Paris

My trip to Paris was busy.  That is the only way to describe it.  My two friends and I booked our tickets early on in the semester and managed to snag a good deal and fly Air France!  My friends, bless them, allowed me to make a very strict itinerary that was two pages long, and we made sure that we saw most of the major sites in three days. 

Day One

1.      The Louvre

 My conclusions from the day are as follows: the pyramid and the architecture of the building offer a unique juxtaposition that I enjoyed, and the Mona Lisa is really smiling,

2.      Walk Along the Seine

I want to walk or run along the Seine every day. 

3.      Notre Dame

This was probably the most beautiful church I have ever been in-and I live in Rome.  My theology of pilgrimage has taken me to countless churches in Rome and none of them compare.

4.      Shakespeare and Company Bookshop

This bookshop wins the award for being my favorite place in Paris, possibly the entire world (for now).

5.      Tuileries

Our walk here was lovely!  I also had an American drip coffee during our walk.  It couldn’t have been more lovely.

6.      Les Invalides

This was out of the way from a lot of the other sites, and ultimately not worth it.  However, it was neat to see. 

7.      Eiffel Tower

The Tower is gorgeous at every time of day, and I was in the tower when it sparkled on the hour!  The climb wasn’t too bad either! 

8.      Musee D’Orsay

I preferred the Musee D’Orsay to the Louvre.  I loved it.  I will never get sick of Degas paintings of ballerinas, even if there are seven million of them in one room, as was the case in this museum. 

9.      Arc de Triomphe (Somewhat)

We definitely arrived after it had closed and we walked here from the Eiffel Tower, which I do NOT recommend.  It looked a lot closer of the map…

Day Two

1.      Versailles

This day trip took several hours but was well worth it.  The grounds would have been much nicer in the spring, but the interior was phenomenal and the grounds were still lovely even if it did rain a bit.  Also, I now know that my future home needs to have a Hall of Mirrors. 

2.      Montmartre/Moulin Rouge/Two Windmills Café

Montmartre was full of cute little shops and cafes.  I wish that we would have had more time here, but our time was well spent.  The Two Windmills Café caters to tourists and is very pricey, but if you just stop in for a coffee like we did it’s well worth the trip.  The Moulin Rouge was…underwhelming?  Maybe I would have been more appreciative had I seen the movie or known more about it. 

3.      See The Artist in France

Okay, I admit, this movie was good, and I had my doubts.  It was also very cool to see it in a French movie theatre (they’re massive). 

4.      Champs-Elysees

We strolled down this street in the rain!  Paris did love up to its stereotype of always raining. 

Day Three

1.      The Louvre-Part II

Yes, we returned.

2.      Musee Carnvalet and Bastille Area

This wasn’t my favorite museum, however, for a history buff it would be even.  Fun fact: The museum has what they claim is a lock of Marie Antoinette’s hair. 

3.      Explore the Bastille Area by our hotel!

It wasn’t until the last day that I explored the area around our hotel, which was located near the outskirts of the city.  I came across a very fancy chateau, park and the greatest farmer’s market I have ever been too.  It was here that I bought a baguette the size of my head for one euro, which, is the start to any good day. 

Other things to note include the public transit system, CDG and the people.  The public transit system is massive.  There were fourteen number lines, lines for letters A-G (something like that), and all of the regional trains.  It was a bit complicated, but very efficient and useful.  Charles DeGaulle airport is massive and one of the more strict airports I have been to.  I kept setting off the metal detector, I hadn’t a clue as to how I was doing it, and I held up the line for quite a bit of time before they allowed me to pass.  The men and women of France were effortlessly sophisticated and I was insanely jealous. 

 I loved Paris.  Out of the places I have travelled this semester Paris was probably my favorite and I left wondering why I hadn’t studied abroad there instead.  Rome is a beautiful city, but in comparison to Paris it’s nothing.

Au Revoir!

