The Travelin' Redhead

"This church is just creepy." That's what Kirk said as we walked up to Notre Dame in Paris. Its imposing stone structure is decorated with scary gargoyles staring down at you from every possible angle. Some are evil-looking dogs and birds. There's even a gragoyle eating what appears to be a lamb. Freaky. I can't imagine how creepy this church would be at night. You can get a great view of the most photographed gargoyle in Paris if you climb Notre Dame's tower. This gargoyle has his head in his hands as if he's bored from scaring away evil spirits for hundreds of years. The view from the Notre Dame tower is not as expansive as the view from the Eiffel Tower, but I think it's much more beautiful. Inside the church, it's gothic beautiful. Stained glass and high arches make it huge and impressive. It better be impressive, though. It took two centuries to build. Just down the street on the island in the middle of the Seine River known as

Paris really is a beautiful city. And it's even more beautiful at night. The Eiffel Tower twinkles with lights every hour on the hour for five minutes as soon as it gets dark. In mid-October, that means the magic begins at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m. it's dark enough for a real light show. The Eiffel tower twinkles on the hour. We weren't the only ones to admire the twinkling lights that make the iconic tower sparkle. At night, a crowd of onlookers gather at the Champ de Mars to admire the Eiffel tower splendor. Afterward, there's a slow promenade when everyone walks along the Seine back to a hotel or apartment. It's absolutely magical. We walked from the Eiffel tower to the Champs-Élysées metro stop and it was a beautiful nighttime stroll. Not once did I ever feel unsafe. We walked past the dreamy Seine with riverboats lighting the waters on their many twilight tours. Couples strolled hand-in-hand in the cool night air and Parisians walked their dogs. The Pret

  The British Museum lobby. It was our last day in London and we spent half the day in the British Museum. Surrounded by relics and other items the British literally swiped from other countries, the museum chronicles all of civilization -- from ancient to modern. The Rosetta stone is even housed here. The best part is the impressive collection of Egyptian mummies. One of the mummies even has red hair still on his head (creepy, yet interesting). Archeologists nicknamed him "Ginger." I'd love to see what this redheaded Egyptian looked like alive. Swiped from the Parthenon. There are also tons of reliefs and statues from the Parthenon in Greece. There are so many in the museum, you have to wonder if there are any ornaments left on the actual building. British officials literally sawed the statues off the Parthenon claiming they were helping to preserve them, because the Greeks weren't. The Chunnel Later that evening, we took a two-hour train ride to

The Tower of London features a moat, Beefeaters, suits of armour and an impressive collection of jewels. Today we checked virtually all the classic British icons off our list. Castle with moat? Check. Beefeaters? Check, check. Union Jack? Check. Knights of the round table? Check. Crown jewels? check. Double-decker buses? Check. Really old church? Check. Don't Mess with the Guards At the Tower of London, you can't miss the Yeoman Warder guards sporting their fancy coats and period costumes. The Beefeaters got their nickname because they once protected the King and the crown jewels. As a job perk, they ate a generous helping of the King's best beef. While some serve as hilarious tour guides, some simply help the tourists find the many displays and museums on the tower grounds. You also can't miss the motionless guards posted in strategic locations with their tall, fuzzy black hats. Our favorite was a young guard posted just outside the building that houses th

The afternoon tea spread. Taking afternoon tea at home may be a little frumpy, but in London it's timelessly cool. In South Kensington, we relaxed the British way with afternoon tea. As dozens of red, double-decker buses passed by the drawing room windows of The Ampersand Hotel , we sipped gourmet tea and snacked on platters of sweet & savory treats. There were macarons, amazing scones and salmon-stuffed croissants. There was some kind of delicious chocolate-berry cream to spread on our biscuits and pastries I've never seen before. Our "high tea" even came with bubbly. Cheers! What a great way to start our little London & Paris adventure. Funny how sipping tea in a beautifully decorated drawing room makes you feel so downright dainty. We almost felt like sticking our pinkies in the air as we sipped. My Dear Lords ... Big Ben looking majestic at night. The same type of feeling you get sipping afternoon tea is the same type of feeling you get