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.
Showing posts with label museum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label museum. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Greetings from England! Day 29
So tired. Session 1 is over. Let Session 2 begin.
I finished my paper [which was due on thursday at 4pm] at 2:30 am that day. Thank goodness I am done with that class because I don't know how I could handle any more philosophy. I AM DONE WITH PHILOSOPHY!
Friday:
Tiffanie and I went to Winchester. We missed our first train, but our tickets were open-ended so we just took the next train. Winchester is very nice. It's how I imagined smaller English cities to be...it felt like we stepped into a book. There were not very many tourists so Tiffanie and I were able to just walk around and explore. We went to Wolvesey Castle...it's not really a castle anymore...it's more like a castle ruin. The guide book says its a Norman castle ruin. That was really fun! No one was really there so Tiffanie and I were just running around the castle!
best part of the trip....
VISIT TO JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE!!!!!! We took the bus to Chawton, a village outside of Winchester, where Jane Austen lived her last years. She rewrote Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility here. She also wrote the last of her books here. It's not a very big house. She lived there with her mother, sister and her brother and his family. It reminds me of the Collins' house in Pride and Prejudice. I can imagine Mr. Collins working in the garden while Charlotte stays inside the drawing room. I bought 2 books: Tea with Jane Austen and Being Elizabeth Bennett Create Your Own Jane Austen Novel [it's like a create your own adventure books but involving all of Jane Austen's books]
Saturday:
Jeany, Carolyn, Ruhi, Margaret, Tiffanie, Emily, and I all went to Bath. LONGEST TRAIN RIDE EVER! ok...not really, but it did take about 3 hours. I slept most of the way...but there were girls behind us that were very loud at 9 AM. We went to see the Roman Baths. It was pretty cool. The water in the baths was green...kinda gross. I liked how the museum gave us giant cellphone looking things that was part of the audio tour so you could listen to a tour guide without having to crowd around a tour guide. Apparently, the hot springs have curative properties. In the 17th century it became fashionable to drink water from the springs. The Pump Room opened and drinking the spa water is now kinda like a thing to try when you go to the Roman Baths.
It was gross. It was pretty much drinking warm mineral water [and yes, the do filter the water].
We headed over to Sally Lunn's for Tea. It's the oldest house in Bath. Sally Lunn was a baker in Bath and made really good buns and bread. IT IS THE BEST BUN I HAVE EVER HAD! The bun is HUGE [it's as big as my face]. Anyway, I had the Jane Austen Cream Tea [Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while--she hated it, but her last 2 books involved being in Bath]. It was half a bun with raspberry jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea. The bun was so soft, and perfectly toasted...the jam was just right, not too sweet, not to tart.
Charles Dickens also visited Sally Lunn's.
Sunday:
We went to London. We went to the Covent Garden market. It sold a lot of crafts stuff. I thought it would be more like a market market--with fresh fruits and veggies, food, arts and crafts--that sort of thing.
We split up and Ruhi, Margaret, Jeany and I went to the Tower of London. That was really fun! The tower is just a tower. It used to be a town in the middle ages, which became a prison and fort. Narrow, stone, spiral steps in towers are great exercise! [and can make you feel very claustrophobic] We also got to see the torture devices they used on their prisoners--like manacles, the rack, scavenger's daughter and something used for quartering and drawing.
The Crown Jewels. I..yea...WOW.
We got to take a picture with one of the Queen's Guards...he was off duty and was just walking around when Ruhi asked if we can have a picture with him. He was kinda cute....hahaha
I need to do laundy. Very tired.
I finished my paper [which was due on thursday at 4pm] at 2:30 am that day. Thank goodness I am done with that class because I don't know how I could handle any more philosophy. I AM DONE WITH PHILOSOPHY!
Friday:
Tiffanie and I went to Winchester. We missed our first train, but our tickets were open-ended so we just took the next train. Winchester is very nice. It's how I imagined smaller English cities to be...it felt like we stepped into a book. There were not very many tourists so Tiffanie and I were able to just walk around and explore. We went to Wolvesey Castle...it's not really a castle anymore...it's more like a castle ruin. The guide book says its a Norman castle ruin. That was really fun! No one was really there so Tiffanie and I were just running around the castle!
best part of the trip....
