galeries Lafayette. This was an enormous shopping centre that spanned what looked to be the entire block and four-ish buildings? The inside was stunning. A cathdral ceiling at the centre with all the shopping areas along the outer rim. They had a little walkway towards the middle but there was line for it that I did not feel compelled to wait in. One of the main reasons I wanted to check a mall of all things out, was for the outdoor padio on the top floor that provided a view of the city. There was an observation deck that gave a higher view but I thought why not do the one for free. The Effile tower was visible from the top which was my first sight of famous structure. So, a win in my books. 

I decided on a closer view of the Eiffle Tower to be my next destination, but first I was getting hungry. As I am in no way a foodie, I stopped at Five Guys. I then noted that a bubble tea shop I had on my radar since December was close by. I went there and saw the giant Gojo on the window and was so excited. The Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration was still ongoing. I saw that it started in December and worried it would be over before I made it to Paris. They were out of Gojo magnets but I was able to get my Gojo coconut smoothie that came with stickers and I also got myself a Geto magnet. Drink in hand I grabbed the nearest metro to the Eiffle Tower. 

I timed it quite well. The sun had not completely set yet, so I got to see the tower in some daylight and then it started to light up with the yellowish lights as it got darker and darker. At one point the Eiffle Tower started sparkling as well which was very beautiful to watch. It was a great way to end my first day in Paris, and I made my way back to the hotel to rest up for Disneyland!

Day 5: Paris- Disneyland

When looking into hotels to stay at, I made sure to stay somewhere that would make it easy to get to Disneyland by train. During the winter or at least the January dates I had, the parks did not open until 0900 so I did not have to leave until 0730 or so. I took the metro one stop where I changed trains to the one headed towards Disneyland. There were signs well marked with Mickey heads to lead the right way. The only ticky part is the train to take had two routes. At the divergence part one would head to Disneyland and the other would not. So I had to make sure I got on the correct one. The train was a double- decker one. Then I was on my way to the parks!

45 minutes or so later and I had arrived. Space Mountain was closed today but would reopen tomorrow, so I decided I would do Disney Studios first today and start at Disneyland tomorrow. The parks set up was similar to Disneyland in California in that there was security to go through that gave you access to both parks that were only a couple minutes walk from each other. Disney Studios did appear to have been inspired from the Hollywood Studios in Florida. They even had a giant sorceror mickey hat that gave some reminecence of the original MGM Studios. The first building you walk through to get into the park was decorated in a Hollywood esque way with some fake palm trees and store fronts that look like they could have come from Los Angeles. 

The first ride I did was Tower of Tower. It was the closest to the entrance and only had a 20 minute wait. For the most part it was similar to the one in Disney World. They played the same video only with French dubbing but did include English subtitles. I found the biggest difference is that the ride once started did not go through the hallway scene like it does in Orlando. In Paris it almost goes right into the drops. This one also had images of a little girl who would go back in forth speaking lines in both French and English. She gave off a creepy feel to the ride that I enjoyed.

After, I noticed Flight Force had 5 minute single rider line and was overjoyed. I rushed there, walking through Avenger's Campus that looked very similar in desgin to the one in Calfornia. I got in line with only a few people ahead of me and then the ride broke down. I was close enought that I got a fastpass to return to the ride when it reopens. I thought that was lucky since I just got in line. Little did I know the ride would be down all day and I would not be able to use the pass. Web Slingers was also down so I could not do that either. The Crush coaster had 40 minutes for the single rider, which sounds like from online that it fiarly good, as this ride is normally 70 minutes plus of a wait. I think I may have waited longer than that, but I really wanted to do this ride as it is a Paris orignal. I really enjoyed this ride. The shell that you are in spins while it does around. It combines slower experiences with the animatronics of Finding Nemo and then it takes on to the stream like in the movies with the turtles and that is where the ride speeds up. This part of the ride reminded me of the new Guardians ride at Epcot. With the quick turns and spinnning of the shell as you go around in a dark space. I almost wonder if this was a precursor to the ride we got in Orlando. 

I then headed to the little Paris in Paris area where the Remy ride was. It was essentially the same as in Epcot. I got on within 5 mimnutes in the single rider line. Only difference is that since this park has the restaurant, it ends with seeing some of the restauarant seating, similar to Pirates in California.

