Spring Break: gorgeous Paris, take 1

Day 7
Thursday, March 11th

After arriving in Paris early Wednesday morning, we were all happy to get a good night's sleep. Caroline visited with a friend who is studying in Paris during our time there, so we were down to just the four of us. We grabbed breakfast in the hostel before setting out to see some of the sights. I had a roll, probably for the first time in my life, for breakfast that is.

Our first stop: Notre Dame Cathedral. It was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. I've watched the Disney version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame numerous times, and can say Disney did a great job of portraying it just right.



We wandered around inside the cathedral, then Meghan, Colleen and I headed up another couple hundred steps to the Bell Tower.







Needless to say, the view from the top was pretty incredible.


We stopped at an small cafe to grab our first (of many) crepes. Meghan suggested I try the sucre (sugar & butter) first.

We walked several miles toward the Eiffel Tower, but stopped for coffee and tea along the way first. After leaving the cafe, we rounded the corner and there it was: the Eiffel Tower.
We stood in line for almost 30 minutes to wait to ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.


Again, pretty incredible views, despite the cloud cover.

For those familiar with BU, I couldn't help but think this looked similar to the view of Nickerson field from StuVi 2.
After our big trip to the top, we were all in need of food. I tried the Croque Madame, basically a grilled ham and cheese with a fried egg on top. So good!
After filling our stomachs, we headed to the Champs Elysees to do some shopping. While no one bought anything, we enjoyed some quality window shopping!

Colleen posing on the Champs Elysees with the Arc of Triomphe.

One of Tara's friend suggested trying macaroons from Laduree. Before trying and buying them, none of us knew what macaroons were, but it's safe to say we really enjoyed them. I bought two: raspberry and lemon, both were delicious.
We headed back to the hostel, in an attempt to relax for a few hours. Tara and Meghan had bought copies of the French Elle and Vogue magazines, and decided they would educate Colleen and I on the latest fashions and current designers. We spent more time laughing at the photos and each other, and I can now say I know a little more about fashion in general thanks to them!

Craving another crepe, we headed across the street for crepe #2: nutella and banana.

We took a walk down a few blocks toward the original Moulin Rouge.


Another early night for the world travelers. Check back tomorrow for another update on our travels in Paris!

36 Hours in London

While our flight didn't leave until Friday night at 10:30pm, Melissa and I had been looking forward to our short weekend in London since we arrived home after spring break. We left campus around 8:00 to catch a bus to the airport, and literally chased the bus down the street: nothing like a little work out!
Our flight was smooth, and we boarded yet another bus that would take us into central London. After a short cab ride, we finally reached my two friends, Lia and Melissa, who were our wonderful hosts for the weekend.

A few hours of sleep, and Melissa (my roommate) and I were up and out to explore the city for the day. We stopped at Paul's, a bakery around the corner for cappuccino and croissants, and started to walk toward Hyde Park but got caught in the rain. Without our rain jackets or umbrellas, we opted to head back and regroup. After a quick change into dry clothes, we met up with Melissa's friend Noah and headed toward Buckingham Palace. We walked through Hyde Park where there were a bunch of developmental league football (soccer) games underway.

There were several people riding horses through the park too.

We passed under the Wellington Arch (or Constitution Arch) named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. (The nickname for rainboots, "wellies" comes from him as well).

After a few minutes of walking along the Princess Diana Memorial Walk, we could see Buckingham Palace through the trees.





We're not sure what was going on Saturday, as a processional of guards on horseback rode through the area in the front of the palace, as shown above. Unfortunately, there wasn't a changing on the guards while we were visiting!

After a walk through St. James Park,


we entered the area near Westminster Abbey, and spotted Big Ben!

We walked around Westminster Abbey, stopping to take a few photos when the rain let up a little.

Noah suggested checking out some of the local markets, so we headed down the Thames River toward the Borough Market. Along the way we managed to pass several highlights:
Parliament

The London Eye
Trafalgar Square
Tower Bridge
Millennium Bridge

Shakespeare's Globe Theater

We stopped for some hot chocolate, and worked our way to the Borough Market. While Noah worried he might have hyped up the market, we were both thrilled with the free samples and aromas flooding from underneath the tents.



We snacked on cheese, bread, dip and spread samples until we decided to grab something for lunch. I had a delicious cheeseburger with peppercorn sauce:
Melissa was a little more adventurous and tried the ostrich sandwich, and was pleasantly surprised how much she did like it! We decided to take the Tube to another market in Camden Town.


Camden Stables Market

My big purchase of the day: mini cupcakes! I couldn't resist buying a few!


After exploring through Camden Town, we decided to head back to meet up with Lia and Melissa. We ate dinner at one of their favorites places, The Swan, in Hammersmith. They decided to take us to one of their favorite places, B@1. Both of them have become good friends with the bartenders, and it was easy to see why liked the bar so much.


Melissa and I made sure to try one of the girl's favorite cocktails, called Candy Pants.
With little sleep and great memories, Melissa and I left to head back to Dublin around 7:00am this morning. We had such a great time, and only wish we could've stayed for a few more days!
It was great to see and spend time with both Lia and Melissa, I could not have asked for a better 36 hours in London!