Last day in London...what do we do?
Susie and Ray J left this day to go to Turkey for her Spring Break so Libby and I were left alone to roam the city before we had to go to the airport. We had done pretty much all there was to do in London, so we didn't know where to go.
We did the usual walking tour all the way up to Trafalgar square and decided to see Buckingham Palace again. I mean, we didn't know what it was before, so we had to see it again. When we arrived, there were tons of people standing all around. It was the changing of the guard! What perfect timing! That was cool to see the guards march up and down the park with trumpets and rifles.
After, we went to Victoria and Albert's Museum where they had an exhibition going on featuring fashions throughout the centuries. I got a chance to see various outfits designed by famous designers. After, we went to the Science Museum! I felt like a child considering I was surrounded by kids, but we didn't know what else to do!
After the museum tours, we headed back home where we stopped at Candy Cakes! I have never been so happy in my entire life! Libby didn't get a candy cake though! She opted for a Reeses milk shake instead. I stayed true to my word and got a banana toffee muffin with yellow icing and a chocolate candy on top! Soooo good!
We were going to do a Grimm Reaper's tour of all the places Jack the Ripper used to slay his victims around London, but by 6 o'clock, I couldn't feel my feet anymore and We just wanted to lay down. So we headed back to our hostel and literally sat in the computer room all night until 12 a.m.
All I wanted to do was board the plane and sleep. We got on the train at 1:30 a.m. and laid in the airport for 5 hours until our flight at 6 a.m. It was miserable! A) I couldn't sleep because it was freezing and B) the airport floor was so hard. Instead, I watched the Hangover on Libby's computer and waited it out. I don't think I can ever do something like that again. All-nighters in an airport suck. I'd rather take a night plane instead! When we finally reached Paris it was 11 a.m. and I was said, "Fuck it, I'm not going to class. I can't function!" So I just slept all day. It was wonderful.
All in all, London was a blast and I am glad I saw everything that I did! Dublin, here I come next week!
jeudi 18 mars 2010
Jour 60 London Day 3- Tower of London and DAVE!
And so begins my favorite day of all... A day I dedicate to my favorite man, King Henry VIII.
We started off our day meeting Susie and Ray J at the Tower of London. I was not about to leave London without doing this. It would have been tragic!
We took a tour with a Yeoman guard..supposedly the guards of the Tower from back in the olden days. He was quite the funny dude..except for the occasional threats to young children about being beheaded. He showed us the Queen's House where she occasionally stays. It was guarded by an unhappy guard with a sniper. No way was I going over there. Next, he showed us a view of the White Tower which was under reconstruction at the time, but he informed us that various King's used to live there. We then went into the Tower chapel where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Jane Grey were buried. That was sick. I am a HUGE Anne fan and to be in the place where she was buried was awesome.
He showed us a green field where "somewhere" the Queens and Sir Thomas Moore were beheaded. After the tour was over, we headed straight for the Royal Jewels. Might I say, it was a sight to see. I had never seen so many diamonds, rubies, emeralds, gold, silver, sapphires, you name it on one thing! It had various crown's throughout history and even had the current Queen Elizabeth's Crown!
They also had bejeweled swords, lavish capes, and gilded silverware for the coronation banquet. I wish I could have taken pictures because it was so beautiful, but unfortunately since it was the most highly secured place in all of London, that just wasn't going to happen.
After the Royal Jewels, we went into the torture tower where we saw all the devices used to torture people. The scariest one was were you get in the fetal position and they snap this iron clip around your body! You eventually die from asphixiation. Yikes!
After our tour, we snapped some pictures in front of the Tower bridge and then took a cab to the Hilton Hotel where I experienced my first high tea ceremony! I felt so English. The theme was "Confessions of a Chocoholic" and I don't think i have ever consumed so much chocolate in one sitting. We started off with champagne, then finger sandwiches served with tea. Thia was funny because we all were trading our sandwiches or should I say acting like three year olds and bartering with each other. Very classy of us. Then, they brought out two three-tiered trays full of hand-crafted scones, muffins, and chocolates. I mean, I felt disgusted with myself. It was so pretty, I just ate soo much! And the funny thing was, we finished everything long before anyone else had; and other parties had been sitting in the restaurant way longer than we had... fat asses!
After tea and barely being able to move, Libby and I headed home because it was time to get ready for the big show... DAVE MATTHEWS BAND!
We became walking bartenders and drank along the way to the concert. We got there an hour late due to the subway being closed (that sucked), but once we got there, we pushed our way straight to the front! I was determined to get as close as possible to Dave, and we succeeded! It was such a good time. It was definitely worth the 50 pounds dropped for a ticket!
After, we went home because we were exhausted again. This has been such an exhausting trip! One more day to go!
We started off our day meeting Susie and Ray J at the Tower of London. I was not about to leave London without doing this. It would have been tragic!
