On 2 Legs

So, remember how I said I would be posting more? Yeeeeah, me either. *Awkward silence* ... Anyways, time to fill you guys in on what you may have missed! I'll just be giving highlights, that way you guys don't have to sit through a novella of pointless chatter. So here we go! Firstly, let's talk Barcelona. Because frankly, I didn't want to leave. We had a lovely time, with lovely food, and fun shenanigans, mostly involving my dad and I. See, my mom and sister were telling my dad and I about a nice market they went to, so naturally I wanted to go, and my dad decided to come along because I probably would've gotten myself killed otherwise. Now, they said it was right around the corner. However, both my mom and sister are notoriously bad with directions. So when we went around the block and didn't see it, we decided to just keep walking until we found it. And we certainly found something. We somehow wandered into a HUGE shopping complex that was b...

Betty White at the Charlotte Amtrak station. "Mushy peas" on a London restaurant's menu. The open air urinals in Paris. Very revealing. Toilet booth in the middle of the sidewalk, Paris. Pay toilets everywhere! The grumpy French waiter who ended up being very nice after Peekaloo tried ordering in French. The waiter at Xorús who's master of the upsell. Boobs on display at Gare de Lyon. Shrinkage in Barcelona. Also, free WiFi at the beach. (Wee-fee! 😂)

After the expensive lesson I learned about booking tickets early, I stopped at a train station near our AirBnB the day after our arrival in Paris and purchased tickets to Barcelona (that's when we saw the guy with the minute kilt). This time, the booking agent was super helpful, explaining that France was having train strikes and helping me find a train for the day I needed that would get me to Barcelona while it was still daylight.  With all my focus on just getting the reservation done, I completely forgot to ask for first class tickets (we pre-purchased Eurail passes before we left the US which come with first class). We went to Gare de Lyon extra early to allow for Zoey to acclimate and for me to try to upgrade the tickets. I got the upgrades done and we got to ride on the upper deck. Unlike Virgin Rail, the Eurostar (London to Paris) and SCFN (Paris to Barcelona) offer no free food for first - our any - class. But the view was quite lovely, from rolling hills, to the Balreatic...

Getting to Paris was not a particularly pleasant experience, one that included a guy walking by  wearing a TINY  green kilt. No pictures. You may thank me. I was not able to reserve tickets online and, when I went to the station, they had one train (at premium price) and one leaving the next day at a reasonable rate...to Lille. I figured I had enough to juggle so I swallowed hard, pulled out a credit card, and booked us to Paris.  Going through customs here is like in an airport but somehow more hectic. The group of guys wearing crazily printed tuxedos probably added to that feel, though. Well, at their version of TSA we were all pulled aside for extra screening - no big deal - but they kept Peekaloo's luggage. They went through it repeatedly, looking for a knife says Agent Attitude. Peekaloo thought it might be her brow  razor but couldn't find it, so I stepped up and started talking to the guy, trying to smooth things (never pays to argue with customs). Well, the n...

In Spain right now, chilling out in Barcelona. This place instantly calm me down, even walking for almost an hour with a 20 backpack felt like nothing. We'll, it felt like something but it was okay. The sun is shining and yet it's own yawning kinda way telling you to relax, that there's nothing to worry about. The people have been very nice and very helpful, the food is cheap and delicious and filling so we're all stuffed and happy in Barcelona. This is only day 1 of our three night stay in Barcelona, I really can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring us!!

DISCLAIMER: We have been visiting each country/city with no preconceived ideas or expectations. Any and all opinions of London were derived strickly from our visit. And our unanimous opinion is that London sucks. It is one of the most unwelcoming cities we've come across (and I lived in Camden, NJ, USA!). We tried to like it but it just wasn't going to happen. The people were very nice but the place itself - ugh! After a lovely train ride from Edinburgh, we were very excited to be arriving at King Cross Station.   Once outside, our impression was of clutter and grime. On our walk to the hotel... well, let's just say it did not improve on acquaintance. After several hostel stays, we were looking forward to a little privacy and pampering so we had reservations at a "top" rate hotel. Check-in was very fru-fru and it got our expectations high. The room was a decent size. Top floor, big beds, even a cellphone to use during our stay. Great, right? After the train ride f...

Wow! I am in love with Edinburgh! I don't think I can even explain how beautiful it is but I'll try. First things first. After the Titanic visit, we caught a taxi to the ferry landing. I was a bit concerned about all the handle bars everywhere inside the cab. Were we gonna need them??! We made it safely to the Stena Line landing and got on a ferry to cross into Scotland. I must say, the Irish/Scots' idea of a ferry is a wee bit off. This thing was huge! We were so impressed, we even shelled out the £5 to upgrade to their relaxation room. Unfortunately, it worked too well and we slept through the crossing. No matter, since the day had started very foggy and dreary. Once landed, we got on the bus to Glasgow/Edinburgh. I took so many pictures! The scenery was just too perfect. We got to Edinburgh early enough to sight see and, again, there's just too many pictures. I'll just post a few of our favorites. Like Edinburgh Castle. And basically every street, including the R...