I love to travel! I have visited so many places so far, and it's only October. I went to Paris the last weekend in September with two of my friends. We were kindly given a ride into the city by their host family who had to go into Paris that weekend anyway. I made an itinerary before we left, and I planned a very busy day for us! We started off the day by going to Pere Lachaise- the largest cemetery in Paris where a lot of famous French men and women are buried. We saw the tomb of Edith Piaf, Paul Eluard, Oscar Wilde, and others. Of course, being a huge fan of Wilde, I had to participate in the tradition of putting on lipstick and kissing the tomb. We all did, actually. It was such a highlight of my time in France- I have wanted to visit this cemetery for a long time. Plus, there is a scene from the movie "Paris, je t'aime" that takes place at Pere Lachaise, so I felt like I was in the movie at times. Then, after the cemetery, we left for the Centre Georges Pompidou. This museum (which starts where the Musee d'Orsay leaves off) was AMAZING. First, the building itself is a piece of art, but the collection inside is impressive. There was so many works by Picasso, as well as a Pollack, lovely dadaist art by Duchamp, and work by Brunelleschi as well. Then, the day continued with a trip to Notre Dame (my friends had never seen the cathedral before) and a walk to the Eiffel Tower. It was a long walk, but it was beautiful. After we had seen the tower, we had to leave Paris. It was such a terrific day. I should add that I definitely had a fever when I was there and felt very sick...but I would never miss a day in Paris. I still really enjoyed myself.
The next weekend after Paris, my friend Grace and I went to London. London has to be my favorite city! We arrived in Trafalger square where the statue of my relative, Admiral Lord Nelson, is located. I have wanted to see this for so long! It completely lived up to my expectations. The National Gallery was not open yet, so we went for a traditional British breakfast. We both ordered a meal of pork and leek sausage, a mushroom, a friend tomato, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast. I also ordered tea. I'm addicted to it, and tea is so stereotypically English that I could not resist. The breakfast was delicious. They don't eat big breakfasts in France- it's usually just some toast here- so it was a welcome treat. Then, we went to the National Gallery- I was in heaven! Except...I could not take any pictures!! I still had the opportunity to see some incredible works of art, several that I have studied in the past, including one of my favorites- "Arnolfini and his Bride." We spent the rest of the day walking around and seeing the main attractions- London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and the Millennium aka Harry Potter Bridge along the Thames, as well as Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. I cannot wait to visit again!
This past weekend I went to Amsterdam with a group of friends. This city was so beautiful! There were canals everywhere which made everything so picturesque. We started the day by visiting the Anne Frank house. The visit was so emotional- I almost cried several times. Although I had read the diary and knew her story, I was still overwhelmed with the reality of it all. Afterward, some of us walked to the Van Gogh museum. I learned so much about him when I was there! He has so many distinct styles of art and obvious influences. It was really great to get to see so much of his work. Then, we went on a canal ride. It was incredible. I saw such cute houses- some of which were leaning!- and the harbor on the North Sea, as well as other sights. The day ended in thte Red Light District. This was quite an experience. There were prostitutes in windows up and down the streets, as well as drugs readily available. It was shocking to say the least, even though I knew about these things beforehand. We ate dinner in the District...which was a questionable decision. I ordered a cheeseburger thinking it'd be safe...but I did not get a real cheeseburger. The man who took my order also wanted a kiss. Awkward? Very. But, he gave me my food without a kiss, and regardless of the quality, it was a unique experience eating there. I'll put it that way.
As for classes, I have been getting into more of a routine. I love my linguistics course and my course on Oscar Wilde. I still hate Russian, however. I sometimes wish I could drop the double degree program, but I think it'll be worth it in the end. I also need to start actually writing my thesis for graduate school. I need to submit it with my application in the fall, so I really only have this year and the summer to write it, leaving me with the fall to refine and edit it so that it is ready for my application. It feels like living in France is one big distraction, but it has to get done.
I am settled in my room in the residence hall. The room is nice, but I hardly get Internet, which is quite an inconvenience to say the least. But, I like being on my own. I bought some kitchenware today- I cannot wait to start making my own meals.
So, overall, tout va bien. I'm going to Disneyland Paris this weekend and am exceedingly excited to go! I've been having an amazing time here, but I still miss everyone at home, of course :)
I love the picture with the bikes!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to join you over there!