Knights & Lights with a wee stop in Scotland

[calypso726]

Today we visited Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. It was our last day with out incredible blue badge guide Sarah as well. Pictures are not allowed inside Windsor Castle. Our tour inside was self guided but the audio accompaniment was very nice. The interior was quite amazing and the weapons and armory areas simply blew me away. The trip to Stonehenge is what I was most looking forward to on this ABD. I have read some folks are underwhelmed or find the visit rather boring. I found the site to be a marvel of engineering that can only be appreciated in person. I am also fascinated by the mystery of the origins and purpose of this monument that has stood for THOUSANDS of years. True, that it isn't like the Callanish standing stones or Clava Cairns in Scotland that you can touch an explore up close. None the less I was thrilled to see it in person.

This may just well be this year's Christmas card.

Maybe if I just take one rock ...

 

[calypso726]

So beautiful! I'd like to go to Scotland too. Especially for tasting that scotch

Scotland is truly breathtaking!

Oh, say "Hello!" to Adam for me! He was one of my Guides on K&L, too. Loved him!

Wasn't the poppy installation impressive? Quite the memorial.

Sayhello

Will do! Yes, it was really neat to see all of those poppies!

 

[calypso726]

Oh, say "Hello!" to Adam for me! He was one of my Guides on K&L, too. Loved him!

Wasn't the poppy installation impressive? Quite the memorial.

Sayhello

Adam says Hello!

 

[calypso726]

today we left the beautiful Foxhills Manor and made our way to Paris. We didn't actually leave London via Platform 9 3/4 but on the Eurostar. Once in Paris, we were driven to the Eiffel Tower. I decided to take the stairs going back down. It was like a never ending stair case. No matter how often I looked down to see how much further I had to go, it felt like I was still in the same spot.

Views from above

 

[disneymath]

today we left the beautiful Foxhills Manor and made our way to Paris. We didn't actually leave London via Platform 9 3/4 but on the Eurostar. Once in Paris, we were driven to the Eiffel Tower. I decided to take the stairs going back down. It was like a never ending stair case. No matter how often I looked down to see how much further I had to go, it felt like I was still in the same spot.

Great trip report! The Eiffel Tower stairs are A fond memory from my highschool trip to Paris ... they did seem to just go on and on, but a cool experience nonetheless.

 

[calypso726]

Great trip report! The Eiffel Tower stairs are A fond memory from my highschool trip to Paris ... they did seem to just go on and on, but a cool experience nonetheless.

Thank you. I am glad I did it. My legs, not so much.

 

[Poppins2000]

Terrie,

I just saw your London pics and recognized one of your guides, Adam!! When we met him, he and another gal were training to become ABD guides and joined our group (with our guides Courtney and Francesc) on the May 2008 Ireland ABD. He took a lot of pics for us, nice to see he is still with them!

Becky

 

[calypso726]

Our final two ABD days:

We visited the Palace of Versailles and were given a guided your by Alec our step on local guide who was fantastic! The Palace is beautiful and the grounds are impressive. We had a nice lunch and then we went biking. Some in our group opted for a tour of the gardens. Afterwards, during our evening on our own, we had dinner at a great restaurant called La Lorraine Brasserie which Adam recommended. The food was great! Then, we climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to watch the Eiffel Tower light up.

The next morning we we driven to Notre Dame. We explored the cathedral on our own and were given the option to climb to the top or start lunch time on our own time. My legs were killing me after deciding to take the stairs down the Eiffel Tower and bike around Versailles so I opted out. The guests who did go to the top really enjoyed the experience. The architecture inside the cathedral and outside is breath taking! After lunch and some shopping we headed to The Louvre where we were given a guided tour which was very nice. Our farewell dinner this evening was amazing and everyone sounded like they really enjoyed themselves.

I can't thank our guides Caroline and Adam enough for being so wonderUl and making this such an incredible experience!

Notre Dame Cathedral

Stained glass windows

Gothic architecture

Standing outside along the river Seine

Inside The Louvre and got to see the Venus de Milo

The Mona Lisa

 

[calypso726]

Terrie,

I just saw your London pics and recognized one of your guides, Adam!! When we met him, he and another gal were training to become ABD guides and joined our group (with our guides Courtney and Francesc) on the May 2008 Ireland ABD. He took a lot of pics for us, nice to see he is still with them!

