On the final day in Paris, I went shopping around the city; however, the only thing I really liked I knew would look better on my mother, so I bought it for her. I then went to the metro to meet a friend of mine who is studying abroad in Paris this semester. As soon as I got there, I realized that I couldn’t find my metro card, so I crossed my fingers as I walked up to the window to buy another, praying that the man spoke English. “Paralez vous anglais?”, and his immediate response was “Do you speak French?”. He then tried to convince me to buy what seemed like 3,000 different deals on metro passes (and when he asked my age I told him I’m 18 even though I am definitely 20). Finally we compromised on me buying a 2-day pass (since I left the next day), and I then proceeded to hand him a 10-pound bill with a large picture of the queen’s face on it, and the man looked at me like I was completely incompetent (which is not entirely false). I finally arrived to meet my friend (only 30 minutes late) and we had a lunch on the Seine. That night, I walked around the city and went into a local crepe shop for dinner. It was the perfect end to a great trip.
Author: murphy.1615
The One Where I Attempt to Speak French (Day 7)
On Friday morning, the group gathered to go up the Eiffel Tower; unfortunately, we were not able to go all the way up due to the high winds, but we were able to get a great view of the city. We then walked to do a self-guided tour of the Musée de l’Homme, which was a very modern museum (a contrast to most of what we had seen on our trip). I thought that the “tongue wall” was very interesting, and it highlighted some of the rare languages that are spoken around the world (there are about 7,000 total). Afterwards, we traveled to see the Pasteur Institute, and I attempted to order a coffee nearby, however they spoke no English and my attempt to speak French was quite pitiful. I particularly enjoyed the beginning of the tour at the Pasteur Institute, because the first room had some of the first autoclaves, and I had previously done an extensive research project on autoclaves. The final museum of the day was the Musée des Arts et Métiers. I thought that this tour was the best of the trip (which probably had something to do with our loquacious tour guide, although he had some serious beef with the internet).
The One Where I Cry in the Metro (Day 6)
The second day in Paris, we went to Jardin des Plantes and did a self-guided tour through the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée. I then walked over to the Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie; this way my favorite museum that I saw on the trip. I really liked that they provided the chemical formulas for all of the minerals and had them grouped together by key elements. After leaving the Jardin de Plantes, I took the metro to go to the Arc de Triumph, and went to the top to see a better view of the city. I then walked through the city towards the Louvre and stopped for an amazing crepe on the way. The Louvre was phenomenal–my only regret was that I wish I had given myself more time to be there (2.5 hours was not nearly enough to see all of the exhibits). I then stopped back at the hotel before going to see the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur and eating at a nearby restaurant (where the piano player begged all of the customers for spare change). A group of us then decided to head to the Eiffel Tower; after getting off a stop that was a 34 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, we realized we were lost. I suggested walking, however, after already walking 16 miles that day my suggestion seemed laughable. We then took 6 (yes, six) incorrect metro trains, and at approximately 11pm you could’ve found me crying on my knees by Line 10. One hour and forty-two minutes later, we finally made it to see the Eiffel Tower, where we met some very ~interesting~ street vendors who helped us laugh about our night. We luckily were able to stay at the Tower for a few minutes before having to head home so that we could catch the final metro.
The One Where I Body Check a Woman in the Metro (Day 5)
In the morning, I went and grabbed coffee from Pomme de Paine before checking out of the St. Giles Hotel in London. Lugging my over-packed suitcase through the underground stations in London and up the stairs was definitely a struggle and I realized I should have listened to last year’s students when they said to pack light. In the metro system in France I accidentally body-checked a woman with my suitcase while trying to lift it off the metro, and I quickly apologized by saying “sorry” before I realized that she did not speak English. After dropping off my luggage in the hotel, the class walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral. I thought that the Cathedral was very beautiful. I then walked around the streets by the hotel and went to see the Pantheon and Eiffel tower lit up. To end the day, I went to the group dinner at Le Petit Prince de Paris. The food was incredible and I got to try duck and pig cheek for the first time (although I did struggle to convince myself to eat the pig cheek).
The One Where The Guide Spits in the Book (Day 4)
On our final full day in London, we took a tour of Westminster Abbey. Although the weather was very bitter, this was my favorite tour in London because our tour guide also explained a lot of the history of England, and gave background information on prominent people buried in the Abbey. After finishing the tour, we went on the London Eye to see a bird’s eye view of the city. We then walked to our final tour in London–a tour of the Royal Society. Our guide at the royal society seemed fascinated by the portraits of famous scientists (even though some were never members of the Society). The guide showed us artifacts, as well as a book about birds, kept and preserved by the Royal Society. The tour guide was very thrilled by the bird book, and while discussing a drawing of an extinct bird, he spit directly onto the page (which we weren’t supposed to touch because it can’t get damp). I then walked to see Buckingham Palace before returning to the hotel to get ready for the group dinner and a show at the theatre. I saw the Phantom of the Opera and I thought that the cast did an amazing job–the music was incredible and the special effects were also very impressive. Afterwards, Claire and I went outside to take a photo and another tourist asked to take a picture of us before commenting “very beautiful” and walking away. Attending the play was the perfect way to end the four days in London.
