Team Bunkbed takes on Paris

Two weekends ago my roommate Kelsey and I (from now on, referred to as Team Bunkbed) departed on our first real adventure, destination: Paris. After a two and a half hour train ride and some confusion at the train station (what do we do now?) we bought metro tickets and hopped on a bus to the Eiffel Tower. I don’t think I realized how big the tower was. It’s overwhelming and absolutely breathtaking to see such a recognizable icon up close. After reflecting on the reality of where we were (“I’m in Paris, looking at the Eiffel Tower, I never really thought this would happen”) and taking about 30 pictures each, we bought elevator tickets to take us to the “second floor” observation deck. The view was outstanding. We lucked out with a gorgeous clear day, despite rainy weather predictions, and were able to see every inch of Paris.

We didn’t want to leave the tower, but eventually decided we should eat, so we got lunch at a cute café not far from the tower. We had delicious tuna sandwiches followed by a nutella crepe, expertly ordered by Kelsey (Merci!), then circled back to the park in front of the tower, the Champs du Mars, to take the obligatory tourist pictures. We booked a late afternoon river cruise and got a package including pasta and wine, which was a great deal, and a really cool way to get an overview of the Parisian sights. We (accidentally) timed it perfectly, the sun started setting towards the end of the cruise. So beautiful.

That evening we took the Metro to Moulin Rouge, which was really cool to see. We got some great pictures, and wandered around the area of sex shops and shows, which proved hilarious. There was a three story shop called the Sexodrome, and several others with names I’ll just let you imagine.

To redeem ourselves, Team Bunkbed headed to Sacre Coeur, a huge, beautiful church high on a hill in Montmarte that we were able to see clearly from the Eiffel Tower, despite the fact that it’s on the other side of the city. It was really gorgeous lit up at night, and after a couple of pictures and a stop for crepes, we decided to retire to our hostel.

The next morning we went to the Louvre, which is so much bigger than I imagined. You could spend multiple days there and not see everything, so Team Bunkbed didn’t try. We made a B-line for the Mona Lisa, which is much smaller and just as ugly as I pictured, and wandered around the halls of Italian artists for awhile. We then ventured to the other side of the museum to see objects from Napoleon’s apartments, and were blown away by the decadence of his living room and dining room. I definitely would not have minded being invited to one of his dinner parties.

After another café lunch, we went to the more manageably sized Musee d’Orsay, which I’m officially claiming as my favorite place in Paris. The museum is full of famous paintings by Degas, Monet, Van Gogh and tons of other artists I can’t name. I was so impressed by the Degas ballerinas, which I’ve admired since seeing them on posters in my dance classroom in elementary school. I really loved the whole experience of being there around such famous and gorgeous paintings.

Next we headed to Notre Dame and walked around inside with hordes of other tourists admiring the architecture and stained glass. It was cloudy at the time, but I could just make out the gargoyles near the roof, very cool.

We then went off in search of a place to relax for awhile and wait for the sun to set so Kelsey (the super-photographer) could get night pictures. We ended up in yet another cute café, and split a waffle with Nutella (are you sensing a trend?) and wine. As we left the café at dark the bells went off at Notre Dame, yet another pinch me moment of the trip.

After another Metro ride we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe, the one that’s in all of the movies about Paris. Again, gorgeous and lit up in all of its glory. While taking pictures of the arch we saw the Eiffel Tower lit up in the distance, and it started sparkling for its hourly light show. Sparkling is the only way to describe it, since the tower is already lit for the evening and all of the sudden flashes all over like people taking pictures at a concert. It’s quite a spectacle, so when Kelsey got her shots we walked up the Camps Elysse and hopped on the Metro back to the tower for the real view of the show.

The next morning we got up late, giving ourselves just enough time to get out the hostel for check out and grabbed breakfast at this small French bakery across the street. The place was incredible. Everything looked delicious and beautiful, I simultaneously wanted to order one of everything and eat it all, and order one of everything to display in a museum (or at least in a picture in a foodie magazine). In the end, I ordered a small baguette with chocolate chips and an apple pastry. Both were phenomenal.

