Saturday night we took a bike tour! It was by far the best thing we could have done that night I think. We had a guide, the well-liked and fun Ned, and each had our own bikes with reflective safety vests to wear. The bike was wobbly when you first started going, and it was hard because even though I put the seat all the way down, I could barely touch the ground. I was pretty much on my tippy toes the whole time, or standing on one foot with the bike completely slanted.
Two phrases to get an idea of how big the group was and the attidute Ned wanted us to adopt: DOMINATE THE ROAD and STAY IN A TIGHT PACK. We rode in the streets, and pretty much cars had to stop for us or put up with the large amount of bikers. Most of the time we rode in bike lanes/taxi lanes, but there were times where we had to go through big intersections! So intense because I, and probably some others, were not used to riding a bike in traffic.
Taking this bike tour you really get to see why Paris is called the City of Lights. Everything is lit up, and looks just as pretty as during the day. We rode past so many famous and hidden spots. We saw all the major things at night - Eiffel Tower, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Pantheon and the Louvre, and also other place we wouldn't have known about, such as Ernest Hemingway's favorite fishing spot, pub/cafe where many famous American writers spent a lot of time and the apartment area where Johnny Depp has an apartment.
We rode for a few hours, and went about eight miles, give or take. It was perfect weather to ride bikes, and it was so fun to see Paris from that way. There were times you I just coasted along and took in my surroundings. My favorite part was riding though the Louvre at night. The pyramid looks amazing lit up, and it's very magical. At one point we stopped on a pedestrian bridge. Paris has two islands, and this bridge is the only thing that connects them. One side is the bustling city with the metro and everything, while the other side is the part of the city that is calm and quiet, and only accessible by this pedestrian bridge. We learned Johnny Depp owns an apartment just over the bridge, and there's also a small ice cream shop, and we were able to buy some.
Our last stop was after we rode along a long road with the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Amazing. We then ended, after riding along the river for a while, at a boat where we were to have a boat ride. Ned gave us some red wine, and we enjoyed the sights from the river. We learned Ned went to school in Baltimore (Goucher College) and graduated in 2006! He went to every Loyolapalooza and knew a bunch of lacrosse players. Funny guy that Ned.
So that ends the bike tour - great time!
Sunday we went to Versaille! This is where many kings and queens of France lived, most notably Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The palace was HUGE! There was so much gold and many decorations. Each room was preserved very well and there were many portraits and furnishings from the era. We also went into the gardens, which were also very large, but very beautiful. It was cloudy and even a bit rainy, but I still enjoyed the gardens anyway. There were numerous fountains spouting water, and the flowers were in perfect bloom. There were a lot of people touring the gardens and palace, so it was a little annoying to be able to enjoy everything while people kept bumping into you, but it was still good nonetheless. My favorite room in the palace was the hall of mirros. It looks great, very majestic, especially when the light from outside shines through the many windows and reflects in the mirrors, sending rays of sun in every direction.
After Versaille we went back to the Eiffel tower and went to the top! We had to take two elevators (since we were short on time we didn't climb the steps) and the view was beautiful. We were really high up, but not so high that we couldn't identify places and monuments. The Louvre, Arc, statue of liberty and other places were visible. It was really windy up there as well, but definitely worth going up, even if some don't consider it the ideal place to observe Paris from above.
We then hurried back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed back to the airport! Paris was amazing, and I am so happy to have gotten to go!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Paris, Finally!
Sorry it took me so long to update! Friday October 9th I went to class with my packed bag (that's right...a bag. only a backpack for the whole weekend! I'm such a good packer. It was kind of necessary though to avoid paying for checked bags out of our own pockets. and much easier in the end) and went to one class on Friday. We took a taxi right after class to the airport and before we knew it we were in Paris!
