Paris Trip!

I left for Paris at around 5:45 am on Wednesday morning, our study abroad group was traveling to Paris by train on the Eurostar so we all met at King’s Cross station to begin our journey to the city of lights. The ride there wasn’t bad and only took about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get into Paris. Once we had arrived and gotten to the platform we had our entire group carrying luggage through the station which was hectic to say the least.  On top of that the metro system in Paris had some slight differences to the underground in London. Mainly the metro passes, while London’s system is more technologically efficient with plastic cards that scan as you walk thru the gates, Paris still uses the old-fashioned system of inserting very tiny paper passes into the machines and then waiting for it to come back out to allow the doors to open. The paper passes are very small and sensitive so if one bends it or gets put near metal they will stop working. It was definitely a stressful keeping track of the pass during our stay as no one wants to be the one holding up the entire group because they can’t get through the gates.  It must be said that the London underground is MUCH cleaner than Paris’s. They were very dirty for the most part and smelled like pee from people urinating everywhere. In general I noticed a great difference between the cleanliness of London over Paris. I was very thankful to be able to live in a city with a much more clean and efficient form of transportation. 

After we had dropped our bags off at our hotel, which was absolutely amazing (My roommates and I had a two floor room with a loft and terrace) we headed to a boat tour that would take us around the city. It was a great introduction to Paris and also a great way to see the major sights like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, although after a while the cold became hard to bear so most of the group went to the indoor area to get warm. After the tour our study abroad coordinator took us to a Make-up Forever store as she knows the owner and gets a 40% discount on everything.  After that our group activities were done for the day so my roommates and I went out for dinner at a pizza place near our hotel. It was really nice to have meal that wasn’t frozen for once so it made it an even better dinner than normal.  

In our hotel room upon arrival

The Boat tour!

On Tuesday we started the day bright and early and headed to a typical French farmers market, which consisted of dozens and dozens of stalls ranging from clothes, shoes, jewelry, desserts, and fruits and vegetables. It was overwhelming to see so many different types of products but it was fun to see how real Parisians live their day to day lives.  We then took a walking tour of the Marais, also known as the Jewish Quarter of Paris. This is a very pretty and quaint area filled with little cafes, boutiques, and museums.  Our study abroad coordinators Hannah and Basia had us sit down in a park in the Place Des Vosges near Victor Hugo’s house, the author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables. They surprised us by pulling out a very large variety of French cheeses and foods such as octopus (which tasted like lobster in my opinion) and baby squid, and then gave us a sampling of each. Some of the cheeses were better than others but it was definitely all worth a try. Basia then lead us around more areas of the Jewish Quarter, this was probably my favorite part of the city as it was pretty clean and had that pretty Parisian quality that is seen in television and film. Basia took us to the Carnavalet Museum, we didn’t go in but she wanted us to see the garden area which was absolutely gorgeous. We took some token group photos and admired the gardens for a few minutes before we were allowed to split up and go off and explore the area on our own for a couple hours. We wandered through some shops in the area and went and took a tour of Victor Hugo’s house. It was interesting to see the interior of the house and especially the bedroom where he had died. By this time we were all pretty hungry so we decided to get a falafel, a signature food in Paris that consists of pita bread filled with meat, vegetables and a special dressing. It was really good and something that I would get again in the future if I ever come back to Paris. 

Farmers Market

Various French foods that we sampled

Gardens at the Carnavalet Museum

Jewish Quarter

Place Des Vosges

Bedroom where Victor Hugo Died

Pretty Blue doors in the Jewish Quarter

A Fallafel

 Our final “group” activity for the day was seeing Notre Dame Cathedral, which was absolutely breathtaking in person, the interior in particular. I did not know what to expect when I walked in but it is truly hard to put into words how it felt to walk around the building. After spending some time taking it all in we left to go meet up with my roommates’ friend from their college back home who happens to be studying at a fashion school in Paris. She speaks fluent French and made it much easier when ordering food at the café we went to for dinner. Since we had not made any other plans for the night we made a mutual decision to go to the Eiffel tower since it was a clear night and would be a great view from the top. I had seen the Eiffel Tower since arriving to Paris on Wednesday but being THAT close to it was indescribable. All I can really say is that pictures and movies do not do it justice at all, seeing it in person is another thing entirely. We waited in line for about 45 minutes before we were lead onto a lift that took us to the middle of the Eiffel tower. We then got off and got another lift that took us to the top. Upon arrival of the top of the Eiffel Tower the view was absolutely amazing and I was happy we had decided to go at night because all the distant twinkling lights on the horizon were simply an amazing sight to see. It was also easier to spot other landmarks such as the Arc De Triomphe in the distance. While we were looking at the view the Eiffel Tower started to twinkle, it does this at the beginning of every hour, which from our point of view at the top was just flashes of blinding white light for 5 minutes. Luckily there weren’t any epileptic tourists on the tower with us. We were then able to catch the twinkling right as we came back down as we were walking away and it was spectacular. 

