Edinburgh

Next stop on my fall break: Edinburgh, Scotland!

This is one of the most unique places I have ever been. In a way it kind of reminds me of Salt Lake because it has a lot of natural beauty, and it's fairly small, but has everything you need. I feel like that's a horrible description, but it's the best I can do! There are two main parts of the city: old town, and new town. Old town is situated around Edinburgh Castle (pictured above), and the newer side is more commercial with lots of shops and restaurants. We got to our hostel and had this awesome view:

(we stayed at Castle Rock Hostel- which I highly recommend, the staff there is awesome)

The first day we headed up to Edinburgh Castle- it's a lot of smaller buildings instead of one massive one and the Scottish Honors (or crown jewels) are here with a really interesting story behind them. It was a chilly, rainy day - perfect for visiting a castle, am I right?

 The view of old town from the castle.
Afterwards we went and walked around the town and saw one of the cafes that J.K. Rowling frequented when she was writing Harry Potter. Behind it is a cemetery and on the gravestones are some of the names of the characters in the books. I'm not one to walk around cemeteries often, if at all, because I think it's kind of weird and creepy but the tombstones in the cemeteries here are impressive! (If you're a Harry Potter fan they resemble the gravestones in the movies as well).

This is my "Another Selfie??" face. 

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city and ended at a pub eating mashed potatoes and beer. 

Our last day we hiked Arthurs Seat and had to climb up the stairs from hell 

What kind of sick joke is this?^ Those are not stairs

But the view was worth it!

We rewarded ourselves with some haggis, neeps and tatties at the World's End. It actually wasn't bad! It just tasted like peppered beef really. Luckily they don't use the same casings they used to. It came with a whiskey cream sauce too!

We finished walking the Royal Mile, rested a bit and then headed out to eat again (that's all I truly do). Sheamanti and I always joke now that we travel to eat. We don't like to lie to ourselves.
We found this amazing place in Edinburgh that we went to 2/3 days that we were there. They lured us in with their fresh scones and homemade jam and we ended up coming back for more! It's called the Crafters Barn and the owner is such a nice guy. Sheamanti and I shared this GIANT pizza with lamb and mint sauce on our last night-so good! I discovered my new favorite drink ever: Bellevue Kriek. It's a cherry beer with just the right amount of sweetness and it's amazing - I even bought some in Belgium and brought it home with me.

That's it for Scotland! I cannot wait to go back!

The grass is greener...

In IRELAND!!! No joke. The grass is greener, the people are extremely friendly, and the Guinness is great. What more could you ask for? We got a one week break from classes so we ran with it. Lauren, Sheamanti, and I started off in Dublin, Ireland. I have always dreamt about going to Ireland and seeing the rolling hills and this trip certainly didn't disappoint.

We left Paris early Saturday morning and landed in Dublin just in time for lunch. We couldn't check into our hostel until 2, and being starving students in Paris, could not wait to dig into some hearty Irish cuisine. We grabbed lunch at the Old Storehouse before heading over to our hostel. I ordered the vegetable soup (it's really hard to find soup in Paris actually) that came with a side of the most delicious brown bread I have ever eaten - melted in your mouth. 

This was my first hostel experience so I want to share a little about that:

I had this vision in my mind of what a hostel would be like; a dirty room with a few beds and some sketchy characters around. I'd heard from friends that it was not scary at all and was just like a dorm. I was still skeptical and very nervous, but I had no need to be! In Dublin we stayed in a 6-bed female dorm at Abigails Hostel, which was pretty highly rated on Hostelworld and other booking websites (I check everything). We had an ensuite bathroom, and there were no lockers in this particular room. When you check in they hand you your sheets and give you a key card to get upstairs. The room was clean and I felt secure even without a locker. The girls' in our room were great; particularly this Australian girl named Alice. Overall I had a great experience at my first hostel. The location was the best part though. Right by Temple Bar district and walking distance from everything - and at around 20 euros a night you really can't beat it!

After dropping our stuff off we decided to head over to the Jameson distillery.

This is probably the most fun I have had at any type of alcohol brewing facility. There is a bar and a gift shop in the front and you pay for a guided tour with a drink at the end. They don't brew Jameson here anymore but it was the original distillery and was really interesting to learn about how the whiskey is made. At the end they hand out a few tubes for a taste testing - which I quickly volunteered for - between a Scottish Whiskey, Jack Daniels, and Jameson. Jameson wins hands down. If you do the testing you get a prize, so I totally recommend volunteering if you ever go here. 

After Jameson we headed to Bad Bob's for dinner and some live music. It really was nice to hear a lot of english- and be able to sing along to familiar songs. 

