Tag Archives: Paris

J’adore Paris!

As soon as the bus transporting me from the Paris Beauvais Tille Airport pulled through the outskirts of downtown Paris, I knew it was love. I was immediately struck by the beauty of the city, and could feel the energy radiating from within the city limits. Even being as old of a city as Paris is, everything seemed bright and beaming, and I reciprocated the vibes, as I stared, grinning wildly at all the possibilities for exploration that were ahead.

After arriving at the bus stop and catching a shared cab ride with a friendly couple from Italy to my hotel, Hotel de France Quartier Latin, my ambitions to explore the city were overpowered by my body’s ambitions for rest, power nap time was declared! [I guess that’s what happens when you decide to pull an all-nighter in Dublin with your college roommate and fellow bobcats, having to catch a cab to the airport at 4 a.m.]


Feeling well rested, I woke up around 3 p.m., I was more than ready to get started on striding around the city. Taking the map the hotel concierge gave me upon my arrival, I took a quick look and decided I wanted to attend Sunday mass at Cathedral Notre Dame. The cathedral was stunning, and though I do not consider myself especially religious, I felt like I was taking part in something really special by attending mass at such a grand and renowned cathedral. After mass I decided I would stick within what I estimated was a two mile radius from my hotel, walking the streets and seeing what I would find. This was fun for about the first hour and a half, until a brief downpour put a damper on the evening, and my cardigan. Luckily I was near a cute café/bistro where I popped in for some delicious vegetarian lentil soup to warm me up! None of the servers spoke English very well, but they were still sweet and accommodating and could understand enough of my [what I assume to be poorly spoken/broken] French to manage handling my order and making a tiny bit of small talk.

It was a great feeling to get back to my hotel and take a hot shower. The hotel was clean, had friendly staff, free wifi, and a great location [and price]. I would definitely stay at the Hotel de France Quartier Latin again.

Paris: Sturdy Shoes Required

Monday was my first full day in Paris, and I was ready to get moving. I had to call an 86 on the flats, to protect my already blistered heals, choosing instead, to wear my treasured Clarks sandals [amazing for walking!]. You name the monument or sight in Paris and I’m fairly certain I walked there. I checked on Google Maps and estimated that I walked about 13.3 miles [21.4 km] that day, not too shabby [and that’s not including the roads I wandered down and time I spent exploring the Louvre, a feat to walk around in itself.] Here are some of the photos from my Monday self-guided walking tour:

Pont des Arts

The Louvre

The Louvre [taken via Instagram]

A great collection of time pieces at the Louvre, beautiful.

Me and my girl, Mona.

La Madeleine

Moulin RougeParis Opera HouseSunset Cruise on the Seine River

Eiffel Tower

Some live entertainment in Paris

Crepes for dinner!

Eiffel Tower at Night

After walking around all day these are the things I thought about:

  1. GRATEFUL + HUMBLED to have taken part in such an amazing day, life is good, and Paris is beautiful.
  2. Dumbfounded. How do all these Parisian women walk this immaculate city all day in wedges in stilettos? [I’ll stick to my flats and sandals, thank you!]
  3. Accustomed. Yep, I could totally move to Paris and be happy. Next step, Rosetta Stone for French!
  4. Don’t try to see it all in one day. Everything here is either beautiful or famous, or both. Solution? Just stay in Paris longer, clearly.
  5. Hungry. A problem I solved by ordering a chocolat [nutella] crepe and eating it while walking under and around the Eiffel tower, how amusingly French.
  6. J’adore Paris!

Though I could have happily frolicked the streets of Paris for a whole other day, I decided to jump train to Versailles. Marie Antoinette, perhaps you’ve heard of her, invited me to her home for the day ;) Plush and elaborate are probably the first two words to come to mind when thinking of how to describe the Palace of Versailles. After walking through the lavish palace it was completely obvious just how out of touch Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were with the people they ruled. Gold ceilings, incredible marble sculptures, a full scale opera house and cathedral, statues built with champagne bottles, master suites for both the King and the Queen, an art museum, a hall of mirrors, multiple apartments on the lower levels for visiting family members and government officials, and all of this with a stretch of lush gardens extending over thousands of acres for a backyard. I snapped hundreds of photos in Versailles, here are some of my favorite:

In the Hall of Mirrors

Marie Antoinette’s Suite

Modern art in the Palace

Beautiful ceramic clock

Marie Antoinette’s garden sculpture made from blue glass champagne bottles…someone knew how to party.