We took a tour with a Yeoman guard..supposedly the guards of the Tower from back in the olden days. He was quite the funny dude..except for the occasional threats to young children about being beheaded. He showed us the Queen's House where she occasionally stays. It was guarded by an unhappy guard with a sniper. No way was I going over there. Next, he showed us a view of the White Tower which was under reconstruction at the time, but he informed us that various King's used to live there. We then went into the Tower chapel where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Jane Grey were buried. That was sick. I am a HUGE Anne fan and to be in the place where she was buried was awesome.
He showed us a green field where "somewhere" the Queens and Sir Thomas Moore were beheaded. After the tour was over, we headed straight for the Royal Jewels. Might I say, it was a sight to see. I had never seen so many diamonds, rubies, emeralds, gold, silver, sapphires, you name it on one thing! It had various crown's throughout history and even had the current Queen Elizabeth's Crown!
They also had bejeweled swords, lavish capes, and gilded silverware for the coronation banquet. I wish I could have taken pictures because it was so beautiful, but unfortunately since it was the most highly secured place in all of London, that just wasn't going to happen.
After the Royal Jewels, we went into the torture tower where we saw all the devices used to torture people. The scariest one was were you get in the fetal position and they snap this iron clip around your body! You eventually die from asphixiation. Yikes!
After our tour, we snapped some pictures in front of the Tower bridge and then took a cab to the Hilton Hotel where I experienced my first high tea ceremony! I felt so English. The theme was "Confessions of a Chocoholic" and I don't think i have ever consumed so much chocolate in one sitting. We started off with champagne, then finger sandwiches served with tea. Thia was funny because we all were trading our sandwiches or should I say acting like three year olds and bartering with each other. Very classy of us. Then, they brought out two three-tiered trays full of hand-crafted scones, muffins, and chocolates. I mean, I felt disgusted with myself. It was so pretty, I just ate soo much! And the funny thing was, we finished everything long before anyone else had; and other parties had been sitting in the restaurant way longer than we had... fat asses!
After tea and barely being able to move, Libby and I headed home because it was time to get ready for the big show... DAVE MATTHEWS BAND!
We became walking bartenders and drank along the way to the concert. We got there an hour late due to the subway being closed (that sucked), but once we got there, we pushed our way straight to the front! I was determined to get as close as possible to Dave, and we succeeded! It was such a good time. It was definitely worth the 50 pounds dropped for a ticket!
After, we went home because we were exhausted again. This has been such an exhausting trip! One more day to go!
Jour 59- London Day 2
London is an hour behind Paris time. Libby and I did not know this. We were scheduled to meet up with Susie at 12 o'clock after her class was over. We got to Trafalgar Square 20 mins early and sat on a statue waiting for her. 10 mins turned to 30 mins which turned into 45 mins to an hour. Libby and I were so pissed off! We were like, "Where the hell is Susie?!" We texted her at the 30-minute mark and she was like, "I'm just waking up see you soon". We didn't really understand this, because she was already 30 mins late. My phone went out of batts, and Libby forgot hers in the hostel, so we had no way of calling Susie again as time progressed. We just sat there cracking jokes about how we were going to kill Susie. It was funny yet we really wanted to get the day going.
So finally Susie shows up at 12:30 and we are justing giving her the look of death. She's like, "What, I'm not late!" and we are like "Ya you are, by an hour!" She's like, "it's 12:00, you probably didn't change your watches!"
Ya. She was right. And we sure felt like idiots.
Wemforgave Susie anyways haha and then started walking. On our tour, we saw West Minster Abbey again, but didn't go in because it was 15 euros and I didn't care that much to see dead people. We then walked across the Thames River and along it where I snapped various pictures of English people dressed up as Avatar, a headless silver man, an iguana man on a bike, and the Lady with the world's most piercings. The English are weird folk. We then went to the Tate Modern Museum where I discovered they had a painting my Jackson Pollock! I was overly excited because that previous week during school I learned all about him in my Pop Art class and I was so excited to see one of his paintings in real life! Libby and Susie thought I was crazy. They just don't understand!
We next saw Shakespeare's Globe Theatre which really wasn't the real thing because it burned down and then they rebuilt it..soo I didn't get a real history vibe when looking at it. Susie then took us to a market where they got London's famous grilled cheeses. I thought it the cheese smelled like shit, but they sure tasted amazing! After some English guys making fun of us because we didn't know what Turkish Delight was, we headed to St Patrick's Cathedral.
It was beautiful. Just as beautiful as the New Cathedral in St. Louis which is by far my favorite. We decided to climb what I think was over 300 steps to the tippy top of the Cathedral. We got the best views of London. A downside was it was extremely closterphobic and it was a longggggg way down.
At night we got ready and met up with Susie's boyfriend Ray J who surprised who had flown in and surprised her that morning. He slept all day because of jet-lag, but when he woke up, we all got pretty and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. After dinner and literally stuffing my face, we all went to a pub called O'Neill's in Korea town. It was really cool with three floors. The bottom floor was chill with tables and a bar; second floor was blaring the best music with booths and a bar; and the third floor had a live band! We were on all the floors and had a blast!
