Sadly we had to venture into the English countryside without Zach. It was tough duty, but someone had to do it! With our rental car on the left side of the road we made it to Stonehenge without issue. 
The ancient archaeological site has always been on my bucket list and now we can cross it off. Continue reading
London, Zach’s Way
Our time in London was too short but filled with as many of the highlights as possible. We arrived on the Eurostar (Chunnel) after delays in Paris due to “industrial delays.” Basically, French customs authorities aren’t happy about the possibility of Brexit and are slowing the boarding process down. We were about 90 minutes late getting into London but the smooth, peaceful ride made it not so bad.
Upon arrival we prepared for one of Zach’s top priorities for London: seeing Wicked in the West End. Zach has seen this show 13 times and said the London production was one of the very best. 
He’s an expert on all things Wicked and helped us understand many of the intricacies of the experience.
Our first full day found me exhausted, so I slept in and relaxed while the boys set out on a “Total London Experience” 10 hour tour. They visited St. Paul’s where Charles and Diana were wed and the Tower of London, where they saw the Crown Jewels. 
Both Steve and Zach said they picked out their crowns. They also visited Greenwich and took a boat ride on the Thames before I caught up with with for a pint and fish and chips at a traditional English pub.
Another highlight of a visit to London is Westminster Abbey. We toured the historic church, remembering Will and Kates’s wedding and imagining all the other historic events that had taken place here. Zach was most impressed to find the tomb of C.S. Lewis.
From the Abbey we watched the nearby Brexit protests and then walked across the Westminster Bridge to the London Eye where we took a spin on the big wheel. 
As part of the travel package we bought through Costco we got tour credits that allowed us access to the Hop On Hop Off bus, so we took a spin around the city, stopping at Oxford Street to check out the famed department store Selfridges, along with other big named retailers. Zach loves the finer things in life, and London is a perfect place to indulge.
We capped off the day with another fun show. This time we saw Katharine McPhee of American Idol and Smash fame, starring in Waitress.
On our final day in London we set our sites on the Victoria and Albert Museum’s sold out exhibit of Christian Dior’s work. The museum releases a limited number of tickets at 10:00 each morning and the crowds begin queuing up by 8:30. We were tickets 30, 31, and 32 of just 58 available. And the wait was SO worth it! (Even Steve says he enjoyed it). Our photos don’t do the beautiful clothes justice.
More shopping at Harrods, picnic lunch in Hyde Park, and another spin on the HoHo bus, another pint at a pub, and our time in London came to an end.
Here’s Zach’s take on London:
“London felt like a little taste of home after our time in Paris. I really enjoyed the city overall, and acclimated fairly quickly. Our hotel, The Montague on the Garden,was fantastic! I’ve never had such lovely service at a hotel. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the afternoon tea we had upon arriving at the hotel, before seeing Wicked (which was obviously a major highlight of the trip as well). I also really enjoyed visiting the Dior exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The experience was definitely worth the early morning commute and the wait in line. This leg of the trip definitely seemed to fly by, so I’m definitely looking forward to returning to London in the future and experiencing more of this amazing city.“
Zach’s Paris
Following our promise to show our nieces and nephews the world, we are in Europe for Zach’s big trip. Granted, Zach graduated three years ago but better late than never. 
Our first stop is Paris where we met up with Zach’s boyfriend Drake, who happened to be in France at the same time. The four of us had a blast exploring the highlights of this beautiful city.
On our first day we arrived early and immediately walked off the jet lag. Our intent was to walk the Champs-Élysées but because of violent yellow vest protests the week before, all of the streets were blocked and it was not possible to get near that part of the city. Instead we wandered through the Jardin des Tuileries all the way to the Eiffel Tower.
As all the guidebooks recommended we had reserved entry to the top of the tower, which saved us a ton of time in line. We ascended right at sunset and enjoyed watching Paris light up as darkness fell.
Our second day featured a visit to the incredible Musée d’Orsay to see the world’s greatest Impressionist works of art. 
We followed our museum visit with a surprise meeting with our friend Nancy Bruce. We met Nancy while on our yacht charter trip with Lauren back in June. 
Nancy, who works for Ikea in Sweden, was in town for work. Thanks to Facebook we learned that we were close and just had to meet up. Lunch and a walk through Luxembourg Gardens gave us time to catch up.
Our second day wrapped up with a tour of the Catacombes, Paris’s underground burial ground. Creepy, eerie, morbid…it’s hard to describe what it’s like to walk through the remains of six million Parisians.
The next morning we tackled the Musée du Louvre, and its big three: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. Zach even saw some paintings he has studied in school.
After the Louvre we finally strolled up the Champs-Élysée and were lucky enough to stumble upon a formal ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe. 
French President Macron was welcoming Chinese President Xi to the country with all the pomp and circumstance you would expect when two leaders come together. 
The event closed down the roads and created a mess all around but it was fun to see the spectacle.
This evening we navigated the Paris subway to see the legendary show at the Moulin Rouge. 
It’s bawdy, tacky, and a lot of fun! There were can can girls, ponies, and an act with live snakes! Champagne comes with the ticket, so it was a great night!
We couldn’t bring Zach to Paris without visiting the Palace of Versailles. 
An early tour allowed us to avoid the biggest crowds and see the palace in all its glory. Of course, the Hall of Mirrors, site of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles was everyone’s favorite. 
We finished our time in Paris with sunset at Montmartre on the steps of Sacré-Coeur followed by a raucous dinner of fondue with wine in baby bottles at a cute little restaurant called Les Refuge des Fondues. 
Our waitress was from Nebraska, so Big Red was celebrated! 
Yes, too much is one way to describe our evening.
Now we’re on to London for more sightseeing and shows! Here are more photos from our short time in Paris, along with Zach’s perspective on our trip so far:
“I’m glad I chose Paris as my first experience with international travel. I have never witnessed a more beautiful, cohesive, and culturally significant city where every angle is picture perfect. It’s hard to say what my favorite part about Paris was. We crammed so much into such a short amount of time, but I thoroughly enjoyed every excursion. The museums were amazing and awe inspiring. If I had to pick a favorite it would definitely be the Louvre, I could have spent days in there. The monuments also really took my breath away. I would often catch myself with my jaw on the ground at the sight of them . The food was phenomenal too, even though I’m not the most adventurous eater. The best part, however, was the company I spent my time with. I can’t thank my aunt and uncle enough for introducing me to this amazing city. Apart from the jet lag and the occasional hoards of tourists, I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience Paris.“
Marnie and Steve Travel 