"Je t'aime Paris": La Première Partie

Hello all!

Today's post is all about Mackenzie's new favorite place in the world, Paris! She swears that later on in life when she is rich ("when" not "if"), she is going to have a chateau overlooking the city, preferably next to the Eiffel Tower :) I, on the other hand, was not expecting to love Paris as much as I did, after everything that I have heard about Paris being overrated... well, it wasn't. It was wonderful. I am extremely excited to go back in a couple days and meet up with my roommate, Melanie, after she has been spending her spring break with her sister in Monaco. Mackenzie is excited to go back too; both of us have not seen nearly enough of Paris for our liking :)

Le Pont Archeveche (aka one of the two "Lock Bridges" in Paris) with the Notre Dame in the backdrop. The two famous "lock bridges" are adorned with millions of locks that people have placed there over the years... the story goes, that you are supposed to lock a padlock onto the bridge and throw one of two keys into the Seine River, then at the end of your life, you should come back with the other key and unlock your padlock from the bridge. 

So of course Mackenzie and I bought our own lock and added it to the bridge! We even got to engrave it ourselves (the scratches looked like the handwriting of a kindergartener...haha). We wrote "MEV" on one side (both of our initials) and put a heart with the date on the back side (the heart we thought was appropriate to depict our feelings about Paris as well as our last name). 

Mackenzie locking our padlock smack dab onto the middle of the bridge.

After we crossed le Pont Archeveche, we headed over to the Notre Dame and proceeded to wait in line for over an hour in order to go up to the top of the towers. We made the time pass by eating some French crêpes (mine had nutella and banana, Mackenzie's had just chocolate). But I have no qualms about eating all this junk food because we immediately worked it all off by walking up 422 steps to the very top of the Notre Dame to see the panoramic views out over the city of Paris!

Mackenzie's picture captures one of the best views of Paris, with the Eiffel Tower in the center of the background.

We were allowed to go into the Notre Dame as well and I was absolutely floored by all of the stained glass windows. Some of the prettiest that I have ever seen, hands down.

After the Notre Dame, we took the metro over to the Eiffel Tower to eat lunch... unfortunately, we missed the end of the lunch period for the only restaurant that we can afford because the ticket machine in the metro station was broken and we had to take a later train than the one we were originally planning on. But we will try again on Saturday!! This is definitely one thing on both of our bucket lists: to eat on the Eiffel Tower! We ended up eating at a cute restaurant down the street, which was ultimately the best thing we could have done because Mackenzie picked up some fabulous posters for her room at the best price we saw all day. 

Our next stop took us to the Louvre! The glass pyramid in the background is actually the entrance to the Louvre. We were pretty beat by this point, so we didn't have much time in the Louvre, but we did manage to see...

...this pretty girl. Of course we stopped off in the Greek Antiquities room to see the Venus de Milo as she is one of the star attractions.

And we were able to elbow our way up to the front of the room to get a picture of the Mona Lisa photobombing us. It's amazing how small the painting actually is, especially compared to the ceiling-to-floor portrait that was placed on the opposite wall that covered at least 400 sq. feet. 

This morning before we checked out of our hotel and headed off to Bayeux, we strolled around the Luxembourg Gardens, situated just a 5 minute walk from where we were staying. The gardens were beautiful...

...and the palace was absolutely massive. We are counting our blessings that we have gotten 4 days of sunny skies... standing on the top of the Notre Dame would not be nearly as much fun if we were getting soaked simultaneously. Rome was almost too nice in the sense that it was a good 80 degrees, but all we brought with us clothing-wise is sweaters and boots. 

To commemorate the first half of our visit to Paris, we decided to buy a box of French macaroons. I don't think that box is going to last until tomorrow...

Although we arrived in Bayeux, France earlier today, the real sight-seeing begins tomorrow on our full-day tour of the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. Our tour revolves around many of the scenes found in the mini-series "Band of Brothers," which was directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. So more pictures to come!

Au revoir!

"Gelato: A Story of Love at First Sight"

Hello!

Today's post details the second half of our Rome adventure, including Mackenzie's and my journey to the utterly awe-inspiring St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, and the Sistine Chapel on Monday. We decided to take a guided tour for all three places (including the cupola of the Basilica) since we had really no idea what we were looking at; it was definitely worth it despite the fact that we never got a chance to eat lunch because the 2nd tour ran about 30 minutes overtime. Mackenzie and I were exhausted by the end of it, having walked 8.1 miles in total. The following day, yesterday, was our last day in Rome and we decided to spend it visiting the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Mackenzie and I both agreed that the Trevi Fountain was actually our favorite spot in Rome, despite loving everything else that we saw in those three days. 

The front of St. Peter's Basilica. We were almost deterred from going inside based on the size of the line, which snaked all the way from the front of the Basilica to the entrance of the square. Since they were checking people through security at a pretty fast rate, lucky for us, the wait only ended up being around a half hour.

