I'm home now. I got in to San Francisco at 8:30 last night. My flight from Houston to San Francisco was delayed a few hours because it was raining in Texas.
I am happy to be home but I really miss England. I wasn't ready to leave yet. I had enough money to last me another month! hahahaha
I still have 13 pounds in my wallet. I need to get that changed!
My last week in the UK went by too fast....
Thursday:
I was late for my Econ final because I got lost in the building where the final was being held. I'm kinda iffy about my final. I think I did OK. I finished in 35 minutes [multiple choice test with 50 minute time limit] but I didnt want to be the first one to turn in so I played games on my calculator [hahaha nerd].
We left for London around 1ish or something like that. On the way to the train station, I got a lamb shawarma.... mmmm lamb.
We went to Oxford Street [it's a major shopping street in London] and did some window shopping. I wanted to buy something from TopShop but CANNOT AFFORD! and the stuff on sale is just weird.
We finally had our afternoon tea [not cream tea, that's different] at Marks and Spencers. SO MUCH FOOD.
Ice Bar
the experience was worth it! The cover charge comes with a thermal parka with a hood [that makes everyone look good], gloves and a drink. Everything was made of ice except for the floor [that would be bad...]. I understand why there is a 40 minute limit to the bar...it's freakin' cold [-5 degress celcius] but it doesnt feel that cold because of the body heat from the other people and the bar is pretty small, so they cant shove as many people in there without melting the ice. The glass they gave us is pretty much a giant ice cube that's hollowed out. The bar is owned by Absolut so all the alcoholic drinks are vodka drinks.
I got this drink called Lazuli...sooooo GOOOD! Tastes like lychee!
I finally got my Wicked program signed! YAY! I have the entire main cast except for the actor who plays Fiyero [sad].
It really started hitting me that we were leaving when I was saying good-bye to Christina and Aurora. I started getting a little teary-eyed, but refused to cry.
Friday:
Our last Brighton day! Jeany, Margaret, Ruhi, Carolyn, Emily and I spent the entire day at Brighton. We walked around the North Laines and got our fudge....mmm.... best fudge ever! I dont know how I'm going to look at other fudge anymore.
I bought 3 books at Borders. I'm gonna buy more when I get home. [I still have books I havent finished at home!!!] I know, it's a problem...but I love books! YOU CAN'T STOP ME! hahaha
Besides, I like the UK covers better...US covers suck! OK, I'm gonna stop before this turns into a full-blown rant.
I got scarves for Mary and Jamie and Primark...I would post pictures but then it wouldn't be a surprise! haha
We finally had our time at the beach. We bought sandwiches at Marks and Spencers and broght them to the beach. HELLA PEOPLE! It was a really nice day though. The sun was out, very light breeze. After eating, we just laid out. I fell asleep hahahha!
The rocks at the beach were actually really comfortable. It's better than getting sand everywhere LOL.
We went to Donatello's for dinner. It's the place we all ate our first night out in Brighton. It was like a full circle kind of thing. I ordered the exact thing I had our first night.
Saturday:
I went to sleep at 2:30 and woke up at 4:00. Not fun. I couldn't go back to sleep so I started cleaning up my room and stuff.
Checked out around 6:00. Jeany and I got to Gatwick around 7ish and we had the hardest time finding our terminals. Someone who worked for Continental took me to the Continental counter.
My luggage was over-weight by 2 kilos [idk what that is in pounds hahaha], but the lady at the counter let it slide! She's so nice :D
My carry-on luggage was killing me...The plates I bought were all in there because I didnt want my check-in to be too heavy.
It felt weird being in a car again. I think I'm going to miss really efficient public transportation, but I am excited to drive again :D
I had Pho and boba for dinner after my dad picked me up from the airport. BEST FIRST MEAL EVER.
I am now doing laundry because I am out of clean clothes.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
At The End of the Day There's Another One Dawning
one of my life goals is now complete: I have finally seen LES MISERABLES!!!
