Author: mahayri.2

Our last day in Paris was our full day on our own. A  small group of us started the day off by waking up early and heading out to Versailles. The train ride was fun and a great place to take a power nap. A man playing the accordion came in at a random stop and played for a while but according to my group, I stayed asleep. When we finally arrived, we were greeted by a long line. It was worth the wait when we got in, though; the Palace was extravagant and defiantly fit for a king! King Louis XIV had a taste for the finer things in life. We then made our way by train to Montmartre, the home of Sacré-Cœur. We first had lunch at this fast-food like restaurant, where they serve pizza crepes. It was my first time eating a crepe in France and it was really good! We then went up to Sacré-Cœur. On our way to the top, we noticed and enjoyed the weather, the music, the shops, and the people. It was a very nice place to just hang out and relax. A few hours later, we made our way back to the hotel area to have one last French dinner. Erin, Kareem, and I thought the night was still young so we decided to explore the city one last time. We wanted to ride on lime scooters to be able to see more of the city but every lime scooter we found was dead! We ended up walking for a few hours but it was an amazing time! We ended up n Jardin Nelson-Mandela, where we saw locals and a brunt police car ( most likely brunt by protesters). We also walked by the river, which was really nice. I got to talk to a few locals and learn some quick facts about the city. The three of us ended back at Notre Dame, where we found a cafe. We sat outside and enjoined the view one last time of the scene and the people.

It was very hard coming back and leaving France and the U.K. but the memories I made with everyone on this trip will last a lifetime!

Today was the day I finally got to go up the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, due to high winds, we were not able to get to the third observation deck. My heartbreak was short-lived, though; the view from the second observation deck was incredible! After soaking in the view of the city, we made our way to the Musee de l’homme, a well-known anthropology museum. I was excited to see how far we’ve come as people and to learn more about history. Next, a small group of us went to a cute cafe located beside the Eiffel Tower. I tried escargot for the first time and to my surprise, actually enjoyed it. It mostly tastes of butter and garlic with the same consistency as calamari. After a quick lunch, we headed out the Pasteur Institute.  We had a small break before we were allowed in so we explored the city a bit; we found a bakery so of course, I had to get an eclair! Once the tour started, I became thankful that we watched the Pasteur movie. Since we only learn about his experiments in class, it was nice to know the little details about him while touring the institute. Next, we made our way to the Musée des Arts et Metiers. I wish we would have had more time there because there was so much to learn about! We had to rush through due to the fact the museum was closing. After a day of touring museums, we had the whole night! A big group of us went to a restaurant in the ally near our hotel. Kareem, Erin, and I shared a big pot of fondue. I really enjoyed because I got to eat real French cheese for the second night in a row.

The group started off this day by heading to the Jardin des Plantes. Even though it was raining, we still enjoined the view. We visited the paleontology and comparative anatomy gallery, the mineralogy and geology gallery, and the zoo. I was really glad that we had a guest speaker tell about the paleontology and comparative anatomy gallery; I was able to identify some of the skeletons he had talked about. The Zoo was cute and just like the one in London, I thought that the exhibits were more open than the ones here. After that, Kaleb, Brendan, Kareem, and I had lunch and explored the city. We went to the Pantheon; we were taken back by the architect and we were surprised to find out that Marie Currie and her husband were buried in the crypt. After that, we finally got to see Saint Chapelle, which was one of my favorite buildings on this entire trip. I love stain glass windows and the whole upstairs were walls made of stain glass. Up next, was the Louvre Art Museum. I got to see the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, the victory of Samothrace (A.K.A. Nike), and one of my favorite paintings of all time, the liberty leading the people. Erin, Kareem and I decided to walk an hour and a half to the Arc de Triomphe. We ended up stopping at three different bakeries, each one better than the other. We also walked down one of the most well-known streets in the world, av. des champs-élysées. We met up with Kaleb,  Khadijah, and Brendan at the Arc de Triomphe and went to the top. Since it was night time, we waited forty-five minutes for the Eiffel tower to light up, but it was worth the wait. Before the trip, Kareem had looked up this restaurant called ” L’Auberge Aveyronnaise”.  It’s well known for its homemade Aligot. Aligot is basically a very cheesy mashed potato. After my first bite, I was in food heaven.

Waking up early was hard but I was excited to see Paris! We took a Euro-star and two hours later we were in Paris! We quickly made our way to the hotel and immediately made our way to Notre Dame. On our walk to Notre Dame, we got to pass by the shops and restaurants that were by our hotel; It was a cute ally way filled with lively decor and great smelling food. When I first saw Notre Dame, I was blown away. It’s such a graceful looking building and it’s astonishing that the original building was first built in 1163 A.D. We had some free time before dinner, so Erin, Kareem, Kaleb, Alicia, and I walked around. We went inside a bakery for a quick snack and then started throwing a coin around to purposely get lost in the city. If the coin landed on heads, we went right. If it landed on tails, we went left. It was a great way to explore the city; we got to see some things we probably wouldn’t have been able to see if we didn’t get lost. While we were walking, a woman stopped Kareem and I; She started to speak to us in French but the second we told her that we didn’t speak any french she rolled her eyes and walked away. Kareem and I were very excited that someone thought we spoke French. After heading back to the hotel to freshen up, we went on a group dinner to “Le Petit Prince”. We got the full French dining experience. I ordered the duck, which as very good! Later that night, Erin, Kareem, and I decided to get lost again. We ate some really good parties and explored the city at night.