I LOVE Paris. It's so great. First off, it's very strange to be the "foreign one." Almost all of us on the trip hardly know any French at all (besides Rita and Katie!). I don't think we really looked out of place until we spoke aloud to each other. Only then I think people stared at us. We were warned to always say Bonjour or Hello when initiating a conversation with someone so we are not perceived as rude, as many Americans are by the French people. I found that the French are very friendly, and most who work in public places especially the tourist areas spoke some English.
Friday night we went to dinner at this cute restaurant not too far from our hotel. I ordered a chicken salad, and when we were finished we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, which honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleanic Wars. Fun Fact: Napolean's body was processed through/under the arc on its way to its second and final resting spot. We took the elevator up to the top of the arc, since we only had fifteen minutes before it closed. The view from the top is amazing. You have a wonderful panoramic view of Paris, and can see for miles. The Eiffel Tower demands the most attention of course. It was our first view of the Tower, and we were awestruck. At night it glows red and white, and every hour on the hour for three mintues it sparkles. So pretty. I couldn't believe I was actually looking at the Eiffel Tower! It seemed so surreal.
We then had to leave the arc for closing time and we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. It is here that I experienced my first Chocolate Crepe. SO GOOD. We took some pictures, and ran into a few other Loyola people before heading back to the hotel.
The next day was hectic, yet exciting. We woke up early and had the continental breakfast in the hotel. Our first stop was a cemetary where apparently Oscar Wilde and a few other well-known people are buried, but we had difficulty finding them. I think we spent too much time there, but the graves were very elaborate. Our next stop was the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which was so pretty! It's very tall, and built in Gothic architecture, which in it's time was only beginning to become popular. It's one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses, and has elaborate carvings of scenes all over it. It took 200 years to build. Those who started building it never got to see it finished, only knew the importance of what they were working on. Fun Fact: The row of statues along the Cathedral are the 28 Kings of Judah: biblical kings. In the revolution people thought they were kings of France that were hated, so they stormed the church and cut off their heads. The heads were found in 1977 buried and are now in a museum! The heads on the Cathedral today are replicas.
After the Cathedral we stopped in a small gift shop, and then headed for THE LOUVRE! I was literally jumping out of my skin to see the Louvre. Of course when we got there we took a bunch of photos with the famous pyramid, and then had just under two hours to explore the museum before meeting again for lunch. The Louvre is HUGE. You could spend a week in there, maybe longer. So, I had to pick and choose what I wanted to see, and the first stop on my list was the Mona Lisa! I headed for the Italian Painting floor and found Mona. Took some pictures of her and then one with her, hahah, and then just observed the painting for a few mintues. I also observed the commotion around her and the room she was in. There were so many people that it was almost hard to enjoy the painting, but I guess when you're as famous as Mona that's to be expected. I had my trusty Rick Steves Audio guide on my iPod to give me some information so people probably thought I was listening to music in the Louvre but in reality I was learning information they probably didn't know themselves.
I viewed some more paintings, including Raphael's and more DaVinci. Then gift shop again...and off to lunch. We ate a small cafe, which was really tasty and cute. Afterwards the group split up and I went with Jenn, Rita and Katie for a walk through the Jardin des Tuileries, which was pretty. It had many statues and flower beds, as well as a few fountains. At the end you can see a giant obelisk as well. We then made our way over to the Musee Orsay. We only had about forty mintues in this museum, so again I chose to go to only the impressionist floor. I saw paintings by Degas! Monet! Manet! Van Gogh! and others. They were great to view, and it was exciting to see how they looked up close as well as far away.
We then headed over to the Eiffel Tower again! I love the Eiffel Tower. It's so big and powerful. We waited in line to get to the top of the it, but then decided not to and we grabbed more crepes! and headed to our Bike Tour. The Bike Tour was probably one of my favorite things we did so far while abroad! I think it deserves its own entry, considering it was so fun, and this one is pretty long!
