Kaitlin, Charlotte, and I got back yesterday from a very enjoyable weekend in Paris. We ate French food, caught up with an American friend, and experienced so many of the amazing things the City of Light has to offer.
DAY 1
Our Paris trip started with a very early Saturday morning (mine started at 4:49 am to be exact), we caught a cab at 5:45, and left the very cold Nottingham train station at 6:28 am.
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The exact opposite of how Kaitlin and I were
feeling at 6:00 in the morning |
We got to London, grabbed a quite breakfast (and some hot chocolate so we could warm up from the cold morning) and then took the Eurostar to Paris. For most of the trip I read
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--the 533 paged book that I have since finished. The train was a short trip deep underwater and then lots of time with views of the French countryside.
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| Costa Hot Chocolate |
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| First trip through the Chunnel! |
When we arrived in Paris it was not long before our first Parisian metro experience, consisting of a very packed train and a lot of awful smells. But with Kaitlin's guidance we made it safely to our home for the weekend, our own little French flat.
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| Our first meal in Paris |
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| Kaitlin enjoying her French meal |
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| Charlotte digging in! |
After settling in, we got in contact with our friend from Charleston, Ally--she also acted as our tour guide and translator. She took us on a walk around Paris, we saw Notre Dame, Parisian buildings, cute cafes, and so much more.
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| Kaitlin and me |
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| Ally and Charlotte chatting while casually strolling through Paris! |
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| Ally and Kaitlin |
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| So pretty! |
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| Notre Dame |
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Charlotte was having a lot of problems with her scarf,
this happened at least 3 times |
After dinner, Ally, Charlotte, Kaitlin, and I got drinks at Hemingway's old hangout, Delmas. After drinks we stopped for gelato, where we met a very nice couple from Missouri--they asked where we were from and were surprised when we said South Carolina, because evidently none of us have southern accents. Finally, Charlotte, Kaitlin, and I headed back to our flat and quickly fell asleep after our long day.
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| Charlotte and Ally |
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| Our very classy drinks! |
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| Charlotte and Ally |
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Kaitlin wasn't too excited about taking a
picture by herself |
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| Me and Kaitlin (and our gelato) |
DAY 2
Our second day in Paris started bright and early. Our first stop was the Louvre so we could marvel at famous paintings and sculptures. There was such a long line to enter the museum, but by some miracle a security guard directed us toward an entrance and we waited less than five minutes to get inside.
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| The Louvre |
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| On our way inside! |
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The paintings were beautiful, but so was the architecture
and the entire building! |
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| The tiny Mona Lisa! |
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| The Wedding Feast |
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| Kaitlin and Charlotte |
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| A view from inside--look at the massive lines on either side! |
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| The Pyramid |
We attempted to head towards the Champs d'Elysee and the Arc de Triomphe, but after getting very turned around we ended up at a French bakery for lunch (to get out of the gloomy weather) and then headed toward the Eiffel Tower. The sun came out just in time to see the Eiffel Tower, but unfortunately the winds were too strong and the top was closed, so we took some pictures and were off to our next destination.
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| Charlotte drinking her "cafe au lait" |
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| My very yummy lunch! |
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| We managed to find the Eiffel Tower! |
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| The American Bear in the Bears of the World Display! |
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| Bears of the World |
We took the train out to Versailles, and spent some time wondering around the gorgeous house and gardens. Before heading back to our flat we ate macaroons and drank tea (to warm up) at a trendy french cafe.
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| Versailles from afar |
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| Charlotte hanging out at Versailles |
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| Kaitlin and Charlotte |
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| Marie Antoinette's room in the Palace of Versailles |
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| The Coronation painting |
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| And then we ran into Descartes |
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| Charlotte reading a menu, it had been a long day |
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| The beautiful gardens! |
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| More garden pictures, I cannot imagine this being in my backyard |
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| On the train back into the city, Charlotte's feet hurt |
At the flat we regrouped before dinner. We wondered upon a very nice looking French restaurant and had a wonderful meal. We all drank wine and tried honey covered brie with bread and escargot (the appetizers). For the main course we all ended up with beef bourguignon, and then had a very lovely chocolate mousse for dessert.
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| Escargot! |
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Evidently escargot can be slippery
(by the way this is completely candid) |
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| Beef Bourguignon |
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| Our dinner restaurant! |
Again it had been a long day so we headed home after dinner, chatted, and then all went to bed.
DAY 3
Our last day in Paris was quite short, after sleeping in a little long, we got ready, packed, and headed to a French bakery for breakfast--we ate the tastiest French pastries.
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It was so yummy, I almost ate the whole
pastry before I remembered to get a picture
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After breakfast we headed to the train station and began our trip home. The whole way home I was so engrossed in my book that I hardly noticed the time passing, before I knew it we were back in Nottingham.
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| The last shot of the Paris train station |
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| Traveling, we all handle it differently (at the London Station) |
After getting home, unpacking, and eating dinner, Block 4 had a short break and then we all bundled up and headed out to the fair grounds to watch a bonfire, fireworks, and celebrate Guy Fawkes Day.
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| The fair before the fireworks (Hannah, Holly, and Ellie) |
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| Happy Guy Fawkes Day! |
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All the girls at the fireworks!
(Except me, I'm taking the picture) |
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I was very bundled for the fireworks,
thanks to Nanny who made me the warm scarf!!! |
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