One Year Ago...

I can hardly believe that one year ago, today, my Dad landed in London, and we began our two and a half week Eurotrip! 

Crazy how time flies!

Over those two weeks, we traveled to London, Dublin, Berlin, and Paris. At each destination we took in a few day trips as well to see other cities and the countryside.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip!

Father-Daughter Eurotrip: Day 15

 On our last day in Paris, Dad and I had reservations to eat at 58 Tour Eiffel, one of the restaurants located in the Eiffel Tower.  We settled for the picnic lunch. Essentially, it is a pre-set lunch that comes in a picnic basket. All of the food is amazing and hot too!  We had a great view of the city before we continued our way up to the summit.

View from Lunch!

It was, of course, Dad’s first trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And, it was my first one up during the day. I went up close to midnight in 2008. It was starting to rain when we began our way up, but we stuck it out because of the views.

Dad and Me at the Summit!

The rest of the day in Paris was spent packing, eating macaroons, and getting ready for the trip to end. 

It’s hard to believe that the trip of 15 days went so quickly. Dad and I made plenty of lifetime memories. Of course, if his trip home had been easier, that would have been nice. But, he did arrive home safe and sound! 

Father-Daughter Eurotrip: Day 14

 Dad and I had hoped that our last day trip in Paris would have been as memorable as the Normandy Day Trip. Yet, both Dad and I were very disappointed in the tour and the tour guide. We had booked a World War I tour of Arras and Vimy Ridge. What we had hoped for and what we got out of the tour were two completely different things. We were very happy when we got back to Paris.

World War I Trench

World War I Tunnel

Putting aside the negative parts of the tour, we were able to see some of the cemeteries and memorials to the various countries for the First World War. We also had a chance to view the tunnels and trenches at the Canadian memorial.

 

After we returned to London, I took off to explore Shakespeare & Co.- the famous bookstore before Dad and I decided to get dinner on Les Champs Elysses.  Of course, what dinner at Les Champs Elysses would be complete without first exploring L’Arch de Triomphe. Dinner was great, and we finished the evening off at Laduree (but, of course!). 

Father-Daughter Eurotrip: Day 13

For our third day in France, we headed out on a day trip to see Normandy and the D-Day Landing Beaches. It’s an area that both my Dad and I have wanted to see.  The day started out with a two- hour drive to the Caen Memorial Museum. The Museum is dedicated to what happened leading up to World War II, during the War, and an exhibit focused on the Cold War. We only had time to do the first two portions.  The museum depicted specifics to France (the Holocaust, under occupation, and Normandy).   We ate lunch at the museum before heading off to begin the rest of the day viewing the beaches and the memorials.

Our first stop of the day after the museum was Le Pointe du Hoc.   We were able to view the beach from the cliff top as well as view old German pillboxes and structures used to house weapons.

Le Pointe du Hoc 

From there, we drove down to Omaha Beach.   We spent a few moments exploring the beach as well as the memorials to the American soldiers who lost their lives there.

Omaha Beach 

We were able to see the artificial harbor created at Arromanches and part of Omaha Beach. Most of the parts of the artificial harbor are still in tact.

Arromanches 

Before heading back to Paris, we had two more stops of the day. The first was the American Cemetery of Saint-Laurent. We were given about an hour to explore the cemetery, see the chapel, and see the memorial dedicated to the young American men who lost their lives. It was a very moving experience.

American Cemetery

American Cemetery

Finally, the last part of the trip for the day was to see Juno Beach where the Canadian Memorial is. Juno Beach and Omaha Beach accounted for some of the highest number of casualties during the battle. 

Father-Daughter Eurotrip: Day 12

 On our second day in France, Dad and I took a day trip out to Giverny and Versailles. I’m not a huge art person. Read: I know what I like. And, I do enjoy Monet’s paintings. We got to tour his house and the gardens. Most of the furniture in the house is not original. They do have original sketches and some photographs that he took displayed. The garden was exactly as how I imagined it to be. Yes, the famous bridge has had some work done on it. But, you get the full effect.

Monet's House 

Garden

For lunch, our tour company took us to this restaurant off a side street. We had traditional fare, although I opted to not eat the foie gras.

Traditional Fare 

Versailles was our afternoon activity. In 2008, we did not have a chance to visit the palace on the high school French club trip. Our tour company gave us a walking tour inside the palace of the 16 staterooms. We got to see the Louis the 14^th’s bedroom, the war and peace rooms, and the hall of mirrors.

Ceiling 

The Hall of Mirrors 

Outside, we had a few minutes to explore the famous gardens before returning to London.

Back of Versailles

Dad and Me at Versailles

That evening, Dad and I dined at a famous French brasserie. We were on the hunt for authentic food, and we achieved! For dessert, we both had banana and Nutella crepes. Delicious!