That Was Then

Paris is officially a thing of the past.  Weird, right?  I've spent the last 4 months trying to get used to that idea.  In case y'all were unaware, my feet have been firmly planted on my home turf since mid June, and it has been an interesting re-adjustment to life this side of the Prime Meridian.  I haven't regularly updated since March, so I have a lot to catch y'all up on...that is, if I even have any readers left.  I'm totally okay if a. no one reads this and b. my thoughts just float out into cyberspace.  Maybe someone will pick them up along the way...or maybe they won't.  Who knows. 

I almost scrapped this whole project because the idea of trying to capture the memories of the last eight months was quite cumbersome, but I just couldn't shake the idea that the story wouldn't be finished.  I'm sure I'm the only one who really cares (aside from the few people who kindly reminded me that the blog was waaaaaaay out of date), but I feel like the majority of my journey that I had documented would have been for naught if I didn't follow it through to the conclusion.  What if I got hit by a bus tomorrow and the story laid untold FOR-E-VER?!?!  Une catastrophe!!!!! (remember? It's pronounced cat-a-stroff)  Long story long, cliffhangers suck, and I hate not finishing what I started, so I'm forcing myself to make the time to see this thing through to the end before I start my next adventure.

There have been a fair share of highs and lows since my homecoming that deserve airtime, however, I want to try and keep everything in order.  Y'all will learn about it all in due time!

While I'm not 100 percent sure Atlanta is where I want to be right now, one thing is for sure.  Fall is most definitely upon us in the South ---  red, yellow, and orange foliage, bitingly crisp mornings, and semi-nonexistent 80 degree afternoons (ha, right).  Je suis en amour!  (gotta love Google translator.  Don't be fooled, I'm still blissfully ignorant when it comes to the French language)  Autumn and I have had a deep love affair ever since I can remember.  Life is just more enjoyable come October.  And with Fall comes football.  Although I could easily name 2384908234 things I would rather do than watch sports any other time of the year, I can't help but get caught up in the exciting college football buzz that embodies every red-blooded American -- especially in the SEC-- as it kicks off (pun intended) this time of year.

As I sit here enjoying another perfect Fall day in the deep South, anxiously anticipating watching my Dawgs put up yet another good fight in order to defend the Hedges, I can't say that there is anywhere else I would rather be.

Okay, that's a complete lie.  Let's be real.  I would most definitely prefer to be in Paris right now...but who wouldn't?  Last year at this very moment, I was taking in every moment of the city with views like this:

 And this:

And this:

Alas, that was then, and for now I'll have to create my own adventures stateside.  Until then, stay tuned!

- a tout à l’heure!






 

A Rainy Day in London Town

Bonjour y'all!  I know, I know, once again I have been majorly slacking in my updates.  I'm sorry!  Spring has sprung in Paris, and I have been out and about enjoying my last few months here.  Superior has been going swimmingly, but much more to come on that later...I promise! 

Although I am almost 100% disconnected from the outside world because I don't have a working television at my apartment and I don't understand anything that comes out of the radio, I did catch wind of something pretty major going on just across the English Channel on Friday morning.  What could it be, you ask??  THE ROYAL WEDDING, DUH!!!!  I have only had it written in my day planner since the date was announced...I wasn't looking forward to it or anything.  Considering most people reading this are currently in the States and therefore have had all of that nonsense jammed down their throats 24/7, I'm sure y'all have been ready for it to be over already.  I, however, am still reveling in all of the videos, pictures, and articles.  Aside from a passing headline here and there on the way to class...

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

...I had to seek out any and all information online which translated to many a hour researching and getting up to speed on everything leading up to the big day.  Unfortunately, I had a pretty serious class on Friday morning that I absolutely could not skip, so I wasn't able to watch the wedding live.  I was pretty distraught until a fellow student in the kitchen across from me streamed it on his phone and would run over every so often with updates.  Wasn't her dress GORGEOUS??  Lace makes me go weak at the knees.  

Anyway, in honour of the Royal Wedding, I decided it would be appropriate to update y'all on my trip to London from waaaaaay back in November.  I had every intention of posting right when I got back, but then I flew home and time just got away from me.  Cheerio!  (What does that even mean?)

Nicole and I left took the train from Paris (affectionately known as the Chunnel), and our feet touched English soil in just an hour and a half.  I had a mild case of claustrophobia going under the English Channel...but the majority of the trip was through the French countryside, so it was tolerable.

We just so happen to arrive at King's Cross Station, which for any of you fellow Harry Potter fans out there, means only one thing:  Platform 9 and 3/4!!!!!

See the bandage on my hand?  That was my first souvenir from LCB...oil burns from the veal chop in my final.  Rookie mistake.

After navigating the Tube, we found our hotel and decided it was time to partake in the king of English pub food:

My first real Guinness.  It was love at first sight.  We've been very close ever since.

A mélange of meat pies

Fish and chips and mushy peas - oh my!

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the city seeing a few of the big sites and trying to stay dry...

Trying on headbands in Marks and Spencers.  These headpieces are tame compared to some of the doozies from the Wedding

Harrods!