The One Where I Buy Too Much at Primark (Day 3)
Monday in London was our free day, and I went to the coffee shop by our hotel, Pomme de Pain. Afterwards, I went to Primark (aka the posher version of Forever 21) where I spent way too much money…rip my bank account. I then went to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square; the gallery included paintings by Van Gough, Monet, and Picasso. Afterwards, I went to tour a nearby church, which had a rustic cafe in the basement. I then took the tube (and I minded the gap) to Bond Street, where I tried incredibly overpriced chocolate and had to window-shop at stores, since I couldn’t even afford to breathe the air inside. Afterwards, I went to Shoreditch and ate at Old Fountain for dinner–it was by far my favorite meal that I had eaten in London. To end the day, I went to the John Snow Pub with other members of the class to commemorate his contributions to the scientific community.
The One Where I Take A Royal Fall (Day 2)
On day two, we took a walk around the square near our hotel where many famous scientists have lived. I found it very interesting that all of the homes contained a basement where the servants used to live. After walking around the square, we went to the British Museum. My favorite part of the museum was seeing the Rosetta Stone. After leaving the musuem, we went to Camden and I got a coffee from Pret–they have the best coconut milk I have ever had (and they don’t charge extra for dairy-free milk). I walked around Camden for a few hours and I really enjoyed getting to see all of the shops and homemade jewelry. I then went to Kensington Palace, where I took a very royal fall down the stairs, causing the guards to laugh at me. However, after we toured Kensington Palace, we ate at Bread Street Kitchen–a restaurant owned by the love of my life–Gordon Ramsay. The mushroom . tortelloni healed my soul (and my body from my fall). We then went to play in posh ballpits in London, before Claire and I went to eat traditional English Kebabs (bab is pronounced like a sheep says). Although we had been convinced that consuming a kebab would be a life-changing experience, it was so horrid that we happily gave our kebab to a homeless man on the corner. 
The One Where The Driver Goes Crazy (Day 1)
After not sleeping all night on the plane, we arrived in London around 9am, and I could have easily been mistaken as Hagrid from Harry Potter. We then took a bus to Downe House; our driver had quite the ~colorful~ personality. In Downe, we ate lunch at a traditional English pub: George and Dragon. I had a scrumptious chicken pot pie that began my descent into the dark world of consuming dairy. After lunch, we walked to see Charles Darwin’s house–it was very posh. I really enjoyed listening to the audio player while touring the house, because I learned a lot more about Darwin’s life with his family. I also walked through the greenhouse in Darwin’s garden where Darwin had done many of his studies. I loved seeing both Darwin’s house, and Downe as . whole, because it showed a very different aspect of England.
History of the Musee de L’Homme
The original museum (that is now the Musee de L’homme) was first built in the late 19th century. When it first opened, it primarily displayed African, Native American and Asian artifacts. In the 1930’s, many paintings were based off of artifacts seen in the museum, and the more modern art movement began in Europe at this time. In the 1930’s the museum displayed a lot of skulls and sculptures that dealt with ethnography and the supposed “differences” between races.
Ethnopharmacology: from past to present
Dr. Douglas Kinghorn began his talk by explaining some overview statistics, such as the fact that three quarters of the world’s population rely on plants as a major source of medicine. I found it interesting that heroin was actually on the market for about 4 years (before it was found to be addictive) and that it was thought to be a “hero” of a drug–hence its name.
Ethnobotany is the “relationship between man and his ambient vegetation.” A branch of ethnobotany is ethnopharmacology, which specially focuses on the medicinal uses of plants. Many studies in this field focus on alkaloids, which have nitrogen atom(s) present and are toxic; important plant alkaloids include atropine, quinine and caffeine. The most important plant drug in the 20th century was Artemether, which was used to treat malaria; it’s endoperoxide group is essential to its function.
Cannabinoids have become of recent interest to serve as new potential drugs; for example Epidiolex (CBD) is used to treat epilepsy in children. However, there is one large issue with CBD as a drug: its price. For one round of therapy, it costs $65,000.
I really enjoyed Dr. Kinghorn’s presentation, since it connected to my current classes (organic chemistry and biochemistry); many of the drugs he spoke about in his presentation, I had read about in my textbooks, and I was very interested to learn about their plant roots, as well as their discoveries.