In the morning, we took showers and planned out our day. As a couchsurfer, you're not allowed to be in your host's apartment when they are not there. Sandrine gave us three times to meet her: either at 7 pm at her place, 11 pm at a bar where she would be, or between midnight and 1 am at her place. We had until five to decide and then we would have to let her know what our plans were.
We bought tickets for the metro, which ended up being a major lifesaver because it took us everywhere so quickly. Everything in Paris is quite spread out.
We started out by heading to the Grand Opera, a huge structure with beautiful sculptures decorating it. The Grand Satircase inside is the site of one of my favorite Dsiney scenes from the movie Anastasia.
We then visited Notre Dame. It's actually on an island in the middle of the Seine. It was beautiful. Ever since I read The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, I've wanted to see this cathedral.
We then visited La Place de Bastille, where the famous prison used to stand. Not until I got there did I know that it was torn down. But there is a monument where it used to be. I kept remembering the story of Les Miserables and The Scarlet Pimpernel, and everything I had learned about the French Revolution.
Next was the Champs Elysee and the Arc de Triomphe, which is huge. Here we saw the gaint Cartier store and went into Louis Vuitton. Wow!
At this point, we called Sandrine and told her we would meet her at the restaurant around 11 because we were planning to see the Louvre at night.
But before that museum, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. It was between 5 and 6 when we rode the elevator to the top. It is high up! But it was definitely worth the trip. The views, as you can imagine, are specacular, especially since we went right at sunset. On the way up to the very top, two ladies from Boston attached themselves to Mary Beth and I because they were scared to death. It was funny.
Although we were pretty tired, we took the metro to the Louvre. Unfortunately, it closed right before we got there. But we learned that the next night was free admission for all those under 26.
So we went to the Musee D'Orsay instead, right across the river. This museum houses many impressionist works by Monet, Manet, Degas and Van Gogh, to name a few. I really enjoyed this because impressionism is my favorite style of painting. I can't say enough about how wonderful this museum was.
We finished around nine and headed towards the restaurant where we were supposed to meet Sandrine. We ate some yummy Japanese food and then met up with her at about quarter after 11. We stayed at the restaurant and then Sandrine's friend took us home.
It was such a full day and I was completely exhausted. I sacked out on the couch and slept like a log.
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Paris: Part Un
I have been planning to go to Paris since the first week of school and on Wednesday, March 4 at 1 in the afternoon, I left the University of Nottingham for a holiday in the City of Love. I went with my friend Mary Beth; it's better to travel in pairs.
We flew from East Midlands Airport to Charles de Gaul Aeroport in the north of Paris, arriving at 7:30 at night.
A lady named Sandrine Frovnal picked us up. She is a part of a network called Couchsurfers who host people traveling in their home cities. Sandrine lives in the south part of Paris called La Kremlin-Bicetre. It was great that she picked us up with her car so that we didn't have to figure out the metro at night.
It was also wonderful because she gave us a tour of Paris by night!
I saw Moulin Rouge all lit up, as well as the area where Amelie was filmed. We drove by the Grand Opera, up the Champs Elysee and around the Arc de Triomphe, through the Louvre and across the Pont Neuf.
Sandrine said she had a surprise for us and after counting down from ten, we turned into a side alley and there was...the Eiffel Tower! It was all lit up and in five minutes started twinkling everywhere. It was a gorgeous sight.
Sandrine gave us couches to sleep on in her apartment. Despite the overwhelming smell of smoke (everyone in Paris smokes cigarettes)and the thin blanket that did nothing against the cold, I was grateful for a comfortable, free place to sleep.
We flew from East Midlands Airport to Charles de Gaul Aeroport in the north of Paris, arriving at 7:30 at night.
A lady named Sandrine Frovnal picked us up. She is a part of a network called Couchsurfers who host people traveling in their home cities. Sandrine lives in the south part of Paris called La Kremlin-Bicetre. It was great that she picked us up with her car so that we didn't have to figure out the metro at night.
It was also wonderful because she gave us a tour of Paris by night!
I saw Moulin Rouge all lit up, as well as the area where Amelie was filmed. We drove by the Grand Opera, up the Champs Elysee and around the Arc de Triomphe, through the Louvre and across the Pont Neuf.
Sandrine said she had a surprise for us and after counting down from ten, we turned into a side alley and there was...the Eiffel Tower! It was all lit up and in five minutes started twinkling everywhere. It was a gorgeous sight.
