Toulouse!

We successfully made it to Toulouse after navigating more last minute trains and waiting in a McDonnalds (our favorite wifi hotspot) for Maxime to get off work. Somehow we were able to fit ALL our luggage into his tiny European car and weave through the streets (very quickly I might add) back to his place.  It turns out he has a huge apartment, especially by European standards. Every room was covered in American decorations, including a giant flag on the wall, a clock, a poster of New York, a New York City tablecloth, plenty of American clothes, and Top Gun memorabilia.

He took us on a tour of Toulouse with his roommate and his friend (who also stayed with us the entire weekend). We saw their city hall (much prettier than ours), an old hospital, and a Japanese garden. After we came back we had some appetizers and wine before heading to a typical, little French restaurant (which may have been slightly out of our budget but it was so worth it).

The next day we were awoken from our air mattresses (that had American flag sheets, no joke) with our national anthem. They had surprised us and bought chocolate croissants from a nearby bakery, because we had mentioned something about wanting to try them the night before.

We took a short walk around the beach and then headed to Carcassonne (the castle city we had heard so much about).  They all thought it was hilarious when we had to pretend to be Italian to get in free with our Visas, because we were so obviously American, but it worked anyway! We spent the day touring the massive city and they even bought us an English audio guide.  Kate and I were coaxed into going in the Haunted House with them, which ended up being a lot of fun to see in a French version. I definitely screamed my 6 Euros worth.

At night they cooked us a delicious French meal of duck, little potato puff things, and green beans. They also served a dish called Cassolet, which was excellent, and is apparently a specialty of Toulouse. Later that night they brought us to a club, which was actually more like a wedding. We started up the Electric slide, which was awesome. They played songs from Grease (the movie) and American music, but mostly strange songs in English we’d never heard. Even our Zumba moves were broken out for the song Waka Waka. The club itself was entirely different than a typical American club, and it was so much fun just dancing and being silly with them all. This was one of the many songs we picked up from them!

We stayed up all night because we got back at 4am and caught our 6 am train (thankfully we made it which is where I’m writing from). Then we said our goodbyes and thanked them for the amazing time we had in Toulouse.  Now we’re off to ROMA!

The night Eiffel in love with Paris!

Yesterday we woke up early to go to the Louve museum. My friend Flora knew someone who worked there so she let us pass the line and get in for free! The museum itself is huge and just as decorated as the artwork inside of it. I think I would still tour the building even if the paintings were gone. We saw the Mona Lisa of course (along with the other hundred tourists trying to take pictures). Then we all split a giant baguette sandwich for lunch and a cheese crepe. 

We headed back to our hostel to say goodbye to Charlie and made sure all his train and hostel information were correct. He decided that he didn’t want to come with us to Toulouse at the last minute and he booked a train to Rome, so now it’s just the girls.

Later that night we went to visit an impressionist museum that had work from Monet and Van Gogh. This one however didn’t allow pictures so we just looked for an hour or so before we met up with my French friends Flora and Amaury at the arch outside the Louve.

They both were excellent tour guides, showing us even more of the city than Flora already had. We saw more buildings than we would have ever known existed, and learned little things about each one. They took us to a giant department store where we found a phone that was 125000 Euro (don’t worry Dad I know that’s not in my budget)! Then they took us to the most amazing bakery where they bought us an entire box of macaroons, which are adorable delicious cookies I’ve ever had in my life. We walked to the Arch de Triumph and then on the way back we stopped at a bar to rest our feet for a bit. I tried a fruity drink called an Empire, which we all deemed to be the most delicious drink we’ve tried so far.

Pictured Below: The most delicious (and only) French macaroons I've ever had!

We said our goodbyes to Amaury and Flora at the train station and promised to see each other again soon!

It’s sad to be leaving Paris already, but today we’re off to stay with my friend Maxime in Toulouse, France! 

Not just another night in Paris...

Yesterday in Paris was absolutely incredible. We checked into our new hostel which is much nicer and actually has wifi, yay! We have our own room again and it's much less sketchy then our last one. After dropping off our luggage we had a picnic in the park (one of our favorite things to do) and walked around cute areas of shops and neighborhoods. We came back checked in and then got ready to venture to make a quick stop at the Moulin Rouge and then head to the Eiffel Tower. 

The Moulin Rouge isn't in the best area, lots of shady looking shops but we made sure to go during the day and it was just fine. We snapped some photos and then caught the metro to the Eiffel Tower.  

We took some day shots of the Eiffel Tower and stared at all the crazy people going up it. The lines were ridiculous and SO not worth it (although I could be biased with my fear of heights...) We were somehow able to find a cheap grocery store to get some cookies and wine before settling in the lawn to watch the sun go down.

The Eiffel Tower lit up gradually and literally sparkled every hour.  Surprisingly while attempting to borrow a bottle opener we found another group from SJU doing the same thing! We took some photos and just hung out in front of the Eiffel Tower until the last train was leaving. It was SO much fun. It was by far one of my favorite nights abroad.

Private tour of Paris for free? Yes please!

Today we got to see Notre Dame and it was amazing! We walked inside and saw all the intricate details of the artwork inside. It was breath taking for all of us. We contemplated paying to go up one of the towers but then the plan was vetoed by the length of the line that wrapped around the building. We took about 100 of the exact same photo on each of our cameras but it was worth it.