Around 2 a.m. Lib and I called it quits and took a cab home. We were so tired from 10 hours of walking, and only had more to do the next day. Tower of London here we come!
So finally Susie shows up at 12:30 and we are justing giving her the look of death. She's like, "What, I'm not late!" and we are like "Ya you are, by an hour!" She's like, "it's 12:00, you probably didn't change your watches!"
Ya. She was right. And we sure felt like idiots.
Wemforgave Susie anyways haha and then started walking. On our tour, we saw West Minster Abbey again, but didn't go in because it was 15 euros and I didn't care that much to see dead people. We then walked across the Thames River and along it where I snapped various pictures of English people dressed up as Avatar, a headless silver man, an iguana man on a bike, and the Lady with the world's most piercings. The English are weird folk. We then went to the Tate Modern Museum where I discovered they had a painting my Jackson Pollock! I was overly excited because that previous week during school I learned all about him in my Pop Art class and I was so excited to see one of his paintings in real life! Libby and Susie thought I was crazy. They just don't understand!
We next saw Shakespeare's Globe Theatre which really wasn't the real thing because it burned down and then they rebuilt it..soo I didn't get a real history vibe when looking at it. Susie then took us to a market where they got London's famous grilled cheeses. I thought it the cheese smelled like shit, but they sure tasted amazing! After some English guys making fun of us because we didn't know what Turkish Delight was, we headed to St Patrick's Cathedral.
It was beautiful. Just as beautiful as the New Cathedral in St. Louis which is by far my favorite. We decided to climb what I think was over 300 steps to the tippy top of the Cathedral. We got the best views of London. A downside was it was extremely closterphobic and it was a longggggg way down.
At night we got ready and met up with Susie's boyfriend Ray J who surprised who had flown in and surprised her that morning. He slept all day because of jet-lag, but when he woke up, we all got pretty and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. After dinner and literally stuffing my face, we all went to a pub called O'Neill's in Korea town. It was really cool with three floors. The bottom floor was chill with tables and a bar; second floor was blaring the best music with booths and a bar; and the third floor had a live band! We were on all the floors and had a blast!
Around 2 a.m. Lib and I called it quits and took a cab home. We were so tired from 10 hours of walking, and only had more to do the next day. Tower of London here we come!
Jour 58- London to Visit Susie
After recuperating from Provence, it was now time for Libby and I to set sail for London, England. If there was any place to travel, London was definitely a city I HAD to visit.
The travelling there was very frustrating. For some reason, the cheapest flights you take are always the hardest to maneuver. We woke up at 5 a.m. to get to the airport in time for our flight at 8:55 a.m. Getting through the airport was not easy by any means. Libby and I made a couple of detours throughout Charles de Gaulle because the French are no help whatsoever. We went through passport check twice because we were so confused where our gate was. Oh well, I got 2 France stamps in my passport! It was really stressful, and Libby hates flying, so that only made her more uneasy. We finally boarded the plane and it was only an hour flight!
When we arrived in London, we took a bus to the city and went straight to our hostel to check in. We stayed at the Generator Hostel in Russel Square. It was not too far from Susie on the map, so we figured it would be a good place to stay. It was about 11 a.m. and Susie was at her internship all day, so Libby and I decided to take a walk and tour the city by ourselves.
Along the way, we snapped the standard pics in the old telephone booths, walked up and down streets with quaint little apartments (each door had its own color), and stopped at a cute cafe were Libby had to get her chocolate fill. We spotted the coolest shop called "Candy Cakes" and in the windows they had the most precious looking cupcakes with different colored icing and candies on top! Libby, of course, was in heaven. We just stood there like little children staring at these cupcakes! We both decided that no matter what before we left, we HAD to get a candy cake!
We ended up in Trafalgar Square. Susie also goes to school in this area. The square is massive with the National Gallery, St Martins-in-the-field Church, and other buildings surrounding it. There were so many people there, especially children who were climbing up on the massive lion statues in the center of the square. I was jealous, and wanted to get a pic of Libby and I on a lion, but it never happened. Shame. We hit up a couple souvenir shops where I was sooo close to purchasing a London-themed school kit. I mean come on, that would of been so cool to have at SDSU. Next, we walked by an army museum where I snapped a great pic next to a guard. They all seemed to hate their lives. Imagine every day having to pace up and down the street. Thats it. No happiness in that!
We then proceeded to Westminster Square where we snapped pics of Parliament, which we first thought was Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. We wanted to be cool and go inside Parliament so Libby and I got a chance to sit inside a political debate in the House of Commons. It was so cool! I can actually say I sat in Parliament! Afterwards, we headed down the road to Buckingham Palace. Or so we thought. I literally took a picture of it, but Libby was like, "I think this is St. James Palace?" I think we thought this because we were in St. James Park?! Haha who knows!
