Bruges Window Sitter

I really loved this window. The whole town is painted similar to this.

Bruges dessert

My delicious piece of cake from the bakery. It was the perfect treat.

Relaxation in Bruges

We had a lot of free time in Bruges in the morning to do whatever we wanted. I took advantage of this. I woke up early at 7 am and was out before the sun was up! I walked about a block down the street to a little bakery and bought a little treat for later. When I ate it later, it was actually a small piece of cake decorated in very thick edible frosting that was shaped like a wrapped present. It was lovely to look at and yummy to eat. I wanted to buy new boots because mine hadn’t dried during the night. I wandered into a second hand store and the lady was really friendly. She only had one pair of boots in my size and they fit great. She also said they were waterproof. I bought them for 35 Euro, which was a good deal. They kept my feet comfortable, stylish and shielded from rain puddles.

            I ended up spending most of the day in Bruges with a girl I met on the pre-tour. Neither of us had anything particular we wanted to see in Bruges, so we wandered. It’s a very small town so we didn’t get lost at all. We came across an old church and went inside just to look around. It was even colder inside the large church than outside. As I was walking through the church, I noticed a sign that said Michelangelo. There was a statue called “Madonna and Child” by Michelangelo. It wasn’t commissioned for the church it is in; rather it was bought by a wealthy Bruges family and given to the church. I thought it was cool that I stumbled upon one of the few works of Michelangelo that isn’t in Italy.

            Bruges was marvelous. I would go again for a relaxing weekend after the rush of city life.

Bruge at Night

So beautiful! It was worth the cold feet to see it like this. The white spots are reflections on raindrops.

The Louvre and Me

I love the outside of the Louvre as much as the inside! :)

From Paris to Bruges

In the morning we went to the Louvre Museum, which I was very excited to see. The building is so long, over two blocks long in itself. It is very old-looking and originally used to be a palace which each succeeding monarch added a wing to. This makes it a museum that is interesting inside and out. There is also a lovely glass pyramid that was added to the courtyard area in the middle of the museum. It combines the old with the new in a way that is striking and pleasing. That is something that I have learned about Paris; it is a synthesis of old and new, without undermining the value of the old. I like that.

            I didn’t know what to expect from the Louvre except seeing the Mona Lisa, which I wasn’t exactly thrilled about. It was nice to see the Mona Lisa. She is a little creepy though; everywhere you go in the room, she is staring at you! What I enjoyed about the Louvre the most was seeing my favorite paintings there. I had no clue that they would be there, but I saw some of my favorites including several works by Delacroix. It is strange to see a painting in person rather than in a book. It becomes alive and personal. I felt like I had experienced the art the way it was intended to be seen.

            After the Louvre, we rode in the bus to Bruge, Belgium. I talked the whole ride to our British Pre-Tour that was arranged through the program. Her name is Sian, pronounce Shawn. She picked us up at the airport and will be with us until we reach London. After about 3 to 4 hours of talking to just Sian, I said some words with British pronunciation unintentionally. My roommate got a good laugh out of that.

            When we arrived in Bruges, it was raining which made it more difficult when we found out we had a 10 minute walk to the hotel from where the bus parked. We formed a procession of 20 young people dragging their rolling suitcases on cobblestone streets. By the time we were at the hotel, we were frustrated at the weather. We rested for about 30 minutes before heading out into the downpour for an hour and a half walking tour of Bruges. I didn’t learn very much about the town because I couldn’t even hear the tour guide. The rain soaked through my boots and my socks were sloshing the whole time L I did like the town though. The buildings were quaint and pretty in the dark. The whole atmosphere was less touristy than Paris. I couldn’t wait to see more of the town the next day when I dried off. My raincoat was completely soaked (apparently not water proof), my feet were freezing and numb but the rest of me was dry. I hung up my wet things and hoped they dried by the morning—most of it didn’t.

Paris –Day 2–

Today the weather got colder. But this was the perfect morning for a bus tour of the city. We were taken on a guided bus tour with a British tour guide. Her name was Janice and she was very funny and interesting! I enjoyed hearing her funny jokes. The bus was the best way to tour the city on a cloudy and slightly rainy day: we could see everything from the windows and got great pictures without going out in the cold and walking everywhere. We also got out of the bus to take pictures in two places with a good view of the Eiffel Tower. Outside there were lots of crazy peddler guys. I was told by the guide that they were mostly from African families and tried to make money off the tourists. I didn’t know we could haggle so I got ripped off bad from the first guy when I bought some Eiffel Tower key-chains. L But the next guy that I bought postcards from was really nice to me, so I complained to him about the rip off. He was so good to me! He marched right up to the other guy and reprimanded him in their native tongue and the guy sheepishly passed me 7 more and then a different guy handed me 5 more also. I felt rich in Eiffel Tower key-chains! Those guys were insane. They would do anything, from saying “I love you” to handing you something and then not taking it back, in order to sell their products. I was glad to say “au revoir” to them!