Tuesday was our last day in London, so we all made the best of it. We started off by heading to Westminster Abbey. Just seeing it from the outside mesmerized me; so much history has happened in that building! It houses the graves of so many important people such as Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, and the tomb of the unknown warrior ( a grave honoring the soldiers that died during World War I). After the tour of Westminster Abbey, we all rode the London Eye, where we got to see the whole city. Even though it was raining the entire time, I still feel like we got the true London experience with the rain. Up next was the Royal Society. This was an amazing experience because we got to see real paperwork about experiments that were conducted. After that, a small group went to Buckingham Palace; I was very excited because I finally was able to see it in person rather than on TV or pictures. Finally, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and had a group dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was a great way to end our last night in London.  

On our first full free day, Kareem, Kaleb, Brenden, Amanda, and I explored the city. After having doughnuts for breakfast, we headed back to the British Museum to check out the remaining exhibits. Then we went to Burroughs market, which had an endless amount of food vendors. It was hard to pick one thing but I decided on a sweet potato English pie. After lunch, we noticed a cathedral and we went inside and admired the architecture and stain glass windows. As we were walking around, I noticed a cat casually lounging on one of the pews. Beside the cat, there was an article explaining that the cat had lived there for twelve years and kept pests out of the cathedral. Next, we made our way deeper into the city, where we go to stop by the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge. Next, we made our way to the Natural History Museum of London. Inside we got to learn about the human body, looked at skeletons of dinosaurs and animals, and my personal favorite, an exhibit dedicated to gems and minerals. Up next was Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. Hyde Park was a beautiful park; it was fun getting to see the local animals and people. On our way to Harrods’s department store, we rode a double Decker bus, which was something I’ve always wanted to do! The second I walked into Harrods’s, I felt so out of place. There were items on sale that cost as much as my tuition! To end the night, we went to a restaurant called “Steak and Co.” The idea behind the restaurant was that you got to cook your own steak on a scorching hot stone. As we were walking back to the hotel, we all explored around our hotel some more and then called it a night.

After some much-needed sleep, we all got up early, had some breakfast and made our way down to the British Museum. We got there before the exhibits opened, so we got a chance to check out the gift shop. At exactly 10:00 am, the door opened and we made our way in and the very first thing we saw was the Rosetta Stone. I’ve only seen pictures of the Rosetta stone so it was fascinating to be able to look at it in person. Then, a few people and I made our way around the Egyptian artifacts, which I really enjoined because I love Egyptian history! Another thing I really enjoyed was the Greek artifacts; I’ve always loved Greek art and Greek mythology, so being able to see the statues, artwork, and architecture in person blew my mind. After the museum, a small group went to Camden market where we had lunch and did a little touristy shopping. On our way to Camden market, we had to ride the tube. I got a little too excited and got on a train before anyone else did. As I turned around to look for my group, the doors shut and the train sped off. I was stressed for a few minutes but I ended up finding my group and we had a good laugh about it.  For lunch, I had a bubble waffle. I got the one with bananas, strawberries, and Nutella, it was so good! I always saw bubble waffles on social media, so it was fun getting to try one!  After lunch, a few of us tagged along with Dr. Cogan to the London Zoo; My favorite part of the zoo was the lion exhibit ( my favorite animal is a lion). I was quite happy with the visit to the zoo; I noticed that the exhibits were more open to the public than American zoos. After the zoo, we made it back to the hotel, where a group of us got ready and went out to a ball pit made for adults. It was really modernly decorated and a great place for us to act like kids again.

After what felt like forever, our plane finally landed in London. Going through customs was a breeze and we didn’t have to wait for our tour guide and coach to long. Our drive to Downe was quite stressful for me because of the narrow roads. I was worried that we were going to hit cars and that our coach driver was going to get into a fight with an angry driver.  Once we arrived to Downe, we all made our way to George and Dragon, a local pub. I ordered the steak and ale pie; it was my first time having an authentic English pie! I thought it was really good. After lunch, we crossed the road to visit the church where Darwin’s wife, brothers, and children are buried. After that, we walked towards Downe house; We greeted by a nice tour guide. I loved going through Charles Darwin’s house, it helped me imagine what it was like to live during his time; there is so much history in his house. After the tour, we all got back on the coach and took a quick nap. When I woke up, we were in the heart of London, getting a mini tour around the city. Once we got to the hotel, a lot of us went to local pubs for dinner and got to experience the local night life.