In 2010, I traveled to Sweden for a work meeting. On the way home, my former manager arranged it so we could stay in Paris a couple of nights. It was the weekend before Valentine’s Day, bitterly cold and not very romantic, but I’ll never forget how it felt seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. I wished Jay had been with me then but I knew we would visit Paris together someday.

Needless to say, we were both very excited on the morning of Day 3! Ruth was waiting for us in the hotel lobby and after quick introductions, we jumped on the bus that took us to Saint Pancras railway station, where we would board the Eurostar to Paris. As we approached St. Pancras, we could hardly believe it is a railway terminus. The building is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture and is often referred to as the “cathedral of railways”.  We arrived super early and after our baggage was processed through the station, we made our way to the platform.

The Eurostar is a high-speed train that can travel up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour and will get you to from London to Paris in two and a quarter hours.  A good chunk of the route is through the Channel Tunnel, AKA “The Chunnel”, which has the longest undersea section of any tunnel in the world. We snoozed for most of the trip and before we knew it, the train was arriving at Gare du Nord station in Paris.

At this point, most of our group was together and we would stay that way until the end of the trip. We followed Ruth to the station exit, where we boarded the awesome Insights coach for the first time and met our lovely Italian driver Domenico.  As Domenico loaded our luggage, everyone slowly got on board Ruth began going over the day’s agenda.  This was the first opportunity we had to get a good look at our travel companions and Ruth promised we would get better acquainted later that evening during the Insights Welcome Dinner. Ruth also explained that we would rotate seat positions every day so everyone had an opportunity to sit up front.

It was a beautiful day in Paris and we could hardly wait to start exploring the city! On the way to the hotel, we made a sight-seeing stop at Les Invalides, also known as Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalides).  This collection of buildings includes a museum for France’s military, as well as a hospital and housing for war veterans. Additionally, it is the burial place of France’s most famous political figure, Napoleon Bonaparte. Domenico stopped the coach in front of the Dôme des Invalides, a beautiful French Baroque church where Napoleon’s tomb is located. We walk around a bit and took some pictures while Ruth gave us the first of many fascinating history lessons to educate us on what we were looking at.

Our hotel for the next two days would be the Pullman Montparnasse on Rue du Commandant René Mouchotte, a contemporary establishment located in the Montparnasse district of Paris. This area of the city is home to many trendy cafes and bars and superseded the Montmartre district as the center of intellectual and artistic life in Paris during the first half of the 20^th century.  After checking in, we took a short walk to check out the neighborhood and find something to snack on before dinner.

The hotel is situated on an incline, which ends in a small roundabout at the top. As we rounded the corner on the right-hand side, we were stunned to see the Eiffel Tower, beautifully outlined against a clear blue sky in the near distance. We paused for a few moments to fully appreciate the scene and then descended to the next street, where we found a small pastry shop. I encouraged Jay to try a mini cheese quiche, which I quickly became addicted to the last time I was in Paris, and could only appreciate it through him now that I am vegan. The afternoon had become quite warm and we stopped in a few markets before we found some take away water and a snack for me. Soon, we were back in the hotel and getting ready for some wine assisted mingling and a fabulous riverboat tour of the River Seine later in the evening.

Check back soon to read more about our first day in Paris!

Enjoy this photo slideshow from our time in London!

The morning after our arrival in London, we woke completely refreshed and ready to see some prehistoric awesomeness! We had a couple of hours to kill before picking up our bus to Stonehenge, so we walked over to Victoria Station to hang out for a while. Victoria Place Shopping Centre is a small mall area on the second level of the station and there are about two dozen shops, as well as a small food court. We spent some time in a shop called Pylones, a unique French chain that offers all kinds of funky gifts. We also stopped at a small sweet shop called  Lola’s Cupcakes, where we picked up a couple of delicious treats to eat while browsing. We returned to the hotel to drop off our shopping and then walked over to the Evan Evans office.

Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire, England, about two miles west of Amesbury, which is the oldest town in the country and the birthplace of history in Britain. The drive from London was just under two hours and much of route offered stunning views of the English countryside.  It was a beautiful day and, despite the glare from the bus’s window, we were able to get a few great pics.

To some, Stonehenge represents one of the greatest feats of prehistoric man. For others, it’s just a bunch of rocks that you have to pay to see. For us, it was the first of many awe-inspiring experiences on the road to Rome. It’s true there is a certain energy surrounding this Neolithic marvel, and people continue to flock to the site for various reasons. Some folks believe Stonehenge was created with assistance from otherworldly beings and once you see it in person, that theory doesn’t seem so fantastic.

In most photos of Stonehenge, you don’t see the barrier that prevents visitors from getting too close to the stones and potentially damaging the site. We spent about an hour walking around this area and taking tons of pictures. The open grassland surrounding the monument provided the perfect backdrop and we took advantage of the camera’s zoom to get some amazing shots. Afterward, we visited the gift shop to pick up a few souvenirs and then treated ourselves to another pasty in the café. Before we knew it, it was time to return to London. Back at the hotel, we took 20 minutes to rest before heading out the door again. There was one more place we wanted to see before our time in London was up.

Piccadilly Circus is located in London’s West End and is a very popular tourist area. Much like New York’s Times Square or the Las Vegas Strip, seeing it for the first time is quite overwhelming! There are tons of restaurants and shops to choose from and several street performers vied for the crowd’s attention. Enormous neon signs illuminate the entire area and complement the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. After a bit of shopping, we stumbled into London’s Chinatown area, where we enjoyed the vibrant scenery and then stuffed our faces at a pretty good Chinese buffet.

Our walk back to the hotel brought us past Buckingham Palace again, and we stopped for a few more pictures before strolling down The Mall one last time. At the hotel, we packed our suitcases and wondered about the adventures that lie ahead before drifting off to sleep.

Check back soon to see what happens on Day 3 of J&J’s European adventure!