Day 53-France, Paris

So, Paris has been giving us exciting adventures...Today the electricity went out for over four hours and all public transportation shut down except for busses and taxis. I was lucky on the last train that left before they closed everything down (the rest of the group was stuck with over 100,000 people waiting for it to start up again) but still ended up spending over two hours on the most crowded train I've ever been on. It was extremely similar to that infamous bus ride in Rome. Long story short, lots of people = lots of noise, sweat, and smells...fun times in Paris!

Before all this happened, however, I spent a blissfully wonderful day in Versailles :) I've never experienced anything quite like it. Let's just say Louis the 14th thought pretty highly of himself and what that entitled him to. Joining Louis would be Marie Antoinette, the woman who built a mini "peasant town" to play maid whenever she needed to escape her stressful life at the overly extravagant Versailles palace...too great. The things I enjoyed most at Versailles were the gorgeous gardens, the fountain shows, the hall of mirrors, Marie Antoinette's estate, and the exceptional pan du chocolate they had at McDonald's (we went in before the palace to use the restroom). Quick note about McDonald's: they totally had food kiosks that took your order instead of you having to wait in line...talk about high tech! Ok. Back to Versailles. It really was a spectacular experience that solidified in my mind one of the main reasons for the French revolution. I love history!

During today's train rides I had a lot of time to ponder life. One of the things I couldn't help but think about was how many people live on this planet (I can't even comprehend 100,000 people waiting for public transportation...). And then I thought about how Christ and our Heavenly Father know each of the thousands of people I came into contact with today, at which point I'm pretty sure my mind was going to explode. I'm so grateful I have Heavenly guidance and protection. I know that was a sudden transition and that the recesses of Brianna's mind are most of the time confusing, but thanks for coming along for the ride. It's been one crazy day ;) Au revoir!

Day 52-France, Paris

So right now in sitting in l'hopital (hospital) de Paris because a girl from my group got food poisoning and has severe dehydration...it's been an interesting day. More on that story to come.

Today as a group, we took a day trip to Chartes and visited Chartes cathedral-another beautiful gothic church I really enjoyed! It was incredible to see the cleaned, pristine white portion of the building juxtaposed against the walls, ceiling, and windows yet to be cleaned of the smoke that's accumulated over the past 9 centuries. To end that trip, we went to an adorable bakery and bought some delicious treats. And guess who has pictures of both ;)

Later in the evening, I decided to go see Paris' Opera House done in a beux des arts fashion that was beautiful to see in person.

When we returned to our hotel, we found one of the girls from our group needed to go to the hospital so I volunteered to go along for the ride (she called a taxi because the ambulance refused to come out to our hotel because it's way in the boonies...but that's besides the point). After trying to communicate with the driver who obviously ripped is off and couldn't even bring us to the hospital (we ended up walking the last bit), we finally made it. Anyway, long story short I'm hanging in a Paris hospital late at night...oh, life can be interesting sometimes ;)

Before ending, I have to give an update on our hotel situation. I don't remember what I've mentioned before, but we couldn't find a hotel closer to town because everything is booked. For now, we're staying at a hotel directly by the airport (good thing I sleep like a baby) which we thought we might have had a possibility of leaving since we thought we found another hotel. Turns out that hotel is actually surrounded by an encampment of 300 or so gypsies who try to get into the barricaded (with barbed wire) walls 24/7. Talk about scary town. So we're still staying at the hotel directly under the flight paths ;) but I don't mind. It's all an experience I'll never forget...And it's in Paris! Au revoir!

Day 51-France, Paris

J'adore Paris! It's soo huge, you never run out of things to do or see. Today was a long one, especially since I felt we tried to do and see everything.

Starting with our trip to St. Denis (a beautiful early gothic church with an awesome crypt beneath it), we spent the day walking. We walked to Napoleon's tomb, and then to St. Germain (another early gothic church), and then to the Cluny museum, and finally to the Latin quarter at which point you could tell we were all reaching our breaking point. When 19 girls are dead silent, you've exhausted the system ;)

I complain because I was exhausted (and still am), but it was incredible to see what we did of Paris. So much history in one place! For example, for each building project in an era instead of completely destroying the existing building, they'd build directly over the existing foundation. So under one of the gothic churches, I saw an ancient roman bathhouse that was in tact for the most part. It was so cool...especially in the frigidarium ;)

I loved every bit of walking around the city, but have to say the Latin place we ate for dinner holds a special place in my heart. My food was awesome and the crepe I ate for dessert was every bit as wonderful as I remembered them being...Oh France, how I've missed you. :D Salut!