After 6 hours of walking, we met up with Susie at 6 p.m. in Harrods. HOLY HELL! Harrods is every fashion lovers heaven! There were 6 floors of amazingness. Everything from shoes, to designer couture clothing, to candy and kid's toys, oh my! And the best part was, I couldn't afford any of it! I saw a massive gorilla stuffed animal that sold for 999 euros. A) who would by that and B) that's a ridiculous price FOR A GORILLA!
After, my feet were exhausted and we went to get dinner at a restaurant called The Dollar Bill by Susie's apartment. We ordered some drinks and had our first London dining experience! We decided to head back home afterwards because we were extremely tired and we wanted to wake up early and see more sights! It was a great first day in London!
The travelling there was very frustrating. For some reason, the cheapest flights you take are always the hardest to maneuver. We woke up at 5 a.m. to get to the airport in time for our flight at 8:55 a.m. Getting through the airport was not easy by any means. Libby and I made a couple of detours throughout Charles de Gaulle because the French are no help whatsoever. We went through passport check twice because we were so confused where our gate was. Oh well, I got 2 France stamps in my passport! It was really stressful, and Libby hates flying, so that only made her more uneasy. We finally boarded the plane and it was only an hour flight!
When we arrived in London, we took a bus to the city and went straight to our hostel to check in. We stayed at the Generator Hostel in Russel Square. It was not too far from Susie on the map, so we figured it would be a good place to stay. It was about 11 a.m. and Susie was at her internship all day, so Libby and I decided to take a walk and tour the city by ourselves.
Along the way, we snapped the standard pics in the old telephone booths, walked up and down streets with quaint little apartments (each door had its own color), and stopped at a cute cafe were Libby had to get her chocolate fill. We spotted the coolest shop called "Candy Cakes" and in the windows they had the most precious looking cupcakes with different colored icing and candies on top! Libby, of course, was in heaven. We just stood there like little children staring at these cupcakes! We both decided that no matter what before we left, we HAD to get a candy cake!
We ended up in Trafalgar Square. Susie also goes to school in this area. The square is massive with the National Gallery, St Martins-in-the-field Church, and other buildings surrounding it. There were so many people there, especially children who were climbing up on the massive lion statues in the center of the square. I was jealous, and wanted to get a pic of Libby and I on a lion, but it never happened. Shame. We hit up a couple souvenir shops where I was sooo close to purchasing a London-themed school kit. I mean come on, that would of been so cool to have at SDSU. Next, we walked by an army museum where I snapped a great pic next to a guard. They all seemed to hate their lives. Imagine every day having to pace up and down the street. Thats it. No happiness in that!
We then proceeded to Westminster Square where we snapped pics of Parliament, which we first thought was Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. We wanted to be cool and go inside Parliament so Libby and I got a chance to sit inside a political debate in the House of Commons. It was so cool! I can actually say I sat in Parliament! Afterwards, we headed down the road to Buckingham Palace. Or so we thought. I literally took a picture of it, but Libby was like, "I think this is St. James Palace?" I think we thought this because we were in St. James Park?! Haha who knows!
After 6 hours of walking, we met up with Susie at 6 p.m. in Harrods. HOLY HELL! Harrods is every fashion lovers heaven! There were 6 floors of amazingness. Everything from shoes, to designer couture clothing, to candy and kid's toys, oh my! And the best part was, I couldn't afford any of it! I saw a massive gorilla stuffed animal that sold for 999 euros. A) who would by that and B) that's a ridiculous price FOR A GORILLA!
After, my feet were exhausted and we went to get dinner at a restaurant called The Dollar Bill by Susie's apartment. We ordered some drinks and had our first London dining experience! We decided to head back home afterwards because we were extremely tired and we wanted to wake up early and see more sights! It was a great first day in London!
mardi 2 mars 2010
Jour 54- Day 3 in Provence -Marseilles and France Vs Canada Game!
And so the last day of my weekend in Provence approached...
Us three amigos woke up at 7:30 a.m. and consumed as much continental bfast as we could. We were checking out of the hotel as well, so everything had to be packed up. We were taking the train out of Marseilles to Paris later in the day.
We got on the bus and arrived in Marseilles around 11 a.m. Marseilles is the second largest port city in France. We first got off at Le Vieux Port which is the name of the massive port in Marseilles. There wasn't much to look at, a couple boats here and there.. but Jor and I really had to use the b-room, so we spent the 15 minutes we had in McDo trying to figure out how to flush the damn toilets!