After touring the palace [a full days excursion] I stuck around Versailles a little while longer to get a better feel for the city, explore some antique shops, and a picturesque café for a cappuccino. By the time I returned to Paris it was sundown and I was hungry for dinner, but chose to take one last walk down the paths adjacent to the Seine river before calling it a night. I found an authentic restaurant on my walk home to the hotel and decided to treat myself to some authentic French cooking. I threw caution to the “weekday vegetarian” winds which I usually flow with and ordered roasted duck, potatoes, salad, and a glass of red wine. Easily the best meal I’ve had in months. I was completely sated at the end of the meal and ready to finish the stroll to the hotel, repack my bags, and rest up for the journey London the following day!

It was a quick three days in Paris, too quick. So of course it is on my to-do list to return someday, next time bringing a friend, family member, or beau along for the journey. The only advice I want to give about Paris is this:

Thanks for reading, au revoir!

Voyage á Paris: Navigation and Transportation

Beware RyanAir. Don’t get me wrong, I was very grateful to have purchased a one way ticket from Dublin to Paris for a mere 26.99 euro [aprx. 32.57 USD], but then comes the extra fees:

  • 2.00 euro passenger fee for EU 261 Levy
  • 6.00 euro passenger fee for web check-in [they stick you with a 65 euro fee if you print out your boarding pass at the airport check-in…yikes]
  • 35.00 euro passenger fee for 1st checked bag
  • 40.00 euro passeger fee for  2nd checked bag

Grand total for travel: 109.99 euro [132.68 USD]

For traveling 728 kilometers [452 miles] I am still confident I got a great price, not to mention I was green with envy for EU and UK citizens who have the ability to jump flights on RyanAir for weekend excursions all over Europe and the UK. However, what I found to be somewhat bothersome about RyanAir is their push to sell more through out the entire process. While booking tickets online the site is full of advertisements, pushes to buy travelers insurance and suitcases as you navigate the booking prompts, reserved seating fees, priority boarding fees, and so on. Then, during their flights they push travelers to purchase lottery tickets, travel items, and any food or drink on board [including water]. Overall though, I can’t complain and feel the pushiness from the company to purchase their products helps keep the overall cost of the flights down, for which I am grateful. 

After landing at Paris Beauvais Tille Airport, I had to take a bus to downtown Paris, about 88.5 km, or 55 miles. The bus was a smooth and easy ride, conveniently available as soon as I set foot outside of the airport. Once arriving in downtown Paris, and getting over my initial awe-struck moments during my first glimpses of the city, I shared a cab with a couple from Italy to my hotel. Word to the wise, taxis in Paris are expensive! For our short ten minute drive I paid the driver 14 euro [the meter was reading that 24 euro was due when the driver dropped me off, but the Italian couple still had a bit of a ride ahead of them]. And at that moment I was grateful we had shared the cab fare and realized why once the group had gotten off the bus they set out for the Paris Metro and public bus transport.

Paris bus routes

I did most of my transportation around Paris by foot, after all, I do love finding those unpublicized, lesser-known shops and cafes. At the end of my second day in Paris I was able to figure out the bus system, with a little help from a very sweet Parisian women. We were both trying to get to the same area, but because it was after 23:00 [11PM] the bus we needed had stopped running. Though I’ve never taken a single course in French I’m happy to say all those years of Latin finally paid off as I was successfully able to interpret the bus schedule by month and day of the week. The bus system in Paris is very nice and very efficient. Another perk? It only costs 1.90 euro for a bus pass that will work for 90 minutes after purchase. Though I never took the metro system I’ve heard only wonderful things about it. [I preferred the bus, so as not to miss the fabulous views of this stunning city.]