Day 50-Austria, Vienna

Bonjour! Even though I'm in France, most of my day was spent in Vienna (and most of that time was in an airport) so I'm counting today as another in Austria.

Before the airport, I went with a few girls to the marketplace I went yesterday and had some more incredible food experiences. :) One of my favorite (besides this fruit that reminded me of a peach) was a falafel these funny Greek guys made for us. It was my first one even though I went to Greece...and it was soo good! I have a picture :D What made it an even more memorable experience was one of the guy's insisting on taking a picture with us. It was pretty great.

We spent a pretty relaxing afternoon walking around the market and also people watching at St. Charles. I saw so many adorable children and dogs. :D not many in the airport except for this to-die-for little baby...I might have taken a picture...what else was I going to do in the airport?

We arrived in Paris pretty late, and were actually lucky to find a place to stay tonight. It's going to be an interesting next couple of days. And the adventure continues! Au revoir!

Day 49-Austria, Vienna

Today we saw a mini Versailles! Ok. Actually it was very mini, but was still pretty impressive since I haven't seen the actual Versailles yet. I took this picture of me in front of the Belvedere at the beginning of the estate (not including the lower palace). It was fun to wind our way up towards the palace where we saw some beautiful Klimt an Schiele pieces. I loved their use of color as emotion and the dazzling ornamentation Klimt's known for (His Kiss was blissful ;) )

Going off an adorable shopkeeper's instructions, a few of us decided to be adventurous and attempt to find this market we heard about from some natives. After a good 20 minutes of walking for a bit, then stopping and asking for directions, then walking with more confidence, we finally found it! There was so much incredible looking food (breads, meat, fruits, and vegetables) it was amazing! I was proud that I only caved for some dried fruit (ginger is really strong...trust me) and baklava because I could't resist. Who can? Ok. And I also bought an apple strudel for later that was super good. :D

After the market, I decided to hang around the central part of town where I eventually got some fish n'chips on the way home :) Later in the evening when I was watching some American movie with German dubbing (it gets pretty entertaining when you've only got the actors' intonations and actions to go off of...especially when the commercials come around), I kept hearing bits and pieces of a concert across the street. Come to find out, it's Snow Patrol. No big deal, they only play one of my favorite songs...oh, Vienna :D It's been a good night. Tschuss!

Day 48-Austria, Vienna

Museums are incredible things...and true to its name (house of the muses), I really do feel inspired each time we visit one (guess it's good I don't get sick of them!). Today we went to the Kunsthistorisches museum and spent all day looking at Northern Renaissance (both Dutch and Flemish), Northern Baroque (around today's Belgium and the Netherlands), and also a bit of Caravaggio and his followers. Actually there were a whole lot more than I just mentioned, but you get he picture. It was a lot of art that made me really, really happy. :)

In the evening, we took the tram up to the Vienna woods for FHE where I enjoyed a great view of the city. Random note: The trees made me want to go camping. :) It was very pretty and a great change of scenery from the usual city life.

For dinner, we went to a nice restaurant in the middle of this cute touristy area halfway up the mountain. I had traditional Austrian schnitzel which was pretty good. I really enjoy trying traditional food from all the places we travel to, it's definitely an important part of the experience! Sorry I didn't take a picture of it...it was gone before I even thought about it ;)

And that's how I feel about the days. They pass so quickly it's crazy to think I'm already been with this group for a week! Can't wait for more :) Tschuss!

Day 47-Austria, Vienna

Austria is truly beautiful. Also, I truly love the gospel. It was so nice to finally attend church today!

To begin our spiritual experiences, we attended mass at St. Charles Cathedral where I didn't understand a word, but enjoyed another religion's view on Christ. It made me appreciate the compassionate friend and Savior I've come to know.

After mass, we walked through a beautiful park (the one that has Vienna's famous Ferris Wheel in it), and enjoyed our lunch under a ginormous tree. Aside from the great scenery, the gentle Austrian breeze cooling us felt pretty spectacular.