IT WAS ...omg...beyond AMAZING! The cast is really really good. I really like the actor playing Valjean...he sounds Colm Wilkinson, the actor who played Valjean in the original London and Broadway cast and Anniversary Concert,but with a bit of an Irish accent [but his last name doesnt seem Irish]...and OMG! The actor playing Marius is really good and HOT!!! hahaha He's not Michael Ball, but he has a really amazing voice. Enjolras is hot too!
Pretty much the actors playing the students are all hot! The lead actresses are really good as well...Fantine could have been a little been stronger, but she's still really good. I have high expectactions for Eponine and Fantine because of Lea Salonga...but I was not disappointed...YAY! The actress playing Eponine is cute hahaha.
Yes I did cry. OF COURSE I CRIED! hahahaha I started crying at "I Dreamed a Dream" and the water works were pretty much on and off the entire show haha. It's not the "tears running down my cheek" type of crying; it was more of a "tear drops falling" type of crying.
The set was really cool! The set rotates ...it's kinda hard to describe on a blog hahaha
It makes it seem like the actors are moving place to place with the rotating set, instead of pretending that they are moving from place to place.
I also liked how before explosions, jumping off bridges, etc. the actors movements are in slow motion...then goes into normal speed...it's REALLY COOOL!
The music is already amazing, but hearing it live is sooooo much better! I got shivers down my spine...especially when they sang "One Day More". I really loved Eponine's death scene...I didn't really know how to picture it in my head from listening to "A Little Fall of Rain" but now I can see it in my head and it makes it so much more sad. Fantine's death was just heart-breaking.
We sat in the very front row...literally [and only cost us 25 pounds each]. So we were right next to the orcestra pit [specifically, the drums]. The drummer was cute hahaha.
It was pretty cool being that close to the stage because you can see EVERYTHING! I know where the actors have their mics [it's on their heads, near the hair line and it's very small and blends with the make-up]...you can see them spit while they sing! It was great.
After the show, we [Ruhi, Margaret and I...I forgot to mention who I went with] went to the stage door to get autographs. Since it's a HUGE cast, we didnt get everyone, but we got the actors playing Eponine, Fantine, Cosette, Marius and Valjean [and those are ones I really wanted haha]. When we were getting autographs, I mentioned we were sitting in the very front, and the actor playing Marius asked me it I was the one singing along [YES I WAS!...well, lip syncing]
TEEHEEEHEEEE. He's really cute.
AHHH! SOOOOO HAPPPY!!!
IT WAS ...omg...beyond AMAZING! The cast is really really good. I really like the actor playing Valjean...he sounds Colm Wilkinson, the actor who played Valjean in the original London and Broadway cast and Anniversary Concert,but with a bit of an Irish accent [but his last name doesnt seem Irish]...and OMG! The actor playing Marius is really good and HOT!!! hahaha He's not Michael Ball, but he has a really amazing voice. Enjolras is hot too!
Pretty much the actors playing the students are all hot! The lead actresses are really good as well...Fantine could have been a little been stronger, but she's still really good. I have high expectactions for Eponine and Fantine because of Lea Salonga...but I was not disappointed...YAY! The actress playing Eponine is cute hahaha.
Yes I did cry. OF COURSE I CRIED! hahahaha I started crying at "I Dreamed a Dream" and the water works were pretty much on and off the entire show haha. It's not the "tears running down my cheek" type of crying; it was more of a "tear drops falling" type of crying.
The set was really cool! The set rotates ...it's kinda hard to describe on a blog hahaha
It makes it seem like the actors are moving place to place with the rotating set, instead of pretending that they are moving from place to place.
I also liked how before explosions, jumping off bridges, etc. the actors movements are in slow motion...then goes into normal speed...it's REALLY COOOL!
The music is already amazing, but hearing it live is sooooo much better! I got shivers down my spine...especially when they sang "One Day More". I really loved Eponine's death scene...I didn't really know how to picture it in my head from listening to "A Little Fall of Rain" but now I can see it in my head and it makes it so much more sad. Fantine's death was just heart-breaking.
We sat in the very front row...literally [and only cost us 25 pounds each]. So we were right next to the orcestra pit [specifically, the drums]. The drummer was cute hahaha.
It was pretty cool being that close to the stage because you can see EVERYTHING! I know where the actors have their mics [it's on their heads, near the hair line and it's very small and blends with the make-up]...you can see them spit while they sing! It was great.