They had some food stalls in this area so I got myself a nutella crepe and a bottle of water. I had planned to just refill a bottle, but every fountain I tried to used would not work.

The only other ride in this area I considered was the RC Racer but I did not feel it was worth 40 minutes plus, so I headed back towards Avenger's Campus. Flight Force was still down but they had a little show going on with Star Lord and Gamora that was fun to watch. Like California they also had a Spider-Man show. Web Slingers opened back up. Everyone was headed towards the normal line but as  I was on my own I went with the single rider and ended up by passing the pre ride show and got on a car all to myself within seconds. The ride is essentially the same as California. 

At this point I had done all the major rides I wanted from Studios other than Flight Force that was still down so I decided to head for Disneyland. After walking under the hotel Disneyland you enter into the park. It is designed similar to the one in California and Magic Kingdom in that you enter into Main Street with the typical Town Hall, Railway station overhead and the street of shops leading you towards the castle. 

A few differences other than the fact that this is Sleeping Beauty's Castle is that you can go under the castle into a cave like area where you come across an animatronic version of a Dragon. My photos make it look quite bright but it is very dark. At times I could not see the walkway. Above that in the castle itself, there are stairs that you can take to go up into the castle more where they have tapestries, stain glass and other Sleeping Beauty related things to look at. Then at the back a banister to walk on that gives a view of the back half of the park.

Finally after so many attempts, I was able to do Pirates of the Carribean. It was down when I was at Disneyland California, and just as we were minutes from getting on in Orlando, the ride broke down for the day (a running theme for Disney rides recently). I really liked the line for this one, and the ride or course was enjoyable.

An unexpected favourite of mine was Discovery Island. There were so many fun places to explore! They had Skull Rock (which I loved as it is from Peter Pan), which you could actually go inside and go to the top where the eyes are. I thought that was it and then I cam across more tunnels that had signs saying "Davy Jones Locker". It was maze like in there and I tried to explore as much as I could. I still feel like there may be areas I did not get to see as they just kept going and going. I did find what I assume to be Davy Jones treasure with  all the coins and jewels. Then once back on the outside there was a suspnsion bridge to walk across. Such a fun area to explore!

I did Indiana Jones next which is a coaster that goes upside down. It is quick and I understand now way people call it a skull rattler. It is quite the rough ride. I feel like doing it once per day at the park is satisfactory. Then another ride I was interested in was Phantom Manor. I had heard that this one was creepier than the US ones. Which I could see. It did seem to have a more serious and eerie feel than the more lighthearted US versions. The other ride I was curious to see the differences for was Big Thunder Mountain. I think I have to agree with many others and say the Paris one is superior. This one takes you under a dark tunnel underwater that brings you to the island in the middle of the river where you continue the ride and then return under the tunnel to the loading area. A very fun ride that I would have done more often it the line was not so long. I think this one had the longest line at the Disneyland Park. But worth it for sure!

I grabbed myself some popcorn to await the next performance of the Lion King. I really loved this one. The Lion King has some of the best songs and the performance felt very cirque like. There were some gymnastics type aerial stuff going on along with the amazing performers. 

I caught some of the parade as I headed for Tomrrowland where I did Buzz Lightyears and then Star Tours. Star Tours is always a favourite of mine. Always a new expereicne with all the variations and this time around the characters spoke French which made it seem even more new. Got to see the Gungans on this journey. I grabbed myself something to eat while waiting for the fireworks and checked out some of the shops on main street. I eyed up some potential items I may want to buy. Also trying to remeber I don't have much space to bring back a lot. The fireworks ended up being more of a lightshow on the castle. Which was really beautiful to watch, though I would have gotten a closer spot to watch if I had known that. Disney music along with light shows always give me chills, esepecially the music from older movies. At the end they announced the option of staying for music and dance, but it was late and I had a long train ride back to my hotel. Just before reaching the station I heard fireworks start to go off. I watched in dismay. I may have been more opt to stay if I had known they meant fireworks. Oh well. Can't do it all. I had to rest up for another busy day at the parks anyways.

