Paris: Practically Perfect in Every Way, Day 2

HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY CATH!

On Wednesday it was Cath's 20th Birthday! How lucky is she to spend her birthday in Paris? Well, we started the day off a little rushed...Lauren and I intended to wake up at 6:30am and woke up at 7am instead! Luckily, we still had a half hour so we managed to get dressed and eat breakfast in time. Breakfast was of course traditional French croissants. I gave Cath her birthday present that morning too. It's a necklace with a crown charm on it, just like the one she gave me for my birthday. At 8am we began what was about to be a very long excursion to Versailles. The hotel suggested we walk to the train station because it was only 15-20 minutes away, yet somehow we ended up in the Industrial Zone of Paris, walking along the highway, wondering where in the world we were, for an hour and 10 minutes. There were elements of humor to it and also elements of frustration. However, we did manage to make it to the train station and after a 40 minute ride we arrived to Versailles.

Versailles was a lot of fun. I'd been there last summer so it wasn't a shocker like it was for the other girls, but I still really enjoyed it. We went through the inside first. The Hall of Mirrors is always quite the site. It was what Annie and Lauren were most excited for. We took our time wandering through it and admiring the vision Louis XIV had. He was quite the spoiled guy. After that we headed out to the gardens. The one downfall in comparison to last summer was that the gardens weren't nearly as pretty and it was really cold. Other than that we had a lot of fun. We took some excellent pictures and wandered down to the lake. When we got there the girls wanted to see Mary Antoinette's village she had built. It was a ways up another path so we kept walking till we got to the entrance. Cath and I went there last summer so we decided to let them go ahead. We ended up sitting at the entry gate for a good 40 minutes listening to some tunes. When they weren't showing up we decided to head back to Paris and meet them at the Louvre.

When we got back into Paris we were in desperate need for some lunch so we went searching for a pastry shop. After wandering through a couple streets we found one and enjoyed a nice cheese bread. It tasted great. When we got to the Louvre Abs, Ann, Laura, and Lauren were waiting for us. Poor Abby got "coat picked" at Versailles! Well, we stepped inside the building for a long afternoon of artwork. Don't get me wrong, I love the Louvre and I appreciate the art, but it gets a bit wearing after a while. I did love seeing the "Winged Victory" and the "Mona Lisa". That sculpture is amazing and inspiring and I love everything about it. The Mona Lisa is cool, but I think it gets a little more hype than necessary sometimes. It was also fun to wander around the museum and recognize a lot of art that we've been discussing in Humanities this semester. I think it made me appreciate it a lot more. When it was around 5pm Cath and I had to go back to her parent's hotel for dinner. We decided we'd meet the girls around 8pm at the Eiffel Tower!

Dinner was really fun. We went to a restaurant that had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Cute Lisa and John treated us to a delicious meal. I shared some french onion soup with Cath and had some ravioli for my main course. It was so nice to have a good sit down dinner. We talked a lot about London and how amazing it has been for Cath and me over the last 3 months. I've really realized how much it has changed my life. I honestly don't think I've ever been happier. Lisa said that if she could do 3 things over again Study Abroad would be one of them. I think I feel the same way. I have just loved every minute of it. When we were done with dinner we headed to the Eiffel Tower. The light show was going on as we were walking and it was so pretty. It was gold, blue, white, multi-colored, and flashing. I loved it.

When we got to old Eiffel we got our tickets and got in line for the elevator. We were so lucky because it had been really crowded every night, but of course on Catherine's birthday the place seemed to be empty. The ride to the top was an exciting one. I couldn't wait to be on top looking over all of Paris. When we arrived it was FREEZING! Truly so so cold. However, I think that made it that much more memorable. We were laughing so hard the whole time and hurriedly taking pictures of each other in the brisk wind. Hair was everywhere, fingers were numb, but I've honestly never had a better time. The view is so amazing. The Eiffel Tower is so much higher than everything else in the city that you can literally see every single thing. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Cath plus John and Lisa's own ending verse. I'm so happy she's now 20 with me. Bye bye to our teen years.