VISIT TO JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE!!!!!! We took the bus to Chawton, a village outside of Winchester, where Jane Austen lived her last years. She rewrote Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility here. She also wrote the last of her books here. It's not a very big house. She lived there with her mother, sister and her brother and his family. It reminds me of the Collins' house in Pride and Prejudice. I can imagine Mr. Collins working in the garden while Charlotte stays inside the drawing room. I bought 2 books: Tea with Jane Austen and Being Elizabeth Bennett Create Your Own Jane Austen Novel [it's like a create your own adventure books but involving all of Jane Austen's books]
Saturday:
Jeany, Carolyn, Ruhi, Margaret, Tiffanie, Emily, and I all went to Bath. LONGEST TRAIN RIDE EVER! ok...not really, but it did take about 3 hours. I slept most of the way...but there were girls behind us that were very loud at 9 AM. We went to see the Roman Baths. It was pretty cool. The water in the baths was green...kinda gross. I liked how the museum gave us giant cellphone looking things that was part of the audio tour so you could listen to a tour guide without having to crowd around a tour guide. Apparently, the hot springs have curative properties. In the 17th century it became fashionable to drink water from the springs. The Pump Room opened and drinking the spa water is now kinda like a thing to try when you go to the Roman Baths.
It was gross. It was pretty much drinking warm mineral water [and yes, the do filter the water].
We headed over to Sally Lunn's for Tea. It's the oldest house in Bath. Sally Lunn was a baker in Bath and made really good buns and bread. IT IS THE BEST BUN I HAVE EVER HAD! The bun is HUGE [it's as big as my face]. Anyway, I had the Jane Austen Cream Tea [Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while--she hated it, but her last 2 books involved being in Bath]. It was half a bun with raspberry jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea. The bun was so soft, and perfectly toasted...the jam was just right, not too sweet, not to tart.
Charles Dickens also visited Sally Lunn's.
Sunday:
We went to London. We went to the Covent Garden market. It sold a lot of crafts stuff. I thought it would be more like a market market--with fresh fruits and veggies, food, arts and crafts--that sort of thing.
We split up and Ruhi, Margaret, Jeany and I went to the Tower of London. That was really fun! The tower is just a tower. It used to be a town in the middle ages, which became a prison and fort. Narrow, stone, spiral steps in towers are great exercise! [and can make you feel very claustrophobic] We also got to see the torture devices they used on their prisoners--like manacles, the rack, scavenger's daughter and something used for quartering and drawing.
The Crown Jewels. I..yea...WOW.
We got to take a picture with one of the Queen's Guards...he was off duty and was just walking around when Ruhi asked if we can have a picture with him. He was kinda cute....hahaha
I need to do laundy. Very tired.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Greetings from England! Day ....uh..start of week 4
Week-end:
On Saturday, Jeany and I went to London via Coach. We have been craving Asian food really bad, so we decided to find Chinatown. It's not very big compared to the Chinatowns in major cities in the US. It's just like one block or something like that...food was pricey. If you changed the pound sterling sign to dollar signs, they'd still be pricey. Anyway, Jeany and I got dimsum [SOOO GOOD AFTER BEING DEPRIVED OF ASIAN FOOD FOR WEEKS]. ...felt like we were being judge [Jeany felt it more that I did]. We wandered around Chinatown in their grocery stores [I bought more instant pancit canton because it was only 20p]. We also bought some pastries that we ate in front of the British Museum.
British Museum is HUGE. [also free :D] It's overwhelming how much stuff they have! We were in there for at least 3 hours and I don't think we finished the entire museum! I think we saw most of it, but we didnt get to finish looking at the some of the exhibitions. They have several rooms and floors dedicated to their Egyptian collection. It was kinda creepy being in the same room as real dead people [even if they're mummified]. The terra cotta warriors went back to China :( But, GOOD LORD! Their majority of their Asian collection had something to do with BUDDHA! THERE ARE SO MANY BUDDHA STATUES!
So, while booking our coach tickets, I printed out the wrong page. When we got back to the coach station, the bus driver wouldn't let me on the coach because the page I printed did not have the ticket number [even if the other bus driver did]. So, I had to cross the street to the other terminal to use the internet to check my email. By the time I was able to check my email, the coach already left. I WAS STRANDED IN LONDON! Hahaha! No worries. It gets kinda funny.