Around 1, we made our way to the church building. I was very surprised at its relatively large size and with how many English speakers there were. Overall, it was very enjoyable and just what I needed!

The extent of my adventure after church consisted of trying to find the underground on confusing directions and ignoring the many stares we attracted as we walked along the platform. It was fun. I can't wait till tomorrow! Tschuss!

Day 46-Austria, Vienna

Today I experienced some incredible things. First of all, we went on a day trip to Melk where they have one of the oldest surviving monasteries in Austria. Besides an incredible view, I saw the most astounding baroque church I've ever seen. It was so ornate and the illusionistic ceiling painting was literally unbelievable. I had such a hard time distinguishing between painting and architecture!

I also saved a baby bird. It looked so helpless right in the middle of the sidewalk, I had to pick it up and move it. Good act of the day: check.

Another experience I had was unintentionally picking the party train. Let me just say, I've never been around more obviously drunk individuals in my life. Luckily, they kind of stuck to themselves aside from the fact they'd yell and toast every three minutes or so. It was a party.

Upon arriving back in Vienna, some of us decided to walk to the opera house where we watched some incredible ballet performers outside on a huge screen. It was pretty awesome!

Our last event of the day was held in St. Stephan's Cathedral, where we enjoyed Mozart's Requiem. The acoustics were amazing! I definitely reached my zen while listening and loved every second! There's a reason Vienna is known for the arts :D

Couple of things I've noticed about Vienna so far: 1) it's much less fast paced than London and 2) it kind of reminds me of Italy because of its countryside.

And with that, tschuss!

Day 45-Austria, Vienna

New country, new experiences! Actually, nothing incredibly exciting happened today (we left for our 5:45 pm plane flight at noon and arrived at our hotel around 10:45 pm) except for some pretty decent turbulence that had the entire plane gasping out loud...it was awesome. It was also entertaining to listen to the plane's passengers, most of whom were Slovakian, because they were incredibly exuberant for some reason :) Let's see...some other random facts about today: 1) I cleared my luggage check (a big deal with EasyJet) and got through security without having to be patted down. 2) Our lecture today took place inside the airport (it was nice to be sitting down for a change). 3) I've been singing Phantom songs all day long and have figured out Prima Donna can be sung to just about any lyrics 4) I'm definitely wearing earplugs tonight because I've seen (and ruthlessly killed) three earwigs so far. That was pretty much my day. Super exciting ;)

Day 44-England, London

I think I'm doing pretty well keeping up with face-paced London. It's been quite the day :)

For the most part, I spend my time in two fabulous museums: the Tate Britain and the Tate Modern which were both incredible. I had to convince myself I really did enjoy looking at the random piles of cement blocks on display...it was a challenge (not quite sure I succeeded). I did love the Pre-Raphaelite and Turner pieces in the Tate Britain, however. Such talent!

Between the two museums, I had a meat pie (yes, even after watching Sweeney Todd) which was pretty good. I did think it was funny it was from an Australian place...didn't peg pies as Australian.

In the evening, I decided to go to Phantom of the Opera which turned out to be the best decision I could have made. It was incredible. There's a reason it's been playing for almost 25 years...happy sigh :) I really don't have words to describe how fantastic and enthralling an experience it was, but trust me. It was brilliant ;)

And with that, my time in London has come to a hold (until I return for a day before I fly home the end of July). I can't believe tomorrow I'm going to be in Vienna! Cheerio!

Day 43-England, London

London is so big! I don't know how it's possible to see everything, but I'm trying my hardest. School for today was another three to four hours of museum exploration (standing and taking notes nonstop...she really doesn't pause between lecturing on two separate paintings), after which I immediately set off to see some sights.

My first stop was King's Cross Station to visit platform 9 3/4. Instead of going to the actual platform between 9 and 10, I chose to find the "real" spot where they filmed the movie :D It was pretty sweet. I only took pictures on my camera so here's the best photo I've got. After that adventure, I went to St. Pancras where Ron and Harry fly the Ford Angela out of the muggle parking lot their second year at Hogwarts :D The magic lives on! Wow. I'm awesome.

Other stops of mine included the Wallace Collection (housing many Rococo pieces including Fragonard's Swing), the V&A (which had an excellent photography exhibition), Buckingham Palace (where I saw the changing of the guard), St. James park, and Hyde park (both parks were especially green and beautifully lush).

