Today, I was going to the cheese market when I ran into Giana and she came with me to explore the farmer’s market. I ended up buying a baguette, burrata, and the stinkiest French cheese they had. Then, the two of us stopped at a coffee shop for a fresh morning brew. We then met up with Amanda and Erin for lunch, which was by far the best meal I had in Paris. After that, Erin and I split off from the others to go shopping at BHV Marais, a department store, where we met up with Olivia, Theresa, and Quent. The five of us went back to the region around Galleries Lafayette for more shopping then all the way to the art district. We got dessert crepes and paintings for ourselves and our family members. While there, I saw the Love Wall of Paris, which was on my bucket list, and I was able to put a lock with a special message on a gate near it. After that, we all returned to the hotel and then Theresa, Olivia, John, and I went to dinner and had dessert crepes after.
Author: skaff.12
Friday (3/15)
Today, we all went to the Eiffel Tower, but it was so windy that we were not able to go to the top, only the second floor, It was still a breath-taking view. A few of us were searching for the Eiffel Tower while in the Tower until we realized where we were. I noticed that the greetings in Paris are different than America because Parisians turn away from you, but Americans will smirk or nod. It was a weird adjustment. We all then went to the musée de l’homme to see the development of humans overtime. It was interesting but I am more fascinated by human anatomy than culture and history. I then got lunch with a few others from the class and had my one-billionth serving of pasta (but it was worth it). We all then went to the Pasteur House after and saw his old laboratory and bedrooms. Then we all went to the Musée des arts et métiers and was shown the development of French technology over time. I particularly enjoyed the advancement of the loom because I enjoy crafts and I want to learn basket weaving(which requires the same weaving technique). I then ate dinner near the hotel with a few people and went to bed.
Thursday (3/14)
We went to the Paleontology museum and saw a wide variety of fossils. The entire time, I could not stop thinking of our lecture at Orton Hall and comparing the bones I saw then to the ones I was seeing now. We went through the zoo in an hour but it was not as cool as the London zoo. Then Jess, Savannah, Olivia, Theresa, Adrian, Amanda, and I went to the Louvre where I was able to get my traditional picture with Mona Lisa for every time I visit. Also, I saw the Venus de Milo, which is by far my favorite piece of art in all of Paris. I am almost positive that my paradigm shift will be on that statue Then we all left to the Musee D’Orsay to take pictures with the famous giant clock that overlooks Montmartre. After that, Jess, Amanda, and I went to the Galleries Lafayette Mall to shop but I would not recommend. The mall only had high class designer products worth an extreme amount of money. We then went to H&M and the Palais Garnier, the opera house from the 1800s in the Phantom of the Opera. After that we went to the Umbrella Sky and saw the beautiful umbrella artwork. It was gorgeous and throughout the week, almost everyone from our class stopped by too to see it after us. Then we got world famous macaroons from Laudree, the world’s first macaron shop. We then went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and then fell asleep. I enjoyed this day because I finally saw a good majority of things I wanted to see.
Wednesday (3/13)
We took the Eurostar from London to Paris, which had about half an hour delay but we were still able to get there around the same time. We took the metro to the hotel and I found out that I like the metro more than the tube. We all then went to Notre Dame and saw very lovely mosaics in a nice calming, religious atmosphere. I then went with 3/4 of the class to group dinner(yikes!). It took three and a half hours to eat and everything. I got pork cheeks which were ok, but I would not recommend. I also would not recommend the creme brûlée there because they coated the top will alcohol to hold the flame to burn the custard.
Tuesday (3/12)
Today, the class went to the Westminster Abbey and was able to see and hear about the historic landmarks of the grounds. I was really fascinated by the fact that we saw the school where Andrew Lloyd Webber (director of Phantom of the Opera) attended. I really enjoy the mosaics and the architecture on the walls of cathedrals. I liked Westminster Abbey, but I wish we had more time to roam around inside on our own. We all then went on the London Eye which was really cool because I have been to London before very briefly but never was able to ride the London Eye. Then a good majority of the group went with our teacher to get Shawarma, which turned out to be a Lebanese restaurant. The workers there ended up being from the same place in Lebanon as my dad. Then, the class met up again to see the Royal Society, but there was a convention happening at the same time so a lot of the building was blocked off. After that, I took a quick power nap before I went to group dinner with half the class at an Italian restaurant. Then, I booked it for a twenty minute walk to the theater so I wouldn’t be late for my show, “The Play Where Everything Goes Wrong.” I was constantly laughing the entire play and had a fantastic time.