Becky

Becky, Adam was a wonderful guide! We really enjoyed spending time with both him and Caroline.

 

[sayhello]

We got to the Arc de Triomphe too late to climb it, but we did get to see the Eiffel Tower light up from ground level. But your picture from the top is spectacular!

I thought the Mona Lisa was a little anti-climatic, but you got a good shot of it. And I love your shot with the Venus de Milo!

Thanks for another great report!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Please post a link to your lovely report on the Trip Report Sticky!

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

Can't wait to hear what you thought of DLP! DD21 & I went last October while she was studying in London. We had mixed reviews.

Love seeing your photos! We adored our K&L tour! We also walked down the Eiffel Tower, since elevators were SO crowded. Those staircases were never ending!!! I couldn't believe my aching legs!! Lol. It was quite an experience! ;-)

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Scraptographer]

Just to let you know that I have been faithfully checking your trip report every day (that sounds better than stalking doesn't it ), hoping that you will add more! Especially since after our DCL Iceland cruise next summer we are considering adding on a little time in both London and Paris/Normandy (battlefield tour to make DH and the kids). So I am enjoying the details about the Harry Potter tour as well as the rest of your trip in London and Paris, and hope to hear more about DLP since I am trying to convince DH that deserves a stop(DH has suggested I figure out a way to win the lottery in order to do all of the stuff I want to do so I am trying to pick out the best/cannot miss experiences to rise to the top of our list).

I also would love it (as a Brave and an Outlander fan) if you could post a list at some point of what you would consider as 'do not miss' sites in Scotland for both Brave and Outlander, since I am also planning for a 'someday' trip that has a possibility of happening if his niece decides to get married to her sweetheart in his home town in northern England).

Many thanks for your trip reports, both this one and your Brave Adventure one as well.

Yvonne

 

[calypso726]

Just to let you know that I have been faithfully checking your trip report every day (that sounds better than stalking doesn't it ), hoping that you will add more! Especially since after our DCL Iceland cruise next summer we are considering adding on a little time in both London and Paris/Normandy (battlefield tour to make DH and the kids). So I am enjoying the details about the Harry Potter tour as well as the rest of your trip in London and Paris, and hope to hear more about DLP since I am trying to convince DH that deserves a stop(DH has suggested I figure out a way to win the lottery in order to do all of the stuff I want to do so I am trying to pick out the best/cannot miss experiences to rise to the top of our list).

I also would love it (as a Brave and an Outlander fan) if you could post a list at some point of what you would consider as 'do not miss' sites in Scotland for both Brave and Outlander, since I am also planning for a 'someday' trip that has a possibility of happening if his niece decides to get married to her sweetheart in his home town in northern England).

Many thanks for your trip reports, both this one and your Brave Adventure one as well.

Yvonne

Thank you for your kind words Yvonne. You are very welcome! I will add more this week and will address my thoughts on both DLP and not to be missed for the Outlander fan.

 

[calypso726]

After our ABD ended we checked into the Disneyland Paris Hotel for 2 nights. We used DVC points for our stay. The location was perfect. We were surprised that they didn't take a credit card for incidentals. When I asked if they needed a credit card during the check in process the attendant asked if we planned to use the mini bar. We said no, so she said she didn't need the card. Odd, but ok We were given one instant FP per day per person.

Our allotted time was a full day and a half. This was plenty of time to experience the parks. The highlights for us included the following. The night time show Dreams was wonderful. Space Mountain is NOT TO BE MISSED! It is SOOOO different from the one here in WDW. The entire attraction has a steampunk vibe to it. It is WAY more intense than what we have. It has the potential to cause your brain to rattle loose though so keep your head as stable as you can. Phantom Manor is not to be missed if you are a Haunted Mansion fan. Sleeping Beauty's Castle is just lovely and you must go check out the dragon that lives beneath! Crush's Coaster was a really cool ride. We also experienced the new Ratatouille ride and liked it as well. We did Cinemagique and absolutely loved it! I wish we had something like that here. I would say stopping at DLP is worth it for any Disney fan if you are going to be in the area. However, I would not make a special trip just to visit. I am glad we took the time to visit and I enjoyed it very much and would make the same choice if I had to choose all over again. That said, I have no desire to go back, unlike WDW, which I visit all the time.

