Paris!

Thursday night we decided to stay up all night to catch our 5 am train to Paris! Jordan, Liz and I caught a cab to Kings Cross at 4:15 am and were all settled in on the train by 5:30. The train ride was two hours, but due to the time difference between London and Paris we arrived in the city at 9 am. I attempted to sleep on the train, but found myself too excited! When we arrived in Paris Liz, Jordan and I headed to a café to kill some time while we awaited the arrival of Ann Marie from Dijon and Gwynne from Germany. The café made me realize for the first time that I am living abroad. I’ve never been in a situation where I encountered a true language barrier. Even in my past adventures abroad, such as to Peru, I had some control of the language around me because I know some Spanish. I was completely lost in Paris and had to demote myself to gestures to make myself understood.

Jordan and I on our way to Paris!

We met Ann Marie and Gwynne after the café at the station where they came in. It was so nice to see them both again! It was also incredibly nice to have a proficient French speaker with us in the form of Ann Marie. We made our way to our hotel and had our first experience with the extremely dirty and confusing Parisian metro. Not that subway systems are ever sparkling clean, but this one is particularly grimy. Our hotel was on the Rue de Rivoli, right along side the Louvre. It was an outdated hotel but was in the perfect location, within walking distance from the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, the Eiffel tower the Concord, the Champs Elysses and the Arc de Triumph.

Liz and my hotel room

Our bathroom

After dropping out stuff off at the hotel we wandered around, walking down the Seine, exploring the Concord, then walking around the Champs Elysses. Around 3 pm, Liz and I were both dead on our feet, having been awake for almost 35 hours, so we headed back to the hotel for a nap. When we woke up it was time to find another delicious cafe to have dinner at, which wasn't hard at all. We went to one that was across the street from the hotel. I had a baguette with Salmon on it (unexciting but still very French) and then Crepes with chocolate sauce, pear, oranges and a scoop of ice cream. Delicious. 

Joan of Arc

Temple of Madeleine

Chanel in Paris! 

On the Steps of the Temple of Madeleine

Jumping picture at the Concord

My first meal in Paris

Gwynne, Jordan, myself and Liz in front of the Louvre

Liz and myself at dinner on Friday night

The next morning we got up and headed over to the Louvre only to find the line was a two hour wait... in the rain... so we instead headed over to meet up with Gwynne, Ann Marie and Jordan at Angelina's where they had run to grab breakfast. We caught them just as they were finishing up, so we didn't sit down to eat but did get to try some of the AMAZING hot chocolate they have at Angelinas. It was to die for, as was the chocolat au pain I got to go for breakfast. We went to the Musee D'Orsay, which is located across the river from the Louvre and contains most of the impressionist artists. It was amazing to see so many paintings in real life which I have known about and studied multiple times since middle school. My favorite thing to see was the Degas collection, but I also enjoyed seeing Monet, Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, etc. It seems they had at least one major piece from every famous European painter. Incredible.

The Louvre

Outside of the national assembly on the way to the Musee D'Orsay

We finished exploring the Musee D'Orsay around 2 and decided to head to a cafe for lunch. Gwynne, Ann Marie and Jordan stayed at the museum for a little while longer, as they hadn't seen the Van Gogh exhibit yet. Liz and I headed towards the Eiffel tower in order to find a place for us all to eat. We found a cafe about a block from the tower after a deceivingly long walk and walked in to order lunch and a bottle of wine. I had a delicious salad that was topped with grilled baguette, cooked apples, sweet sausage and goat cheese. By time Ann Marie, Gwynne and Jordan joined us we were all ordering dessert- I got apple crepes. I cannot get over how delicious all the French food was- no matter where you got it from, was incredible. 

Liz and I at lunch

Lunch!

The Best Salad I have ever had

3 hours later we figured it was time to leave the cafe and do the Eiffel tower, but at this point it was dusk so we thought we might as well kill some time until the sun went down and go up the tower when it was lit up at night. The natural solution was to go eat dinner.. so we walked down the block to another cafe and had a 3 hour dinner. I don't think I have ever eaten so much food in so little time, but it was definitely worth it. I had lasagna followed by chocolate mousse. The six total hours we spent hanging out that day in cafes were incredible. We got to catch up with Ann Marie and Jordan over some delicious food and spent so much time laughing that it was worth losing so much time. By time we finished the Eiffel Tower was lit up beautifully and the rain had almost stopped so we headed over to head all the way up to the top and see the city all lit up!

Jordan Gwynne and I at dinner

Gwynne, myself, Ann Marie and Liz at dinner

Delicious desserts

Outside of cafe #2

Going up the Eiffel tower was very cool. It wasn't as crowded as we expected it to be on a Saturday night,  probably due to the on and off rain. We went up to the middle level took some amazing photos then headed all the way up to the top. Gwynne is afraid of heights, but managed to enjoy it (i think) just as much as the rest of us. 

the Eiffel tower at night

Homage to London in the tower!