Day 6: Paris- Disneyland

The day started out the same as before. Took the train to Disneyland. This time starting with Disneyland itself so that I could get my chance with Space Mountain. Space Mountain was my first stop. The first thing you notice is that the outer design is very different from the ones in the US. Instead of the classic white tent like building, the one in Paris is golden coloured with blue and red boarders and a shoot looking section which is where you start on the ride. It looked very steampunk to me. The differences for the ride was the fact you started outside and then after going through the "shoot" looking area you go around inside in the dark like the classic ride. This variation is also "Hyperspace Mountain" all year around. It also goes upside down which is really fun. 

I then did Star Tours again before returning to Space Mountain for another go around. I had a quick snack with a "pain au chocolat" before heading back towards Main Street. I went to Town Hall to see if they had any maps but they unfortunetly did not. I guess they are moving to be more "green". 

I headed towards Adventureland and found myself in an Agrabah area. There was a walkthrough area that had minature versions of the scenes from Aladdin. I went on the Indiana Jones coaster again and then headed to a Timon and Puma themed restaurant for some chicken tenders. 

I had been in the line for Big Thunder but it went down for maintence, but I returned a bit later and was able to ride it again. I also returned to Tomrrowland to do Star Tours again and Space Mountain one last time as well before getting ready to head to Disney Studios.

At Studios I was finally able to do Flight Force. It was, a little dissapointing to be quite honest. The rock star theme with Aerosmith was the superior theme for sure in my opinion. It was still a really fun coaster but it just felt like another version of Space Mountain. You went around in a dark room with white lights that looked like stars (like Space Mountain), with the added voices of Iron Man and Captain Marvel. The original I feel, had more character (I am going by the Rock n' roller coaster in Orlando). If you did not know, Flight Force is Rock n'roller coaster rethemed. 

I ended up doing Tower of Tower one last time before getting ready to head back to the city. I also bought myself a few souvenirs and walked through the Disney Village a bit before departing back to the city.

All in all, I enjoyed my time at Disneyland Paris. I found everyone friendly. I did try to speak French, though the cast members replied in English. I definitely think you could spend the whole day at the Disneyland Park, esepcially during peak times. Disney Studios however, I do not think requires a full day. Probably why there are no park hopper passes, and you automatically get access to both parks. Disneyland Paris has some superior version of rides (in my opinion); Big Thunder, Phantom Manor, Space Mountain, but otherwise it is difficult to match the US parks. The biggest thing I did not like at the parks at Paris was the amount of smokers and vapers. I was stunned. I felt like I got a smack of fruity vape smoke in my face at least every half hour. The parks are supposed to be "non-fumeur" but the guests here obviously do not respect it as much as in the US. I have never seen a smoker or vaper at the US parks. Though one other plus for the Paris parks, I did not notice much line cutting, though I did use the single rider lines when available. If I was ever in Paris again, I would consider returning to the parks again. I could see it being a fun day trip in the middle of a Europe trip or something like that. 

Day 7: Paris

Today would be my only full day in the actual city of Paris. I planned to make the most of it. First up was the Catacombs. I had just booked it a week ago as you can only book one week in advance. I guess they are worried about fradulent tickets. I decided to walk to them to see some more of the city. I made sure to pass the Pantheon on the way. The outside looked spectacular, if given more time I would have loved to gone inside. 

Just before the entrance to the Catacombs I came across an intersection that was enormous with a statue of a lion in the middle. There must have been at five different entryways into this intersection. I could imagine it being very confusing for someone not native to the city.

I had booked myself the earliest time to the Catacombs at 0900. After going through security they provided me with a audioguide that I could hold up to my ear like a phone and it would give me info about the Catacombs in relation to the numbers indicated throughout. Then I went down, and down, and down, the many stairs of the spiral staircase. This experience is not accessible to anyone with mobility issues. I would end up being 20 meters underground, being even further underground than the metro system. Firstly I walked through stone tunnels until I entered a room that had another exit with two white diamonds painted and the phrase "Arrete! C'est ici l'empire de la mort". From there I entered the corridors that contained the many skeletons of thousand of people who had died many years ago. It was a very eerie experience to walk through being surrounded by actual human remains. Some of the skulls were arranged in various formation such as crosses or hearts. Definetely worth the visit when in Paris.

