At noon on Thursday, I caught a plane from Malaga, Spain to London, England. Upon arriving at the London airport, SURPRISE!, my suitcase was lost :( Supposedly it would arrive later that day or the next, so I trekked on into this new city luggage-less. When I stepped out into the London air, it was drizzly and overcast-what else was I expecting in London?? Some of the other differences I noticed were, yes they do drive on the opposite side of the road, there are double-decker buses. Nevertheless, I began a self-led tour past Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament as well as Westminster Abbey and The Dean's Lawn. All the buildings just looked so old, historical, and important. Nest, I came across Trafalgar Square and then Piccadilly Circus-a UK version of Times Square. The streets were lighted with bright colors and there was music playing on the streets. My final stop was Buckingham Palace, at which I caught the Green Park Tube line out to my friend, Hailey's, apartment. That night, I spent time with Hailey, as well as other DU friends, at a local pub. I drank delicious cider as karaoke night played on in the background.
Friday, I met up with a friend from New Zealand who happened to be in London at that time to go ice skating-something I hadn't done in who knows how long. It was a blast and after we explored the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. We saw several life-size skeletons, including that of a great blue whale skeleton! After saying goodbye to Adam, I found my way to Harrods-the world's most famous luxury a department store-and i mean LUXURY department store. Inside they sell everything: clothes, cosmetics, jewelry, furniture, household items, food, seasonal goods, sportswear, accessories, and more. While simply window shopping, I saw a t-shirt for 70 pounds as well as a luggage set for 2,000 pounds. (multiply by 1.5 to get the value in dollars) Crazy!
I stopped for dinner at a three-story Whole Foods then made my way back to the apartment. After a few technical difficulties, I ended up retrieving my suitcase, which had finally arrived, but needing to wait for my other friend to get back from the city in order to settle into his room for that night. I decided to wait at nearby McDonalds in hopes of using the internet. Unfortunately, they did not have wifi, but apparently students can get a free McFlurry or hamburger by just showing their student id card-jealous!
On Saturday morning, I made my way to Camden Market, a funky market selling food, clothes, jewelry, and more. I was right at home among the bargain deals and free samples! After, I stopped by Hyde Park, which had been turned into a Winter Wonderland for the holiday season. Christmas lights lined the streets and children were running from ride to ride, screaming and laughing. There were merry-go-rounds, fun houses, carnival games, booths of all kinds of food, clothes, jewelry, and holiday items for sale, and more. It was quite the holiday festival and I was definitely starting to get into the Christmas Spirit!
That afternoon, I caught a flight from London to Amsterdam and arrived the in party city early that evening. I met up with two girl friends who are studying abroad with me in Granada and we explored the city for the night. We wandered around to different cafes and got acquainted with the streets of Amsterdam. Yes-there really are girls in the windows in the red-light district. Ughhh. On Sunday, we had a delicious pancake breakfast before taking a tour of the Anne Frank House. It was amazing to be in the exact place that she and her family had hidden so many years ago. The spaces that they were living while in hiding were larger than I had expected-it is so impressive that they were able to keep the secret area so concealed! I am very,very glad that I got to experience some World War II history while traveling. Later that day, we did some more "chilling" and eating, both of which Amsterdam is famous for. While in the city, I ate a little of everything from famous french fires, to crepes to waffles, panckaes, Italian pasta, chinese lo mein, and more! On Monday morning, I took a walking tour of the city-yet I am ashamed to admit that I had to duck out early for fear of extracting frostbite-it was freezing outside! Needless to say, my souvenirs from Amsterdam were gloves and a hat!
Monday night, I caught a 10 pm bus headed for Paris. I arrived at 6 am and found myself at my hostel slightly too early to check in, which wasn't until 2 pm. Hence, I am sitting in the common room, blogging about my in-progress travel experiences!
My first day in Paris, I went on a walking tour through the city and saw all the major sites. At first I was ambitious and attempted to take the Spanish speaking tour, but soon realized that I was in a bit over my head and switched groups to follow the English speaking guide. We viewed Notre Dame, the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre all from afar and learned fun facts about the city. Did you know that at first the people of Paris hated the Eiffel Tower and wanted it taken down? In compromise, the city permitted it to stand for 20 years, saying they would tear it down after that. However, it became important for communication purposes after an antenna was attached to the top and now it is the most visited paid monument in the world.