Myself at the middle level

Gwynne, Jordan, Liz and myself in front of the Eiffel Tower

Messing around above the city of light

Myself in front of the Eiffel Tower

We spent so much time at the Eiffel tower that we didn't get home until around midnight, at which point I was so exhausted I basically passed out once I got in bed. the next morning we slept in a little before checking out at noon and heading back to Angelina's for breakfast. Liz and I decided to go all out for breakfast and get the full brunch, which consisted of 6 courses: Hot Chocolate, Baguette, fruit salad, pastries, eggs, salmon, and macaroons, all brought out separately as well as fresh pressed orange juice and champagne. I don't think I will ever have a meal to top that one. Ever. 

Our hotel at night

Gwynne, myself and Liz at Angelinas

Most Amazing breakfast ever

We had to head straight to the station to catch our train home at 4, as we had to check in and go through customs before getting on. I was sad to leave Gwynne and Ann Marie, but I was very excited to get back home to London, which remains my favorite city!

saying goodbye at the station to Ann Marie

Belated update: Imperial War Museum

Last Wednesday we had our usual theatre class. We talked about Vernon God Little, which just about everyone enjoyed as much as I did. Our next show is Anna Nicole Smith: The Opera at the Royal Opera House. That one should be interesting.

After class Jordan, Liz, Elizabeth, Kevin, John, Jordan S., Dan and I all went to the Cittie of York for dinner. We had visited this pub before and it was just as good the second time around. It's an underground pub with delicious fish and chips and only locally brewed beers. After we finished eating we migrated to the Lamb, another pub slightly closer to home. The lamb looks like it came straight out of the Victorian era. I have been there before as well, but it was more crowded this time and more fun with our larger group. Their beer of the week was banana bread flavored. I was too curious to not try it, so I bought a half pint so we could all try some. It tasted exactly like banana bread, which was actually off putting. I think I'll stick to Guinness in the future.

On Thursday after our novel class we had a tour of the Imperial War Museum. We met with one of the IWM's curators for a talk on the museum's history before we set out to explore on our own. He was a fascinating man. He first visited the museum when he was 7 with his father and told his father during that visit that he wanted to work there. He has now been working there for over 35 years and knows the museum and all of the history contained in it like the back of his hand. I'm always impressed by people who have such exact, intricate and extensive knowledge of something like that. Even though I took some issue with some of the things he said, (for example that all American museums are self glorifying while British ones are about the pure truth- an incredible lie) I really enjoyed his talk. The museum itself was pretty cool. Liz and I explored the WWI and WWII areas before heading to the holocaust exhibit. the WWI and WWII areas were extremely bias. You would think that Britain had single handedly won both wars. However, the museum was still very cool to visit. The holocaust exhibit was incredibly well done. It was deeply moving and after we finished walking through it we were in no mood to see the rest of the museum and headed home to pack for our weekend trip to PARIS!!

"Largest Boys room in Briatin" - Curator at the IWM

Respecting the home country

one of the few mentions of US involvement

propaganda posters from WWII

King George VI's jacket

The Small section on the Northern Ireland conflict 

A piece of the Berlin wall

Update on Paris soon!

Belated Update: Monday and Tuesday

Sorry for the extremely long wait for an update, but we have been so busy lately I haven't found much time to write a post. Now I have so much to cover it may take more than one post to get fully updated!

Last Monday was our trip to Greenwich. We took a boat cruise down the Thames, which was incredible. Even though we didn't really see anything new, it was really interesting to see it all from a new perspective, especially since the boat captain added some colorful commentary for each landmark as we cruised by. It was especially cool to see the tower bridge from the river!

Tower Bridge from the River

Approaching Greenwich

Greenwich is one of those places that is so overwhelmingly incredible that it is hard to process it’s real. The buildings were so beautiful and grand that when I look back at my pictures they almost look computer generated. It is incredible to think that Placentia Palace, which is now the Royal Naval College, has been standing since the time of Henry VIII and is still one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. I am very jealous of those who go to school there every day. That ‘campus’ makes Colgate look extremely quaint and unimpressive.

Royal Naval College

Another View of the College

From behind the College

We visited the Queens House, which now holds portraits and busts of several famous players in British history, including James I, Elizabeth I and Lord Nelson. I must admit to feeling very awed and self- important seeing so many busts and portraits of my dear ancestor Lord Nelson, though I am glad there isn’t much family resemblance.

The Queen's House

Resident BA and British Hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson

We trekked up to the Greenwich observatory, which was at the stop of a deceivingly tall hill. It provided some amazing views of London. We also got to stand in both hemispheres! Who doesn’t enjoy being at the center of the world?