Our trip to Paris ended with hopping a train out of the city to Louis XIV’s palace and gardens at Versailles. It’s just as amazing as you’d imagine: huge, ornate, and superfluously gold. An enormous gold fence goes around the front of the palace, it was absolutely insane. We spent some time wandering around all of the various drawing rooms, admiring the gold, paintings and furniture then headed to the gardens, which I’m sure are even more spectacular when its warm enough for plants to grow.

I really liked Paris, especially once Kelsey and I figured out we could weasel our way into the Louvre, Orsay and Versailles for free because EU residents under 26 get into museums for free, and we had visas. But the French weren’t an especially kind or welcoming bunch, PDA was rampant (at one point I was waiting patiently at a map for the man looking at it to figure out where he was going and step away, but instead he decided to make out with his girlfriend/wife ad nossium (sp?) directly in front of the map I was waiting for), and speaking French is most definitely not a skill I mastered, despite a semester of “learning” the language. Pair that with a debacle with incredibly smelly guys sharing our hostel room, scarily eager mini Eiffel Tower peddlers, and Paris was really beautiful and fun, but pretty overwhelming.

Old News

Written 1/21, I forgot to post it. Oops!

This trip is already flying by. It’s time to take a second and reflect.

Last Sunday was the first sunny day of the trip, and it was wonderful. I met up with my cousin Dianna, who is living in London, and I hadn’t seen in 10-12 years. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I shouldn’t have been worried because we had a great time. We caught up on everything we’ve done since high school (she had several more years to cover than me) and she showed me around London, a LOT of London. We spent about four hours together and only sat down for a half hour in the National Portrait Gallery Café. We walked from Leichester Square through Chinatown and SoHo, around Oxford Circus, down Carnaby Street, through Trafalgar Square, over the Thames River, along the riverbank and back over the river to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We were both exhausted by the end, but it was really great to see so many parts of London and gain perspective about where everything is in relation to each other. I haven’t gotten much of that because I usually take the Tube everywhere. I’m really grateful that Dianna was so cool about spending her Sunday showing me the city. I had a really enjoyable afternoon.

On Tuesday I started my internship at a political consulting firm. I was really excited to work at the company, but it’s been a really slow start. British offices have a very different vibe than their American counterparts, or at least my experiences have lead me to that assertion. Right now I’m just reading a lot of government reports and copying and pasting data into spreadsheets, so there’s not a whole lot to report.

In other news, I had my first awful experience on the Tube yesterday. Apparently the system doesn’t actually live up to the godly standard I imposed on it, but today was fine, so all is well.

Brilliant!

It’s a week in, and I love London more than ever. The weather here is awful, it has rained or snowed for at least part of every day, but I’m used to it and refuse to let the weather interfere with my fun. I haven’t taken too many pictures yet because the grey skies don’t quite invite beautiful pictures, but I’ll keep working on it.

The last few days sort of blur together, I feel like I’ve been here so much longer than one week, so I’ll go over the highlights.

Tuesday morning we had a tour of the Parliamentary archives, which hold every important document that has passed through Parliament in the last several hundred years. All of the old ones are printed on parchment on different sizes, and kept rolled in cubbies. The rows of documents looked like something out of Harry Potter.

Later that afternoon I wandered around Covent Garden in search of rain boots, which failed pretty miserably. I walked from shop to shop in a super touristy area that’s London’s equivalent of Boston’s Fanuil Hall. The best part of the afternoon was watching a string quartet of 20-somethings dance while playing music in the market. They were fantastic! The cellist stood and was stomping and jumping and twirling with the rest of them. Watching them play and dance the Can Can was the most impressive. I wish I had enough talent for that.

On Wednesday evening the whole program went to see the musical Blood Brothers in the West End. The show was weird, it definitely wouldn’t survive on Broadway, despite its long run in London. The music was so-so, the story was depressing, and a significant portion of the show was spent watching adults pretend to be children, with varying degrees of skill. The show was redeemed because the main character was played by Sporty Spice. It definitely wasn’t my favorite show, but I was excited to see it for “free.”