I LOVE Paris. It's so great. First off, it's very strange to be the "foreign one." Almost all of us on the trip hardly know any French at all (besides Rita and Katie!). I don't think we really looked out of place until we spoke aloud to each other. Only then I think people stared at us. We were warned to always say Bonjour or Hello when initiating a conversation with someone so we are not perceived as rude, as many Americans are by the French people. I found that the French are very friendly, and most who work in public places especially the tourist areas spoke some English.
Friday night we went to dinner at this cute restaurant not too far from our hotel. I ordered a chicken salad, and when we were finished we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, which honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleanic Wars. Fun Fact: Napolean's body was processed through/under the arc on its way to its second and final resting spot. We took the elevator up to the top of the arc, since we only had fifteen minutes before it closed. The view from the top is amazing. You have a wonderful panoramic view of Paris, and can see for miles. The Eiffel Tower demands the most attention of course. It was our first view of the Tower, and we were awestruck. At night it glows red and white, and every hour on the hour for three mintues it sparkles. So pretty. I couldn't believe I was actually looking at the Eiffel Tower! It seemed so surreal.
We then had to leave the arc for closing time and we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. It is here that I experienced my first Chocolate Crepe. SO GOOD. We took some pictures, and ran into a few other Loyola people before heading back to the hotel.
The next day was hectic, yet exciting. We woke up early and had the continental breakfast in the hotel. Our first stop was a cemetary where apparently Oscar Wilde and a few other well-known people are buried, but we had difficulty finding them. I think we spent too much time there, but the graves were very elaborate. Our next stop was the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which was so pretty! It's very tall, and built in Gothic architecture, which in it's time was only beginning to become popular. It's one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses, and has elaborate carvings of scenes all over it. It took 200 years to build. Those who started building it never got to see it finished, only knew the importance of what they were working on. Fun Fact: The row of statues along the Cathedral are the 28 Kings of Judah: biblical kings. In the revolution people thought they were kings of France that were hated, so they stormed the church and cut off their heads. The heads were found in 1977 buried and are now in a museum! The heads on the Cathedral today are replicas.
After the Cathedral we stopped in a small gift shop, and then headed for THE LOUVRE! I was literally jumping out of my skin to see the Louvre. Of course when we got there we took a bunch of photos with the famous pyramid, and then had just under two hours to explore the museum before meeting again for lunch. The Louvre is HUGE. You could spend a week in there, maybe longer. So, I had to pick and choose what I wanted to see, and the first stop on my list was the Mona Lisa! I headed for the Italian Painting floor and found Mona. Took some pictures of her and then one with her, hahah, and then just observed the painting for a few mintues. I also observed the commotion around her and the room she was in. There were so many people that it was almost hard to enjoy the painting, but I guess when you're as famous as Mona that's to be expected. I had my trusty Rick Steves Audio guide on my iPod to give me some information so people probably thought I was listening to music in the Louvre but in reality I was learning information they probably didn't know themselves.
I viewed some more paintings, including Raphael's and more DaVinci. Then gift shop again...and off to lunch. We ate a small cafe, which was really tasty and cute. Afterwards the group split up and I went with Jenn, Rita and Katie for a walk through the Jardin des Tuileries, which was pretty. It had many statues and flower beds, as well as a few fountains. At the end you can see a giant obelisk as well. We then made our way over to the Musee Orsay. We only had about forty mintues in this museum, so again I chose to go to only the impressionist floor. I saw paintings by Degas! Monet! Manet! Van Gogh! and others. They were great to view, and it was exciting to see how they looked up close as well as far away.