            I had my first crepe ever from a street vendor in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was yummy! I also saw the insides of two of the grandest cathedrals I have ever seen—Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. It was a wonderful experience. We had to walk all the way up a giant hill to get to the Sacre Coeur but it was worth it. The view was awe-inspiring! You could see almost all of Paris including the Eiffel Tower from there. The video that I posted was of the nightlife outside of the Sacre Coeur. As I was walking back down to the city, there was a mini market set up for people to buy various things such as paintings. The accordion player really made my last evening in Paris special. Overall, it was a perfect Parisian day.

Day 2 - Wonderful Atmosphere

I think this video does better justice than words can. I cannot believe this is me--in Paris!

First Taste of Escargot

Another college guy filmed this for me & narrates the whole thing... He had a little too much fun doing that lol

First Day in Paris

Greetings from Paris, France!

            I am happy to finally be off the plane and to have experienced the city for the first time. So far everything has been great. Security was nice to me at the airports, even allowing me to check my overweight bag without paying extra costs! I enjoyed meeting 5 other girls who will be in my classes in London, so my first flight and layover went by quickly. For my 9 and a half hour flight, I took Tylenol pm and crashed before they even served dinner! I slept for 7 and ½ hours, so the flight felt like only an hour. Probably the fastest anyone has ever made it to Paris from the States.

            I checked in at the hotel at 1pm then went out to look at the local area with the 5 girls I met on the plane. It was very difficult to order food in French! I kept feeling so stupid. When the cashier asked me if I wanted that particular Panini, I said “Si!” instead of “Oui.” Fortunately he laughed as if it was a joke. After lunch, we walked through a small shopping mall that was located by the hotel. So far I have met very pleasant French people. It is a big city mentality and everyone seems to be in a rush, but when asked a polite question most people are willing to help.

            Part of the difficulty with using the simple French is people ask too many questions. I almost wish I could just say I want this and I pay then they hand it over. But it seems like they want to ask us things that really aren’t necessary. Then again, I have no clue what they say so it could be important. One guy entered the elevator with my group and asked if we were going up or down. None of us knew those words but then he pointed and I pointed down. That is my limited ability of communication.

            At night we took a boat down the river Seine. I didn’t know what to expect other than cold, but it was very beautiful. I understand why they call Paris “The City of Lights.” It is truly wonderful to see such grand buildings lit up and watch the lights reflect over the water. Afterwards, we were going to go to the college side of town and eat cheap food. The place they headed was a long walk and led us past the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was hard to walk past it; I just wanted to admire it forever. The place we were headed was closed so we went to a fancier French style restaurant and ate a 2-course meal. Our supposedly cheap dinner ended up costing us 14 Euros which is around 21 dollars. It was worth it though. The experience was wonderful. I tried escargot for the first time. It was delicious. I only had one snail off of my friend’s plate and loved it. It was not rubbery and the sauce gave it a fabulous flavor. Somehow, French food seems to have richness in its sauces unlike any other food I have ever tasted.

            I am looking forward to tomorrow. I will visit the Eiffel Tower along with other popular monuments. I get to also see where the guillotine was placed during the French Revolution! Bon nuit mon amies (goodnight my friends).

Goodbye America

I just finished packing my last bag and will be leaving for the airport in one hour. Packing for 3 months is difficult. I was only allowed one suitcase, one carry-on and a purse. It was tough to get my suitcase to close; I tried everything from sitting to standing on it to get it to zip. It would be awful if airport security decides to open my bag. But shutting it again is their problem.

About airport security, I wonder if the new security measures are actually as intrusive and rude as people think they are. I haven't been on a plane since they've added these to the security check, so I will get to look forward to it. Haha yeah right...

I fly first to Dallas, then I get on my non-stop 9 hour and 30 minute flight. In preparation I stayed up the whole night before so that I can sleep on the plane. The only downside to my plan is that I might be ditzy when I go through airport security. Maybe they will just blame it on the fact that I'm blonde. Haha.

 Well, this is my last post from the U.S.A. Au revoir America! Bonjour France!