When we were back on the ground we had to end our night with some crepes. We went to the place located right next to the Eiffel. John and Lisa were so nice and treated us! I got a Nutella banana crepe and it was beyond good. I think it must be the best place in town. Seriously, something could not have tasted better at that moment in time. I think everyone felt the same way as me. We were all just savoring every bite. It was the perfect way to end the night, and I think Cath had a great day!

Another wonderful day in the City of Light!

Paris: Practically Perfect in Every Way, Day 1

PARIS!

Last Tuesday we Chunneled off to one of my very favorite places...PARIS! I was so excited. We spent all of Monday night packing and I was more than happy to get up at 5:30am so we could be on our way. The Chunnel ride was excellent. I slept soundly for the 2.5 hours and woke up to us arriving in the Paris train station. From there we had to literally run after the Sopers to the metro so they could show us where the hotel was. Lauren almost got stuck in the doors in her haste to get on. Luckily all of us made it (almost) unscathed and we were on our way. After a metro ride that took us way out of the city we arrived at our hotel. I have to say I didn't have high expectations for it, but I was happily proved wrong. The "Novotell" was actually quite nice and to top it off Lauren and I were roommates. I called Cath to let her know we were there (because she was already in Paris with her parents), and we finished our lunches while waiting for her to arrive. When she got there I was so excited to see her. When she left on Friday it was the first time we'd been apart in 80 days. Weird. It was so fun to see John and Lisa too. They both gave me a huge hug. They also came bearing gifts. My mom gave me a necklace with the Eiffel Tower on it! I loved it and wore it the whole time we were there.

When we were ready we decided to head up to Sacre-Coeur. It is a really beautiful church that overlooks the whole city. Ann, Abs, Kristen, Lauren, Laura, and I grabbed our map and hopped on the metro. It felt weird to be in a place where English wasn't the native language. I quickly learned that I am terrible at pronouncing French words, but I did my best. When we made it to our intended stop we now had the task of finding the church. We ran into Courtney, Emmy, and Megan so all of us headed toward what we hoped was the right direction. We were in luck because after about 10 minutes we found the church. It was really fun to climb to the top of the stairs and have our first view of Paris. I just love that city. It made me so happy to be there! From there we decided to head to the little town behind it and eat our first crepes. Ann and I shared a chocolate one and it was quite delicious. I could tell this would be the first of many crepes I would be eating in the next five days.

As we made our way down the hill we found Cath and her parents again and decided to head to the Arc de Triomphe. When we got there we had fun taking a bunch of pictures and walking around and underneath it. Yes, my name is proudly proclaimed on the Arc. My parents had it engraved there for me. Everyone loved the arc as much as I do. It's just such a cool structure right in the heart of Paris and at the top of the Champs Elysees. Speaking of the Champs, we decided to wander down it after finishing up at the Arc. I love the Champs Elysees. It has such a lively atmosphere and so many fun stores to wander in and out of. It was especially fun because all the christmas lights were up. It was here that we found our favorite candy shop "Glup's" that we would visit many times in the next few days to pick up our daily dose of bon bons.

When we reached the end of the street we wanted to go on a river cruise on the Seine. We decided to walk along the water in the hopes of finding one. After about a half hour we found it. It was freezing cold, but a lot of fun. It took us all the way around the river and we saw Notre Dame, the Lourve, and the Eiffel Tower all lit up! We actually passed it right on the hour so not only was it lit up, but sparkling too. It is one of my favorite things about Paris. I love the Eiffel Tower at night. It just seems to light up the city and make Paris everything you'd hope it would be.

                                        

When the river cruise ended we were freezing so we decided to head to....you guessed it! McDonald's. Aren't we oh-so-predictable. My only reasoning I can give is we were freezing and hungry and the hotel was much too far away. This McDonald's was located on the Champs Elysees so it felt quite gourmet. I ordered myself a delicious chicken mcnugget happy meal and felt fully satisfied. When we felt like we had warmed up a bit we decided to start heading back home to get some sleep. I went with Cath to her parent's hotel to pick up some things first. There, I was greeted with another surprise from my mom! She sent me two "New Moon" shirts and a hear necklace with "Edward" on it. It could not have been more appropriate. She and I will always be Team Edward. When Cath was ready we hopped on the metro and took our long journey back to our hotel. That night Laur and I entered our lovely smoke-smelling room, showered, journaled, and went right to bed.