Monday (3/11)
Today started bright and early catching a bus to a train to take to Salisbury to take another bus to Stonehenge to take another bus to the actual stones. This was one of my two favorite things I did in London because I never saw Stonehenge before and I think it is really cool to say I saw one of the seven wonders of the world. It kind of felt unreal that I was actually there. After that, Emily, Jenna, Jess, and I went to Borough’s Market where we took a burrata cheese break(yum!). Then we walked to Twinings tea shop for authentic British tea. Then we visited St. Paul’s Cathedral on our way to the Covent Garden district market near Soho. Following that, we went to Chinatown for dinner and bubble tea.
Sunday (3/10)
Today, we went to the British museum as a class, but only the first floor was open for the first hour. I saw this exhibit showing a woman’s lifetime of pharmaceuticals containing 14,000 pills. This inspired me to possibly change my topic for my paradigm shift project. I spent a good majority of my time exploring Europe and Middle Eastern cultures on the third floor of the museum. After that, a good majority of us took the tube over to Camden Market where I ventured off on my own and had lunch and bought souvenirs before meeting them again to go to the zoo. I liked the zoo more there than in the US because its more spacious and its better kept(aka less stinky). I had dinner later that night at an Italian restaurant with my roommate and a friend. Later on, a few of us went to a ball pit light show club. This was one of my two favorite things to do in London because it was so unique.
Saturday(3/9)
When we landed, we took a bus from the airport to the home of Charles Darwin. The ride was long and it was hard to stay awake since it was really 4am to us, so we all ended up passing out. The roads were narrow and it was traffic was a mess but we had a strange encounter with a persistent angry woman insisting it wasn’t her fault that we almost had a head-on collision. I was able to try a steak and ale shepherd’s pie at George & Dragon. We explored his house and gardens while pointing out what we saw in the movie and what we knew about him. A few people, myself included, climbed a tree at the Down graveyard/church and got a class picture. After our bus ride to the hotel, we all changed and had dinner at a nearby pub with the best burgers ever.
Alicia Skaff
I thought it was interesting how she was fluent in french and was able to write an entire book in another language about a scientific topic. Not in english and french but solely in french. She mentioned how the modernist movement began in Paris when artists rejected realist paintings. I liked the story of Josephine Baker bringing jazz music and dance to Paris. Not only was she more accepted in Paris, but she brought inspiration for a new era of art and music. I feel that some local cafes have a jazzier atmosphere, but without her influence, I wonder what they would be like. She mentioned how museums had a main concern based on “how to know when the display is hierarchical.” Although there can be many African American statues, a single white man statue in the center can bring controversy to racial bias. The museum has changed throughout the years and I am intrigued to see it now compared to what she told us about it.
Alicia Skaff
I found Kinghorn’s talk very fascinating. I associate plants with gardens and food mainly, but I was unaware of how vast their medical properties are. He mentioned how 3/4 of the world’s population uses plants for medicine. I would’ve guessed the compounds and minerals from plants, but not extracts from the plant. Also, I like but am somewhat weirded out by how pharmacies were once called “chemist shops,” the idea is just unsettling to me. He mentioned how the word “morphine” comes from the word “morphium” created by Gay-Lussac. I find that interesting because I am extremely interested in the Phantom of the Opera musical, which is based on a true story in the 1800s, which has a pretense true story of the phantom, Erik. While he was traveling the world, he became addicted to morphine in Persia, which made me relate it to the wealth and more medicinal applications that Kinghorn mentioned. I love coffee and tea and basically anything with caffeine, so I liked learning about how caffeine is an alkaloid. Also, what intrigued me most was the Physostigimine. This drug was used to tell if someone was guilty or not. Ingesting this bean made you either throw up and be proven not guilty, or die and be proven guilty. It seems kind of sadistic but the reactions that occur because of this drug are able to determine something not pertaining to it just shocks me and I am very intrigued by the mechanism behind it.