All in all I found Paris a relatively easy city to navigate and was quite impressed with their entire transit system, but like I said earlier, I highly recommend travel by foot and avoiding taxis unless you’re really in a hurry or are transporting a lot of things. Even during rush hour, when I had to leave to get to the train station to catch my train from Paris to London, the bus was still a very efficient and easy ride. It was also nice that most riders weren’t bothered that I was taking up extra room on the bus with my luggage.

The only off-putting event that happened was when I was about halfway to the Paris Nord train station and the bus driver pulled over and told everyone to get out mid-route because, “my shift is over, goodbye.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation, luckily it all worked out in my favor because the bus I was on would take me to the Paris Gare de l’est [east train station] and require I walk an extra 10-15 minutes to the north train station, but the bus stop we were dropped off at had a bus going directly to the north station, no extra walking with my luggage required.

Keep Calm, and Travel On

I’m sure at some point you have seen the popular “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster, in one form or another. In recent years they have emerged as personalized internet memes. About a year ago they were so popular they made BuzzFeed, and the responses to the BuzzFeed article were creative and tremendous [just click this link, scroll down, and see for yourself].

But where did this poster, turned internet sensation, originate? The government playing host to the 2012 Summer Games. That’s right, for those of you who didn’t already know, these posters started as a campaign produced by the government of the United Kingdom, specifically from the Ministry of Information, to raise morale among the Brits at the start of World War II. From what I’ve gathered the public was to “Keep Calm” in the event of an invasion or wartime disaster. Yeah, sure

Either way, these posters have regained remarkable popularity, and they can be quite fun to play around with as users make their own Keep Calm memes. In light of my recent travels I made the following parody’s [via Keep Calm-O-Matic + The Noun Project]:

Bon Voyage, America!

After months of planning and coordinating with colleagues and friends all over the world, I am finally departing for Europe! The number one question I get when I tell people about my travels is “What are your expectations while you’re over there?” and to that I say, I have none. It is so important to keep an open mind when traveling. I have plenty of plans to see all the famous sites and sounds, but I also look forward to wandering around the cities, stumbling upon hidden treasures, hole-in-the-wall eateries, and interesting people. My favorite part of traveling to a new city is discovering the unexpected and taking part in the unplanned. While living in NYC I would walk around Manhattan and Brooklyn for hours, exploring boutiques, new restaurants and coffee shops, and other lesser-known gems in the city, all while meeting some fascinating individuals along the way. I suspect London will be chalk full of intriguing people from all around the globe, each with stories to tell.

So, until I arrive in each of the cities and stumble upon these unplanned places and persons, here is a list of my plans for site seeing and excursions thus far:

First stop, Dublin

What I am most excited about in Dublin isn’t visiting the Spire, or even drinking the most genuine draught of Guinness in the world, it’s meeting up with one of my college roommates, Annette Drapac. Annette has spent her summer working as a coordinator for an Ohio University study abroad program in Letterkenny, Ireland. This weekend the study abroad group is taking a trip to Dublin, and I’ll get to visit with them.

Me and Annette out to dinner in NYC

Dublin Castle

Of course, in addition to meeting up with some bobcats abroad I’m going to be sure to check out the National Library of Ireland, Ha’penny Bridge, The Brazen Head—allegedly the oldest pub in Dublin—the Dublin Castle, see some traditional Irish dancers, and celebrate mine and Miss Natalie Schultz twenty-second birthdays [which were both on July 24] over a Guinness or Irish Whisky. Cheers!

 

Next up, Journee to Paris

Traveling to Paris will be a true test of cultural immersion and independence. This city is completely foreign to me: the language, the customs, the history, everything. I’ve tried learning some basic market-place French via iPhone apps, but I’m still nervous to interact with the French, who, unfortunately, are infamous for disdain towards Americans. I hope I find this to be untrue, I’ll have to get back to this topic at a later date.