Royal Observatory

View of the College from the Observatory

For once, I am at the center of the world

After taking some photos from the observatory we went to the Maritime Museum. I was looking forward to seeing more Nelson memorabilia, but the section that contains it was closed off.

Outside of the Maritime Museum

That night we went to see Vernon God Little. The show was a musical about a boy who is wrongly convicted in a school shooting. Despite the heavy topic, it was hilarious. It was the first play we have seen so far that I really enjoyed. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a play in London.

On Tuesday I woke up feeling terrible and had to opt out of morning classes. For dinner the night before we stopped in a hole in the wall Kabab place across from the theatre. Turns out that wasn’t the greatest idea, as it resulted in Liz and I both getting food poisoning. We spent the day in bed, but both felt a lot better after our recovery day. We went bowling that evening with John, Kevin and Dan at a place at the end of our street. It was probably one of the more hilarious things we have done so far. The bowling alley is designed to make you feel like you are in the USA, but seems to have been designed by someone who has never been there. Every element of the bowling alley came from a different era in US history, but not in a way that worked in its favor. The couches were 60s, the lamp shades 20’s, the waitress outfits 50’s, the wall décor 70’s, etc, etc. All of the food was ‘American’, aka American beer, Burgers and French fries. It was one huge misinterpretation of American stereotypes. The best part of all was watching the British patrons attempt to bowl. The group next to us didn’t even know how to properly hold the ball. They tried observing us for tips and eventually just had John explain it to them. Then John went on to break the bowling alley's high score by only bowling a 211. Overall, it was very fun and an eye opening experience as to how the UK sees American culture. I never thought of bowling as an American thing, but now I’ve learned better.

I’ll stop here and get another update up shortly! 

Buckingham Palace!

On Wednesday we discussed Frankenstein in my theatre class. Turns out, I am one of many who hated it. My Professor wasn't even partial to it. He said there was "an excess of flopping in the first scene", perfectly summing up the extremely drawn out opening nude scene. I was glad to learn that I wasn't the only one who thought the play was too heavy handed.

Later that night Liz, John, Dan and I decided to explore some more pubs. I messed up my directions to the Ship Tavern, and we ended up stopping in at a little place called the Cittie of York. It was an underground pub. I really enjoyed it. They had some amazing local beers and delicious fish and chips. I would definitely go back. After eating dinner we headed back to flats to drop Liz off and pick Kevin up. Then we headed over to the Lamb, another pub we were interested in trying that is very close to our flats. The Lamb was very cozy and full of middle aged locals. Fun, but not what I was expecting.

Tuesday we had our novel class followed by another walking tour of the British Museum. This time it was led by a curator of the museum who discussed the intentions of certain exhibit layouts. It was very interesting. We rounded out the evening by getting a bunch of the group together for a low key hanging out night, which ended up with us playing charades. I must say, charades will always be one of the best games. Seeing people trying to act out "Gnomeo and Juliet" is Priceless.

Yesterday Liz, Elizabeth and I had a late lunch at a local place called, creatively, Spaghetti House. We were seated next to a table of Americans as well. Turns out it was a family visiting a student who was studying here. The student was a girl from Bucknell who lives in the flat next door to us. Her family lives about 15 minutes from Liz back in Virginia. It is sometimes amazing what a small world we live in.

After lunch, we headed over to Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, a lot of the statues and monuments around the Palace were covered in scaffolding because they are being cleaned and repaired before the royal wedding. It was still amazing to see the Palace. I look forward to when we can go back again after the wedding.

In front of the Palace

Elizabeth and I at the Palace Gate

Future Home?

Royal Seal

Statue of Victoria

Last night we went to a club called Zoo Bar with Liz's friend Alyssa who is here studying with BU. I had heard a lot about this club from a lot of people and was really looking forward to it. It was a lot of fun but not somewhere that I think I will be going back to any time soon. Though there was a sizable younger crowd, there was also a large crowd of middle aged men who were, for lack of a better term, skeevy. We had a good group and didn't have any issues, but it wasn't, as they say, 'my scene'. The night wasn't aided by the fact that our cabbie driver claimed to have no change for a 20 pound note, forcing us to surrender the whole bill to him as we had no smaller ones available. Tonight we will probably return to the Court, a student pub in our area that will definitely not require a cab ride.

Liz, Alyssa, Me and Elizabeth

Today Liz and I woke up late and made our way to Covent Gardens for a late lunch. We ate at a place that was right next to where they are setting up for the BAFTA awards tomorrow. The BAFTA award ceremony is the British equivalent to the Academy Awards. We even saw some reporters from E! doing a sound check on the red carpet entrance, which was being constructed right next to where we were eating.

Apparently a British Celebrity

E! News Reporter

BAFTA red carpet set up

Tonight we are planning on going to the Court. Should be a good time! I will update again on Monday after our trip to the Greenwich Observatory!