Afterwards I did not have anything else planned until Le Louvre at 1630. I started walking in that general direction, walking through some gardens and parks along the way. I had yet to visit any bookstores in Paris so I decided to correct that and to try and find a French version of The Hobbit. My first stop was Gibert Joseph. A French bookstore that had a combination of new and used books that I found interesting for a bigger bookstore. It would be cool if Chapters/Indigo did something like that. They marked the books "Occasion" and had them mixed with the new books. There were a few really beautiful version of books like I enjoyed that if given more space, I may have been tempted to buy. But I did find what I was looking for. A French version of Le Hobbit. There were a couple options, so I went with the one that I did not recall seing the cover in an English verison. I went ahead and bought it at this first store knowing that the next few stores I planned on visiting were mostly English books.

Close by, I went to bookstore number two: The Abbey Bookstore. This one was really cool. The bookshelves were so close together no more than one person could go through. At times I found it tight quarters for myself and I am not a large person. It felt like something that belonged in a Fantasy library. I soon discovered that English books in Paris are extremely overpriced. I saw one book that had the Canadian price as $23 and the price in euros was 26.95, which would convert to $39 CAD. More than $10 more!

Anywho, off to the next bookshop. I was particularly excited for this one as it is one of the most famous bookstores: Shakespeare and Co. There was a bit of a line to get in, but it did not take long. They also did not allow photos inside the shop. Even if not a book fan, I feel like this one is worth a visit. It is placed in a very old building, and is just full of books. Upstairs they have hundreds of old antique books that you can read (they are not for sale) and various places to sit to relax and read. There was also a piano that said you could play if you played quietly. I bought myself a tote bag as I noted that the books were also quite expensive here compared to back home.

I then went to another fast food restaurant, but hear me out, this time I went to one that originates in Belgium, so it is not one we have back home in Canada. This one is called "Quick". 

Next I went to the outdoor art: des colonned de buren. This spot popped up as a hidden gem when I was looking for cool places to check out. It was a large courtyard with colums of black and white of various heights scattered around in an orderly way. 

Then I made my way to yet another bookstore: Librarie Galignani. This one mostly had French books but they also had a small section of English books. Overlooking the main floor there was a metal staircase that took me up to the section I was interested in, the fantsay section. I found it funny that there was a section of young adult fantasy books that were actually adult fantasy. I have not read the Gold series but I feel like it does not belong in the same section as Heartstopper. 

It was just about time for my time at Le Louvre so I slowly started heading there. I figured I would probably want some photos from the outside first anyways. For initially questioning if I would make time for Le Louvre or not, it really did impress me. It is the most impressive musuem I have ever been to for sure. My favourite exhibits were the ones that included sculptures, especially the sculptures with Greek/Roman inspiration. I just find it so impressive that someone could acually put so much detail into a marble statue, especially when they include folds of clothing. That would be difficult to draw, let along carve it from stone. On top of that, the rooms of this musuem felt like art. The room with the statues was enormous with large glass ceilings letting in tons of natural light. Other rooms had ceilings just covered in paintings like something I envision seeing at the Vatican City. These same rooms would also have very detailed walls. The Egyptian exhibits were also really neat to see. The mummies, and the sarcophagus. And of course, I had to see the famous Mona Lisa. I knew it was small, but with all the people crowded around it looked puny. Such a large room for so small a painting. Despite liking scultptures over paintings, it was still really cool to see arguably the most famous art piece in the world. 

So, I am glad I made the decision to visit Le Louvre. There is still so much I did not see. I would go back if I was ever in Paris again.

To end my night I took the metro towards the Creme cookie store. I hoped to bring back some of these London famous cookies to my family. Back at my hotel I covered the bag in medical tape to try to prevent them from going stale for as long as I could. So many uses for medical tape, I rarley go anywhere without a roll, haha. Thus ended my last day. Tomorrow I would be headed back home.

Day 8: Paris-Home

The next day was the journey home. I took the metro to the airport to return home. I flew into Montreal before continuing on to Halifax. I had a great time in both cities, and really enjoyed the oppourtunity to see Disneyland Paris. I feel like I could have spent a lot more time in both and would have loved seeing more of the United Kingdom and France outside the cities. I definetly see myself returning in the future even if only for a quick stop with London and Paris being some of the only direct flights to Europe from Halifax.