We then headed over to the Eiffel Tower again! I love the Eiffel Tower. It's so big and powerful. We waited in line to get to the top of the it, but then decided not to and we grabbed more crepes! and headed to our Bike Tour. The Bike Tour was probably one of my favorite things we did so far while abroad! I think it deserves its own entry, considering it was so fun, and this one is pretty long!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Football and Cinema Trips
This past Saturday I went to my first ever football (soccer) game! Newcastle United versus Bristol City. Our seats were a little high up, but I was still surprised to see that we still had a good view of the game! I was really excited to see a professional football match since I've watched my brother play for so long. First off, the stadium is really nice. It's like open air, but has a roof that covers most of the field and stands, but where it's open you have a nice view of the city. Secondly, the fans are CRAZY! They are so funny. They stand up constantly (at least in my section and the ones surrounding mine they did) and constantly cheer, scream and sing in support of Newcastle United. Bristol City's fan section was two sections to my left, and they had a line of police officers separting the sections. It was really funny when the Newcastle fans would yell at the Bristol fans and vice versa...a competition of cheering. Such excitement, passion and loyalty! It's crazy. When we were exiting the stands, there was a mosh pit of sorts, and we saw the police pulling people away to stop it from getting any further, and the same when we walked down a few levels! Oh football riots.
After the game, I went back to Rita & Katie's flat with Jenn and we ordered pizza, which was decent. Then we set some plans up for Paris<3 and then also did some planning for trips to Dublin and Amsterdam! Very exciting. I'm especially excited for Paris, since I always wished to make it to the Louvre. Then Rita made some homemade popcorn which was soo tasty that I think I might steal her recipe and make it myself!
Sunday I discovered one of my new favorite places. It's called the Tyneside Cinema...and it's great. It's an old fashioned cinemal with like three or four movie screening rooms, which are smaller than what we are use to. It's very clean, and the seats are very comfortable. The screen is also smaller than in big, general theatres. They show a few of the blockbusters, but show a lot of independent films and do special events. Sunday morning we went to the cinema for part of their John Hughes tribute. John Hughes passed away this past August and he wrote and directed movies like Ferris Buellers Day Off, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club. We went to see The Breakfast Club and with our ticket we got tea or coffee plus a breakfast sandwich! It was tasty, and the movie was so good. It was a treat to see it in a theatre, since it's a film you can only see on televison or DVD. Loveee this cinema...it also has like three cafes and we are planning on going back for ice cream sundaes one day :)
I actually went to this cinema tonight! Jenn and I went because they were having free screenings of Short Films made by students in a film academy in Scotland. They were interesting...and really great cinematically.
Classes are going well, even though they are very different. Lots of people in each class, but the seminars are smaller, but even though the seminars are similar to Loyola classes they still seem to be different. I had four hours of class today and it was rainy out. Classes were a little boring but not too bad. The rest of the week I am just spending in class, doing work, and preparing for Paris! The next post will probably be after Paris :)
xoxo
After the game, I went back to Rita & Katie's flat with Jenn and we ordered pizza, which was decent. Then we set some plans up for Paris<3 and then also did some planning for trips to Dublin and Amsterdam! Very exciting. I'm especially excited for Paris, since I always wished to make it to the Louvre. Then Rita made some homemade popcorn which was soo tasty that I think I might steal her recipe and make it myself!
Sunday I discovered one of my new favorite places. It's called the Tyneside Cinema...and it's great. It's an old fashioned cinemal with like three or four movie screening rooms, which are smaller than what we are use to. It's very clean, and the seats are very comfortable. The screen is also smaller than in big, general theatres. They show a few of the blockbusters, but show a lot of independent films and do special events. Sunday morning we went to the cinema for part of their John Hughes tribute. John Hughes passed away this past August and he wrote and directed movies like Ferris Buellers Day Off, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club. We went to see The Breakfast Club and with our ticket we got tea or coffee plus a breakfast sandwich! It was tasty, and the movie was so good. It was a treat to see it in a theatre, since it's a film you can only see on televison or DVD. Loveee this cinema...it also has like three cafes and we are planning on going back for ice cream sundaes one day :)
I actually went to this cinema tonight! Jenn and I went because they were having free screenings of Short Films made by students in a film academy in Scotland. They were interesting...and really great cinematically.