A few days ago a five of us walked from campus to the British Museum, which has artifacts from Britain and several other civilizations, including Rome. There was tons and tons of Etruscan pottery, which was the bane of my existence while doing the museum circuit in Italy. Despite the fact that I saw the Rosetta Stone, a statue from Easter Island, and parts of the Parthenon, the building itself was the coolest part. It was massive and gorgeous, I loved it.

I spent this afternoon walking around Camden Market with my roommate Kelsey. Camden Market is actually a huge stretch of Camden Road (in Camden….surprise surprise!) lined with cool shops and both indoor and outdoor markets. We spent a few hours wandering around (including lunch of steak and ale pie at a really great restaurant). We only ended up exploring some of the area, but it was filled with stands and shops for souvenirs, clothes, accessories and food. A lot of the clothing there was of the black/neon/skulled/grommetted variety, the 16 year old in me was foaming at the mouth at the sight of neon tutus and matching hats.

On the way back from Camden, Kelsey and I stopped at the rail station to pick up tickets to Paris for next weekend. Success! Give me all of the tips you’ve got. Please.

The Beginning

It’s day 3, and I still love London. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love London.

I was severely jet-lagged and delirious on Saturday after two flights and a stop in Switzerland, but got to my apartment building without trouble and was able to maneuver my two 50 lb. suitcases without incident up to my apartment, from now on referred to as my flat.

I live with two girls and two guys, including two Northeastern students and two from California. I was concerned at first because the three of us girls have a triple room (I sleep on the bottom of bunk bed) and I've had a single for the last few months. But it’s been fine, even though our mattresses are terribly uncomfortable. The small bedrooms have forced all of us to hang out in our huge common space, which is absolutely gorgeous. I really like all of my roommates, we’re all very different but get along well. We all seem to be opposites in a way that makes up for each others shortcomings.

On Saturday night a bunch of us from Hansard went to a pub in Covent Garden called the Freemasons Arms to meet up with people from the other study abroad program at Goldsmiths College, so I got to see my friend Laura! It was really great to see her, and a really cool pub, but I was too exhausted to enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

On Sunday we were scheduled for a free private bus tour of London, which was a perfect way to see the city for the first time. I saw all of the major sites from the bus: Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, the Globe Theater and Hyde Park. We got out to see the Tower Bridge (frequently confused with the London Bridge, which we drove over), Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. It was freezing and periodically snowing, but it was so amazing to see the sites in person.

After the tour we went food shopping, so my roommate Kelsey and I made pasta. We spent the rest of the night hanging out with a few people from another flat and ended up with a spontaneous Glee viewing party. The guys immediately sprinted away from our flat…I can’t imagine why.

This morning I had my first (and second and third) experience on the tube on the way to a tour of Parliament. I can’t believe how easy the subway is to navigate! It’s pretty amazing. The stations are laid out well, even for transfers, and trains literally come every two minutes in the morning. Amazing! I’m so used to Boston’s dysfunctional T system that I could not imagine that solid transit systems exist in other cities. I am thrilled to be proved wrong.

I love Parliament. Both the exterior and interior look like a palace. We walked the path the Queen takes when she has her yearly visit to Parliament. We learned about the history of the huge building and the ornate decorations. We heard stories about visiting president’s speeches and monarch’s relationship with Parliament. The building has strange quirks. In the House of Commons there are lines on the floor that the MPs (members of Parliament) aren’t allowed to cross when approaching the table to debate; the lines are exactly two sword lengths away. How's that for history? I won’t know where I’m interning until Monday, but I feel privileged to have already walked the halls of Parliament.

After the tour a bunch of us went on an expedition to Oxford Street in search of things we mostly failed at finding. I did manage to get an extra adapter and a blow dryer, but still can’t find appropriate rain boots. Oxford Street is one of the main shopping areas, and it was bustling, even at 11am on a Monday. I’ll definitely go back there to check out Primark, a super cheap clothing and accessory store.

