Here is a long overdue update on what I've been up to for the past two weeks...
We had finals and exams last Monday and Tuesday (not fun, but really not that bad). The exams did, however, lead to a break that, although far too short, was a lot of fun.
Our adventures began in Madrid, but the fun started before we had even left South Ken. The morning of my final exam I finally found the notice telling me that my camera, which I thought had been lost in the mail, had merely been waiting for me to pick it up at the South Kensington Royal Mail Office for the past week and a half. I managed to run over and get it before we left, so I was very excited to have my (JD's) trusty old camera to take with me on the trip. Our exams finished at two, and by nine we were in Madrid.
Our hostel was amazing, and only steps away from the metro stop. We were staying basically in the center of Madrid in the Puerta del Sol. The hostel where we stayed was nestled on a side street about three blocks back from Sol. After checking in at the hostel, we immediately headed out for tapas and sangria.
Katie, Steph, Julia, and I found a great spot right down the street. This was the first point where I realized that I really should have brushed up on my vocab. I knew what most things were, but there were a couple words on the menu that escaped me. Steph decided to be brave and order one of the items we didn't know... Gambas a la plancha. Now, I knew that a la plancha meant grilled, but as for the gambas part I had not a clue. Well, gambas are shrimps, for those of you who were wondering. After asking the waiter to show us the proper way to eat them, and him having a bit of a laugh, Steph dove in and really enjoyed them. The rest of our meal was standard, delicious tapas (tortilla española, jamón y queso, croquettas, pan tostada) and of course a jara de sangria.
After dinner, Jeannie and some of her friends from the Madrid program came to meet us. We ended up going salsa dancing, which, seeing as how Jeannie and her friend Chloe were the only ones who actually knew how to salsa, was extremely entertaining.
The next day we hit up some of Madrid's best attractions. We went to the Reina Sofia Museum where we got to see some amazing works by Picasso and Dalí. There was also another artist Joan Miro, that I really enjoyed. I had never seen his work before, but he had many in the museum and we also saw prints of his art thoughtout the break. We also spent some time in Parque Retiro-- probably my favorite place in Madrid. They have a large lake in the center of the park where you can rent out row boats and paddle around. Thankfully, Katie is a crew vetran, so she hopped behind the oars and we got to spend the better half of an hour soaking up the sun on the water.
That night Jeannie took Julia and I to see her apartment. Unfortunately we didn't get to meet her host mom, but the apartment was really cute and quirky and Jeannie seems to fit in perfectly there. It was really exciting to get to see another one of my friends who is so well settled-in and at home.
The next day we headed out to see the Royal Palace. On our walk over there we visited the Plaza Mayor, and walked through some of the many open air markets. Madrid, after spending so much time in London, was dirt cheap, so I picked up two new scarves, a pashmina and a palestino (a cool checkered scarf, worn bandit style around your neck that is all the rage over here), for only 5e. The Royal Palace, although not nearly as stunning as Versaille, was still impresive. It was used well into the 20th century, so it was interesting to imagine people living in such an ornate buliding not too long ago.
My favorite part was definitely the view from the palace. It's on a hill and looks out partly at some of the urban sprawl of the city but also toward mountains. Truly beautiful.
After the palace we relaxed in a nearby plaza and soaked up the sun. All of the girls that I went with and I really enjoyed the city. Madrid had a very laid back atmosphere. It was really easy to walk from place to place (our hostel being so centrally located really helped), and best of all the weather was fantastic. After weeks of often rainy, sometimes dreary London weather it was so nice to spend a day baking in the sun under a blue, cloudless sky. It was an absolutely fantastic break from the ordinary, and something I definitely needed.
After another lovely dinner, we all headed in to get some sleep before our ridiculously early flight to Barcelona the next day.
An interesting thing to note about Madrid was how much attention we attracted. It was not in a negative way, but Katie is 5'10" and blonde and I am fairly tall (at least taller than most spanish people) and have sandy blonde hair. So although we tried very hard not to draw attention to ourselves, it's kind of difficult not to be noticed. When Jeannie, Julia, and I went out to dinner, everyone in the restaurant was looking at us because we were different. It's something that I've never really expereinced before, and was very interesting to me.
I'll fill you all in on the second part of the trip in BCN soon! Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Maurice! The baguettes! Hurry up!
Hello... or should I say, Bonjour!
I'm back in action in London after a fabulous weekend in Paris. I have never seen such a beautiful city.
Our trip started VERY early on Friday morning. Ashley, Katie, Steph, and I decided to take the first train out of St. Pancras Station (sadly, no Harry Potter sightings at King's Cross, right across the road), so we could have a full day in Paris on Friday. As a consequence we were up at about 5:00 a.m. to make our 7:20 train. Fortunately, the Euro Star is very comfortable, and I think we all got a solid nap in before arriving in Paris later that morning.