Classes are going well, even though they are very different. Lots of people in each class, but the seminars are smaller, but even though the seminars are similar to Loyola classes they still seem to be different. I had four hours of class today and it was rainy out. Classes were a little boring but not too bad. The rest of the week I am just spending in class, doing work, and preparing for Paris! The next post will probably be after Paris :)
xoxo
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Scotland Continued
I had to restart my computer, so I decided to just post the last entry without finishing so I wouldn't have to retype all that. So, the mountain was extremely windy and when Jenn and I caught up to the rest of the group at the top, the view was amazing. Edinburgh surrounded us, as well as the North Sea. We could see forever. We were so high up that birds were flying below us. We snapped some photos, and started to climb down. We made it almost to the bottom when for some reason we decided to take a route through a thistle forest, an awful idea, don't ever try it. We turned around and went a different way, and this is when I slipped and started sliding down the side of the mountain, also grabbing a thistle bush along the way! Really embarrassing, but funny anytime I think about it.
It was after sunset by the time we were completly down from the mountain, and we went to find a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a pub which had excellent food, and then we headed back to the bed and breakfast. Kelly and I enjoyed some tea (for me) and coffee (Kelly) and chatted for a bit with ourselves and then with our other roommate. The next day I had egg, bacon and toast for breakfast then we left Edinburgh and stopped in a coastal England town called Lindisfarne. We toured the castle and the priory, which were smaller than others but still really nice, and had some lunch. We walked down to the beach at one point, and mixed amongst the stones and shells were tons and tons of sea glass! I was really excited when Rita told me about this because back home I always look for sea glass on the beach and rarely find it. So I took a bunch with me.
We made it back to Newcastle around five or six in the evening, and had time to relax and prepare for the first day of classes. Edinburgh was a great city that is old with history and authenticity, and very pretty. We had a great weekend.
xoxo
It was after sunset by the time we were completly down from the mountain, and we went to find a place to eat dinner. We ended up at a pub which had excellent food, and then we headed back to the bed and breakfast. Kelly and I enjoyed some tea (for me) and coffee (Kelly) and chatted for a bit with ourselves and then with our other roommate. The next day I had egg, bacon and toast for breakfast then we left Edinburgh and stopped in a coastal England town called Lindisfarne. We toured the castle and the priory, which were smaller than others but still really nice, and had some lunch. We walked down to the beach at one point, and mixed amongst the stones and shells were tons and tons of sea glass! I was really excited when Rita told me about this because back home I always look for sea glass on the beach and rarely find it. So I took a bunch with me.
We made it back to Newcastle around five or six in the evening, and had time to relax and prepare for the first day of classes. Edinburgh was a great city that is old with history and authenticity, and very pretty. We had a great weekend.
xoxo
Friday, October 2, 2009
Scotland
Sorry for the late update! This past weekend I went to Edinburgh, Scotland, which took about 3 hours, maybe a bit longer to get to. We took the coach again of course, and like all the other trips, I slept, but I also read a lot of my book, which is really good. It's called Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. Anyway, when we arrived and saw our accomodation, I was personally excited. We stayed in a bed and breakfast, and the ladies who ran them were incredibly nice. They were what you might imagine bed and breakfast hosts would be. They were wrinkled, with graying hair, and grandmotherly. We told them what we would like for breakfast each morning and they gave us more than enough on our plates, including all you can eat toast, coffee, orange juice and milk.
After settling in to our accomodation, a large group of us decided to go on a Ghost Tour. Now, I don't normally do these types of things, since it's very scary to me...and I don't know why I thought this would be any different. The main part of the tour, the guide took us underground to old torture chambers and rooms that poor people had to settle in next to awful criminals and thieves years and years ago. She told us stories about things that happened down there and things that people have experienced on previous tours. It was so so so scary, I don't even think I can go into any more detail.
The Ghost Tour ended pretty late, just before midnight. We headed back to the room, showered and got ready for the next day. In the morning I chose to have the cereal, juice and toast breakfast, which was tasty. We met the rest of the group, and then we were off to tour the Edinburgh Castle. The walk was not far, and the weather wasn't bad. It was slightly windy, but the sun was shining and with every step we took the clouds seemed to dissipate. The castle is located high above the town, and because of this, when you are in the castle you have an amazing view of Edinburgh.