I ate lunch with my roommate Kelsey at Pret a Manger, a café/sandwich shop that seems to be on every other corner in London. It reminded me a lot of Panera, and the meatball soup I got was just what I needed to warm me up after a morning of wandering the streets of London. After lunch we headed to the LSE campus for the first time for an info session on our programs and our first class. I really like the professor, I think it will be an interesting, though intensive class on Parliament and British politics.

In short, I love everything. All of the people in my program are great. Though we’re mostly Americans, we’re from different parts of the country and have a lot to talk about. I’m not worried about anything right now (though give me a few weeks…I have to write a proposal for my dissertation), I’m just really thrilled to be here. It’s perfect.

Day 1

I'm safe and sound in London. Exhausted, jet-lagged and hungry, but thrilled to be here and excited for this opportunity. I've been in the city seven hours, and so far I love everything. I know these three months are going to fly by, so I'll do my best to absorb everything and report back. Promise.

To pack, or not to pack?

I leave in three days, and I am no closer to being packed than I was three months ago. Actually, I'm worse off, because I still haven't unpacked the clothes I brought back from Boston. I have piles of things EVERYWHERE. It's completely overwhelming. I know once I unpack, do the last load of laundry and lay everything out I'll be in better shape. But right now all I want to do is print pictures to hang on my walls in London, make sure my ipod is updated with lots of new music and get everyone's skype screen name.

Today I found out that I only have wifi access for 2,000 minutes each week. It ends up being over 33 hours, which is reasonable, but very different from what I usually use in the U.S. I won't be able to keep AIM, Gchat and Skype up all the time, which I'm actually excited about. Right now I am overly addicted to technology. I don't think 33 hours of connectedness a week counts as detox, but it's definitely the closest thing I've ever had to a technological cleanse. I think it will be healthy.

Yesterday I got a bunch of great recommendations from a friend who studied in London, as well as the info that another friend who I haven't seen in a long time studied at the same program. After e-mailing her, she raved about working for BBC Parliament, which is a possible placement for me too! She gave me a whole bunch of great tips about classes at London School of Economics, the internships and a great kebab place. She had an incredible experience at Hansard, and her advice and excitement was exactly what I needed to calm down.

Everything will be great. I know it.

If anyone has any tips for food/shopping/travel, please send them my way!

London Calling

In January I'll be taking off for the Hansard Scholars Program in London, a city that I’ve always dreamed about living in. I never really thought it would happen, it’s still pretty unreal that in a couple of weeks I’ll have to look in the opposite direction when I cross the street.

I love New York City, and I've heard London is very similar, but with better accents. London has a great music and theatre scene, beautiful architecture and tons of history. I think it will be the perfect study abroad destination. I'm excited to immerse myself in British politics through my two political science class I take at the London School of Economics & Political Science, as well as in my as-yet-undetermined government-related internship.

I assume that studying in London will be less of a culture shock than my five weeks studying in Italy, since I know the language. Still, I plan to learn all I can about British culture and politics, and explore the city as much as I can throughout the semester. I'd like to be really familiar with as much of London as possible by the time I leave. I've been in Boston for four years and there are still sections of the city I haven't explored, so I know it will take effort to fully experience life in London.

I'm eager to travel to other European countries as well. After living in Italy for five short weeks, all I want to do is travel. I plan to take a couple of weekend trips, hopefully to Barcelona, Paris and Prague, as well as travel to some other cities with my mom after my program is over. I traveled to several Italian cities over the summer and experienced a wide breadth of Italian culture between them, so I'm really excited to see other countries and get a taste for each culture.

I’m still trying to figure out how I’ll be able to leave my family and friends for four months, and though I know it won’t be easy, I know I’ll be okay. There’s always e-mail. And skype. And facebook. And aim. And Twitter. I’m sure I’ll be able to reconcile my feelings better once my feet are firmly planted on British soil and I’m living the reality. For now I’m just trying to spend as much time with everyone as I can and hug a lot, though hugs make it both easier and harder to leave everyone.