The London Eye --- don't ever call it a Ferris Wheel.  The Brits are pretty sensitive about that and they will kindly remind you that it is NOT a Ferris Wheel, but an "observation wheel".  Whatever.

The Houses of Parliment and Big Ben!

And because it was November, it started getting dark around 16:00

The next day was filled with a whirlwind tour of the city on one of those super touristy coach buses.  We hit up every major site and then some...without any time to actually explore the places.  It was a good overview, but it definitely left me wanting to see more. 

Westminster Abbey!

The Cavalry Museum

Disregard the tennis shoes.  You know you're old when you choose comfort over style.

Hugh Grant's house in Love Actually...also known as where the Prime Minister resides

Next, we headed over to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard with at least 2930480928340982390849082349823 other people.

Don't they look like the soldiers from Wizard of Oz?

After the guard was changed, it was time for of my favorite places...the Tower of London!  I was surprised because it was a large castle, not just a tower.  Who knew?  Either way, it was really interesting for history nerds like myself AND the Crown Jewels are held there, so we were able to take a gander at the goods (no pictures allowed - sorry!).

Tower Bridge

Tower of London

The White Tower

The crows that guard the Tower

Where Anne Boleyn was executed...and she is said to haunt the grounds carrying her head

We ended the tour with an evening cruise down the Thames and a thrilling ride on the London Eye.  It was a very beautiful view, but it moved reeeaaallly slowly.  My attention span was spent before we had completed a quarter revolution.

St. Paul's Cathedral

And for dinner I had meat pie and a Guinness (are you noticing a trend?).  Whoever said England had terrible food was sadly mistaken because we ate very well while we were there. 

We had scheduled another tour for the next day, but this time we ventured outside the city on one of those super touristy coach buses.  We made our way to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and ended the day in Bath. 

I assume Windsor Castle is pretty, but we couldn't really see it through the fog

I wonder if he was at the Wedding...

St. George's Chapel

We left Windsor Castle and made our way through the English countryside to Stonehenge.  We saw several beautiful English country houses that I think I would fit perfectly in. If you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I've moved to the house below. 

Isn't it adorable??

We saw a lot of rolling hills and sheep...

Then, out of no where, Stonehenge appeared!

After nearly freezing to death and failing miserably at staying dry, we hopped back on the bus and finished the day in Bath.    

We only had time to visit the Roman Bath House (hence the name of the city) before it was time to head back to Londres.

The Roman Baths

After the visit, you could try a glass of the water from the natural spring

Bottom's up!  It tasted like metallic rotten eggs

And I'm sure this comes as a shock, but we ended the day with fish and chips at a pub in Kensington --- however, I switched out the Guinness for mulled wine...très delicious!!! 

This pub was actually mentioned by name in the book I was reading while we were there.  Crazy!

We spent the last day in London wandering around the city some more, revisiting a few of the places we saw on our tour, and fortunately the weather was GORGEOUS!!  The sun was actually shining and not a cloud in sight!  First stop?  Kensington Gardens.

The gates to Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace --- where Princess Diana lived!

I got into a slight altercation with a swan...

And then we became friends

The Princess Diana Memorial in Kensington Gardens

Next, we headed over to Westminster and the financial district of London known as "The City."  Fun fact?  The Queen can't enter "The City" without permission from the Lord Mayer (the guy who runs the joint).

Trafalgar Square

See the lion statues to the right of the picture at the base of the column?  We decided that we had to climb up there and take pictures with the lion.  Climbing up?  No problem...my long legs are good for something. 

Climbing down?  That was a different story.  After standing up there looking like an idiot because I thought I was going to die trying to get down (I seriously think it was five feet tall...I have a flair for the dramatic), a stranger felt bad for me, came over, and let me slide onto his back like a moron with my gangly limbs flailing about because there was no other way I could figure out how to get to level ground  very gracious gentleman saved the day and gracefully helped me float down from the platform. 

The Royal Courts of London

The Church of the Knights Templar.  Remember this from the Da Vinci Code?

The next few pictures are of Saint Paul's Cathedral is where Charles and Diana got married!  The church (as we see it today) was designed and executed by Sir Christopher Wren --- my British Art and Architecture class from college is coming back --- and during World War II, The City (where the church is located) was virtually flattened, yet Saint Paul's managed to stand tall above the destruction. 

Our last mission before heading to the train station was to wander around Shakespeare's old stomping grounds and find The Globe.  The view below is of the new Globe Theater that is a replica of the old Globe --- built just down the street from where the original theater stood. 

After asking a few people and wandering around for a bit (it was kind of strange that it wasn't very well marked), we finally found the location of the Shakespeare's Globe Theater. 

By that time, our three short days in London were up, and and it was unfortunately time to return to Paris.  Although I love this city, it wasn't until I was slapped in the face by the familiar, overwhelming urine odor and graffiti lined walls of the Metro that I realized how much I fell in love with London.  The people were great, I could speak the language (which was something I'm obviously not used to), and the overall vibe of the city was fantastic.  It's looking like I won't be able to make it back anytime soon, but it's somewhere that I would definitely like to go again and stay much longer.

Cheers!