Regardless of how the French feel about U.S. citizens, I am very excited to tour this beautiful and culturally rich mecca. I have many excursions [and a whole lot of walking] planned. On Monday, July 30 I will be taking a tour of the city via the Seine river. I also plan to hit all the big sights: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Pont des Arts, Notre Dame, Basilique du Sacre Coeur, the Moulin Rouge, Palace of Versailles, and if I can fit it in the St.Ouen Flea Market, on the recommendation of a well-traveled friend who claims it is the best flea market in the world. While the metro system in Paris is known to be very efficient I plan on walking the city to really take in all the sights and sounds. What are some of your favorite Paris hotspots and lesser-known gems? Let me know in the comments section.

Final Destination: London 2012

Tuba and I during our time together NYC

Just as I was excited to visit with my college roommate in Dublin, I am equally as excited to visit with two of my dear friends, Tuba and Kristen, in London! Tuba and I met while living in the same building in New York City. She is originally from Germany but has recently finished her masters degree program and obtained career placement in London—congrats! Kristen was the PR coordinator at the Miss Universe Organization during my internship with the company. Recently Kristen has joined the team at Taylor Strategy, working in London on the P&G, “Thank You, Mom” campaign.

The big sights that are on my must-see list while in London include: Big Ben, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Notting Hill, Stonehenge, seeing Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, The British Museum, Abbey Road Studios, and of course, snagging a photo inside a red phone booth!

The London Bridge

And it goes without saying that with the Olympics being the primary reason I am traveling to London this summer I have a fairly busy schedule covering the events. I will be attending the following Olympic events:

  • 4 August: Women’s triathlon @ 9AM
  • 5 August: Women’s Marathon @ 11AM
  • 7 August: Men’s triathlon @ 11:30AM // Synchronized Swimming @ 3PM
  • 8 August: Touring BBC press center
  • 9 August: Women’s 10K swimming @ 12PM
  • 10 August: Men’s 10K swimming @ 12PM
  • 12 August: Volleyball @ 9:30AM // Men’s Marathon @ 11AM

I look forward to sharing my coverage of the 2012 London Olympics as well as my journey and findings in Dublin, Paris, and elsewhere in and around London with each of you. Thanks for reading!

Au revoir, for now.

Friday Finds: 1 June

This Friday all my finds are dedicated to the 2012 summer games in London! I guess now is as good as time as any to announce that I was the recipient of a very unique scholarship from the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. While most of my time in Europe will be spent in London, covering the games, I will also be traveling to Dublin and Paris for a short while.

I am eternally grateful for the amazing opportunities I have been presented with by the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the Institute for International Journalism, none of my meaningful travels would have been possible with them!

Infographic Find

I love a good infographic! Check out this one, it breaks down info about the London Olympics by year, with more great information about athletes, participants, medal wins by country, budget and more…so good!

Social Media Find

While I am traveling independently, throughout my time in London I will be tagging along with a group of Ohio University students studying sports reporting and international journalism. Be sure to follow @ScrippsLondon for all the latest updates from the group! They have an exciting agenda ahead, including meeting top sports correspondents and Olympic officials from the U.S. Olympic Committee, Associated Press, CNN, and more! (I will also be contributing tweets to their account, so be on the look out!)

Another great account to follow to keep up-to-date with all the Olympic happenings is @LondonLive, the New York Times official Twitter handle–reports from their own reporters and editors in London.

 

Harry Potter Fan Find

One attraction you can bet I’ll be stopping to get a photo in front of is the famous “Platform 9 3/4″ at Kings Cross Station, made famous by J.K. Rowling and her fictional boy-wizard, Harry Potter (as if you didn’t already know).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cool Campaign Find

Proctor & Gamble is sponsoring a really great campaign to help support and to commemorate mom’s of olympic and paralympic athletes, Thank you, mom by P&G. According to their website, on May 8 they announced that P&G will help offset travel costs to the London Games for more than 800 moms of U.S. Olympians and Paralympians…how could you not love that story?!

While their home site is very well put together, I am really loving their Facebook page. There, you can view videos of olympic athletes and their moms, share your own stories about your mom and how she’s helped you become the person you are today, and much more! It is definitely worth checking out.

That wraps up all the finds this Friday! I’m still a little overwhelmed with picking which London hotspots and attractions I’ll be going to, please leave me a comment or two with your favorite places in London, including any hidden gems I might not otherwise discover! Thanks!