Two hours after my last final exam on the 16th of
May, I got on a train to Paris to stay overnight at my friend, Liz’s. I’ve
stayed at 3 friends’ apartments and 1 hostel in Paris, and they’ve all been
unbelievably different experiences; which just goes to show that Paris is one
of those cities that becomes whatever you make it. If you want it to be a
swanky, posh city, it can be; and if you want it to be a hip city centered around nightlife, it definitely has the ability to be that as well.
However, my night with Liz was exactly what I needed; we
went to a “beach” themed party at her friends, and I got to try Get 27; a mint-flavored
liquor. Imagine sipping on Listerine, but getting a buzz from it. You’ll never be self-conscious about your breath
while you’re drinking it, that’s for sure!
Anyway, the following morning, I was due to pick Madie up at
the airport at 8:30; meaning I had to leave Liz’s at around 7:30. But in good
French fashion, line 1 of the Parisian Metro was closed so I had to find
another means of getting to the airport. With my crafty metro skills I managed
to find my way there (only about 15 minutes late), and it was then that I
realized how HUGE Charles De Gaulles airport is. They don’t just have Terminals
1 and 2. They have 3 terminals, and each terminal has an A through H. Thinking
about trying to find my sister with these odds made me sick to my stomach.
Somehow, I managed to figure out which terminal she was in and made my way to
the arrivals gate…by some miracle, she spotted me, and we were reunited at
last!
I brought her back to Liz’s so she could leave her bags
there before we were off to Versailles for the day. Versailles was one thing I
had never seen before, and everyone told me that if I was going to see it, I
needed to go during the Spring. Madie and I waited in line for 2 hours to get
tickets and entry, and finally made our way in. And let me tell you. The place.
Is. HUGE! There were several apartments for his guests to stay in, and then
there were his eating quarters, sleeping quarters, meeting quarters, and Marie
Antoinette’s quarters. Each bedroom was like the size of one of the floors in
my house. It was insane. And not one single inch was left undecorated.
Golden Gate at Versailles
Me and Madie in front of Versailles
Paintings on the ceiling
Where the Sun God slept
Marie Antoinette's bed
Casual Dining Room
The Sun God definitely knew what he was doing.
Madie and I made it back to Liz’s to grab our bags before
heading back to CDG to catch our flight to London!
We were only in England for a couple hours sleeping before
we caught our bus to Cardiff, Wales the following day.
I’m gonna be completely honest – Cardiff…not the most
impressive city. There’s a pretty cool castle, and there are some pretty cool
pubs and clothing stores, and they’ve got some pretty cool art museums (even
some of Paul Cézanne’s work is in their museum!), but as far as a city goes, I
wasn’t super thrilled about it.
Madie and I tried to soak in as much as we could, and we
went on one of those Hop-on-Hop-off tours. We learned some pretty cool history,
but I’ve been pretty spoiled with cool stuff this semester, so it wasn’t
anything that really astounded me.
Cardiff Castle
Wall surrounding the Cardiff Castle
Bus Tour!!!
One of Paul Cézanne's paintings!!!
Apparently if you go to Wales, you’re supposed to go to
Northern Wales – that’s where the beautiful countryside is…Next time.
Saturday night, we took the bus back to London and finally
got to spend some quality time with Ninie, Chris, and Maeva.
Sunday, Madie and I ventured into downtown London to go on
another one of the Hop-on-Hop-off bus tours. We saw the aftermath of the
changing of the guards and I got to recount everything that I managed to
remember from my past two trips to London. We stopped for some fantastic Thai
food, meandered around in Camdentown and somehow managed to find my beloved
Ben’s cookies before taking the train back to Ware for curry at Chris and
Ninie’s favorite place.
Aftermath of the Changing of the Guards
Me and Madie in front of Big Ben
(Found out that Big Ben isn't actually the name of the clocktower - it's the name of the bell INSIDE of the clock tower)
Tower Bridge
Stupid Wind ruined me and Madie's picture in Trafalgar's Square
The following day was Maeva’s first birthday, and I’m so
happy I got to be there to celebrate it! We got to spend the day relaxing in
the house, and got to meet some of Chris’s family who came over for cake. Then
we ordered in Papa John’s (oh how long it had been since I had had Papa John’s)
and Ninie introduced me to a HILARIOUS French comedian before we went to bed in
preparation for our next stop: Oslo, Norway.
Me and Maeva on her 1st birthday!!!
À Bientôt!
Elie and Maeva :)
No comments:
Post a Comment