Sandrine gave us couches to sleep on in her apartment. Despite the overwhelming smell of smoke (everyone in Paris smokes cigarettes)and the thin blanket that did nothing against the cold, I was grateful for a comfortable, free place to sleep.
Oxford pictures
Here is the link for the pictures from Oxford:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jsugi20/Oxford#
http://picasaweb.google.com/jsugi20/Oxford#
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Oxford
Happy March!
Yesterday I took another trip gratis the school to Oxford, home of one of England's oldest and finest universities. It is about two-and-a-half hours south of Nottingham by coach. I am learning that no matter what part of England you go to, there is so much history waiting to be discovered. The town got its name because it was a perfect place to herd animals across the otherwise deep Thames River. Thus, "ox" + "ford"....Oxford.
There are 37 colleges that make up Oxford University. This just means that there are 37 different residences/study halls. The most famous and largest of the colleges is Christ Church. The Great Hall here also doubles as the dining hall in all the Harry Potter movies. Christ Church is also the supposed site of where St. Friedswine, patron saint of Oxford, established her priory.
Oxford is also the place where many early Reformers were martyred. St. Mary's Church, in fact, has a list of names of men who were sentenced to death in that church for holding to the doctrines of the Reformation. Also, there is a spot at the end of High Street marking where many of these same men were burned at the stake.
There were so many buildings to see, some of them designed by famed architect Christopher Wren. These include the Sheldonian Theater, the Radcliffe Camera and the Boudelain Library. I would definitely go back to Oxford if given the chance; however, I'd probably go when it is warmer. It was awful walking around in the bitter English cold!
I can't believe it is already the beginning of March and I will be returning to the states in three weeks. Actually, there is some question about this right now. My advisor from Piedmont contacted me and, through a serious of mistakes she made, has discovered that I need to stay until the end of May.
However, I don't have the financial means to stay. Also, I have already made committments for the month of April. Moreover, she cannot confirm one return date with me months ago and then expect me to simply drop everything and return on another date. To me, this is completely unethical and unfair.
I am in the process of solving this problem and have every intention of returning to the states in late March as originally planned. If you could keep this issue in your prayers, I would be so appreciative!
Yesterday I took another trip gratis the school to Oxford, home of one of England's oldest and finest universities. It is about two-and-a-half hours south of Nottingham by coach. I am learning that no matter what part of England you go to, there is so much history waiting to be discovered. The town got its name because it was a perfect place to herd animals across the otherwise deep Thames River. Thus, "ox" + "ford"....Oxford.
There are 37 colleges that make up Oxford University. This just means that there are 37 different residences/study halls. The most famous and largest of the colleges is Christ Church. The Great Hall here also doubles as the dining hall in all the Harry Potter movies. Christ Church is also the supposed site of where St. Friedswine, patron saint of Oxford, established her priory.
Oxford is also the place where many early Reformers were martyred. St. Mary's Church, in fact, has a list of names of men who were sentenced to death in that church for holding to the doctrines of the Reformation. Also, there is a spot at the end of High Street marking where many of these same men were burned at the stake.
There were so many buildings to see, some of them designed by famed architect Christopher Wren. These include the Sheldonian Theater, the Radcliffe Camera and the Boudelain Library. I would definitely go back to Oxford if given the chance; however, I'd probably go when it is warmer. It was awful walking around in the bitter English cold!
I can't believe it is already the beginning of March and I will be returning to the states in three weeks. Actually, there is some question about this right now. My advisor from Piedmont contacted me and, through a serious of mistakes she made, has discovered that I need to stay until the end of May.
However, I don't have the financial means to stay. Also, I have already made committments for the month of April. Moreover, she cannot confirm one return date with me months ago and then expect me to simply drop everything and return on another date. To me, this is completely unethical and unfair.
I am in the process of solving this problem and have every intention of returning to the states in late March as originally planned. If you could keep this issue in your prayers, I would be so appreciative!
Monday, 23 February 2009
York pictures
Here's the link to get to them:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jsugi20/York#
Also, I just found out today that I've been chosen as the Editor-in-Chief of Piedmont's school newspaper, The Navigator, for 2009-2010.
This oppurtunity has been a long time coming, and as you can imagine, I'm pretty excited.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jsugi20/York#
Also, I just found out today that I've been chosen as the Editor-in-Chief of Piedmont's school newspaper, The Navigator, for 2009-2010.
