To London

As I mentioned in my previous post, this past weekend I voyaged to London. Now you see this is super significant because in my travels I have been to Ireland and Scotland, but not England or the Capital of the United Kingdom. So it is has been on my list for a long time and I'm so happy I finally made it to this city. Here's the trip in Pictures:

We stayed in Edgeware, the last stop on the the Northern line of the London subway station, aka "the Tube."

This is when we had just arrived after a very long overnight journey on the Megabus from Paris across the Chanel on a ferry.

 We headed into town and found ourselves on the London Bridge, where we could see the Tower Bridge from a diastance on the Thames. 

 We then found Borough market and this church was right next to the London Bridge. We made a couple of stops to this fabulous market that just happened to be turning 1000. casual.

The famous spot for a spot of tea, fortnum and mason. unfortunately did not make it for high tea :(

My friend Olivia and I made a special trip to the Ice Bar, which was really cool (literally) and fun. 

 A shot of a group on the tube!

This is the area right near Buckingham Palace.

The Guards! I so badly wanted a twinning pic because I just happened to be matching in red black and gold, but it was not to be.

Westminster. 

Big Ben and the bulldog himself. 

Selfies on the Eye.

We rode the famous ferris wheel right as the sun was setting, and all the lights of the city were turning on and it was beautiful.

IT WAS ALL BLUE!

We had quite a good holiday.

More Adventures

Let it be known that I am not wasting one second of my time in Paris. Between class and museum visits and eager group members who also want to explore everything Paris has to offer, I have been a very very busy bee. So rather than try to write out every single thing that I've done, pictures will simply have to be sufficient for now.

Last weekend I went to a big market at the Bastille, and I got this nice shot of one of the fruit stands. There was a grand assortment of booth from fish to scarves and everything in between.

 pretty veggies

 Of course, I couldn't resist some macarons 

 Also last weekend I visited Père Lachaise, a very old cemetery that serves as the final resting place for many famous french people and even the american musician, Jim Morrison and the british writer, Oscar Wilde.

  It was neat to be there as the leaves were changing colors and the vibes were so Halloween I expected to see a skeleton just pop out of a tomb.

 Chopin's grave

 Oscar Wilde's grave

Another shot of his grave with a view of the kisses that mark his grave. They used to be all over the monument but it seems that the caretakers were not happy about constantly cleaning it up, as glass now surrounds the base. Also a pretty little butterfly/moth that I spotted on one of the tombs.

That's it for now, I have to finish packing for a quick trip to LONDON this weekend. More to come soon. Bisous xoxo

La Première Semaine

So it's been almost a week since I arrived in Paris. Classes started Tuesday and I have been going non-stop since. or at least it feels like it. I was last in Paris  three and a half years ago, but it's everything I remembered and more. I'm loving every second of being here and trying to make each moment count, because I know the time to leave will come very soon. I'm trying very hard to practice my french skills and so far it has not been too difficult, though I find it much easier to understand what people are saying and reading than to speak but I guess thats always the case.

Here are some pics from my recent adventures:

So I'm studying/staying in the latin quarter where the Sorbonne and other universities are located, and there are plenty of bookstores but this one may be the biggest. There are multiple locations and and many floors filled books. Love me some good books(en français, bien sur)!

Very cool fountain close by

LE LOUVRE

love me some museums as well

This is the view from under the glass pyramid

A piece of the frieze from the Parthenon in Athens

One of the many ornate ceilings, proving the palace origins of the main building

This is my favorite piece so far, La Victoire, with unknown origins, but most likely greek

The Wedding Feast at Cana (special guests Jesus and Mary), by Véronese

The consecration of Napolean I, by J.L. David

 Another one of my favorites, La Grande Odalisque, by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 

 La Liberté guidant le peuple, which is inspired by the french revolution and the spirit of France, by Eugène Delacroix

The incredible Venus De Milo, one of the few surviving original works of greek sculpture 

Of course, my selfie with the Mona Lisa and myself in front of the glass pyramid.

But wait! There's more:

I stumbled upon this grand old church called Saint-Etienne du Mont, there are so many amazing old chapels all over Paris, and France in general

 Some shots from the inside

I'm always so in awe of these ancient cathedrals, there is not anything really like them in the U.S.

This is not nearly all of everything I've experienced so far, but it's a taste. I will soon write a post on some of the food I have enjoyed, and a special post just for my religious awakening from last night at The Beyoncé and Jay-Z concert.

Ciao for now! bisous xoxo