Inside of Notre Dame

On top of the Eiffel Tower!

Stunning View from the top

The Eiffel Tower twinkling!

 Friday was another long and eventful day and it once again started very early in the morning. Our first stop was at The Orangerie to see Monet’s water lily paintings which were huge and took up entire walls of space.  We then headed to another area of the city to meet one of Basia’s friends, Denyse Beaulieu, who is a perfume guru and writer, who has a book on perfume coming out in March. She talked to us about the process of perfume getting made. It was very insightful and interesting as I had never really taken the time before to stop and think how perfume is created. After listening to Denyse for a while we were then allowed to go off on our own for a couple hours to explore the area of Rue St. Honore and other streets with boutiques. My roommates and I left that area briefly because we wanted to go see the Arc De Trimophe, this is another brilliant piece of architecture that was beautiful to see in person and since the famous Champs Elyeseses runs right by the arc we decided to walk down and see some of the designer shops, stores such as the Louis Vuitton flagship and the largest Sephora in the world are along this road.

Denyse Beaulieu

Arc De Triomphe

 We then headed back to the Rue St Honore area because I had really wanted to visit the famous and original Chanel shop where Coco Chanel had lived (her apartment was directly above the store). Chanel has always been my favorite designer so to go inside the store was really an amazing experience for me. When you first enter the store you can see the iconic staircase that leads to her apartment. All the employees were very polite and I was greeted with a “Bonjour” at every turn. I had decided that I wanted my one splurge in Paris to be from Chanel so I decided to buy the Coco Mademoislle fragrance. The whole buying experience was very enjoyable and relaxing and when I was ready to make my purchase I was directed to a desk with cushioned chairs where the associate wrapped and bagged my purchase. It was not the typical hustle and bustle type of atmosphere that I had grown used to in a retail environment.  I was very impressed with the customer service in the store and it was definitely a highlight of the trip for me.  After that we headed to a museum called Musee Quai Branly that had a lot of pieces containing African and Asian artifacts. Basia wanted the fashion design students to try and gather inspiration from the pieces to apply to their own designs. Although there was some drama when we first walked into the museum as the museum employees did not like the fact that we came in as a group, and also probably because we were American, Basia  argued with the people at the desk and eventually got her way (as she always does) and we were permitted into the museum.

The first Chanel shop!

Coco Chanel's staircase

My Perfume!

 After the museum we said our goodbyes and went off and did our own thing for the night. My roommates and I met up with their friend and we headed to the Louvre. It was once again an amazing sight to see in person. Unfortunately the gallery was closed so we could not see the artwork but we deiced to try again another night. We then decided to head to a bar near their friend’s apartment and it was an overall good day.

On Saturday we headed to another museum, this time the Musee de la Mode et du Textiles to look at the Jean Paul Goode exhibit that was going on. It was intriguing but some of the pieces of art were hard to understand. After spending a couple hours at the museum, Basia took us to a flea market at Porte de Cligancourt. The indoor area with the stalls of vintage clothing and other items was very interesting to see but the area around it was very scummy and definitely took me out of my comfort zone. It is also an area notoriously known for pickpockets so It definitely made me paranoid of my surroundings. There were also a lot of homeless people and people in your face trying to sell you things. After browsing the flea market for a while we decided to head to the Eiffel Tower to take some daytime pictures in front of it, by that time it was getting close to dinner so we decided our last night in Paris called for an amazing dinner by the Eiffel Tower. The food was amazing; I had salmon covered in butter sauce with egg noodles which was probably the best salmon I have ever tasted, and for dessert Chocolate Mousse. After we had finishing eating we went back to the Louvre to try and see the gallery but it was once again closed. Its hours were very unclear but we figured it just wasn’t meant to be and we could always just google pictures of Mona Lisa to get our art fix. 

Gorgeous view from the museum

Huge Flea Market

My delicious dinner by the Eiffel Tower!