This was one of my favorite things in the Basilica--the Holy Door, one of four entry ways into the Basilica, however, this door can only be opened by the Pope once every 25 years. To make sure that there are no intruders who would try to sneak through the door when no one is watching, the door is bricked up from the inside!

The Holy Door from the inside--who would even realize that that is supposed to be a door?

The view of the first section of ceiling, absolutely stunning. Mackenzie and I were craning our heads the entire time, trying to see everything at once. 

The domed roof of the Basilica, as seen from the ground level. On our second tour we were able to go up and walk around the inside of the dome and then see a panoramic view from the highest point in Rome, the outdoors tip top of the dome. 

The mosaics of the Basilica close up. Everything single picture in the Basilica was made out of mosaic tiles instead of paint, which I thought was genius on Michelangelo's part. Seeing and touching the mosaics close up in the cupola was one of the best experiences because it made everything seem more real than the distant view we received on the ground floor. 

The bronze canopy in the middle of the Basilica was another one of my favorites for it's intricate design work and gold leaf plating on the carving.

Jesus Christ and Mary, along with several saints are depicted in mosaics on the ceiling dome of the Basilica.  

Just to show how sloped the walls were as we got closer and closer to the top of the dome...

Inside the Vatican Museum, one of my favorite sites was Raphael's painting, "The School of Athens." I had learned about this painting in history classes, but to see it close up was wonderful. I love how, instead of putting their signature on the painting to claim it as their own, painters of that era place a self portrait somewhere discreet in the painting. In the full version of the painting, Raphael's portrait is off to the far right, hiding behind some other figures, but it's clearly him staring out into the audience. 

The dome of the Pantheon... I couldn't believe that it was actually smaller than the dome of St. Peter's Basilica by approximately 2 meters, according to our tour guide.

Selfie at the Trevi Fountain, Mackenzie's and my favorite place that we visited in Rome!

We sat and stared about the fountain for at least 15 minutes, considering the vast amount of detail that went into the whole structure...and considering the amount of people-watching that we did as everyone crowded around to toss their coins into the Fountain.

Mackenzie's coin toss into the Trevi Fountain, complete with a wish!

Mackenzie's and my new favorite food in the whole world... real Italian gelato. The Gelateria del Teatro is apparently internationally ranked, and I would definitely believe it; we sat there and savored that gelato with happy smiles on our faces until it was completely gone...at which point we decided that we would need another later on in the day and stopped to eat some more sitting in the shade at the Trevi Fountain. The only problem with falling in love with international foods is that eventually you must leave them behind and settle for American counterfeits. American gelato can never compare to the sweetness that is Italian gelato :) We will miss thee!

We are currently in Paris and tomorrow will post another blog about running around "The City of Lights", but for now...

Ciao!

"Roma is a Lasagna"

Hello from Italy!

The system of updating you with a story caption under each picture seemed to work very well last week so that's what I will do again! After an entire day of traveling yesterday that lasted for me from 4:50am to midnight and for Mackenzie from late Friday night until last night at midnight, we can finally say that we are in Rome doing as the Romans do :) Today's adventures took us to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Arco di Constantino, the Arco di Tiberio, and the Gran Caffe Roma where we ate margherita pizza and real Italian gelato. Since a picture is worth a thousand words....

Selfie at the Colosseum! Mackenzie is in awe of the summer weather here...today was about 75 degrees and sunny without a cloud in the sky! 

The inside arena of the Colosseum...unfortunately, they were not letting people down into the underground vaults, but we were able to go on the first two levels and look around. 

The view from up on the second level. We bought tickets outside the Colosseum for a guided tour of both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and the price was definitely worth it...I would have paid a little extra just to skip the 3 hour long line to get into the Colosseum, nevermind the fact that we got two tours for the price of one. 

The treacherous steps up to the second level of the Colosseum. Mackenzie and I moved at turtle pace for this ultimate stair master challenge :)

The original Roman cobblestones leading from the Colosseum to the Arco di Tiberio; apparently the Romans were ahead of their time when it came to building roads that would last. 

The Arco di Tiberio. The sculptures on this monument were terrific; Israel is even using one of the scenes that includes a menorah as their official passport stamp. 

Inside the Roman Forum, the center hub of Ancient Rome where the market and all the public meetings were held. 

The Foro Romano (Roman Forum) including some beautiful gardens amidst the rubble from the original Roman columns and structures. 

The scene was just too beautiful not to get a couple individual pictures.

The view from the second floor of the Colosseum looking out on the Palatine Hill. Just on the other side of the Palatine Hill is the valley that holds the Foro Romano.

A statue depicting the legend of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.

Mackenzie freaking out over an authentic Italian margherita pizza at the Gran Caffe Roma!

Tomorrow promises an exciting day visiting the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel so look for more pictures documenting our adventures tomorrow!

Cheers from Mackenzie and Megan!

P.S.  Our tour guide today proclaimed that "Roma is a Lasagna!" and we thought that would make a great blog title, but it does need some explaining...When archeologists starting excavating in the early 20th century to uncover the valley which held the Foro Romano, they had to dig through 8 layers of lime-filled sediment that had washed into the valley with the flooding of the Tiber River.  Normally, the expression goes that "Rome is a cake" with all it's layers, but since pasta is a staple food group to the Italians, our tour guide, who was aptly named Tiberio, declared that Roma is instead a lasagna. :)

Studying at Univ!