I LOVE PARIS!

Happy Birthday Laura!

HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY LAURA!

Today is my soul sister's. Laura has quickly become someone who I share more similar qualities with than anyone else I know. Everyone laughs at us, but it's seriously creepy how much we have in common. For example, we both love Peter Pan, Harry Potter, and the movie, "The Santa Claus". We also had the same bedspread and Audrey Hepburn picture last year (it's how we met). I knew when she came to London we were meant to be friends. Haha, but really I love her to death. For her birthday Abs, Annie, Lauren, Laura's friend Tara, Laura and I went to dinner at Zizii last night (just like mine). It was a lot of fun. I think she really enjoyed it. Today we sang to her before dinner and had cheesecake for dessert (yum)! Cath and I gave her a necklace with a crown charm on it and Annie, Abs, and Laur gave her earmuffs. I hope she had a great day!

Meridian madness and Glorious Baroque

Straddling the Prime Meridian

On Friday we travelled to Greenwich. If you've never heard of this place it's ok, because I hadn't either. However, I can now tell you that Greenwich, England is the home of the Prime Meridian. We'll get back to that later though. We left around 10am for the town and had to take a tube and a ride on the DLR to get there. Of course we arrive to pouring rain. I can't say I'm surprised. Our good luck London weather has finally run out. Rain is becoming a constant part of every day now. Abs, Annie, Lauren, Kristen, and I stuck together as we tried to figure out where the heck we were supposed to go. The map we'd been given was pretty vague on the details. We ended up wandering through the covered market and to the nearest Starbucks to pick up some steamers. They warmed us right up but didn't seem to taste as good as they normally do. It was too bad. Eventually we figured out where we were and headed to the Royal Observatory. It was a good 20 minute walk in the rain and Kristen and I were the only ones with umbrellas and even they weren't helping that much. Oh well, what can you do right? When we got to the observatory we followed the signs to the Prime Meridian. This is the line that divides the world into Eastern and Western hemispheres. Pretty cool right? I was standing in two different hemispheres at once. I'll admit, I felt pretty special at that moment. We snapped a few pictures and then decided to go to the astronomy exhibit. Annie's a pretty big fan of those types of things, so we wanted to give her the chance to go. It too was fun to look at. From there we decided to head back to London. Again, we trekked through the pouring rain and had a nice soggy train ride back home.

 

That night we went as a group to see a night of Baroque Music at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square. Annie, Lauren, Abby, Nicole, and I decided to get some dinner first. We went to Nando's and it was so good. I got a caesar salad and just loved it. The concert was really neat as well. The church was beautiful. I wasn't sure what Baroque music was, but now I know it is very pleasant sounding music played mostly by strings. They played "Four Seasons" and "Pachobel's Cannon" just to name a few. I really enjoyed myself. Afterwards we had some delicious ice cream cones from McDonald's. Seriously, one of the best I've had while over here. It was a pretty great day!

A little Billy followed by that darn Phantom....

This week I realized that I am quickly running out of time. We go home in less than 4 weeks! It is crazy to think about. I don't know how it's gone by so fast. I'm just trying not to think about it. I can only focus on the present moment and enjoy every second the I have left here. Anyways, because time is running short I've become a little musical crazy. On Tuesday night Cath, Laura, and I decided to go see Billy Elliot. I absolutely loved it. I thought it had such a British charm to it. The kids were amazing! I also think the fact that it was about dancing made me particularly fond of it. The kid who played Billy was seriously talented. He could do tap, ballet, hip-hop, and lyrical, and he was only 13! When it was over I seriously danced my way to the tube stop. It got me really excited to get home and start dancing again.