We got back on the buses and literally drove 5 mins down the road.. it was kind of funny, we could have just walked. I guess API screwed up on the tour guides, because there was no one to show us around. So Melissa and Pascal had to take us around and pretend to be our tour guides. It was funny tho, because Melissa just read off of the historic plaques that were all around explaining what was so great about each area. We went up famous streets like La Cannebiere where the Hotel de Ville is located. (I don't know what is so special, but we always gotta check out the Hotel de Villes wherever we go); toured a quartier (neighborhood) called Le Panier (breadbowl) which is known for its mixture of different styles of architecture; took pictures of Le Basilique Saint Victor founded in the 5th century after JC (it was green striped), and then ended our tour at Le Basilique Notre Dame-de-la-Gard built in the 19th century to protect the port. It sits on a giant hill that over looks the city. It was great for taking good pics.
All in all, I didn't really care for Marseilles that much. It was kind of a dirty beach city. It was huge though. We saw the Chateau Dif which I remember seeing in the Count of Monte Cristo movie. That was kinda sweet.
Around 5:45 we got back on the bus and headed to the train station. The train ride home was pure hell. I don't think I've ever wanted to kill so many people. The girls in my program in front of me, I don't know who they are, but I was going to rip their heads off. For three hours, they talked at the top of their lungs. I could hear them through my damn headphones! I was so frustrated!
We got back home, I made dinner, and the three amigos ran downstairs to join our Canadian friends watch the final hockey game between USA and Canada! There were tons of people downstairs! they bought a bunch of pizzas and beer, too. We watched the game and it was really exciting. The Canadians were up 2-1 and in the last 24 seconds of the game, USA scored! It was amazing! I've never seen my friend Jacob freak out so much! He's a die-hard Canadian! It went into OT and finally Canada scored. They won the game and all the Canadians were cheering. Whatever, we'll let then have it this time! They were cheering and they took my friends computer to play the Canadian national anthem. It was hilarious. After Kelly, Newt and I stayed up with the guys until 2. We were drinking beers and joking around.
It was a great end to a wonderful weekend in Provence! Off to London in 4 days!
Us three amigos woke up at 7:30 a.m. and consumed as much continental bfast as we could. We were checking out of the hotel as well, so everything had to be packed up. We were taking the train out of Marseilles to Paris later in the day.
We got on the bus and arrived in Marseilles around 11 a.m. Marseilles is the second largest port city in France. We first got off at Le Vieux Port which is the name of the massive port in Marseilles. There wasn't much to look at, a couple boats here and there.. but Jor and I really had to use the b-room, so we spent the 15 minutes we had in McDo trying to figure out how to flush the damn toilets!
We got back on the buses and literally drove 5 mins down the road.. it was kind of funny, we could have just walked. I guess API screwed up on the tour guides, because there was no one to show us around. So Melissa and Pascal had to take us around and pretend to be our tour guides. It was funny tho, because Melissa just read off of the historic plaques that were all around explaining what was so great about each area. We went up famous streets like La Cannebiere where the Hotel de Ville is located. (I don't know what is so special, but we always gotta check out the Hotel de Villes wherever we go); toured a quartier (neighborhood) called Le Panier (breadbowl) which is known for its mixture of different styles of architecture; took pictures of Le Basilique Saint Victor founded in the 5th century after JC (it was green striped), and then ended our tour at Le Basilique Notre Dame-de-la-Gard built in the 19th century to protect the port. It sits on a giant hill that over looks the city. It was great for taking good pics.
All in all, I didn't really care for Marseilles that much. It was kind of a dirty beach city. It was huge though. We saw the Chateau Dif which I remember seeing in the Count of Monte Cristo movie. That was kinda sweet.
Around 5:45 we got back on the bus and headed to the train station. The train ride home was pure hell. I don't think I've ever wanted to kill so many people. The girls in my program in front of me, I don't know who they are, but I was going to rip their heads off. For three hours, they talked at the top of their lungs. I could hear them through my damn headphones! I was so frustrated!
We got back home, I made dinner, and the three amigos ran downstairs to join our Canadian friends watch the final hockey game between USA and Canada! There were tons of people downstairs! they bought a bunch of pizzas and beer, too. We watched the game and it was really exciting. The Canadians were up 2-1 and in the last 24 seconds of the game, USA scored! It was amazing! I've never seen my friend Jacob freak out so much! He's a die-hard Canadian! It went into OT and finally Canada scored. They won the game and all the Canadians were cheering. Whatever, we'll let then have it this time! They were cheering and they took my friends computer to play the Canadian national anthem. It was hilarious. After Kelly, Newt and I stayed up with the guys until 2. We were drinking beers and joking around.
It was a great end to a wonderful weekend in Provence! Off to London in 4 days!
Jour 53- Day 2 in Provence!
In the morning, we woke up at 9 a.m. to get ready and eat breakfast downstairs. Thank god for contintental breakfasts. I pretty much fill my body up with as much as I can so that i don't have to spend any money later on food!