All-in-all, it was a pretty busy day but totally worth every second. Cheerio!

Day 42-England, London

Today was busy, as usual :) Even though it's officially the second day with the new group, I feel like I'm well adjusted to the fast pace Sis. Peacock had us running at. I do feel for the girls who are already complaining about aching feet, sore backs, and tiredness though, because I was in their shoes just 6 weeks ago.

We began today with the National Gallery and spent three hours straight taking notes while Sis. Peacock lectured. She's like an Energizer bunny. Though extreme, I love her teaching style and much prefer walking with purpose around a museum, being constantly engaged in the artwork. I thrive on structure.

Stopping at a Mark's and Spencer store on the way home, I again couldn't be more amazed at the food-on-the-go merchandise-one of my favorite parts about London. They make excellent sandwiches :D

Later in the evening I enjoyed some authentic Fish and Chips at a pub (the tartar sauce was exceptionally good), before heading to the Globe theater for a production of Henry V. It was sooo good and had some incredible actors! We were among the groundlings (I was actually only three people from the front and right on the side of a stage isle so I had some interaction with the characters :D It was awesome.) and had the privilege of standing the entire three hours (someone definitely passed out in the audience). It was so worth the pain, though. On our way home, we crossed the Millennium Bridge, you know, the one in Harry Potter that gets destroyed by the Death Eaters :D, so that was pretty sweet. I have so much more I want to see while I'm here...Hope it happens! Cheerio!

Day 41-England, London

TO DO:
1. St. James park behind White Hill Palace. •check
2. Courtauld Gallery (full of northern renaissance, baroque, impressionism, post-impressionism, cubism, and many other forms of painting). •check
3. Ride double-decker red bus (on top, in the front). •check
4. British Museum. •check
5. Evensong at St. Paul's (hear the Archbishop of Canterbury). •check
6. Wicked. •check!
7. Sleep... •almost check :D

Day 40-England, London

So I'm at the half way point! Today was spent traveling, as most days are, so we weren't able to go to church...again :( It's ok. I know we'll get to church soon :) The plane flight was nice, and check-in was a breeze. I feel like a well-traveled individual at this point, which makes everything seem so much more natural. It's both fun and strange to see the new girls just getting in from the States. I know I was just as confused, anxious, (tired!) and full of anticipation as they appear to be. Now with that said, I'm way tired and anxious as well because I am starting fresh with a new professor who seems way more intense with her teaching style, so we'll see how that plays out... :/ :)

I feel like I should end with my favorite parts of all the counties I've visited, and maybe I'll rank them in order...maybe.

ITALY: The sites were incredible, and you can just tell there's so much history packed into each city...Naples was not my favorite, but Pompeii was pretty awesome. Florence was beautiful and by far my favorite city in Italy. No nasty smoke being blown in your face, great fun and relaxed environment, and worthwhile views.

GREECE: Not knowing what to expect aside from little white houses with blue roofs on the coast (thank you Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants!), I was blown away by the incredible scenery everywhere we went. Granted, we basically bused through all of Greece and weren't able to do the same in Italy (except for the train rides), but I thought everyplace in Greece was breathtaking. Palamidi anyone? Apart from the land, Greek food was excellent. It definitely put me in my happy place. The only difficulty about Greece was the complete language barrier. Almost all the time, I had no clue what people were saying to me and I felt not that many people spoke English (compared to all the other places I've been).

GERMANY: Unfortunately, I feel like I didn't spend enough time in Germany to give a worthwhile opinion, but what I did see (remember that one day public transportation was my friend? Or maybe it wasn't...) was pretty sweet. I was pleasantly surprised at the slower place and not a whole lot of people (like there were in Rome) for the capital city. Germany's also has chocolate going for them...so good. Oh, plus their meat has been excellent (I've realized a lot about myself throughout the course of this journey, and one of them is I can't live without it. I struggled in Italy...Germany, on the other hand, was my best friend). I enjoyed the weather here the most. It wasn't hot-like Italy and Greece were-but it wasn't too cold, either. "All you need is a light jacket" ;)

FRANCE: I'm way excited to go back in a few weeks, partially because I love the culture and speaking French, partially because it's totally romantic, and mostly because I miss baguettes. :D Ok. Maybe not that ratio, but the bread in France is above the rest anywhere else I've tried it (especially compared to this "baguette" I brought with me from Ireland...tasted like cardboard. Love the other bread I had, in Ireland, though). Again, the rich culture and delicious bread are some of the beat parts of France, for me at least. Same thing goes for France as it did in Germany, though. I'll only get to experience a teeny bit of French culture since we won't be venturing far from Paris.