Sunday, our last day in Paris we checked out of our hotel and left our bags in the lobby to come back for later that day. Our first stop was Versailles and it was the perfect day for it as the weather was bright and sunny. The exterior of Versailles was once again breathtaking, and the gold architecture was really beautiful. The inside was enormous and there was so much art and architecture to look at it, it was hard to take it in. It was interesting going from room to room, but to also gaze out the windows at the gardens was also really beautiful to see. They stretch on for miles and you could spend all day walking through them. When we finished the inside tour of the palace we walked around the gardens for a bit and admired the fountains. I can imagine that going to Versailles in the springtime would be amazing as there are many flowers waiting to bloom scattered throughout the property. 

Interior of the Palace

Back view of the Palace

One of many pathways in the gardens

In the Gardens

View of the Gardens from Inside

View of the Gardens from Inside

Entrance to Versailles

 When we got done at Versailles we met Basia and Hannah by Anvers Metro and walked the long and steep steps to get to the top of the hill where Sacre Coeur church is located. The view was really beautiful and it was a nice day so you could see a lot. It was really a great way to say good bye to the city, and of course I had to eat a crepe before I left. It was cool to walk around the area and see the Place Des Tetres, aka the artists square; it is such an iconic thing to see artists at work in Paris so I was glad we were taken here. Our final stop of the trip was outside the Moulin Rouge Theater, which was not super exciting but still a staple of Paris so we had to see it before we left.

Sacre Coeur Church

Gorgeous View from the top of the steps

The Artists Square

Chocolate Crepe!

Moulin Rouge Theater

When we got back to our hotel we ended up waiting in the lobby for the bus driver to show up, after waiting for over a half an hour Basia and Hannah began to get frantic. After phoning her travel agent multiple times the bus still hadn’t shown up. Luckily after over 45 minutes of waiting the bus driver finally pulled up to the hotel. But by that point we were cutting it very close to the leaving time so everyone was rushing to get their luggage loaded onto the bus.  Basically complete chaos. Of course when we get to the station the UK customs line was long and taking forever due to the man working asking each person that went through several questions.  We were literally minutes away from the train leaving before we finally got to the front of the line. Thankfully Basia was able to persuade Eurostar to delay the train for us so we wouldn’t have missed it anyways but it was a very stressful wait in line.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am glad that I got to see so many beautiful sights but I was happy to get back to a much cleaner, nicer, English speaking city that I call home. I never realized how much I loved London until I went away on this trip, I felt really content upon arriving home and I was happy that I chose to study abroad in London over any other city.

Wednesday morning turned out to be a very good one , as part of our British Cultural Studies class we were invited to our tutor Michael’s studio. It was a bit different from the normal Wednesday morning routine as we usually meet outside a tube station or some landmark to do walking tours around different areas of the city. It turned out to be a very cold morning, I never thought that the weather here would be colder than New England but it has proven to be one of the coldest  winters I have ever experienced. After successfully locating the studio we were brought upstairs to his work space which he had turned into a tea party for the class. We talked and did some writing exercises and it was a much more enjoyable time than walking in the cold. 

At Michael's Studio

First cup of English tea!

When I got back from class, after a couple weeks of waiting and revising my resume, I officially got the news that I will be interning at London Fashion Week for the menswear designer Ozwald Boateng! I will be working the day of the show at their flagship store on Savile Row. I am so excited for this opportunity and I can’t wait to see and experience all the hard work and craziness that goes into putting on a fashion show. The show is right after I get back from Paris, so the next few weeks are going to be very exciting!

On Friday my roommate and I went to go see the The Woman In Black at Odeon Cinemas, as soon I walked in I noticed how noticeably cleaner and nicer it was from movie theaters back home, I also noticed that you are allowed to purchase alcohol and bring it into the theater with you. They are much more relaxed about drinking in general than they are in America.  After the movie we decided to head over to Big Ben to see it lit up, unfortunately it was really late so only the London Eye had its lights on. It was still fun to see though since normally during the day the streets are packed with people, making it more difficult to take pictures. It was pretty awesome having the streets to ourselves although it was once again FREEZING. 