We had a tour planned with Anne-Marie at 10 a.m. to go to the Grand Marches (big markets) that are held every Saturday. It was either that, or go with Pascal on a tour of Cezanne's house. Let's be honest, food interest me more, so at 10 we walked down the nearby road into this big square. The flower and food markets were held in Place de Verdun and Place de Precheurs. First, we passed by the massive flower market. I had never seen so many different flowers! I can imagine just waking up in the morning, and walking down the street to grab some fresh flowers for mi casa!
After, we went to another huge square where there was all the fresh food you could ever buy! There were fresh fruit, vegetables, herbes, breads, cheeses, eggs, jams, produce, seafood etc! I was in food heaven! I bought some herbe de provence for my momma and Jacob the Canadaian because he begged me to get some for him. The herbes of provence are very important to this region especially those such as: rosemary, thym, basil, bay leaves, sage, and others. They also had three random hens for sale that disturbed me. Where they were eating for for their eggs? We'll never know! We walked down other streets where they were selling clothes and jewelry for cheap! I bought two silver rings for 5 euro! You can't beat that!
Around 2, we went back to the hotel to get on the bus which was headed to Cassis. It was only a 30 minute bus ride. Cassis is situated behind Marseille. It is a little beach town with a quaint little port. It reminded me of Portofino in Italy. It's a city built into the cliffside and you can walk on the rocky beaches. Also, it is known for the Calanques which are a bunch of cliffs that stand in the water not far from the port, and inside you can find crystal clear waters. You can take boat rides there and spend the day inside.
When we got there, we had 4 hours to do whatever we wanted, so Jor and I grabbed a baguette to eat and then a bunch of us walked along the beach. It was cold out, so we didn't stay there long. After, it started raining, and we went with Anne-Marie to this parfumerie that has been around since 1851. It as called L'eau de Cassis and the lady gave us a tour about how her uncle was the first person to start the business and it has been run by his granddaughter and cousin since. I fell in love with this parfum d'abiance called Coeur de Cassis (heart of Cassis) and I had to buy it. Everyone who came also got a free bar of soap. It was an awesome tour!
After, it was still raining, so Kelly B, Lib, Jour and I got dinner at this restaurant right before we had to leave. The trip was very cool.
When we returned, Jor and I just hung out in the room all night. Kelly B decided to go clubbin, but my body wasn't allowing it. I was full, had mad gas, and felt lazy haha. Jor and I laid in bed and watched CNN where we discovered that the world was coming to an end. ARMAGADDEN! There was a massive 8.8 earthquake in the Pacific (the largest one ever recorded) and it struck right near Chile. Chile was greatly affected, and the earthquake caused tsunami-like waves to reach as far as Taiwan, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii. We listened for a good hour CNN report on Hawaii and how people were being evacuated in case large tsunami waves struck.
The funniest thing happened. So the camera is situated looking at one of the beaches in Waikiki. The reporter is talking about how people have been evacuating the area.. "So as you can see, normally the beaches are full of tons of people, but most of the people have now retreated to the third floor of local hotels.. (pause) Oh wait a second, I believe there is a man walking on the beach in the lower right hand of the screen. Now, either he doesn't have a radio or a television or he is simply lacking common sense. I'm sorry but this is the most idiotic thing I've ever seen!"
Jordan and I were peeing our pants. The reporter couldn't have said it any better. We were literally laughing out loud in the room by ourselves.
The night was pretty much slowed from there. Aside from Jordan complained about how hungry she was, and how she just wanted to go to Le Must, we passed out around midnight. Kelly B, that little partyer, didn't come home until 3:30 a.m. and we had to wake up at 7:30 to head towards Marseilles. Ouch, at least Jor and I had good laughs and fell asleep early!
We had a tour planned with Anne-Marie at 10 a.m. to go to the Grand Marches (big markets) that are held every Saturday. It was either that, or go with Pascal on a tour of Cezanne's house. Let's be honest, food interest me more, so at 10 we walked down the nearby road into this big square. The flower and food markets were held in Place de Verdun and Place de Precheurs. First, we passed by the massive flower market. I had never seen so many different flowers! I can imagine just waking up in the morning, and walking down the street to grab some fresh flowers for mi casa!
After, we went to another huge square where there was all the fresh food you could ever buy! There were fresh fruit, vegetables, herbes, breads, cheeses, eggs, jams, produce, seafood etc! I was in food heaven! I bought some herbe de provence for my momma and Jacob the Canadaian because he begged me to get some for him. The herbes of provence are very important to this region especially those such as: rosemary, thym, basil, bay leaves, sage, and others. They also had three random hens for sale that disturbed me. Where they were eating for for their eggs? We'll never know! We walked down other streets where they were selling clothes and jewelry for cheap! I bought two silver rings for 5 euro! You can't beat that!
Around 2, we went back to the hotel to get on the bus which was headed to Cassis. It was only a 30 minute bus ride. Cassis is situated behind Marseille. It is a little beach town with a quaint little port. It reminded me of Portofino in Italy. It's a city built into the cliffside and you can walk on the rocky beaches. Also, it is known for the Calanques which are a bunch of cliffs that stand in the water not far from the port, and inside you can find crystal clear waters. You can take boat rides there and spend the day inside.