After the show, we [Ruhi, Margaret and I...I forgot to mention who I went with] went to the stage door to get autographs. Since it's a HUGE cast, we didnt get everyone, but we got the actors playing Eponine, Fantine, Cosette, Marius and Valjean [and those are ones I really wanted haha]. When we were getting autographs, I mentioned we were sitting in the very front, and the actor playing Marius asked me it I was the one singing along [YES I WAS!...well, lip syncing]
TEEHEEEHEEEE. He's really cute.
AHHH! SOOOOO HAPPPY!!!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Scotland
I spend last week-end in Scotland...it was really pretty and green in Scotland even if it was raining.
Carolyn, Emily, Margaret, Ruhi, Tiffanie and I all booked our Scotland trip with Discovery Tours. It was great because transportation and accommodations was already taken care of and we didnt have to plan the rest of our day.
The deal with Discovery Tours is that they drive you around the city showing you places of interest and then letting you have free time in the city to explore, etc.
We stayed Glasgow so we didnt get to experience Edinburgh nightlife. Our accommodations were the dorms at the University of Glasgow...it's very nice and cozy and clean!
Edinburgh:
I loved Edinburgh..especially because the Edinburgh festival was going on, so there was a lot of people and there was a lot to see and do! It was very lively. I definitely want to come back during the festival so I can watch the shows at night.
We went to the Edinburgh Castle...it reminded me of the Tower of London but since the castle is at the highest point of Edinburgh, there were great views of the city below. I mean, the castle was built there for strategical purposes. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels...they're OK, but they are the oldest crown jewels in England so I guess it was worth seeing.
I really their Prisons of War exhibit...it was really cool how they used the senses to let you "experience" how prisoners lived in the castle.
The place we ate at had free samples of haggis [it is a traditional Scottish dish made of : sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock]. I tried it out of curiosity because I've heard about it from travel shows that I watch. So anyway, it had a mushy consistency, but it didnt taste bad...it tasted very peppery.
Glasgow:
After Edinburgh, we went out to the pubs in Glasgow with our tour guide, Rich. He's real cool. He's 22 and is a music major at Uni. of Sussex. Anyway, the first pub we went to, Ruhi, Carolyn, Tiffanie and I got free drinks. Some guy bought us all 1/2 a pint of Strongbow [cider]. I love free drinks. We went to a different pub looking for karaoke...but the one we found was WEIRD. All the people in the pub was at least over 35. We moved to the pub next door coz it seemed a little more our age-group...dont i sound age-ist? hahaha
That pub was fun because they had a DJ playing music and people dancing.
I have always been curious of SOURZ...they have cool bottles and pretty colors, so I tried 2 of their flavors: cherry and apple.
I had an apple and lemonade[sprite]...YUUUM! Tasted like apple soda. It had a nice tinge of apple green. Cherry and diet coke tastes like a sherley temple [but with alcohol! hahaha but you can't taste the alcohol].
After our day driving around the Highlands, we decided to buy drinks and just have drinking games at the kitchen of the dorms. We just bought bottles of strongbow and played flip cup and kings cup with Rich and a few other guys who go to summer school with us. Fun times! It was my first time playing flip cup and learned that I am not that bad! YAY!
We didnt have a deck of cards, so we just cut up paper and made our deck for kings cup. Fun times!
Highlands:
That tour pretty much consisted of driving around the highlands of Scotland and showing us the landscape...the lochs[lake], beins[mountains], etc. It was really really pretty. It was raining, but it was still really pretty. There was a lot of sheep and cows. We actually got to go see a highland bull...they are CUUTTEEE!!!
Carolyn, Emily, Margaret, Ruhi, Tiffanie and I all booked our Scotland trip with Discovery Tours. It was great because transportation and accommodations was already taken care of and we didnt have to plan the rest of our day.
The deal with Discovery Tours is that they drive you around the city showing you places of interest and then letting you have free time in the city to explore, etc.
We stayed Glasgow so we didnt get to experience Edinburgh nightlife. Our accommodations were the dorms at the University of Glasgow...it's very nice and cozy and clean!