ENGLAND: I thought England was the most like America for several reasons. The most obvious being we kind of speak the same language. Kind of ;) the second reason I'd say we're alike is that Americans and the English are both extremely fast-paced. I don't feel like I speed walk past people on the sidewalk like I did in Italy or Greece (and I don't walk fast...). Now after stating our similarities, I'd say England couldn't be more different. I'm amazed by the collective admiration and adoration for the Queen and know it links the English together tighter than I thought possible. Coming here during the Queen's Jubilee and preparation for the London 2012 Olympics is such an experience in and of itself because the English spirit is almost tangible.

IRELAND: Everything about Ireland was incredible. I found the most amazing scenery, unbelievable food (it was the best because it was hearty enough to satisfy me completely without making me feel stuffed. And it felt like it was prepared in grandma's kitchen over a wooden stove...a real home-cooked meal), and the most genuine, charming, friendly people I've ever encountered. And they were all strangers. Maybe it's because it was the latest trip, but Ireland has won the award. It's my favorite. :D I would love to go back someday.

Ps. Pictures of today's adventures would have been boring, so sorry there aren't any... ;)

Day 39-Ireland, Dublin

I love Ireland. It is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world...absolutely exceeded all my expectations :) The rolling green hills, castles, and sheer cliffs they show in the movies are real! We were able to see all of the above on our day trip to northern Ireland.

Departing at 5:45 am sharp, the three of us attempted to walk to the old stone church to meet our group but ended up going in the wrong direction and catching a cab last minute. Immediately after we clambered into the cab (surprise! It was raining), a guy walked up to the drivers window and started a heated argument over one patronage...it got awkward real fast. Oh well. We survived :)

Our "handsome, funny guide with a charming Irish accent" (got a kick out of that advertisement on the brochure) was great at his job and brought us to some spectacular sights during the day including the famous rope bridge at Carrick a Rede, the most amazing rock formations at Giants Causeway, and a lookout point to see Dunluce Castle (it's too dangerous to actually go inside because of its position on the edge of a sheer cliff). At every moment during the day (even when it was pounding rain and the winds were scary strong), I couldn't help but be amazed at the beauty of every rock formation, hillside, and simply the weather. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ surpass any earthly artist. The combination of mist sweeping along green hills and the sea crashing against rocky cliff faces was almost too much to handle...it was visually stunning!!

Between seeing the incredible scenery, we made stops at Ballintoy Harbour and Belfast, where the Titanic was built (That's another movie I'm itching to see now...that and about 12 others). I also have to mention the incredible chowder I had a little pub around Giants Causeway. It was really, really good. Ps. I can't decide if I like French, Greek, or Irish food the most...because the Irish really know how to cook a perfectly filling meal. :)

All in all, today was exceptional. I finally was able to see some Irish countryside and a castle-both on my bucket list!

Day 38-Ireland, Dublin

Today was a day for taking care of business. It's been far too long.

To begin our day, we decided to enjoy a "hearty" Irish breakfast (or rather lunch) of eggs, sausage, beans, bacon (ham), toast, hash-brown triangle, and black and white pudding...which was..good..at an adorable pub just up the way from our hostel, the "holyhead." Such a great name and have I mentioned excellent service? :)

Shopping was next on our agenda, and it was here I enjoyed listening to some irish women talk about life in their heavy Irish accent (Dressing rooms are quite popular), which was great. I kind of felt like I was listening to an episode of TLC's "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" for some reason.

After the store, we made a stop at the post office to mail back some stuff from overpacked suitcases (heads up, Mom, they're being shipped to another girl's house because it was cheaper so don't look out for it).

Our business for the day concluded with a failed trip to the laundry mat :( Oh well. By this time we were pretty hungry and tired so we stuck to the same pub as before and I had Irish stew :) It was really, really good, especially with the colder weather. I felt so satisfied with the quaint and cozy atmosphere, food, and random bursts of cheering whenever England scored a goal :)

All those words pop into my head when I think of any part of my journey thus far. Ok. Add "wet" to that list! I feel like there really is an "Irish spirit" you can't help but feel nostalgic about. It's quite amazing.

