Paris- Day Two

Sacre Coeur

Sunday we woke up bright and early and made our way to Bateaux Mouches, which is a boat cruise on the Seine! It was really cold, but I am glad I went because it gave you a different perspective of seeing the landmarks from the river. Our boat was called La Galere and it took us past the Hotel des Invalides, Palais Bourbon, Institut de France, Place de la Concorde, the Palais de Chaillot, and a lot more around the bank of the Seine.

After our boat trip, a few of us joined our tour guide to head up Montmarte (the highest point in Paris) and to the Sacre Coeur. This is by far my favorite part of the trip!! After the steep hike up the steps, it was beautiful. The view was amazing, the entertainment was exciting, and the church was a perfect back drop for the scene. We then went around a corner and there was a square full of artists. Each one of them had there easels up and were ready to sell there goods. After a lot of negotiation, I bought a beautiful ink drawing of the river with the Eiffel tower in the background. I can not wait to get it framed and hang it up! My four friends and I then went to grab lunch at a little French Cafe. I had French Onion Soup and Roasted Salmon, which was delicious(like all the food!). We then headed back to the church to walk through it and I wish I could have taken pictures because it was just as beautiful as the outside. Sadly we weren't allowed though.

We then made our way to the Louvre. All I can say is that it is enormous!! We were there for two and a half hours and we only got through two floor wings! (thats only about 1/8 of the museum, if that!) I was able to see the Mona Lisa, the statue of Ramses, Aphrodite, the winged Victory of Samothrace, and other various works. I was really excited we were there on the first Sunday of the month, because we got in free!! Because of this though, it was a little crowded. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be though, because we were there towards the end of the day. After browsing for awhile, we then headed outside and had a blast taking funny pictures! We then found our way to the tube and made our way back to the hotel to take a little break.

After we were refreshed, we went back to the Latin Quarter to eat some dinner. It is full of small streets where all the owners just haggle you to come in to their restaurant. You talk to them for awhile a look uninterested and eventually they will give you a deal. We went into one where you got three courses for just 10 euros! I got a tomato and mozzarella salad, a half a chicken (they actually just cut it down the middle!) and a crepe with nutella and ice cream. I even tried escargot at this meal and, truth me told, I really like it! We then hung out for awhile and went into a bunch of little stores.

We were all really tired, so we went back to the hotel to get a few hours of sleep before we had to be up to catch our train. We woke up at 6 and made our way to the bus. After sitting on it for about ten minutes, the bus driver was ready to take us to the station. Only one little problem...the bus wouldn't start! After trying for about 15 minutes to get it working, our tour guide announced that we had to get on the metro with all our stuff! It was a mad house since it was early on a workday, but thankfully we all made it to the station! We then boarded the train and I was back 'home' in London!!!

Pics from day one in Paris

Eiffel Tower at Night!

Crepe Place in the Latin Quater

Notre Dame

Where Napoleon's tomb is: St. Jerome's

Arch of Triumph

First day in Paris!!!

Bonjour!!!

I just got back from Paris today, and it was an amazing city! I set off on Saturday morning at 9:12 on the Eurostar and made my way through the chunnel. The total time the trip took was about 2 hrs and 15 min, but in reality it took 3 because of the time difference! We arrived at the train station in Paris and we were immediately bombarded by gypsies for money...you really have to watch your belongings because pick pocketing is not uncommon in France. Other then the gypsies though, the city was beautiful! It really hit me that I was in a country where I didn't speak the language right away. We stopped in a French bakery and I ordered just fine, by pointing to what I wanted, but the girl behind me took some time and got an attitude in return! I got a chocolate croissant, and let's just say- it was just the start of all of the amazing food that I ate!!! I can definitely say that the food in Paris was better then London's, and I probably ate my weight in croissants and baguettes!

We then made our way to our tour bus which took us on a Panoramic tour of the city for three hours. It was really beautiful and I could not believe that I was able to see all of these famous landmarks. I saw the Arch of Triumph, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Place de L'Opera, the Grand Palais, and many, many others! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and told us all what we needed to know when we got out to see the sights at stops. Right before we got out at the Palais De Chaillot, an area right across from the Eiffel Tower, he warned us of the guys trying to sell cheap goods. I wasn't really concerned at that at first because I was so caught up with being a tourist, but as soon as I stepped out of the bus they swarmed us! There were about 50 guys trying to sell cheap Eiffel tower keychains and statues in a tiny square! It was nuts and we had to keep telling them to move in order to get out of our pictures.

After the tour was over, we made our way over to Notre Dame and we were able to tour inside. It is one of the most magnificent churches and it was really awe inspiring. We were there right when the sun was setting too, so it looked even more gothic. A service was also going on when we were inside and the music and atmosphere added to the atmosphere. After we were done walking around the church, we made our way over to the Latin Quarter. This is full of small shops, food stands, bars, and entertainment. It was full of life and we had about an hour to get something to eat. My group stopped at a crepe place and I got the bacon, egg and cheese (lots and lots of fresh french cheese!) It was delicious and I was tempted to get another!

After everyone ate, there were about 25 of us on this trip, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower! It was all lit up and it was very surreal. We got there right at 8 o'clock and at every hour, the tower twinkles with lights! We made our way to the 2nd viewing deck (the top was closed for construction) and the sight was breathtaking! The city was all lit up and you could pick out the places that we saw earlier very easily! We stayed up there for about an hour and then made our way down the stairs! It was cold and little wet and going down the stairs was a little scary! It was beautiful though, and it offered amazing views. After we made our way down, the guys again approached us with their Eiffel Tower keychains! After awhile you just get used to it and don't even acknowledge them. One guy was funny to watch though, because he was selling flowers and he would just go in between couples making out or taking pictures! What a way to ruin a romantic moment! We stayed and watched the Eiffel Tower twinkle once again and made our way to the metro.