Edinburgh:
I loved Edinburgh..especially because the Edinburgh festival was going on, so there was a lot of people and there was a lot to see and do! It was very lively. I definitely want to come back during the festival so I can watch the shows at night.
We went to the Edinburgh Castle...it reminded me of the Tower of London but since the castle is at the highest point of Edinburgh, there were great views of the city below. I mean, the castle was built there for strategical purposes. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels...they're OK, but they are the oldest crown jewels in England so I guess it was worth seeing.
I really their Prisons of War exhibit...it was really cool how they used the senses to let you "experience" how prisoners lived in the castle.
The place we ate at had free samples of haggis [it is a traditional Scottish dish made of : sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock]. I tried it out of curiosity because I've heard about it from travel shows that I watch. So anyway, it had a mushy consistency, but it didnt taste bad...it tasted very peppery.
Glasgow:
After Edinburgh, we went out to the pubs in Glasgow with our tour guide, Rich. He's real cool. He's 22 and is a music major at Uni. of Sussex. Anyway, the first pub we went to, Ruhi, Carolyn, Tiffanie and I got free drinks. Some guy bought us all 1/2 a pint of Strongbow [cider]. I love free drinks. We went to a different pub looking for karaoke...but the one we found was WEIRD. All the people in the pub was at least over 35. We moved to the pub next door coz it seemed a little more our age-group...dont i sound age-ist? hahaha
That pub was fun because they had a DJ playing music and people dancing.
I have always been curious of SOURZ...they have cool bottles and pretty colors, so I tried 2 of their flavors: cherry and apple.
I had an apple and lemonade[sprite]...YUUUM! Tasted like apple soda. It had a nice tinge of apple green. Cherry and diet coke tastes like a sherley temple [but with alcohol! hahaha but you can't taste the alcohol].
After our day driving around the Highlands, we decided to buy drinks and just have drinking games at the kitchen of the dorms. We just bought bottles of strongbow and played flip cup and kings cup with Rich and a few other guys who go to summer school with us. Fun times! It was my first time playing flip cup and learned that I am not that bad! YAY!
We didnt have a deck of cards, so we just cut up paper and made our deck for kings cup. Fun times!
Highlands:
That tour pretty much consisted of driving around the highlands of Scotland and showing us the landscape...the lochs[lake], beins[mountains], etc. It was really really pretty. It was raining, but it was still really pretty. There was a lot of sheep and cows. We actually got to go see a highland bull...they are CUUTTEEE!!!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
It's Thursday
I can't believe I will be leaving in a week. Sad.
Wall-E
really cuuute! WALL-E! EVE-AH!
It has a [political] message and it was very explicit about it:
we should should do something to save the planet...we can't just do nothing.
I agree.
Tuesday:
Margaret, Jeany and I went to the King and Queen for our last karaoke night at the pub.
I am never getting a martini ever again. I got a Blue Martini [it's pretty], but it was just PURE ALCOHOL! I felt like I drank 3 shots of different spirits. So yea, martinis are not going to happen again.
Wednesday:
Margaret and I spent the day in London. We mostly spent it at Harrods. HARRODS IS AMAZING! very expensive, but I do love the free samples of food :D
The lady working there kept giving me free samples of marzipan...VERY GOOD! She said it's to be eaten after dinner with coffee.
I wanted Christian Dior sunglasses, but I didnt buy it because I wasn't sure how much money I had on my debit card. I should have bought them because I had enough money. BALLS.
I finally got to see the Paddington Bear statue at Paddington Station and Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross. YAY me!
When we got back, we went to a jazz club with Ruhi, Jeany, Emily and Carolyn called Casablanca. It was pretty fun...there was a live band that played good music. The lead singer was HAWTTT!
He looked like Orlando Bloom's brother.
AAAHHHHH! I'm going to Scotland tonight! I gotta pack.
OMGGG! I'm going to watch LES MISERABLES on monday! WHOOOOHOOOO!
ugh...school. I dont like econ.
Wall-E
really cuuute! WALL-E! EVE-AH!
It has a [political] message and it was very explicit about it:
we should should do something to save the planet...we can't just do nothing.
I agree.