I took advantage of the beautiful views and took a bunch of photos, and we kinda followed along with the tour group but we wandered off and lost it, which seemed to be better. It may have been better because we were able to see the views and go at our own pace. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, which were on display and looked as they were meant to - majestic. After a visit to the gift shop, we were on our own until 3pm.
After leaving the castle we were on the road called The Royal Mile, which had many shops and places to eat along it, as well as attractions. The first thing we did was go on a Scotch Whiskey Tour. It was really interesting and fun. We had a ride in a barrel as it took us along and taught us about how whiskey was made and the different types. Then after that some guy talked to us about the main whiskeys made in Scotland, and then we were able to choose one and taste it for ourselves. I tried some of mine, and then some of Kelly's, and then I gave the rest of mine to another person from Loyola. We got to keep the glasses though! We were also able to see a HUGE collection of scotch whiskey, some as old as 115 years. So cool.
After the Scotch Whiskey Experience, we had lunch, then continued down along the Royal Mile to meet the group for our Palace tour. The Palace where Mary Queen of Scots lived. It was nice, and we were able to walk out back in the small gardens also.
After the Palace tour, we CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN. Yup. Not a big deal. First off, according to the Scottish and others who live there as well as in England, it was considered a hill. It took about 2 hours to get up to the top and back down again. It was hard, intense and as we got closer to the top it was extremely windy, like my purse almost got blown off my shoulder.
After settling in to our accomodation, a large group of us decided to go on a Ghost Tour. Now, I don't normally do these types of things, since it's very scary to me...and I don't know why I thought this would be any different. The main part of the tour, the guide took us underground to old torture chambers and rooms that poor people had to settle in next to awful criminals and thieves years and years ago. She told us stories about things that happened down there and things that people have experienced on previous tours. It was so so so scary, I don't even think I can go into any more detail.
The Ghost Tour ended pretty late, just before midnight. We headed back to the room, showered and got ready for the next day. In the morning I chose to have the cereal, juice and toast breakfast, which was tasty. We met the rest of the group, and then we were off to tour the Edinburgh Castle. The walk was not far, and the weather wasn't bad. It was slightly windy, but the sun was shining and with every step we took the clouds seemed to dissipate. The castle is located high above the town, and because of this, when you are in the castle you have an amazing view of Edinburgh.
I took advantage of the beautiful views and took a bunch of photos, and we kinda followed along with the tour group but we wandered off and lost it, which seemed to be better. It may have been better because we were able to see the views and go at our own pace. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, which were on display and looked as they were meant to - majestic. After a visit to the gift shop, we were on our own until 3pm.
After leaving the castle we were on the road called The Royal Mile, which had many shops and places to eat along it, as well as attractions. The first thing we did was go on a Scotch Whiskey Tour. It was really interesting and fun. We had a ride in a barrel as it took us along and taught us about how whiskey was made and the different types. Then after that some guy talked to us about the main whiskeys made in Scotland, and then we were able to choose one and taste it for ourselves. I tried some of mine, and then some of Kelly's, and then I gave the rest of mine to another person from Loyola. We got to keep the glasses though! We were also able to see a HUGE collection of scotch whiskey, some as old as 115 years. So cool.
After the Scotch Whiskey Experience, we had lunch, then continued down along the Royal Mile to meet the group for our Palace tour. The Palace where Mary Queen of Scots lived. It was nice, and we were able to walk out back in the small gardens also.
After the Palace tour, we CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN. Yup. Not a big deal. First off, according to the Scottish and others who live there as well as in England, it was considered a hill. It took about 2 hours to get up to the top and back down again. It was hard, intense and as we got closer to the top it was extremely windy, like my purse almost got blown off my shoulder.
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