After dropping our bags at the hostel, we immediately headed into the heart of Paris. We started out our day at Notre Dame, yet another beautiful, Gothic church bursting at the seams with history. Apparently, Notre Dame is famed for possessing three holy relics: a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, a nail from the Crucifixion, and Jesus' crown of thorns. These were not on display, so unfortunately, I didn't have my DaVinci Code moment.
After Notre Dame we walked over to the other side of the Seine, where we found the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore-- the one place in Paris Steph had been dying to go. The tables and walls overflowed with books, contemporary and classic, new and used. There were books on every topic, stunning works of fiction and beautiful words of truth strung along each and every shelf. The entire shop is bursting with the written word. Needless to say, I was in heaven. Although I wanted to take the entire shop home with me (as is the case any time I walk into a bookstore), I settled on buying an old favorite, and classic that my flatmates and I have been referencing constantly since we got here, Pride and Prejudice.
On top of being the coolest bookstore in existence, it also provides housing for aspiring writers and authors. In return for a free bed, all you have to do is work in the bookstore, and you get to actually sleep in the bookstore. The second floor is called the Tumble Weed Hotel, and there are beds set up amongst the books. Hello, my dream come true. Mom and Dad, I may at some point be compelled to do this... Just to give you a heads up.
After the bookstore we started to wander through the Latin Quarter. There are so many crêpe stands and souvenir shops, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants that you could walk for days and not get bored.
After that we went to Sainte-Chappelle, another church. The second floor is basically all stained glass. It was so beautiful. We were there in the early afternoon, so light was streaming in through the windows and casting sparkling pools of light on the floor. After that we were a little church-ed out, so we beat feet over to the Musee D'Orsay. We got there around five, an hour before closing, so we got in for free. Unfortunately we didn't have as much time to explore, but we saw a very interesting Picasso exhibit. The exhibit featured Picasso's many interpretations of a Manet work. It was a little confusing at first to see the same picture over and over again in various styles, but once I put my very limited français to work, we figured out that they were all imitations of the large Manet, hanging on the main wall.
After we left Musee D'Orsay, we had a quick dinner at a cafe. French food is awesome. The people truly appreciate a good baguette or pastry, and they know how to make the best. Several times during the weekend we would duck into a boulangerie and grab a couple baguettes to split while we walked.
The louvre is free after seven on Friday nights, so we headed over there. It was an overwhelming amount of beautiful art. There was SO much to take in and see that it was slightly overwhelming. After the Louvre we were pretty much exhausted, so we went back to the hostel, and planned out day two.
Versaille.
I cannot even begin to describe how absolutely decadent the entire complex is. From the gates to the Hall of Mirrors, to the Queens Hamlet, everything is so ornate and over-the-top. I really want to go back when everything is in bloom and the fountains are turned on. I think that I would absolutely cry from the beauty of it all. You can also understand, however, why the French people rebelled against Louis and Marie Antoinette. These two had absolutely everything that they could want, and ignored their dissatisfied people... If I was extremely poor and had no hope of a better life and my monarch were building Versaille... I would be pretty angry too.
A quick side note-- if you ever feel the urge to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Marie Antoinette had a miniature town constructed on the grounds, and I swear it is the inspiration for Belle's town in the movie, except there were some very creepy fish in the pond.
That night we headed over to the Tour Eiffel to see it sparkle. Walking out of the metro and seeing the top of the tower was a thrilling moment. The four of us were dancing around with excitement, and when it sparkled... well, my only complaint was that Prince Harry and I have yet to start dating, so he couldn't pop the question beneath those dazzling lights. (Don't worry mom, I'm working on it.)
We got up Sunday morning, all charged up for another full day in Paris, which we would start off by visiting the Bastille. So the Bastille... we were a little confused. For some reason we thought it was a prison. I had this distorted Dickensian, A Tale of Two Cities, reference in my head, that Steph had too. Not a prison. Or at the very least, we couldn't find it. I think it was a large memorial in the middle of a traffic circle, but we are still none-the-wiser about what we should have been looking for. Don't worry though, Flat Four rallied, and we grabbed a quick crêpe before doing some shopping.
The majority of the day consisted of us wandering, and enjoying the atmosphere of the city. My personal highlight was when, freezing cold and wind burnt, we wandered into one of the many crêperies. I got the crêpe du arts. And believe me, it was a work of art. A crêpe topped with banana, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and two gelattos (strawberry and chocolate) all sprinkled with nuts. Fantastic.
We arrived back in London to a snowstorm, and were very happy that we had taken the train rather than flown. Our classes were canceled today because, apparently, four inches of snow is an epidemic in London. People were playing in the streets and taking pictures. It was a great way to top off the weekend.
I'm back in action in London after a fabulous weekend in Paris. I have never seen such a beautiful city.