Tuesday:
Margaret, Jeany and I went to the King and Queen for our last karaoke night at the pub.
I am never getting a martini ever again. I got a Blue Martini [it's pretty], but it was just PURE ALCOHOL! I felt like I drank 3 shots of different spirits. So yea, martinis are not going to happen again.
Wednesday:
Margaret and I spent the day in London. We mostly spent it at Harrods. HARRODS IS AMAZING! very expensive, but I do love the free samples of food :D
The lady working there kept giving me free samples of marzipan...VERY GOOD! She said it's to be eaten after dinner with coffee.
I wanted Christian Dior sunglasses, but I didnt buy it because I wasn't sure how much money I had on my debit card. I should have bought them because I had enough money. BALLS.
I finally got to see the Paddington Bear statue at Paddington Station and Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross. YAY me!
When we got back, we went to a jazz club with Ruhi, Jeany, Emily and Carolyn called Casablanca. It was pretty fun...there was a live band that played good music. The lead singer was HAWTTT!
He looked like Orlando Bloom's brother.
AAAHHHHH! I'm going to Scotland tonight! I gotta pack.
OMGGG! I'm going to watch LES MISERABLES on monday! WHOOOOHOOOO!
ugh...school. I dont like econ.
Monday, August 4, 2008
JE T'AIME PARIS!
I got back from Paris Monday around 1 AM. I am still tired and sore.
Paris was amazing! Too much for one week-end. Definitely must come back.
July 31:
We arrive at Paris at 10:30ish PM. Since didnt know how to get to our hotel via public transportation, we took a taxi from the train station [Gare du Nord]. Our taxi was a MERCEDES-BENZ!!! We all think he ripped us off because it cost 24 EUROS for the ride! WTF!?!?!? First of all, he took the long way because he showed us the Opera House, Arc de Triumphe and Champs-Elysees. He charged extra for having 4 people [all taxis apparantly do that in France] and for luggage. Maybe if I kept talking to him in my VERY BROKEN French, we would have been ok.
Hotel:
is in the suburbs of Paris called Suresnes. It's near the La Defence quarter [La Defense is the major financial district]. Our room is a triple, but tiny as hell! Instead of 3 single beds pushed together, there is a bunk bed. No closet. The bathroom is the size of a walk-in closet. At least it was clean. If we stuck our heads out the window, we could see the Eiffel Tower.
August 1
First Paris meal: Mushroom Quiche, Flan and orange Fanta. 5 Euros. Hahaha
We bought it in a cafe outside of the Louvre. Then we got it to go and we ate outside the Louvre.
BEST QUICHE I HAVE HAD IN ALL MY LIFE. The crust was not hard--it was nice and buttery and flaky [but not too flaky]. French flan is more like a slice of egg-custard pie, but the custard is not a custard consistency [like leche flan] but more pie-like.
Le Louvre:
I knew that the louvre is HUGE and it would take all day to see everything. I was surprised that it took us at the most, 3 hours to see [almost] everything. We saw the Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo [the 2 most famous things inside the louvre].
People have said the Mona Lisa is TINY...it's not. It is very small compared to the rest of the paintings in the louvre, but the painting itself isnt very small. The size of the woman in the painting is a little bigger than life size.
Notre Dame:
is BEAUTIFUL. The line to get in was long, but at least it went by quickly. The nave and the choir were roped off because there was service going on [strange why they would let tourists in during service...]I only found 3 of the 6 rose stained-glass windows. I thought the flying buttresses would be enormous, but they weren't as big as I imagined them to be.
Seine River Cruise:
very relaxing. I liked being able to see a lot of historical buildings without having to walk there! LOL. I like the view of things from the river, especially being able to the see the bridges on the river.
