As you are well aware, it has been some time since I have shared what I have been up to. I am so far behind on this blog due to wifi access (McDonald's are only so easy to come by). So here is everything you've missed (mostly)
Wednesday the 24th we once again began our day with wifi at McDonald's to attempt to figure out train tickets once again. We also switched to our new hostel (a drastic improvement)
 |
| Our nicest hostel yet! |
We had our first crepes and checked out the Moulin Rouge (I think I prefer it in the movie... the neighborhood was not so welcoming...)
 |
| Mmm Nutella and Banana |
 |
| A tad less glamorous than the movie |
We then ventured to the Eiffel Tower! And boy is she (Flora informed us the Eiffel Tower is not an it she is a she) beautiful. After a dramatic photo shoot, and trip a nearby super market for wine, we returned for a picnic right in front of the Tower to watch her light up. It took no time at all for us to realize we were sitting next to a group of guys from St. John's! Talk about small world! So we had a very loud and excited reunion (loud indeed! Oh those Americans) and enjoyed the wonderful view.
 |
| There she is! |
 |
| Surprise meeting with our friend Josh! |
Thursday the 25th was a museum day. Michelle, Kate, and I went to the Louvre bright and early. Thanks again to Flora and her friend who works there, we were able to skip the large line going in and managed to get free tickets for being "European" students (even though they kind of laughed at our visas)
The Louvre was overwhelming! So much to see, everything in French, and lots of people! We saw the Mona Lisa and the large group of people surrounding her as well as many other beautiful and iconic things (Liberty Leading the People, Venus de Milo, Crown Jewels, Napoleon III's apartments)
 |
| The Louvre |
 |
| Too bad her beauty is almost overwhelmed by the crowd surrounding her |
On our walk back to our hostel after lunch by the Seine, we came across a lovely surprise! Little did we know Paris had a Love Padlock bridge (for more information on love locks go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_padlocks )! We had so much fun looking at all the people who had decided they wanted their love to be forever connected to Paris.
 |
| Just some of the love locks! |
After returning to the Hostel to say goodbye to Charlie who was heading to Rome, we went to the Orsay Museum (for free again!). This was my favorite by far! Unfortunately they didn't allow pictures to be taken, which was quite the bummer. Thanks to sophomore year of high school's honors english class involving impressionistic and post-impressionistic art, I recognized a majority of the artists, including Degas, Cezanne, Monet, Toulouse Lautrec, Renoir, and my favorite Seurat. It was so much fun being able to identify the different paintings- it is such a shame we ran out of time.
Before we knew it, it was time to meet up with Flora and Amaury (another friend of Michelle's who made an excellent tour guide) for more exploring. We saw the older Opera building, a very swanky neighborhood, the Galeries Lafayette (an alarmingly expensive mall) and the Arc de Triomphe. And just when we thought our tour guides couldn't get any more wonderful, they bought us macaroons!!! Let me just say, they may just give gelato a run for its money as my favorite desert (check back with me on this later this semester...) We finished the evening at an american bar for cocktails and sadly bid Flora, Amaury, and Paris adieu.
 |
| Flora and Amaury: our lovely guides |
 |
| Arc de Triomphe |
The next morning, Friday the 26th, we caught an early train to Toulouse. It was cold and rainy and our original plans on meeting Maxime at the park were changed to meeting him at our favorite location: MCDONALDS!!! We were shocked to see him pull up in a CAR! A foreign mode of transportation to us expert metro riders and marathon walkers. We met the Toulouse crew and quickly discovered how unfair it is that they know both english and french. They could have any conversation without us having a clue as to what they were saying (sure makes for paranoia). Michelle, Kate, and I attempted pig-latin. It failed...
 |
| Meet our host Maxime! |
We went on a little tour of Toulouse (nothing compared to our many tours of Paris, my feet were not nearly as mad at me afterwards). But we did enjoy the tour, especially our time in the Japanese garden! Later we went out to dinner with our new friends (Maxime, his roommate Jean, his friends Julien and Sly, and his girlfriend Anais), and ended the evening back at Maxime's apartment where we played a fabulous new card game called Jungle Speed (oh you can be we will be bringing it back to the States) Maxime and Jean were so generous and their American themed apartment made us feel quite at home.
 |
| The beautiful view of Toulouse from Maxime's |
 |
| Japanese Garden |
 |
| So welcoming: American decor and clean sheets to boot! |
Today (Saturday the 27th) we were awoken by the American National Anthem and a lovely breakfast of Chocolate Croissants and coffee. We then headed to Carcassonne, a medieval city outside Toulouse. Holy Cow! I wish America had castles! We spent our afternoon meandering around the city, taking it all in, and took a tour of the castle itself (also for free since we were Italian students!) It was such a beautiful experience and I struggled to resist the urge to take a bajillion pictures of it! .
 |
| Carcassonne's Castle |
 |
| It's not everyday a girl goes to a real castle |
We stopped by a mall for groceries for tonight's dinner and our packed lunch for the train tomorrow and then returned to Maxime's. Jean prepared an amazing french dinner of sausage, duck, beans, potatoes, and cassoulet (a kind of casserole from France)! It was so delicious. After we had a mini dance party where we showed off our sweet dance moves! The guys attempted to teach us the electric slide (only not to the electric slide song... weird) and I embraced the opportunity to teach them some of Catholic Youth Camp's favorite dance party dances such as the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha Cha Slide.
We then decided to take our sweet moves to the club called iBar. I was a tad hesitant and extremely sleepy, but it was a fabulous time! Who knew clubs in France were like massive wedding dances (We got the whole dance floor in on the electric slide as well as sang our hearts out to Grease).
 |
| Jean, our chef, cooking up some deliciousness |
 |
| Bon Appetit! |
Now it is five in the morning and in one short hour we will be leaving the apartment for the train station to begin the long and stressful train journey to Rome. We switch trains 5 TIMES and are praying for safe travels and that we don't miss any of our connections!
Good Night/ Morning and I will write again from ROMA!
No comments:
Post a Comment