Tales from Magical Media Tour

Excuse my French (haha), but today was what I like to call a “lucky bitch” day. A lucky bitch day is when you have a day that is so perfect, all you can say is, “Gosh, I’m one lucky bitch.” This morning I slept in until 9 a.m., the latest I’ve slept on this whole trip I think. I think most of the class went to the Louvre today, but I opted out. I don’t like to do museums in large groups (or anything else in large groups for that matter.) I like to go at my own pace, attempt not to stand out too much, and soak up as much authenticity and culture as I can. It’s so nice knowing my family will be meeting me here and I will have 10 more days!! The class is only here for 5, so everyone is rushing around trying to do as much as possible. It feels so nice to just take my time for the first time on this trip! So today instead of going to the Louvre my friend Jill and I decided to go exploring. Down the street from our hotel is a large market with tents filled with every kind of cheese, flower, olive, and meat you could ever want. It’s only open on Saturday. It was so beautiful. The French really know how to put on a show and really give you what you expect. As we strolled through the tents, a man stood by playing the accordion… perfect. We stopped for a minute to try some cheese that I can’t pronounce and olives. This was my first time trying cheese that was still alive (instead of the cheese we put in “body bags” back in the states.) Everything was delicious, so of course we bought it! After exploring the market, we hopped on the Metro to Monmartre. As we sat on the train, a musician hopped on and played the accordion. I got so giddy inside that I couldn’t contain my giggles. I just felt so extremely happy to be here. For the first time I really felt like I was in a foreign country. Upon exiting the metro, we immediately saw a carousel, which set a perfect scene for the little town. Monmartre has a completely different feel from the city part of Paris. It’s so quaint and artsy and unique. Everyone was sitting outside of cafes sipping their espressos and smoking their cigarettes. Again, France just does such a wonderful job of giving you what you want to see. Today was an absolutely beautiful day. The sun was beating down. The temperature was probably in the 80s. We wandered down Rue de’Orsel and found the apartment I’m staying in next week. Again I was overcome with excitement. Words can’t describe it! I’m just a lucky bitch. The apartment is right next to a little store called The Wine Shop. Across the street is a delicious smelling pastry and baguette shop. I can’t wait to live there. Once I calmed down, Jill and I walked up the hill to Sacre Coure and the heart of Monmartre. Of course we had to stop for crepes. We sat on the hill at Sacre Coure eating our crepes and people watching. There were musicians, artists, and merchants everywhere, much like Jackson Square. After finishing our crepes, we climbed to the top of the hill to go inside Sacre Coure. You could see all of Paris from the top. It was a breathtaking view. Inside the church, the smell of incense reminded me of home. Catholic churches have such a distinct smell, that I haven’t found in many of the Protestant and Anglican churches I’ve visited while I’ve been here. I am definitely going to have to go to mass at Sacre Coure while we’re staying in Monmartre. The inside is so beautiful that it is hard to imagine how anyone could even build something so grand today, let alone hundreds of years ago. Finally we decided that we should head home because the day really couldn’t get any more perfect and I was getting paranoid about my living cheese. So we of course grabbed some gelato for the walk back to the metro. Amazing. It was so light and wonderful, it felt as if there was that there could be unhealthy about it. Haha. Of course on the metro ride home, we had to pleasure of being entertained by another musician—this time on the saxophone. Again I just had to smile to myself… I really am one lucky…

Ah, Paris… ze city of love! So far I am in love with city, the hotel, and the adorable French boy who gave up his seat for me on the metro today. And they said the French would be rude. So far so good! Ugh this guy was such a fox. It was a funny and awkward situation. We made eye contact, then he started speaking in French and pointing to his seat. Meanwhile, I’m panicking, smiling, and saying, “no no no, it’s fine?” But he got up anyway, so I sat attempted by best, “Merci.” Haha. We arrived in Paris by train today around 2 pm. Gosh, I wish I spoke French. Finally I feel like I’m so far from home and I love it! Yet little pieces of architecture still remind me of home and the French Quarter. As we drove to the hotel, we saw the Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triumph, and American Embassy. The hotel is AWESOME. I’d forgotten all of the little things I take for granted, like fast moving elevators, hand towels, Kleenex, and mini refrigerators! That’s right, we can actually drink our Chardonnay chilled!! Oh what a glorious day. I’m also pretty pumped about getting to have my own room key. All of the hotels had one single key that you had to drop off at the front desk every time you left. It was a pain. But now everyone is happy. After checking in, a few of us went exploring. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch and each awkwardly struggled to order. It’s amazing how my mind automatically panics and I want to revert back to Spanish. Hopefully I will adjust over time. After lunch, we took the metro to Avenue de Champs-Elysees, which like the Rodeo Drive of Paris. The street is lined with perfectly cut rectangle shaped trees and at the very end of the avenue is the Arch de Triumph. It’s absolutely beautiful. We were completely exhausted, so we only stopped into a few places, like the massive Louis Vuitton store. It was huge and of course outrageously priced, but stores like that are always fun to peek in to. Once we reached to Arch de Triumph, we stopped for pictures and hung out for a while, just soaking up the city. On the way back to the hotel, I had my very first Parisian crepe. Deeelish! This may work as a nice substitute for my waffles. Hehe. Tonight we’re all staying in to do homework. Tomorrow we’re free all day, and it will be my first day to sleep in this entire trip!! I will definitely be taking advantage of that opportunity because I need my rest for tomorrow night. All of the French students finish exams tomorrow so there is a HUGE party in the Latin Quarter. This is the one night of the year that the metro stays open all night, and apparently it can be compared to Bourbon during Mardi Gras. Ha we’ll see about that! But I can’t wait! Au revoir!