Arc de Triumphe:
we had to walk a 200-step [about] spiral stair case to get to the top. [NO ELEVATOR]. It was worth the climb! the views are great! We got to watch the Eiffel Tower light up :D
August 2:
Champs-Elysees:
I have never felt so poor in my life! They had very posh stores and it was nice to window shop [or pretend you can afford things hahaha]. Louis Vuitton is 3 stories tall... very expensive. A keychain is 100+ euros. I liked walking up and down Champs-Elysees for the purpose of people watching...hahaha
Montmartre:
Is located in the only hill[?] in Paris. It's how I imagined France to be--narrow, cobblestone streets with side-walk cafes and patisseries galore! We didn't really go to the Moulin Rouge area because we were headed to Sacre Couer. I really liked all the street art that were displayed on the side walk. I bought 4! I had really really good
Sacre Couer:
it means "sacred heart" in French. It's really pretty. It's a byzantine-style cathedral. It's all white and it's on top of a hill overlooking Paris. I couldn't take pictures inside because it's not allowed. It was definitely more quiet that Notre Dame and less people going inside. Lots of mosaics.
Dinner at Chez Clement:
a restaurant at Champs-Elysees...apparantly it's the cheapest on Champs-Elysees. I got duck magret with grilled peach and french mac and cheese [they seasoned it with fennel, which made it taste like licorice] and creme brulee for desert.
Duck magret is the duck breast of a duck that has produced foie gras. [SAAAD I DIDNT GET FOIE GRAS...IT WAS EXPENSIVE!]
Anyway, it was very, very goood and tender. YUUUUUM. Best non-asian duck i have had!
The restaurant's portion of creme brulee is HUUUUGGGEEEE. The ones I make are little babies compared to theirs. It was good...better than mine.
August 3:
We checked out early to get to the Eiffel tower, but our train didn't leave until later on that evening so we were walking around Paris with our luggage.
My shoulders still hurt.
Tour Eiffel:
I was pretty miserable with all my stuff, so I wasn't exactly very happy. However, it was still a nice experience being at the very top of the Eiffel Tower...I didnt realize how high we were until it got cloudy and cold [it was nice and sunny at the lower levels]. There was a lot of people and children [very loud children]...didn't like the children.
La Madeleine:
It's a church that looks like a grecian temple. Behind the altar, there is the sculpture of Mary Magdelene Ascending into Heaven. The church was very quiet and empty. I guess it's not as much of a tourist spot as Sacre Couer or Notre Dame.
I'm looking over my pocket guide book and we didn't look hard enough for the market!
[JEANY THE MARKET DOES EXIST BUT IT'S BEHIND THE CHURCH]
The rest of the day was spend people watching/eating crepes.
Jeany and I had a chorizo crepe at this cafe called Evangelista. SOO GOOOD.
French Eclaires are sooo much better that any other eclairs. The inside isn't pure chocolate, but chocolate mousse!
I think studying Paris architecture changed the way I experienced Paris. I think it's because I know a little bit of history with particular buildings, so to me, it's more than a pretty building...I know how it was built, or why it was built and it's purpose[or original purpose]. It also made me want to see more of Paris.
I definitely want to go back to Paris and spend more time there. There's still so much I want to see and do.
Paris was amazing! Too much for one week-end. Definitely must come back.
July 31:
We arrive at Paris at 10:30ish PM. Since didnt know how to get to our hotel via public transportation, we took a taxi from the train station [Gare du Nord]. Our taxi was a MERCEDES-BENZ!!! We all think he ripped us off because it cost 24 EUROS for the ride! WTF!?!?!? First of all, he took the long way because he showed us the Opera House, Arc de Triumphe and Champs-Elysees. He charged extra for having 4 people [all taxis apparantly do that in France] and for luggage. Maybe if I kept talking to him in my VERY BROKEN French, we would have been ok.
Hotel:
is in the suburbs of Paris called Suresnes. It's near the La Defence quarter [La Defense is the major financial district]. Our room is a triple, but tiny as hell! Instead of 3 single beds pushed together, there is a bunk bed. No closet. The bathroom is the size of a walk-in closet. At least it was clean. If we stuck our heads out the window, we could see the Eiffel Tower.
August 1
First Paris meal: Mushroom Quiche, Flan and orange Fanta. 5 Euros. Hahaha
We bought it in a cafe outside of the Louvre. Then we got it to go and we ate outside the Louvre.
BEST QUICHE I HAVE HAD IN ALL MY LIFE. The crust was not hard--it was nice and buttery and flaky [but not too flaky]. French flan is more like a slice of egg-custard pie, but the custard is not a custard consistency [like leche flan] but more pie-like.