After the tour, I went to get a closer look at Notre Dame. Paris is also a very cold city, but at least more manageable than Amsterdam- that is until it started pouring rain and blowing angry wind that mangled my pour umbrella and left me soaking wet. I finally was able to seek refuge in the bottom level the Notre Dame, and explored the beautiful cathedral. While in Europe, especially in Spain, I have seen many grat and beautiful churches, and this one was no exception. By this time it was getting late so I returned to my hostel to meet up with some friends. That night, we went to the top of the Arc de Triumph and viewed the spectacular city from there. The Arc stands in the middle of a large round-about that connects the 12 main streets of the city, so not only did it provide an amazing view of the lighted Eiffel Tower but also entertainment as we witnessed numerous narrowly-averted car accidents. Supposedly, an accident occurs roughly every 15 minutes in this location, so
it is the only place in Paris where insurance companies split the costs fifty-fifty-no matter what. It was quite the sight to see. On our way back to the hostel, we stopped by a small Christmas market and indulged in French waffles and hot wine. What a perfect Paris evening!
On Wednesday morning, I ventured out to the city of Versailles to visit the famous Palace and Gardens. The size of the Palace was astonishing. It was amazing to see the residence of the French Monarchy including their dining table, bedroom furniture, and all the beautiful decorations. At the end of the tour, there was also a section that displayed what architects imagine the furnishings of the Palace would look like today if it was still inhabited by the French royalty. It was very interesting to see such modern decorations in such a historical building. Finally, I made my way to the Palace Gardens. They are adorned with ponds, sculptures, and fountains dating back to the 1600s. The entire visit was spectacular.
Upon arriving back in Paris, I visited The Louvre, although for just long enough to make my way to The Mona Lisa and snap a quick photo of the mysterious painting. After, I headed to Montmartre, a small area in Northern Paris. There I visited Sacré-Cœur Basilica-a Roman Catholic Church. Like I said before, I have visited many European cathedrals during my time abroad, but for me this one was the most impressive. The architecture was absolutely incredible and it reminded me of an old, vintage castle. In addition, the view from the church, which is located at the highest point in Paris, was breath-taking. I could see the entire city spread out before me. Before leaving this quaint little area of Paris, I stopped by Moulin Rouge and witnessed what the French consider their small Red Light District, which was nothing compared to what I had just experienced in Amsterdam.
Wednesday night, my friends and I made one last Tourist stop at the Eiffel Tower. Standing at the bottom of this massive structure was incredible! We hopped in an elevator that took us at a diagonal angle to the first floor of the tower. There, we were able to walk around and look out over the city. I felt very high off of the ground, yet we were not even close to the top of the tower. We then got back in the elevator which did take us to the very top- over 1,000 feet tall. The wind at the top was absurd but the view made it absolutely worth it. Because we were there at night, we were at the top for the hourly night show in which the tower flashes with bright lights. After walking around for awhile and taking in the incredible view, we returned to the bottom and were able to watch the next hour's light show from the base of the tower. That was quite impressive as well. Returning to the hostel that night, I felt very accomplished in my touring of Paris-I had a really great time!
Thursday morning bright and early, I made my way to the Paris airport to catch a flight to the last destination of my journey-Dublin. Whereas with all previous destinations I had been mainly looking forward to experiencing the city, this time I was equally as excited about who I was meeting in Ireland-three of my best friends from Denver, Haley, Nina, and Colleen. They picked me up form the bus station and we immediately began the Dublin experience by heading to a nearby pub. I ordered my first Bulmers-an Irish cider- and it was delicious. It was so nice catching up with the girls over some good food and drink! After, we went to Colleen's apartment because she is studying in Dublin and prepared for the evening. That night, we went to some fun pubs in the Temple Bar area and enjoyed Irish Guinness and Bullmers Cider.
On Friday, we walked around the city and saw Trinity College as well as many other old viking castles. That afternoon, we toured the Guinness Factory and enjoyed a pint of Guinness from the top of the building, which gave us a spectacular view of the city. That night, we hit up more local pubs and chatted with French, Portuguese, Irish, and American pub-goers.
Unfortunately, On Friday night Nina lost her passport, so we spent the majority of Saturday dealing with the police and trying to figure out that situation. However, that night we were able to make one last hurrah in Dublin before returning back to Spain on Sunday morning.
I stayed out past 4 am multiple nights in a row. My friends and I threw a Christmas Party in which we watched A Christmas Story and exchanged gifts. I went to a salsa club and got my groove on. And then I took my exam-which I feel went pretty well. And then on Tuesday night I bid farewell to the news friends I have made and my host family before catching my 9 pm bus to Madrid. So what am I going to miss when I return home?? Well, the FREE tapas of course!! Our beautiful city; walking everywhere; going out, at least for a drink or two, almost every night; taking jokes of classes; TRAVELING; home cooked meals everyday; siestas!; and of course my house mom and siblings. Most importantly, I sincerely am going to miss my host family, my two new Spanish friends, Wendy and Emma, as well a handful of Americans, namely Jensen, Marissa, and Jess.