The metro.......very dirty and all in a different language! It is similiar to the London tube though, so we all figured it out quickly enough. Unlike London though, you can talk and do whatever you please! People would just sneak in without tickets by pushing against you when you went through the turn-tiles. They were very pushy and again you had to watch your pockets!

We headed back to our hotel and headed out to bars in our area. We ended up going to a bar called Partie de Campagne and got some more dinner! We got seated and were given menus and it was all in French. I did not know a word of French, but made best with what I could figure out! I ended up ordering a Salmon sandwich and it was heaven in my mouth!! I also got a nice glass of red wine and a baked apple crisp. We ended up closing the place up and headed back to our hotel.

It was a long, amazing day and I am so glad I won this trip!! Stay tuned to hear about day two tomorrow!

My Flat!!

I know some people were asking for my mailing address, so this blog is all about my flat and my post address!

If you would like to send me some mail, you have to send it to my school address which is:

Abigail Painter

C/O CAPA International Education

146 Cromwell Road

London

SW7 4EF

United Kingdom

They will make sure I get it and thanks in advance if you send me anything!!!

View from outside my bedroom window... the one brown house on the far left is where Beethoven composed his first symphony!!

Our dining table, complete with fresh flowers!!

Our family room

My kitchen with our tiny laundry machine that takes 6 hrs to do wash
My bed and bedroom!

Brighton Pics

View of the Brighton Pier from the Beach!!!

Brighton Pier
Brighton Royal Pavilion (the building we toured)
Me standing at one of the entrances to the Royal Pavilion
Jordan, me and Elise standing by one of the infamous Brighton doughnut statues!!!

Brighton!!

Brighton is def. a place I need to go back to!!! With the beach, the shops, and the great fish and chips, it is an amazing place!

Brighton is known for the Royal Pavillion, the first aquarium, and of course the Brighton Pier. We started out the day by taking a train (which only took an hour) and met our tour guide. He was hysterical and he just kept on warning us against the seagulls. He was attacked by them the last time he was there by eating doughnuts and will never forget it! Brighton is known for its doughnuts and they even have doughnut statues everywhere. (I'll post pics later). He showed us all the little sides that Brighton has to offer and he made you want to walk into every store! Brighton is known to be a gay community hot spot, so it was very eclectic and clean. There was a bunch of stuff that Jordan, Elise and I wanted to explore!! After he showed us around for a bit, we then got to seperate for lunch. We went to seafood place and I got to try legit fish and chips!! It was AMAZING!!!! Think of the best you ever had and that is what it tasted like!

We then met back up for a tour of the Royal Pavillion. We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside, but I wish I could have. It was so stunning with all the different rooms and decorations. The historical society is doing a really great job with the place and all the rooms looked exactly like the old pictures! My favorite room was the dining area, where dragons took over!! There was a one ton chandelier!! Another great room was the Kitchen. It had to be so modern during its day. Mom, you would have loved it!!! It was huge and had so much room and open windows. It was a really cool place to see and I could only imagine being invited to stay there!!! It was said to put some women into faints because it was so breathtaking!!

Overall, it was an amazing day and I am really glad I got the chance to go. Hopefully I will be able to stop by again while I am here!

Observations I've made in London So Far...

1. I must always look both ways when crossing the road....they drive on the WRONG side!! and I forgot that the first day, haven't made that mistake since!

2. TV, media, announcements are very blunt and open in what they say/ show. If the tube stops running, they're not afraid to tell you the truth. For instance- if someone jumps in front of the train.

3. The Brits have so many coins!! There is a pence, a 2 pence, a 5 pence, a 10 pence, a 20 pence, a 50 pence, a pound, and a 2 pound piece!! They are hard to learn at first, but after weighing down my purse, I learned quickly!

4. When you say cheers at a bar, you must look at who your are having the drink with in the eye. It is considered rude if you don't.

5. Brits hate lawyers and they think America is littered with them. I've had atleast fifty conversations on the topic of why do we have so many?!

6. Tea is now running through my veins instead of blood! I drink about 3-4 cups a day now and I love it!! We have it at work, at home, while eating, and sometimes after we go out! I love tea breaks and this is the one thing I WILL bring back to America!!

7. All of the young students who go to school wear uniforms. They are so cute and it is always in the school color. When I say uniform, I mean shoes, socks, tights, skirt/slacks, shirt, vest, jacket, hat, and book bag. All of the kids match and the uniforms look so sharp on all of the 5 year olds!!! (although all age groups wear them)

8. Brits are very up on fashion, but not really on hair. Due to the weather, you just kind of let your hair go natural. You see it up a lot and wavy, which is very unique compared to America (where the average girl owns 5 different irons/straighteners!) Its a nice break...

9. The tube system is the best thing invented!!! You can get everywhere and anywhere and it is so convenient! It doesn't take a long time and it is really simple to use!! I wish we had one of these in Pittsburgh! (our school also pays for us to use it, so its free!!)

10.Last, but not least, is the food....you miss out on a lot of the stuff you are used to, but its really not bad. Thanks to my mom who sent over my beloved peanut butter by the barrel!!! And yes, do not worry, they have heinz ketchup as well!! I have yet to have a real English breakfast, but I am sure that will happen soon! My favorite thing here so far is mash and of course the fish and chips! I have yet to explore more though, and I am sure my favorites will change!

Stay tuned to hear about my trip to Brighton tomorrow!