Sara

Prague

To my two dedicated readers,

Now that I am back from Tunisia I have decided to blog about the trip I took to Prague several weeks ago.  I'm just a tad bit behind guys!  Okay, now it's time to tell a wonderful story about my journey to the Czech Republic.  I will start at the beginning.  Prague was on my list of places I wanted to travel to this semester, but I was not sure if I would make it there.  It’s definitely cheaper to travel within Europe than it is to travel within the U.S.; however, tickets to Prague are more expensive as far as traveling within Europe goes.  Even though I wanted to go there, I had all but given up on the idea.  One morning my friend Maureen found me in the library and asked me if I wanted to make a spur of the moment decision.  She found cheap airfare to Prague and she needed to know if I wanted to join her as soon as possible.  Let me tell you, there is nothing like making a spur of the moment decision to go to Eastern Europe.  We bought tickets and a week later we traveled to the Czech Republic via Wizz (Upside down exclamation point for the “I”) Air.  Once we were there though, our money went a long way and we had an amazing day and a half in the most beautiful city I have ever been. 

Prague is a great mix of old and new.  The architecture, bridges, and river make one feel as if he or she is in a story book the entire time.  The city is easy enough to navigate and is great for walking.  The little area across from the Charles Bridge is charming and I wanted to go into every shop, café, and restaurant we passed on the way to the Prague Castle. 

The city also has a great deal of art.  The city is the definition of artistic expression.  There were modern art museums, sculptures, unique graffiti and street art everywhere, yet it did not look out of place in this picturesque city. 

As far as Czech cuisine, my friends ate a lot of meat dishes.  However, Prague is also known for fried cheese and hot wine, both of which I tried and enjoyed immensely. 

In addition to all of this, our hostel was quite an experience.  It was definitely a youth hostel, but it was relatively clean and safe which is all that mattered. 

My friend Maureen had a friend studying abroad there and he made sure that we saw all of the sites because we had such a limited amount of time.  We saw the Lennon Wall, the Astronomical Clock, Wenceslas Square, Charles Bridge, attended a Carnivale Festival, visited the National Theatre, and so much more. 

Ultimately, I would like to return or maybe even live there at some point in my life.  We had a limited amount of time and even though we essentially saw everything we wanted to, I think there’s a lot more to be discovered in this small wonder of the East. 

Until next time,

Sara

P.S. My friend Annie describes Prague as the “Paris of the East,” which sounds extremely pretentious, but is actually one hundred percent true. 

Firenze

I’m clearly awful at updating my blog.  However, I have a good reason.  I have been having too many adventures to find the time to sit down and write an entry, and I am perfectly okay with that.  About a month into my study abroad experience I took my first weekend trip out of Rome.  My destination?  Florence.

Florence was beautiful.  I actually liked it better than Rome while I was there, but I imagine that living there for a while would lose its appeal and there is consistently much more to do in Rome.  It was small enough to walk everywhere; there were tons of lovely shops and restaurants, and so much to see.  It was freezing the weekend we went, but that hardly makes a difference when one is having such a surreal experience. 

Here are some highlights from my trip:

The Duomo

This was a great experience.  I am not religious but I literally stopped in my tracks when I saw the church.  The exterior was colorful and detailed.  The paintings on the ceiling were vast, and it taught me an important lesson that I have been learning all semester.  Always, always, always, remember to look up and down when inside a building, church, or museum in Europe.  There is always something phenomenal to see that you might miss if you’re not careful.  We then paid eight euro to climb to the top which was WELL worth it.  I believe it was about 420 steps and it even became quite steep near the end!   It was the best decision of the trip.  

The David

On the whole I preferred the Uffizi to the L’Accademia; however, the David was everything I was told to expect and more.  The facial expression, the veins on his hands, and the fact that it is seventeen feet tall is unreal.  

Ponte Vecchio

This is a gorgeous bridge lined with expensive jewelry shops and gelaterias.  What more could anyone ask for?  The view is beautiful and the area is great.

Also, my friends and I  went to a lovely restaurant that kept giving us food and drinks.   

The Verdict?  This trip was a success and anyone who is in Italy and has the opportunity to travel to Florence should go.