On Thursday night Annie, Abby, Lauren, Mandi, and I sporadically decided to go to Phantom of the Opera. I didn't come to London with the hopes of seeing it, but as soon as we decided to go I got really excited for it. It is, after all a timeless musical. I was surprised at how full it was. It's been going on for so many years, but it clearly hasn't lost its edge. Our seats were on the balcony, to the side, so they had a semi-restrictive view, but it was fine. I loved every minute of the show. The music in it is incredible. There's just something about the story, the phantom, and the music that makes it sort of haunting. I am so happy we decided to go see it. It was definitely one I would have been sad to have missed. After seeing both of these I've added a few more to my list before I go home. I just love a night out at the show!

Scottyland, Day 2

Today was already our final day in Scotland. I feel like it was over before it really began, but we made sure we went our with a boom. After checking out of our fantastic hotel room we headed to hike King Arthur's Seat. Some of the girls who had come a few weeks earlier told us we HAD to do this. With an opinion like that we couldn't really say no could we? We had to trek through  the city to get there, and then there was the matter of figuring our the right path to follow. After taking about 3 wrong turns we finally found the one we wanted. I'll be the first to admit that this was not an easy climb. It took us about 45 minutes and had a pretty hefty incline. However, we were determined and refused to stop. I knew that I wanted to get to the top no matter what. Ok, I know I sound a little dramatic, but it wasn't like a walk in the park, this was hard core hiking people.

When we finally made it to the top, the journey to get there was well worth it. It was amazing and we couldn't have picked a more perfect day to go. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and you could see the view for miles. I felt like I was on top of the world. From every angle there was something different to see. It was really exhilarating! We had a lot of fun taking pictures and just enjoying the moment. I think King Arthur's Seat will go down as my favorite thing we did in Edinburgh. I've decided I just love views, and mountains, and nature more than anything else I do here. Every time it is always my favorite event of my trips.

After we made it to the bottom we spent time walking up the Royal Mile and shopping around. Catherine has gotten all of us addicted to vanilla steamers from Starbucks so we picked those up on our way. It was a lot of fun. We weren't rushed and we could really enjoy the day. When we made it to St. Giles Cathedral there was a bagpiper playing in front of it so you know I pulled out a little Highland Pep Club Fling. I looked very Scottish. All I needed was a kilt. We decided to walk through the cathedral too. It was really beautiful. I loved the stain glass windows. For lunch we wanted to get fish and chips. We've finally figured out that the best fish and chips are the ones that they wrap in a newspaper and give to you on-the-go. We found a place fitting to this description and weren't disappointed. They tasted so good. I was very happy. When we finished we went into the cutest/coolest hat store ever. They were all handmade and came in literally every style imaginable. We had fun trying them on and taking some pictures. When we left the shop we ran into the famous Bobby Dog on our way to the National Gallery of Scotland. To be completely honest I was so tired by this point that I didn't take a whole lot from it. I did see Dolly the sheep, aka the first ever cloned animal, but that was pretty much it. To revive our spirits we decided to get some 60p Diet Cokes, and ya know what? That did the trick. I was like a whole new me. Ok, not entirely, but I did feel better. We went to Scotland's other art gallery and I really loved it. They had artwork by Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso. Very cool. It got me so excited for Paris.

After the museum Cath and I headed to the hotel to pick up our bags and the other girls went to Pizza Express to get us a table. We had a great meal. Cath and I shared a caesar salad and margherita pizza. it doesn't get much better than that. Actually I'm lying...our post-dinner snack was better than that. We had some time to kill so we went to a place called Chocolate Soup. One word=Wow. This place is basically a hot chocolate bar, but when I say hot chocolate we're talking authentic, rich, creamy chocolate. Annie and I shared the "hot chocolate sundae" and boy did we enjoy it. All of just found it to be the most charming place. Laura was particularly enthusiastic. I love her. Bring one of those over to the US and you'd get some great business. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the bus from Hell. We stopped at McDonald's to transform ourselves into bus-worthy passengers, ready for a long ride and headed to the coach station. I'll admit, the ride home wasn't nearly as bad as the way there, but I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone. When we finally made it to the center at 7:30am on Sunday morning we were greeted by Courtney and guess what?! She's engaged! We were all so excited for her!!

