Author: sheehan.136

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 13𝓽𝓱 2019

Today we took the train to Paris from London. Although we almost missed check out and had to run to our train, I was surprised by how much easier it was to travel abroad. After finally making it to our hotel, we went to Notre Dame and decided to get lost in the streets of Paris after stopping to try Parisian street food. We decided to take a coin and choose our direction based on which way it landed. Although we did not know where we were going, simply walking around Paris was incredible. Later we went to a group dinner at “Le Petit Prince de Paris”. The food was not exactly what I had expected but allowed me to try Parisian food I would not normally. Later, my friends and I decided to walk the streets of Paris while eating Croissants. We found the night life to be a little different in Paris as compared to London and ended up just walking around due to everything being closed.

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 14𝓽𝓱 2019

We were able to travel to various museums today and see the Jardin des Plantes. I really enjoyed taking the path less traveled and visiting the green houses and the secret garden. We later traveled to the Arc De Triumph and went to the top. Afterward we took a longer route and saw various architectural buildings on the way to the Louvre. Once we finally reached the Louvre, my expectations were fully met. We first stopped to try a crepe at a small restaurant outside of the Louvre. I instead ended up trying a galette and loved it. When in the Louvre, I once again split off from the group and decided to see the exhibits less explored. We were able to see the sarcophagus of various kings of Egypt, Napoleons chambers and personal furniture, the mona lisa (of course), and roman ruins on display. We ended up staying till the museum closed. I had an incredible time and was pleasantly surprised by my experience. Later I ended up staying in the area and tried macaroons and various French pastries. We then walked all the way from the Louvre to the Arc de Triumph (again). On the walk there, we were able to see the famous shopping areas of Paris and later went to the top of the arc to see the Eiffel tower light up. We then went to an amazing restaurant famous and tried their famous dish while splitting a bottle of wine.

                   

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 15𝓽𝓱 2019

Today was one of the most exhausting days I had while abroad. We started off the day by going to the Eiffel Tower and Musée de l’Homme. It was amazing getting to see the whole city and even parts that I had not been able to visit. While a little long, I found each place extremely fascinating and found my paradigm shift at the Musée des Arts et Metiers. I thought I would enjoy visiting Pasteurs home more, however, by that point in the day I was extremely exhausted and felt as though I could not enjoy it as much. One of my favorite parts of the day was taking pictures with the Eiffel tower after hearing so much about it. Later in the day, we ended up exploring the night life near the Bastille. While everyone we met was very nice, I realized what everyone told me about the people of Paris was pretty accurate. Most people we met did not speak English and my attempts at French were futile. I had wish I had taken French instead of Spanish so I would have been able to understand more of what they were saying.

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 16𝓽𝓱 2019

The last day was a little crazy as there were multiple protests taking place and some turned violent. Because the city was actually on fire at one point, I decided to stay close to the hotel and visit some of the local museums and get some souvenirs. I started off by trying another crepe at a restaurant and finally going shopping in the city known for fashion. I was surprised by how many malls existed within Paris. I was able to go to some of my favorite stores and later head to an Art district where I was able to buy a canvas meeting and try (my second) crepe of the day. Later we went back to the hotel and went to a very cute French restaurant. While there, I was finally able to try Escargot. I was surprised by how much I liked it and was glad I had that experience. The last night was one of my favorites because of how much exploring we did. After the restaurant, we once again got lost in Paris and walked for around 3 hours around the city. After visiting almost every major part and seeing the remnants of the protests, we finally sat at a restaurant in front of Notre Dame and had a glass of Chardonnay to celebrate the ending of our trip. It was truly a once in a lifetime trip that I will always have fond memories of.

 

 

 

 

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 9𝓽𝓱 2019

Finally getting off the plane and realizing we were in London was incredible. I had always had a vision of what it would be like and the country side lived up to my expectations when we first visited Darwin’s house. I really enjoyed being able to see the town that Darwin had spent most of his life with his family. Additionally, the traditional English meal was incredible. The highlight of my day was getting to walk through the garden of down house down the same paths Darwin once walked. Learning more about his life helped me understand concepts we learned in class through experiencing it firsthand. Later that day I was also able to meet up with family I had not seen since I was 10. We were able to go to dinner near the London eye.

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 10𝓽𝓱 2019

 

I really enjoyed being able to go to the British Museum and seeing various cultures. I particularly enjoyed the roman and Egyptian exhibits. I thought they were absolutely gorgeous. I then headed to Camden Market to get coffee with some classmates. We decided to take a different route there and had to navigate the underground on our own. During this time, I really enjoyed learning being independent and feeling as though I could get anywhere in a new country. After some shopping at Camden, my classmates and I then went to Kensington palace and toured the former home of Queen Victoria and current home of Harry and Meghan Markle. After more shopping near the area, we headed back to later go to one of Gordan Ramsey’s famous restaurants, Bread Street Kitchen. Lastly, one of the highlights of my trip was organizing a group of us to go to a pub downtown that had its own ball pit. This was something I had never seen before in the states and allowed me to have an amazing experience with all of my peers who were able to make it.

 

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 11𝓽𝓱 2019

I started off the day with a trip to Stonehenge. In order to make it there we had to take a train to Salisbury. This train ride felt like something out of a movie with a classic box car which I had never experienced before. When we finally arrived, we took a taxi to Stonehenge and eventually got to see one of the wonders of the world. While I felt like I had thought it was different than what I expected, it was an incredible experience that brought me back to another time. After Stonehenge, we got lunch in Salisbury at a typical pub. After walking around the beautiful small town, we headed back to London and did more shopping at Primark. Later in the day, we all went to various pubs and met other Americans on study abroad.

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 12𝓽𝓱 2019

Although the tour felt very long, Westminster Abbey was extremely beautiful and breathtaking. I was extremely surprised at how many different nooks where in the cathedral. I was also surprised by the long and complicated history. Later we traveled to the London Eye where we were able to see almost all of London. Afterward, we had lunch at a pub where I tried fish and chips in England for the first time. The Scientific Royal Society was very interesting to see and allowed me to picture the place we had learned so much about in class. We then went to Buckingham palace. I found this part of the day the most exciting due to the fact that I had wanted to go to the palace since coming to London. Later in the day, we had a group dinner at an Indian restaurant and spent the rest of the night with friends we had made at the hotel from Rhode Island. I found London to be an extremely memorable experience which I will never forget. Between the people, the places, and the history, I found London to be my favorite and hope to return soon.