Le Louvre:
I knew that the louvre is HUGE and it would take all day to see everything. I was surprised that it took us at the most, 3 hours to see [almost] everything. We saw the Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo [the 2 most famous things inside the louvre].
People have said the Mona Lisa is TINY...it's not. It is very small compared to the rest of the paintings in the louvre, but the painting itself isnt very small. The size of the woman in the painting is a little bigger than life size.
Notre Dame:
is BEAUTIFUL. The line to get in was long, but at least it went by quickly. The nave and the choir were roped off because there was service going on [strange why they would let tourists in during service...]I only found 3 of the 6 rose stained-glass windows. I thought the flying buttresses would be enormous, but they weren't as big as I imagined them to be.
Seine River Cruise:
very relaxing. I liked being able to see a lot of historical buildings without having to walk there! LOL. I like the view of things from the river, especially being able to the see the bridges on the river.
Arc de Triumphe:
we had to walk a 200-step [about] spiral stair case to get to the top. [NO ELEVATOR]. It was worth the climb! the views are great! We got to watch the Eiffel Tower light up :D
August 2:
Champs-Elysees:
I have never felt so poor in my life! They had very posh stores and it was nice to window shop [or pretend you can afford things hahaha]. Louis Vuitton is 3 stories tall... very expensive. A keychain is 100+ euros. I liked walking up and down Champs-Elysees for the purpose of people watching...hahaha
Montmartre:
Is located in the only hill[?] in Paris. It's how I imagined France to be--narrow, cobblestone streets with side-walk cafes and patisseries galore! We didn't really go to the Moulin Rouge area because we were headed to Sacre Couer. I really liked all the street art that were displayed on the side walk. I bought 4! I had really really good
Sacre Couer:
it means "sacred heart" in French. It's really pretty. It's a byzantine-style cathedral. It's all white and it's on top of a hill overlooking Paris. I couldn't take pictures inside because it's not allowed. It was definitely more quiet that Notre Dame and less people going inside. Lots of mosaics.
Dinner at Chez Clement:
a restaurant at Champs-Elysees...apparantly it's the cheapest on Champs-Elysees. I got duck magret with grilled peach and french mac and cheese [they seasoned it with fennel, which made it taste like licorice] and creme brulee for desert.
Duck magret is the duck breast of a duck that has produced foie gras. [SAAAD I DIDNT GET FOIE GRAS...IT WAS EXPENSIVE!]
Anyway, it was very, very goood and tender. YUUUUUM. Best non-asian duck i have had!
The restaurant's portion of creme brulee is HUUUUGGGEEEE. The ones I make are little babies compared to theirs. It was good...better than mine.
August 3:
We checked out early to get to the Eiffel tower, but our train didn't leave until later on that evening so we were walking around Paris with our luggage.
My shoulders still hurt.
Tour Eiffel:
I was pretty miserable with all my stuff, so I wasn't exactly very happy. However, it was still a nice experience being at the very top of the Eiffel Tower...I didnt realize how high we were until it got cloudy and cold [it was nice and sunny at the lower levels]. There was a lot of people and children [very loud children]...didn't like the children.
La Madeleine:
It's a church that looks like a grecian temple. Behind the altar, there is the sculpture of Mary Magdelene Ascending into Heaven. The church was very quiet and empty. I guess it's not as much of a tourist spot as Sacre Couer or Notre Dame.
I'm looking over my pocket guide book and we didn't look hard enough for the market!
[JEANY THE MARKET DOES EXIST BUT IT'S BEHIND THE CHURCH]
The rest of the day was spend people watching/eating crepes.
Jeany and I had a chorizo crepe at this cafe called Evangelista. SOO GOOOD.
French Eclaires are sooo much better that any other eclairs. The inside isn't pure chocolate, but chocolate mousse!
I think studying Paris architecture changed the way I experienced Paris. I think it's because I know a little bit of history with particular buildings, so to me, it's more than a pretty building...I know how it was built, or why it was built and it's purpose[or original purpose]. It also made me want to see more of Paris.
I definitely want to go back to Paris and spend more time there. There's still so much I want to see and do.
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