For Yvonne and any other Outlander fans: Honestly, the Brave Adventure we did with ABD hit a lot of spots that fans of the Outlander book series and now the show on tv would love. There were quite a few other Outlander fans on that trip. Much of the scenery in the tv series we were able to see/experience throughout the ABD Scotland tour last year. I've recognized some areas while watching the show and then later read they did in fact film in places we were during our ABD tour.

The Callanish standing stones are not to be missed. Thankfully, it was an ABD stop and they fly you there. Clava Cairns great to see and there are standing stones but it doesn't compare to the Callanish standing stones. I wasn't too excited to visit Clava Cairns after having visited the Callanish stones but Hugh our guide really made it worth the visit and it is one of my highlights from that day tour with him. The Highland Folk Museum is a must visit as well! If you are in Edinburgh, you must stop at The World's End Tavern for lunch. Simply driving, ok having someone drive you, through the Highlands is breathtaking and a must do!

 

[Scraptographer]

I'm here! You posted after my bedtime - which tells you either how boring (or how interesting) my life is .

Many thanks for your recap. We were in Edinburgh this summer (while on a Princess British Isles cruise) and I had already read your Brave Adventure TR, so we made sure to visit the Worlds End Pub. My DH and DS enjoyed it for the food and atmosphere (and resting after climbing Arthur's Seat - see, your TR did not scare us off ). Me, I enjoyed the food, getting to rest and the 'Outlander' atmosphere, even if it was mostly in my imagination. So thank you for that heads up.

 

[RustManFan]

Been to both England and Scotland multiple times and these trip reports make me anxious to return! (especially to Scotland )

We love to rent a car, stay at a B&B, pick up groceries from a local store and do a picnic lunch on the road.

Will have to take a look at my photo albums when I get home from work.

Love the trip reports!!

 

[Rapunzellover]

I didn't know that! It was pretty cool!

Yes. Thanks to Rapunzellover's advice about which stations and trains to get to the Warner Bros. Studios it was pretty easy and took less transportation time than every other method I saw.

I think we have 40.

Just got to reading this. Great report. Glad you found my intell useful.

And you had Caroline!? She was one of my Knights and Lights guides and she was great.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Our allotted time was a full day and a half. This was plenty of time to experience the parks. The highlights for us included the following. The night time show Dreams was wonderful. Space Mountain is NOT TO BE MISSED! It is SOOOO different from the one here in WDW. The entire attraction has a steampunk vibe to it. It is WAY more intense than what we have. It has the potential to cause your brain to rattle loose though so keep your head as stable as you can. Phantom Manor is not to be missed if you are a Haunted Mansion fan. Sleeping Beauty's Castle is just lovely and you must go check out the dragon that lives beneath! Crush's Coaster was a really cool ride. We also experienced the new Ratatouille ride and liked it as well. We did Cinemagique and absolutely loved it! I wish we had something like that here. I would say stopping at DLP is worth it for any Disney fan if you are going to be in the area. However, I would not make a special trip just to visit. I am glad we took the time to visit and I enjoyed it very much and would make the same choice if I had to choose all over again. That said, I have no desire to go back, unlike WDW, which I visit all the time.

My experience with DLP was very similar to yours. It's a cool place to visit, and of course it's nice to check that park off the bucket list, but it's not on the same playing field as DL and WDW. Honestly, I liked HKDL a little better even though it's smaller. It's still a cool place to visit. If I was in Paris for several days, I'd make the trip, but I wouldn't fly there as many do before or after a cruise or ABD.

BTW, I started watching Outlander on Starz after reading your Scotland TR. Very cool series. If I can find some free time to concentrate and read, I may have to pick up the books.

 

[Rapunzellover]

BTW, I started watching Outlander on Starz after reading your Scotland TR. Very cool series. If I can find some free time to concentrate and read, I may have to pick up the books.

Don't get Starz, so I haven't seen the show, but definitely read Outlander. Great book!