Day 37-Ireland, Dublin

I've now been to five countries in less than two weeks...and am sporting a bright green stamp in my passport! I'll tell more about Ireland in a bit, but first more of London.

So, pretty much London's legit. As I walked through the British museum and saw mummies, held a 1,700 year old purse cover and reliquary panel, enjoyed the original pediment sculpture from the Parthenon, and left my mark where only a select few could find it, I couldn't help but be amazed. I'm so glad I get to come back.

After the museum, two other girls and myself decided to try and find the British library. After numerous misguided turns and asking three different people (in English!!) for directions, we gave up our mission and returned home so I could catch my flight to Ireland!

In the airport, I got my first pat down...it was great. Oh, and very thorough. Our flight was pretty short, only about an hour, and the first thing I saw when we broke through the really fluffy clouds in the rainy weather was green. Everywhere :D

As soon as we stepped off the plane, I knew my "light rain jacket" and Chaco's were not going to cut it. This thought continuously ran through my head as the rain poured down and soaked through my jacket while we waited for our bus. Once we boarded, we asked the driver to give us a heads up about O'Connell St., and sat down with hope we'd get off at the right stop (since it was raining, the bus windows were super foggy and we couldn't see anything).

After a long while, we kindly reminded the driver we were on board, to which he told us we needed to get off and retrace our steps three stops back. With the rain pouring down, the three of us ran with our little rolling suitcases to another bus stop that looked promising. Waiting there for another extended period of time, we began to loose hope in the bus and after consulting two locals, decided to take a cab. For the time, I flagged down a cab and we gratefully piled in :) The two locals came with us and recommended a bunch of things to do when learning we were from the States (most of them included the best pubs). It was pretty fun and I appreciated their generosity and helpfulness :)

Our hostel owner was also extremely helpful, showing us the best places and offering to help us with anything we needed (he even offered to make us hot chocolate). Our first excursion into the city was to find warm food, which came in the form of amazing pizza :) We were so tired though, that that was our last stop of the night before we headed back home.

Can't wait for upcoming adventures in Ireland!

Day 36-England, London

London is so cool. I'm still astounded at how much I love the places we go. Actually it shouldn't be that surprising to me since I love traveling, but it still hits me every time we arrive in a new country. I cannot tell you how weird it is to be in an English speaking country, though. I've gotten pretty used to foreign languages and dealing with a language barrier, but this will make for a nice break :)

So exciting news...I finally got my passport stamped! And it happened twice. Finally there's evidence I've been where I claim to be ;) Traveling today took about half the day (we took the Chunnel to England) but I was able to finish all my homework during the relaxing ride so I'm officially done with the term!

My second to last day was spent enjoying Westminster Abbey where so many famous people are buried (Mary Queen of Scotts, her enemy and half sister Elizabeth I, a lot of other kings and queens, and randomly Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton) and where Prince William and now Princess Kate were married recently...Awww :) It was really cool. We also went to the National Gallery and the musical Sweeney Todd where you'll never guess who played the pie shop owner...Professor Umbridge! She was sooo good, it was unbelievable. The musical was interesting. I'll leave it at that. Such an awesome first day in the UK. Cheerio!

Day 35-France, Paris

I love Paris. It's pretty amazing :)

Since today was a free day, I enjoyed a relaxing morning until noon when I decided to hunt down the oldest street in Paris. We thought we were pretty lucky since there appeared to be a metro stop right beside it, but of course we couldn't find it for awhile...typical adventure. Once we did, however, we were pleasantly surprised at how cute and lively it was :) There were a ton of small shops and restaurants that smelled divine. We couldn't resist the smell for long-again, pretty typical ;)-and went into one that seemed especially appetizing. It was here that I enjoyed THE best meal I've had in Europe: Grilled salmon, rice, and a goat cheese salad topped with a very savory dressing. Amazing! Oh, and I had some creme brûlée brûlée for dessert...again. :) It was pretty satisfying to order my food in French and translate for the other girls.

After our meal, we wandered along the Seine looking at paintings, old books, and advertisements before heading to Saint Chapelle. I kind of wish it hadn't been so cloudy so I could have experienced the full effect of the huge stained glass windows, but it was still pretty spectacular.