Tonight is my last night in London, and tomorrow I will be very sad to leave. I've spent the last two days trying to pack in all of the London essentials. Yesterday we went on a tour of Parliament. We got to see the house of Lords and the House of Commons. It's amazing how many traditions are still alive in that building. For example, we weren't allowed to sit on the benches in the House of Commons and the House of Lords because those privileges must be earned. Our tour guide also explained a tradition in which the Queen sends a messenger from the House of Lords to the House of Commons to address what needs to be done for the year. When Commons sees the messenger, they shut the doors and only talk through the peep hole. Then the messenger must knock, and the House of Commons finally lets him in. This is all done to symbolize that they don't have to take orders from the Queen. After the Parliament, we saw Big Ben and the Tower of London (cool... i guess?) We did get to see the crown jewels though and that was super cool. Today we went to the J.P. Morgan headquarters to talk to their PR department. I thought it was pretty neat. One of the women was actually from the states. She moved to London 7 years ago to follow an Englishman she fell in love with. Now she lives here permanently and works for their internal public relations. Love the little things about London, like how they served us tea, coffee, and biscuits during the meeting. After our meeting, went shopping!!! First we went to Camden Town, which is this really cool bohemian market. After lunch we headed to Harrod's, which was AWESOME. I could have spent all day in there. It was like sensory overload. There was so much food and toys and candy and wonderfulness! I also love love loved looking at all the jewelry and watches and dresses. The wedding dresses were beautiful! Ugh I wish I had more time!! I guess I need to find a job here and come play here for a year or so. Farewell London. I'll be back.

Today we took an hour long train ride to Oxford. We took a tour of Christ Church, where Lewis Carol wrote Alice in Wonderland. The way that Oxford works is that Oxford College is actually the town, and it actually has many different specialty colleges within the city, which are all a part of Oxford College. Christ Church is probably the most famous college in Oxford. We learned that many of the characters and names from the story of Alice in Wonderland came from Christ Church college. The rabbit hole is actually a secret name for the doorway in the Dean's office. If you look closely at the stain glass windows in the cafeteria, you can see Alice and some of the other characters from the story very small in the corners. Sadly, the tree the Chesire Cat lived in is no longer there. Many of the Harry Potter Hogwarts scenes were also filmed at Christ Church! Of course we had to take pictures. The Hogwarts cafeteria was modeled after the cafeteria at Christ Church. Unfortunately that cafeteria was not big enough, so they constructed a set to look exactly like the Christ Church cafeteria. It's so neat that Oxford students actually still eat there. We saw students all over Oxford in their uniforms, which actually look a lot like the Hogwarts uniforms. They all wear these cape looking things. I'm not sure what they're for though. For the rest of the afternoon we shopped around town, going into lots of little boutiques and antique shops. Of course I had to get an Oxford Rugby shirt. Now I am back at the hotel. I am so completely exhausted, but the day's not over yet. We may venture to see the Prime Meridian tonight... of course another item on the scavenger hunt list. Sigh, I'm ready for bed!

Today was the first some-what relaxing day I’ve had in London. It was nice and not too busy. This morning several of us woke up at 5 to catch the tube to Abbey Road to reenact the Beatles album cover. Apparently Abbey Road is a pretty busy intersection, so we decided to get out on the road before the morning traffic. We must have looked so silly frantically running around in the street so early, but we’re probably not the first. After snapping our photos, we signed our names on the wall outside of Abbey Road Recording Studio. Then we headed back home to sleep for a few more hours before class. After class we went for high tea at the Kensington Gardens Orangery Tea House where I enjoyed mint tea, cucumber sandwiches, scones, and cake. It was fun to dress up and act proper. After tea, we walked around Princess Diana’s garden where we met an old man sitting on a park bench feeding the squirrels. His name was Arthur. He seemed like a lovable character from a movie, like the bird lady in Mary Poppins. He had a bag of nuts in his hand and had 3 squirrels surrounding him, one on each side near his shoulders and another on his leg. I just can’t even get over how the squirrels over here interact with people. It’s so cool. He said he comes to gardens every afternoon to feed his squirrels. When he says “come on boys” they come! And he’s even named some of them. His relationship with them reminded me of the prisoner and the mouse, Mr. Jangles, in the movie “The Green Mile.” He just loved his squirrels so much. Before we continued walking around the gardens, Mr. Arthur let me feed Charlie the squirrel. I just held a peanut in my hand and Charlie came right up and snatched in from my hand. It was so cool! After Kensington Gardens we headed to a pub for a drink before going to see Wicked. Wicked was AMAZING, by far my favorite show I’ve ever seen. The plot was just so new and exciting, the music was great, and the performers were flawless!! They didn't miss a note. I wish I could see it again right now. I also developed a crush on the male lead, Fiaro. I think his name is Oliver Tomsette in real life? SO CUTE. Of course we were all drooling over him and praying that he’s straight so we can all marry him. If that marriage doesn’t work out though, I’ve decided to marry the waffle man. I went to visit him for my 5th waffle of the trip. Today I got hot caramel and whipped cream on my waffle. I definitely think he’s starting to recognize me, but he’s very shy and doesn’t speak English very well, so we haven’t really hit it off yet. Still, my plan is that we’ll move back to the states, open up a Belgium waffle and gelato shop on LSU’s campus, become millionaires from all the drunk kids who want late night waffles, and of course he’ll make waffles for me every morning! Haha. Speaking of morning, tomorrow is going to be an early one. We’re taking a day trip to Oxford, so I’ve got to get to bed. Good night!