Then at night Flora offered to meet up with us at the Saint Michel fountain. (Don't worry I made sure to get a shot of me with the sign, just like Dana finding the 'Dana Center' science museum) She walked us around the area for three hours talking about what we were seeing! She was able to answer questions like 'What is that for?' or 'What is this building?' when usually we just ask each other shrug and move on. It was so wonderful having a local there to show us around who had all this knowledge of French culture. I loved every minute of it!

-"Parlez-vous Anglais?" -"No."

(Blog post written pre-wifi access at our first Paris hostel)

So today is officially day three of being abroad! Last night was definitely interesting, being interrupted by the guys on our trip coming back to the hostel late at night and finding a sleeping man in one of their beds. They drunkenly informed him of this and made him move to another bed, this bed being the one above mine. Praying that a fight would not ensue I pretended to be sleeping and luckily everything was all right.

In the morning we went to the Science Museum (for free!), which was actually really interesting.  There were a bunch of exhibits with high-tech interactive activities, and it was located just a block away from our hostel. Kate and Dana attempted to be stealthy in an exhibit of an alarm system which would go off if you stepped on a light beam before reaching the safe.

After we grabbed a quick bite to eat and made our way to the chunnel THROUGH THE OCEAN.  The winding tunnels made the pressure changes every two minutes, making ear-popping feel like we were entering another planet (thank God we packed gum!).

We got to the station and somehow managed to navigate the train system. It was all in French, and for some reason not one of us brought a phrase book. Smart right? We learned pretty quick that ‘Sortie’ means exit. The only problem being there were 14 exits. I got to test out my ONLY French phrase on the woman at the ticket counter “Parlez-vous Anglais?” Who then responded “No.” and we panicked. Kate whipped out some Spanish, mixed with our only French word, and mixed with whatever else she could think of. And sure enough “Exit Un” And we were off! (Train station pictured below)

We found our hostel shortly after and then found out it was a cash only sort of operation. Our “free breakfast” came from a vending machine, and they required us to leave the hostel during the day. We quickly showered and got ready for our evening out with my French friend Flora for her birthday celebration. She had given us an address to a bar that required a train change and we were terrified. Somehow with the help of a man named ‘Bear Grills’ we got a ticket to the right stop! We got off and made it successfully only to wander the streets of Paris for two hours. Then found it! We celebrated with a glass of wine and gave her some Minnesotan presents. It was so much fun! 

We're not from around here...

Today was our first day of actually seeing London as tourists. We started off the morning with the British Museum (which was free!) and then made our way to a little cafe called EAT for lunch. A sketchy looking man there clearly recognized us as American and asked if we could estimate how much 10,000 pounds would be in American dollars... not really sure where he was going with that but we left before we could find out. After loads of walking and figuring out the Tube we managed to find our way to Buckingham Palace. There were a few guards out front whose primary duty is to be photogenic. 

Then we wandered over to Westminster Abby and Big Ben for a photo op. I definitely have about 50 shots of Big Ben from different angles on my camera (so unnecessary...) We walked to all of these instead of taking a bus tour and saved about $50!

For dinner we went to a traditional british pub which was known for their authentic fish and chips (later found out it was a chain and is located all over london...woops). We ordered a pitcher of Primm and enjoyed our first legal drinks (sorry mom). After dinner we wandered over to Baker Street to find the Sherlock Holmes museum and his home. Turns out London looks entirely different at night, but it's still just as beautiful!

Off to Paris tomorrow! 

Yes Mom, I am in fact alive!

Several planes, trains, and maps later I can finally say I've successfully arrived in London in one piece! It was a bit of a challenge trying to navigate after flying into Gatwick this morning (after getting close to no sleep on the plane). But somehow we were able to survive the train stations and adventurous 45 minute hike to our hostel in Astor Hyde Park (backpacks and all!).

It's so beautiful here, we had to have a little picnic of bread and cheese at the park across from our hostel. It gave us a chance to read/recover for a bit before we could actually check in. We found some fun things like a modern art museum and a Princess Diana memorial fountain. We went out for a Spanish dinner and then walked through a different part of the park at night. The park was filled with people riding bikes, feeding swans, and just taking everything in like us.



Crossing the streets here is always a challenge. Cars seem to honk at our group every time we cross the street for no apparent reason. I think I've seen more Ferrari's and BMW's here than I've seen in my entire life. There are ZERO used cars here. They are all tiny, brand new, and extremely expensive. We've run into countless statues and landmarks that we haven't a clue what they are. Another thing, chimneys are a BIG deal here. Marry Poppins songs were going through my head the entire train ride. We've got a big day of sight seeing to do tomorrow, can't wait to ride a double-decker bus!

 

Missing you all back home! London is amazing, I hope I'm able to see everything I want to before we leave on Monday for Paris!

Pre-Departure

In less than 24 hours I will have completed every item of my to-do list, said my goodbyes, and boarded a plane to London. For some reason this whole thing still seems surreal. I thought by now it would hit me, but it still just feels like a dream I made up to tell people. Nervousness, excitement, fear, and anxiousness have all been consuming these last few days. Now that my bags are all packed and ready I'm off to spend my last night in America!