Later in the evening (between which I window shopped and enjoyed the city), I finally decided it was time to go to the Eiffel Tower. It was way bigger than I expected and so beautiful at night! I took a ton of pictures. At one point, we saw an adorable couple kissing directly under the tower in the rain...how much more romantic can you get? Haha It was super cute :)

And on that note, I'm glad I'm coming back in a couple of weeks but I'm also so excited to be in London tomorrow!

Day 34-France, Paris

I'm so glad I get to come back to Paris in the second program...there's so much to do and not nearly enough time, even when you're cramming in everything you possibly can in for a full day! For example, today I went to the most famous museum in the world and could have easily spent four days enjoying the treasures in the Louvre. Among these, I found one of the paintings I have the deepest respect for. Ready for it? Gericault's (I hugged his tomb yesterday) The Raft of the Medusa :) Amazing. I was trying to keep my calm in front of everyone, but I really just wanted to jump up and down with excitement :D I'm sure people wondered why I was taking thirty-bajillion pictures of the raft, me besides the raft, the raft from the left angle, closeups of the raft, raft from directly across the room, etc. It was great. Some other things we saw were Jacque Louis David's Intervention of the Sabine Women (inspiration for the play seven brides for seven brothers), Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (got as close as I could get while being mauled by the massive throng of people), the Venus de Milo, Nike of Samothrace, and the most beautiful composition of Cupid and Psyche I've ever seen :) There were so many other things I saw, but I don't want to ramble.

After taking pictures outside the Louvre by the triangle, we went to buy some French crepes :D I never would have thought to have put ham and Mozzarella on a crepe, but it was pretty delicious. School picked back up when we went to the Cluny museum which was full of some incredible medieval stuff including a book that held the earliest examples of musical notes being recorded onto parchment and of course some sweet swords ;)

The rest of my evening was spent enjoying the triumphal arch smack-dab in the middle of the craziest roundabout I've ever seen (why there aren't more accidents I'll never understand), and an incredible Parisian dinner from une petite restaurant along the Champs-Élysées. I had such a great time and loved the food, especially the creme brûlée I had for the first time :D It was soo good!

Heading back to our hotel was the roughest part of the night, due to creepy men and our change of hotels into a much more ghetto part of Paris. Thank goodness for the buddy system, that's all I have to say. Well, that and it gets sketchy real fast when you're the only two girls on a dirty street with a bunch of guys just standing around...especially when they start talking to you and stepping out from corners you weren't expecting. Somehow the hotel became my new favorite thing in Paris!

Safe and sound, I retract that previous thought and can't wait to experience other incredible structures! Au revoir!

Day 33-France, Paris

I have to start out saying how sad I was we didn't go to church today :( Due to some unforeseen circumstances (stake conference in Versailles), our professors told us we wouldn't be able to go. I'm really glad I have another opportunity to attend church in Paris, because I'm dying to go.

Speaking of dying (such a horrible transition, I know...sorry), we decided to start our day by visiting a cemetery that has an incredible amount of famous people buried there including Theodore Gericault, one of the best painters of all time. I had no idea he was going to be there until I saw his name on a map and insisted we find him! I know it's kind of morbid to be ecstatic at being so close to a dead person, but I was. In fact, I may have hugged his grave stone...cough, cough. Besides the fact that he was there, the cemetery was amazing because it kind of looked like the one in Phantom of the Opera.

After the cemetery we hoped on the metro and went to the Musee d'Orsay where Courbet, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas, and many more incredibly famous artists' works were displayed. I enjoyed every moment and felt like I was transported into another realm full of splendid grandeur ;) I know that was cheesy, but it's true! So much talent concentrated under a single roof, I had to restrain myself from grabbing everyone near me and explaining to them how amazing everything they were seeing was.

On our way home, we stopped at the "love bridge" where people come to lock the names of their sweethearts on the bridge behind Notre Dame, and then throw the key into the water :) It was super cute :) It fits so wonderfully into the romantic atmosphere Paris is known for, so it was a perfect Parisian activity. Another perfect Parisian activity (I think I'm struggling with my transitions tonight...) was eating a crepe, which I did. And it was amazing! Bottom line: I love Paris. Au revoir!