This oppurtunity has been a long time coming, and as you can imagine, I'm pretty excited.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
York
It's the place where Yorkshire pudding was created and home to one family of the War of the Roses. It boasts the Jorvik Viking Center, the National Railway Museum, and the largest Medieval Gothic cathedral north of the Alps. And I got to see it all when I visited the "city" of York on Saturday!
I left from school on a coach at about 9 in the morning; we drove for about two hours before arriving. But don't ask me which direction we went; I have no clue.
They call York a city, but it is more of a town. It's significantly smaller than Nottingham and would probably only take 15 minutes to walk from end to end. It is jam-packed with history, though. Awesome!
Most of the original city walls are still standing. I even walked for a mile on one part. York Minster is the cathedral I mentioned above. It is beautiful and awe-inspiring. There are a plethora of cathedrals in the same architectural style all over York, just smaller.
I also witnessed Vikings and Anglo-Saxons in battle! Didn't catch the full details of why they were skirmishing...something to do with preparing to fight the Normans, I think. There were decked-out Vikings wandering all over town, though. It was great.
For lunch, I hit the International Market at city centre. There were booths offering dishes and foods from all over. German sausauges, French crepes, Indian rice and kabobs, a huge help-yourself candy tent, cheese, bread, Italian pizzas and paninis...you name it, it was there. I bought a delicious Indian dish that consisted of spicy chiken with peppers and onions and lettuce in a wrap. And I got some dark choclate from a famous Brit choc-maker, Thorton's. So yummy!
Next, I climbed the staircase to Clifford's Tower, built by William the Conquerer and named after a guy who was hanged from its walls by Edward II. It looks pretty small for a fortress-type building and stands on a very steep hill.
On the opposite end of the city is the National Rail Museum that houses real-life models of trains from the very firsts to the most modern. I sat in the Japanese bullet train! By that time, my friends and I were pretty tired. It hadn't been too cold, just unbearably windy. We pretty much passed out on a bench at the museum and then headed back to the coach at 5:30 for a 6 o'clock departure. It was a full day!
This week I am concentrating on writing a 3,000-word essay for my history class and a 1,500-word one for my film class. It's very hard to get motivated, though, when all I want to do is see the world. Less than a month until I'm home.
I left from school on a coach at about 9 in the morning; we drove for about two hours before arriving. But don't ask me which direction we went; I have no clue.
They call York a city, but it is more of a town. It's significantly smaller than Nottingham and would probably only take 15 minutes to walk from end to end. It is jam-packed with history, though. Awesome!
Most of the original city walls are still standing. I even walked for a mile on one part. York Minster is the cathedral I mentioned above. It is beautiful and awe-inspiring. There are a plethora of cathedrals in the same architectural style all over York, just smaller.
I also witnessed Vikings and Anglo-Saxons in battle! Didn't catch the full details of why they were skirmishing...something to do with preparing to fight the Normans, I think. There were decked-out Vikings wandering all over town, though. It was great.
For lunch, I hit the International Market at city centre. There were booths offering dishes and foods from all over. German sausauges, French crepes, Indian rice and kabobs, a huge help-yourself candy tent, cheese, bread, Italian pizzas and paninis...you name it, it was there. I bought a delicious Indian dish that consisted of spicy chiken with peppers and onions and lettuce in a wrap. And I got some dark choclate from a famous Brit choc-maker, Thorton's. So yummy!
Next, I climbed the staircase to Clifford's Tower, built by William the Conquerer and named after a guy who was hanged from its walls by Edward II. It looks pretty small for a fortress-type building and stands on a very steep hill.
On the opposite end of the city is the National Rail Museum that houses real-life models of trains from the very firsts to the most modern. I sat in the Japanese bullet train! By that time, my friends and I were pretty tired. It hadn't been too cold, just unbearably windy. We pretty much passed out on a bench at the museum and then headed back to the coach at 5:30 for a 6 o'clock departure. It was a full day!
This week I am concentrating on writing a 3,000-word essay for my history class and a 1,500-word one for my film class. It's very hard to get motivated, though, when all I want to do is see the world. Less than a month until I'm home.
Monday, 16 February 2009
London pictures
You can access this link to view my pictures from London:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jsugi20/London#
http://picasaweb.google.com/jsugi20/London#
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