So, apparently I didn't finishing booking my coach ticket because I didn't have the ticket number in my email or any form of email from the coach company. So, I got to go to London for free!
I just bought a one-way ticket back to Brighton at the station and I left an hour later.
Once I got back to Brighton, I barely missed the bus going back to the Universities, I wasn't that worried, there was another one coming in 15 minutes...THAT ONE NEVER CAME! So I had to wait another 15 minutes for the next bus. That was not fun. I was hungry and cold.
Yesterday, we went back to Primark. I bought 3 camis for 1 pound each and 2 more necklaces for 2.50 pounds each. They even gave me the hangers! We didn't know there was a parade going on so it was kind of hard navigating our way through the crowds.
We made it to Mock Turtle to have cream tea...I figured out the difference between Cream Tea and Afternoon Tea [ok wiki told me] ...both usually take place in the afternoon [between 3-5 pm]
Afternoon Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with various sandwiches, scones and cakes
Cream Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with scones [with clotted cream and jam]
I love tea time! I really want to learn how to make the Mock Turtle Scones and I want to bring home clotted cream [I'll milk a cow and learn how to make it myself if I have to!]
My final paper is due on Thursday. I have an outline, but I don't have a thesis. It's an opinion/philosophy paper on "must 'good' architecture be beautiful". UGH. I DON'T KNOW.
On Saturday, Jeany and I went to London via Coach. We have been craving Asian food really bad, so we decided to find Chinatown. It's not very big compared to the Chinatowns in major cities in the US. It's just like one block or something like that...food was pricey. If you changed the pound sterling sign to dollar signs, they'd still be pricey. Anyway, Jeany and I got dimsum [SOOO GOOD AFTER BEING DEPRIVED OF ASIAN FOOD FOR WEEKS]. ...felt like we were being judge [Jeany felt it more that I did]. We wandered around Chinatown in their grocery stores [I bought more instant pancit canton because it was only 20p]. We also bought some pastries that we ate in front of the British Museum.
British Museum is HUGE. [also free :D] It's overwhelming how much stuff they have! We were in there for at least 3 hours and I don't think we finished the entire museum! I think we saw most of it, but we didnt get to finish looking at the some of the exhibitions. They have several rooms and floors dedicated to their Egyptian collection. It was kinda creepy being in the same room as real dead people [even if they're mummified]. The terra cotta warriors went back to China :( But, GOOD LORD! Their majority of their Asian collection had something to do with BUDDHA! THERE ARE SO MANY BUDDHA STATUES!
So, while booking our coach tickets, I printed out the wrong page. When we got back to the coach station, the bus driver wouldn't let me on the coach because the page I printed did not have the ticket number [even if the other bus driver did]. So, I had to cross the street to the other terminal to use the internet to check my email. By the time I was able to check my email, the coach already left. I WAS STRANDED IN LONDON! Hahaha! No worries. It gets kinda funny.
So, apparently I didn't finishing booking my coach ticket because I didn't have the ticket number in my email or any form of email from the coach company. So, I got to go to London for free!
I just bought a one-way ticket back to Brighton at the station and I left an hour later.
Once I got back to Brighton, I barely missed the bus going back to the Universities, I wasn't that worried, there was another one coming in 15 minutes...THAT ONE NEVER CAME! So I had to wait another 15 minutes for the next bus. That was not fun. I was hungry and cold.
Yesterday, we went back to Primark. I bought 3 camis for 1 pound each and 2 more necklaces for 2.50 pounds each. They even gave me the hangers! We didn't know there was a parade going on so it was kind of hard navigating our way through the crowds.
We made it to Mock Turtle to have cream tea...I figured out the difference between Cream Tea and Afternoon Tea [ok wiki told me] ...both usually take place in the afternoon [between 3-5 pm]
Afternoon Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with various sandwiches, scones and cakes
Cream Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with scones [with clotted cream and jam]
I love tea time! I really want to learn how to make the Mock Turtle Scones and I want to bring home clotted cream [I'll milk a cow and learn how to make it myself if I have to!]
My final paper is due on Thursday. I have an outline, but I don't have a thesis. It's an opinion/philosophy paper on "must 'good' architecture be beautiful". UGH. I DON'T KNOW.
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