When we got there, we had 4 hours to do whatever we wanted, so Jor and I grabbed a baguette to eat and then a bunch of us walked along the beach. It was cold out, so we didn't stay there long. After, it started raining, and we went with Anne-Marie to this parfumerie that has been around since 1851. It as called L'eau de Cassis and the lady gave us a tour about how her uncle was the first person to start the business and it has been run by his granddaughter and cousin since. I fell in love with this parfum d'abiance called Coeur de Cassis (heart of Cassis) and I had to buy it. Everyone who came also got a free bar of soap. It was an awesome tour!
After, it was still raining, so Kelly B, Lib, Jour and I got dinner at this restaurant right before we had to leave. The trip was very cool.
When we returned, Jor and I just hung out in the room all night. Kelly B decided to go clubbin, but my body wasn't allowing it. I was full, had mad gas, and felt lazy haha. Jor and I laid in bed and watched CNN where we discovered that the world was coming to an end. ARMAGADDEN! There was a massive 8.8 earthquake in the Pacific (the largest one ever recorded) and it struck right near Chile. Chile was greatly affected, and the earthquake caused tsunami-like waves to reach as far as Taiwan, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii. We listened for a good hour CNN report on Hawaii and how people were being evacuated in case large tsunami waves struck.
The funniest thing happened. So the camera is situated looking at one of the beaches in Waikiki. The reporter is talking about how people have been evacuating the area.. "So as you can see, normally the beaches are full of tons of people, but most of the people have now retreated to the third floor of local hotels.. (pause) Oh wait a second, I believe there is a man walking on the beach in the lower right hand of the screen. Now, either he doesn't have a radio or a television or he is simply lacking common sense. I'm sorry but this is the most idiotic thing I've ever seen!"
Jordan and I were peeing our pants. The reporter couldn't have said it any better. We were literally laughing out loud in the room by ourselves.
The night was pretty much slowed from there. Aside from Jordan complained about how hungry she was, and how she just wanted to go to Le Must, we passed out around midnight. Kelly B, that little partyer, didn't come home until 3:30 a.m. and we had to wake up at 7:30 to head towards Marseilles. Ouch, at least Jor and I had good laughs and fell asleep early!
Jour 52- Weekend in Provence- Day 1
The wake up in the morning was not that bad. I was so excited to go to Provence, that I was ready to go in the morning when Libby and I woke up. We got all of our things together, and a bunch of us API-ers who live in the FEU made our way on the RER to the Gare de Lyon.
We got on the train and I literally passed out. I love taking trains to places. It's such a smooth ride and I usually fall asleep like I do on airplanes. One minute I'm in one place, and the next I'm awake in another!
The train ride was three hours long. When we arrived in Provence, all 50 of us API-ers got on 2 buses and drove to Aix-en-Provence. Aix is the capital of Provence. It is considered the heart of Provence and is known for its rich spas, its almond industry and calissons, and small squares with fountains. I have been to Aix before, but it was a very brief stop. I had never actually gotten to stay in the city and explore it.
We arrived at our hotel called Hotel du Globe which was pretty nice! Two stars goes a long way in France! Of course, Kelly B, Jor and I roomed together and poor Libby was on her own. We unpacked our stuff and Ellen, Annie, Marissa, Kelly, Libby, and I went and got lunch. Jordan took a nap.. go figure.
We walked around until we found this little square with a cafe. Situated in the square was the Cathederal Saint Saveur and one of the buildings that comprises the Universite d'Aix. Many students from all over study abroad here; I saw many Americans but I don't think I'd ever study in the country... too boring.
After lunch, we went back home until we all had to meet up at 4 for a tour of the city and the Cathederal I mentioned before. There were two guides- one French and two English. Of course, I chose the English guide. We ended up walked over to right where I had eaten lunch earlier, in front of the Cathederal Saint Saveur. The guide explained that the church is important because of its architecture which is a mixture of the 5th- 17th centuries.
We toured the city and saw a bunch of sweet buildings like the Hotel de Ville. After the tour was over, we were set loose to wander the city by ourselves. Jor, Kel, Lib and I got some gelato. Oh boy was it good. I got pistachio and bacio. De-licious! After, I walked around with some girls that go to La Sorbonne and went in and out of mini shops. The best shops were the sweet shops! I went into a chocolatier and bought a bag of chocolates. My sweet tooth didn't stop there! We went into this store called La Cure Gourmand where they made biscuits and lollipops and you name it! It was the cutest store! I bought strawberry and almond biscuits to add on to my sweet tooth!
After, we returned home and relaxed. We were planning on going out to dinner, but instead, the four of us hit up this fast-food joint called "Le Must" where the guy working there let us play some sweet jams on his ipod while he cooked us all pitas and fries.