Our trip started VERY early on Friday morning. Ashley, Katie, Steph, and I decided to take the first train out of St. Pancras Station (sadly, no Harry Potter sightings at King's Cross, right across the road), so we could have a full day in Paris on Friday. As a consequence we were up at about 5:00 a.m. to make our 7:20 train. Fortunately, the Euro Star is very comfortable, and I think we all got a solid nap in before arriving in Paris later that morning.
After dropping our bags at the hostel, we immediately headed into the heart of Paris. We started out our day at Notre Dame, yet another beautiful, Gothic church bursting at the seams with history. Apparently, Notre Dame is famed for possessing three holy relics: a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, a nail from the Crucifixion, and Jesus' crown of thorns. These were not on display, so unfortunately, I didn't have my DaVinci Code moment.
After Notre Dame we walked over to the other side of the Seine, where we found the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore-- the one place in Paris Steph had been dying to go. The tables and walls overflowed with books, contemporary and classic, new and used. There were books on every topic, stunning works of fiction and beautiful words of truth strung along each and every shelf. The entire shop is bursting with the written word. Needless to say, I was in heaven. Although I wanted to take the entire shop home with me (as is the case any time I walk into a bookstore), I settled on buying an old favorite, and classic that my flatmates and I have been referencing constantly since we got here, Pride and Prejudice.
On top of being the coolest bookstore in existence, it also provides housing for aspiring writers and authors. In return for a free bed, all you have to do is work in the bookstore, and you get to actually sleep in the bookstore. The second floor is called the Tumble Weed Hotel, and there are beds set up amongst the books. Hello, my dream come true. Mom and Dad, I may at some point be compelled to do this... Just to give you a heads up.
After the bookstore we started to wander through the Latin Quarter. There are so many crêpe stands and souvenir shops, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants that you could walk for days and not get bored.
After that we went to Sainte-Chappelle, another church. The second floor is basically all stained glass. It was so beautiful. We were there in the early afternoon, so light was streaming in through the windows and casting sparkling pools of light on the floor. After that we were a little church-ed out, so we beat feet over to the Musee D'Orsay. We got there around five, an hour before closing, so we got in for free. Unfortunately we didn't have as much time to explore, but we saw a very interesting Picasso exhibit. The exhibit featured Picasso's many interpretations of a Manet work. It was a little confusing at first to see the same picture over and over again in various styles, but once I put my very limited français to work, we figured out that they were all imitations of the large Manet, hanging on the main wall.
After we left Musee D'Orsay, we had a quick dinner at a cafe. French food is awesome. The people truly appreciate a good baguette or pastry, and they know how to make the best. Several times during the weekend we would duck into a boulangerie and grab a couple baguettes to split while we walked.
The louvre is free after seven on Friday nights, so we headed over there. It was an overwhelming amount of beautiful art. There was SO much to take in and see that it was slightly overwhelming. After the Louvre we were pretty much exhausted, so we went back to the hostel, and planned out day two.
Versaille.
I cannot even begin to describe how absolutely decadent the entire complex is. From the gates to the Hall of Mirrors, to the Queens Hamlet, everything is so ornate and over-the-top. I really want to go back when everything is in bloom and the fountains are turned on. I think that I would absolutely cry from the beauty of it all. You can also understand, however, why the French people rebelled against Louis and Marie Antoinette. These two had absolutely everything that they could want, and ignored their dissatisfied people... If I was extremely poor and had no hope of a better life and my monarch were building Versaille... I would be pretty angry too.
A quick side note-- if you ever feel the urge to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Marie Antoinette had a miniature town constructed on the grounds, and I swear it is the inspiration for Belle's town in the movie, except there were some very creepy fish in the pond.
That night we headed over to the Tour Eiffel to see it sparkle. Walking out of the metro and seeing the top of the tower was a thrilling moment. The four of us were dancing around with excitement, and when it sparkled... well, my only complaint was that Prince Harry and I have yet to start dating, so he couldn't pop the question beneath those dazzling lights. (Don't worry mom, I'm working on it.)
We got up Sunday morning, all charged up for another full day in Paris, which we would start off by visiting the Bastille. So the Bastille... we were a little confused. For some reason we thought it was a prison. I had this distorted Dickensian, A Tale of Two Cities, reference in my head, that Steph had too. Not a prison. Or at the very least, we couldn't find it. I think it was a large memorial in the middle of a traffic circle, but we are still none-the-wiser about what we should have been looking for. Don't worry though, Flat Four rallied, and we grabbed a quick crêpe before doing some shopping.
The majority of the day consisted of us wandering, and enjoying the atmosphere of the city. My personal highlight was when, freezing cold and wind burnt, we wandered into one of the many crêperies. I got the crêpe du arts. And believe me, it was a work of art. A crêpe topped with banana, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and two gelattos (strawberry and chocolate) all sprinkled with nuts. Fantastic.
We arrived back in London to a snowstorm, and were very happy that we had taken the train rather than flown. Our classes were canceled today because, apparently, four inches of snow is an epidemic in London. People were playing in the streets and taking pictures. It was a great way to top off the weekend.
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