It was a whirlwind adventure, but we had a fabulous weekend in Edinburgh!

Scottyland, Day 1

 

On Thursday night Cath, Abs, Laur, Mandi, Annie, and I began our whirlwind adventure to Scotland! Little did we know we were in for quite the ride. In order to get to Scotland we had to take an overnight coach. Word to the wise...Never do this. It was, quite possibly, one of the most painful journeys of my life. This was for a number of reasons. A) I was still sick. B) It was freezing. C) Sleeping is basically impossible. However, after nine hours morning did come and we finally reached Edinburgh. From here, however, we were "homeless" for the next little while. So where did we go?...McDonald's of course! You better believe we used their restroom to brush our teeth, change our clothes, and attempt to make ourselves look like we hadn't just been on the bus ride from Hell. I enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate for breakfast and then we journeyed to our hotel. It took us about 20 minutes, but I have to say that staying in a Best Western has its perks. It was right by the castle and they happened to give us a handicap room with three twin beds! It was perfect. Cath and I checked us in and dropped our bags and we were off to the castle.

The castle was really cool. I went there last year on Europe trip '08, but still learned a lot. It was freezing and raining outside so it was a little miserable, but we made the best of it. Some of the girls took a guided tour, but Annie and I went against the grain and took ourselves on a tour. I think it was just as, if not more educational. When we decided we had seen everything we wanted to we headed down the Royal Mile in search of some lunch.

                  

The Elephant House!

We decided to go to The Elephant House for lunch. This is where J.K.Rowling first started writing Harry Potter. As you can probably guess I was beyond happy to be there. I'm lucky because I went there last summer, but it was equally as special this year. Laura and Annie are big fans too so I was excited for them to get to see it. Annie and I shared a delicious cup of hot chocolate and a pizza. It tasted delicious. I think we were overdue for some good quality food, and we definitely found it there. It was a great way to spend our time. Harry Potter forever!

Next up for the day: NAP TIME. We finished lunch around 2 o'clock and were basically dead on our feet. A bed has honestly never sounded so good. We made our way back to our hotel and I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Annie and I shared a bed and we literally slept side by side like dead bodies. I don't think I moved, I know she didn't move, and yet I've never been so comfortable and happy to be asleep. When I woke up a couple hours later I felt so much better. Naps are true lifesavers. We enjoyed a nice dinner of rice cakes, peanut butter, hummus, carrots, crackers, and Oh's. Don't judge us please, we do the best we can.

From here we decided we better get back out there and do something. It was tempting to stay in bed, but we were only in the city for a little over 24 hours so we knew we needed to pack everything in. We walked over to the Royal Mile and got some 60p Diet Cokes (another true lifesaver) and ended up at a tour of the "Underground City of the Dead".  We weren't really sure what to expect from it, but figured why not? Our tourguide was quite the character. He began by giving us a rundown of Edinburgh's history and then taking us to the underground city. It is actually pretty crazy. This entire city exists under Edinburgh that they only discovered 30 years ago. As far as anyone knew it was all an urban myth. Clearly they were wrong. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little creeped out. When we were in the official tunnels he wasted no time in telling us that this was where all the criminals, murderers, baby snatchers, and every other bad person resided back in the day. He also told us a number of spooky ghost stories. At one point a hooded figure ran through and scared me so badly! Anne literally grabbed me and yanked me against the wall. Her, Laura, and I don't do too well with scary things. At the end he decided to blow out all the candles and the three of us literally ran toward the lit tunnel. I just don't do that kind of stuff. When it was over Cath, Abs, Mandi, and Laur wanted to go to a pub, but Annie and I were both still feeling sick and pretty tired so we decided to head back to the hotel room. Those girls had a fun time, but ya know Annie and I really wouldn't trade our night in. We each showered and caught the end of "Fun with Dick and Jane". Now that's a good time. It was a fun first day in Edinburgh!