We returned home and didn't do much of anything. We watched the Olympics, but didn't go out because we were exhausted from a long day. Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful city and there is more to do tomorrow! I can't wait!
We got on the train and I literally passed out. I love taking trains to places. It's such a smooth ride and I usually fall asleep like I do on airplanes. One minute I'm in one place, and the next I'm awake in another!
The train ride was three hours long. When we arrived in Provence, all 50 of us API-ers got on 2 buses and drove to Aix-en-Provence. Aix is the capital of Provence. It is considered the heart of Provence and is known for its rich spas, its almond industry and calissons, and small squares with fountains. I have been to Aix before, but it was a very brief stop. I had never actually gotten to stay in the city and explore it.
We arrived at our hotel called Hotel du Globe which was pretty nice! Two stars goes a long way in France! Of course, Kelly B, Jor and I roomed together and poor Libby was on her own. We unpacked our stuff and Ellen, Annie, Marissa, Kelly, Libby, and I went and got lunch. Jordan took a nap.. go figure.
We walked around until we found this little square with a cafe. Situated in the square was the Cathederal Saint Saveur and one of the buildings that comprises the Universite d'Aix. Many students from all over study abroad here; I saw many Americans but I don't think I'd ever study in the country... too boring.
After lunch, we went back home until we all had to meet up at 4 for a tour of the city and the Cathederal I mentioned before. There were two guides- one French and two English. Of course, I chose the English guide. We ended up walked over to right where I had eaten lunch earlier, in front of the Cathederal Saint Saveur. The guide explained that the church is important because of its architecture which is a mixture of the 5th- 17th centuries.
We toured the city and saw a bunch of sweet buildings like the Hotel de Ville. After the tour was over, we were set loose to wander the city by ourselves. Jor, Kel, Lib and I got some gelato. Oh boy was it good. I got pistachio and bacio. De-licious! After, I walked around with some girls that go to La Sorbonne and went in and out of mini shops. The best shops were the sweet shops! I went into a chocolatier and bought a bag of chocolates. My sweet tooth didn't stop there! We went into this store called La Cure Gourmand where they made biscuits and lollipops and you name it! It was the cutest store! I bought strawberry and almond biscuits to add on to my sweet tooth!
After, we returned home and relaxed. We were planning on going out to dinner, but instead, the four of us hit up this fast-food joint called "Le Must" where the guy working there let us play some sweet jams on his ipod while he cooked us all pitas and fries.
We returned home and didn't do much of anything. We watched the Olympics, but didn't go out because we were exhausted from a long day. Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful city and there is more to do tomorrow! I can't wait!
Jour 51- Late Night in the Basement Watching the Olympics!
The week of school passed by pretty quickly as usual. I was anticipating the weekend to come because I knew come Thursday night, I would have a nine day break! Friday morning we were scheduled to board the TGV at 7:15 a.m. which really meant waking up at 5:30 to get all my shit together so that I didn't arrive to Gare de Lyon late! I promised Anne-Marie that Jordan and I would not be late!
But, I was too hyped up.. and the Canada vs Russia game was on at night so Kelly B, my chambre mate Newt and I went down in the basement to see what was going on. I'm not really a hockey fan, but I was bored and the Olympics are always fun to watch. Kelly and Newt on the other hand live for hockey and wouldn't shut up about their favorite players on team Canada. Where's the team USA love? Traitors!
We went downstairs and there were a bunch of Frenchies watching football in the room. The game wasn't going to air until midnight, so we just chatted with them for a while. After, our Canadian friends from the FEU came home from a drunken night out to watch the big game. The Olympics are a BIG deal for the Canadians, especially hockey.
The game began and I literally did not go up to bed until 3 a.m. That means I got 2 and a half hours of sleep! This game was a big deal tho, because if Canada wins, they will play the USA in the finals! What a game that would be! We just joked around the whole time, sipped on wine, and talked shit about whose country was better. Gotta love those conversations.
We'll see whose the better country come Sunday night!
But, I was too hyped up.. and the Canada vs Russia game was on at night so Kelly B, my chambre mate Newt and I went down in the basement to see what was going on. I'm not really a hockey fan, but I was bored and the Olympics are always fun to watch. Kelly and Newt on the other hand live for hockey and wouldn't shut up about their favorite players on team Canada. Where's the team USA love? Traitors!
We went downstairs and there were a bunch of Frenchies watching football in the room. The game wasn't going to air until midnight, so we just chatted with them for a while. After, our Canadian friends from the FEU came home from a drunken night out to watch the big game. The Olympics are a BIG deal for the Canadians, especially hockey.
The game began and I literally did not go up to bed until 3 a.m. That means I got 2 and a half hours of sleep! This game was a big deal tho, because if Canada wins, they will play the USA in the finals! What a game that would be! We just joked around the whole time, sipped on wine, and talked shit about whose country was better. Gotta love those conversations.
We'll see whose the better country come Sunday night!
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