Hello!

I am so happy to say that I have officially spent a week studying in Oxford at University College ("Univ" to the students), The entire experience was absolutely wonderful and I had so much fun traveling to a different city with my whole ASE programme! To chronicle some of the highlights of my week, I am just going to give a short story in the caption of each picture, so without further ado... my week in Oxford!

Everyone was super excited to arrive in Oxford after a two hour bus ride. I stayed in the New Buildings section for housing and let me say that Gettysburg has nothing on these Univ students' housing options. My roommate, Heather, and I stayed in a suite that had 2 single bedrooms, a private bathroom, a kitchenette, and a very spacious living room that contained ceiling to floor bookshelves on 3 of the walls, 2 massive desks, and a couch.

The huge Harry Potter-esque dining hall in Univ was incredible for catching up with people that I don't normally get a chance to talk to in Bath during the week. The food was amazing, especially breakfast...I feel no shame in saying I had a chocolate croissant every day with my yogurt, eggs, and hash browns and it was all delicious! 

Punting for the first time was quite an experience to say the least. Punting, essentially, is done standing up on the back of a flat-bottomed boat and pushing yourself along with a 8 foot pole that also acts as a rudder if you actually do it right...needless to say, we floundered. A supposed 45 minute excursion ended up taking us over 2 hours and our ASE supervisors eventually had to send a rescue boat to come get us because they were getting worried that we had all ended up in the canal! My one and only time punting was done in the hail (yes, England likes to sporadically hail at the most ill-opportune times) and I managed to turn us in circles for about 10 minutes. I think I can cross off 'professional punter' from my list of possible future employment... 

My roommate, Melanie, and I decided to take up the challenge issued to all the ASE students that required you to get photographic evidence of your visiting all 40 University of Oxford colleges. The whole excursion took us around 4 hours to complete and we walked 9.4 miles to get to all 40 of them! I decided to put up the picture of Mansfield College for my Mom, who grew up in Mansfield, PA. :)

Our very last picture of the Oxford Colleges scavenger hunt at the front door of Univ!

The gardens of Christ Church Cathedral and Christ Church College were absolutely spectacular. We were able to weasel our way into some private spaces on the grounds since our tour guide (one of the ASE tutors) actually went to Christ Church College when he was a student.  

Can you imagine this view as your college campus? Gettysburg is certainly pretty, but everything in England just has such exuberant history behind all the architecture.

Inside Christ Church College's dining hall, which inspired the Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies!

And the actual staircase leading up to the Great Hall that the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone film cast are seen on just before Harry and his friends are sorted into their houses. The steps were then recreated as one of the sets for the later movies. 

Christ Church Cathedral had beautiful stained glass windows and high vaulted ceilings. The best part about the Cathedral by far was attending one of the church services and hearing the Christ Church choir (a world famous all-boys choir) sing. The voices just echoed throughout the entire building creating this ethereal sound when accompanied by their church organ.

The Trinity College Library, aka the most photographed building in Oxford.  (No, not the same Trinity College that I saw in Dublin. This is one of the 40 Oxford colleges that just happens to be named Trinity.)

My friend, Tory, and I at the final dinner celebration with all of us in our finery. 

Everyone, including all the tutors and ASE admin, headed to the Univ bar after our fancy dinner to loosen up a bit and hang out and I finally got that picture with my Education advisor, Andrew Butterworth, who is like everyone's pseudo-grandpa! The funniest part of the night though, had to be getting booty-bumped out of the way by the director of the programme, Jonathan Hope, while he was playing a very competitive game of pool :) 

On our way home to Bath, we stopped off at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill.  The palace has been handed down 11 generations to the current owners, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, was built in the early 18th century, and is officially a world heritage site.

The Long Library inside Blenheim. Oh, the libraries here are something I dream about...

My favorite pieces of art inside the palace were the huge tapestries that adorned the walls in several of the rooms, depicting the first Duke's victory at the Battle of Blindheim in 1704.

Another Harry Potter site!! One of the scenes in the later movies when they have a flashback to Professor Snape's past was filmed at Blenheim in front of this very tree!

One of my favorite views of the grounds with the palace in the background. 

Some of my adventures that didn't get photographed were eating out with 46 of my ASE peers at one of the best Indian restaurants in Oxford (we pretty much took over the whole restaurant) and going shopping at Blackwell's bookstore and the original Alice in Wonderland shop that inspired scenes in Lewis Carroll's novel. I can even check "clubbing in England" off the bucket list!

This weekend marks the start of spring break and Mackenzie's arrival in Europe!!!!!! The goal is to blog from Italy and France every couple days since I would never be able to remember all the things we are going to see if I waited until the week was over to blog about everything at once. So expect tons of pictures to come and I'll talk to you again from Italy!!

Cheers!