Freezing by the London Eye

Marble Arch

I have been hearing about Primark since the day classes started, it’s been one of the stores  on my list of shops to visit. It is a major retail chain with stores all over Europe that sells their merchandise at the budget end of the market. They are known for making clothes with simple designs and fabrics and then buying stock in bulk. Before I entered I had already heard a great deal about how the prices are really cheap and its chaotic atmosphere. As soon as I walked in I knew I wasn’t leaving anytime soon.  It was even more crowded than Topshop, with multiple floors of merchandise. Blouses were all around 10 pounds, with shoes ranging in the 8 to 15 pound range as well. Some blazers and jackets were around 12 pounds. After trying to browse for what seemed like hours, I got in the line to the fitting room which was about a 10 minute wait.  I was not prepared for the crowded atmosphere but if you are an intense shopper that likes a lot of good deals then it is definitely worth the trip. 

Primark on Oxford Street

I can’t believe I am off to Paris in a couple of days! I will be updating with all the details from the trip and London Fashion Week when I get back!

Last weekend I had the chance to check out the Chinese New Years Celebrations going on around the city, it was interesting to get to see celebrations going on in places like Leicester Square, roads were blocked off to let people walk through the streets and it was a fun atmosphere to be apart of. I was especially excited to check out Trafalgar square, not only is it famous spot in London but also where the Harry Potter movie premieres are held so I was keen to see how this looked in person. It was very crowded as celebrations for Chinese New Year were going on there as well. Their was a stage with a screen setup for performers although the huge crowds made it difficult to see what was going on.

Celebrations by Leicester Square

Chinese New Year in Trafalgar Square

During the next week we went to visit the National Portrait Gallery for my Historical and Contemporary Research Studies Class, which is located in Trafalgar Square. It was a much nicer day out so I had to take a picture before we left.

On Wednesday during my British Cultural Studies class my tutor Michael took us to a shopping center, where the entire class managed to squeeze into an elevator where we were taken to the roof of the building to see St. Paul's Cathedral. It was a very cold but beautiful day out so the view was amazing from where we were standing. You could also see a lot of construction going on which I think could possibly be for the upcoming summer Olympics, and the London Eye. The view allowed us to see the intricate details of the architecture on the cathedral which was absolutely gorgeous.

Rooftop view of the city

 Also during that afternoon (although I did not find this out until 4 days later!) David Beckham made an appearance at the H&M on Oxford Street, literally right next to my school! He was there for the launch of his new Bodywear for H&M collection which has been getting a lot of promotion in the London Area. Apparently it was very crowded and impossible to get in, but one of the study abroad students managed to get a picture with him. A few of my roommates and I were disappointed we did not know about this event!

In front of St. Paul's Cathedral

Promotional bags being placed around London for the Bodywear by David Beckham collection

On friday since I have no classes I decided to check out the famous Portobello Market located in the heart of Notting Hill, I had heard nothing but good things about this area so I had been dying to check it out. This area is a popular destination for any thrift shoppers and antiquers as their are many great places selling unique secondhand items.

 When I first got there I could see a ton of stalls set up selling clothes and shoes. You could literally spend an entire day rummaging through the stalls, going through everything. In another area tables were set up with vintage magazines, jewelery, shoes, and many other accessories. It was a bit overwhelming, and I made a mental note to come back here on a Friday morning when the weather gets a bit warmer. After walking around this area I decided to head down Portobello Road, with its many antique shops. Also along this road were many fruit and vegetable stands and people selling even more clothes. I think my favorite part about this road are the brightly colored buildings it is known for. They are just so pretty in person and an amazing sight to see while walking down the road. The architecture and brightly painted buildings in this city never ceases to amaze me.

 

I was especially interested in checking out Alice's Antiques shop, as it is known for having a lot of interesting British antiques. The inside was very dark and crowded with various items hanging from the walls. They were also selling a lot of pretty dish wear and teapots outside of the store as well. I ended up buying a couple ceramic cups and a small antique item from inside the store for my mom as the store itself reminded me of my grandmother who was an antique dealer. Before I left I asked the store owner about Taylor Swift, who I am not a huge fan of but curious because I had seen pictures of her shopping at Alice's a few days earlier. She told me that she always comes in to visit them when she is in the UK, apparently she is a big antiques shopper and makes a point to stop by to see them and to look around. Although, the store owner told me she felt bad for her as their were a ton of paparazzi waiting outside for her to exit the shop.

After a couple hours of browsing I decided to head back, the weather here is freezing and it ended up snowing on Saturday night, something that is a rare occurrence here!

Only a week until winter break and then I am off to Paris! I'm sure I will have many updates soon in the next couple of weeks!