Our second day we decided to go on a tour to see more of Ireland. We booked through daytours.ie, which I could not recommend more highly! It was a great experience. First stop: Rock of Cashel

It's this old ruin of a chapel and is so beautiful. This was a lot different than the decorated, restored chateaux of France. Plus, it had great views...

Then off to Blarney Castle!

We kissed the stone - I'm still waiting for the gift of gab - but it was worth it just to meet the guy who holds you while you kiss the stone, and cracks jokes the whole time. 

It was so nice to see some real fall foliage - and a lot of it!

You could swim in those leaves!! 

We headed over to Cork City for lunch (where we ate at Deep South and I had the best bacon of my life!) and then back to Dublin. Since it was our last night in Ireland, we wanted some real hearty beef stew and got a recommendation for M.J. O'Neills. I ordered the Guinness beef stew with a Guinness. Did not disappoint! The guy serving me asked "Are you going to eat all of that?" So what if I do?? (and I did eat most of it..whoops)

Our last day there we checked off those last sights that needed seeing. Dublin is a pretty small city so it was easy to get around to all the major places - Guinness was the furthest from city center and it was only a 15 minute walk.

We started off at Trinity College, which has a gorgeous campus. Then wandered over to St. Patricks Cathedral

We grabbed a bite to eat at this little cafe called "Bite of Life" and it was a breath of fresh air. It was like eating in your own kitchen and we felt so welcome and refreshed afterwards.

Then our last stop: Guinness Storehouse!!

I had never tried Guinness before Ireland because I tend to stay away from dark beers but I actually really enjoyed it! I have heard it's better here than in the states but I guess I'll have to get back to you on that :). The storehouse was cool - it had been recommended to me by a lot of people and the museum itself is set up to look like a giant pint of beer.

Cheers to that!! Next stop: Scotland!

Paris

So I have done quite a bit of traveling but what about the city I am in 90% of the time? Ya know... this one?

Paris has been wonderful and horrible at the same time. There are days where I just can't wait to get out, and others where I never want to leave. 

A normal day for me is like this (I know you're dying to know):

8AM - wake up, drink instant coffee, get dressed, etc.

9:15 AM- to the Metro - hopefully it's not packed - did you bring your hand sanitizer?

9:45 AM - get off the metro -  stop by the grocery store and get some fruit - is it a croissant day? most likely, yes.

10 AM- class - these three hours will go by fast, right?

1 PM - get out of class, grab lunch, then my favorite part: EXPLORE PARIS

7 PM - get home and wait around for dinner at 8, then bed

Here's more of the exploring Paris part...

Everyday after class I try to do something different. There are so many things to see here and three months is not enough time to see them all so I have to make the most of my days. I also love trying new restaurants and am always seeking them out here - especially ones that aren't going to break the bank!

^When my aunt and uncle were in town we went to this famous taxidermy store called Deyrolle. I'm not one for dead animals but I thought those butterflies were gorgeous! // Cosi is one of my FAVORITE places to grab lunch here. All the sandwiches are delicious and it's a great deal for the price. It's like Paris Panera Bread. (I know, so American). 

The Christmas decorations at Printemps (left) and Galleries Lafayette (right). Galleries Lafayette's theme this year is the Noel Monster and they have these really odd window displays that kind of remind me of Sesame Street or the Muppets - not sure what it has to do with Christmas though. 

The Rodin Museum - one of the hidden treasures in Paris. Everyone knows about the Louvre and the d'Orsay, and there are reasons for that, but this is one of my absolute favorites here so far. // 

"I'm thinking...I'm thinking...."- Night at the Museum. That's "The Thinker" on the right or Le Penseur in French. 

My grandparents told me about this store called Thanksgiving. Yes, they do sell (almost) everything you could want for Thanksgiving - and if you are craving Funfetti Cake or Nerds they have that too! 

The infamous "Love Lock" bridge aka the Pont des Arts - which is really depressing now. The locks are weighing down the bridge so they are trying to find a way to replace the sides so you can't put them up anymore - the city covers the sides with wood, which is then covered in graffiti. Not as pretty now as it used to be. 

Stained glass windows at Sainte Chapelle // Le Bon Marche is the best way to spend a rainy day on the left bank.

Canal Saint-Martin - a really cool area of Paris that is not very well known. There are tons of cute little restaurants and parks around. Would be great on a summer day! // Holybelly. Another one of my favorite cafe's here that reminds me of home. I love the quote on their board that states "Holybelly - Where the customer is always loved. But ain't always right". The staff here is great and so is the food.

That's all for now!

xo

Normandy & Mont St Michel

I also had the opportunity to visit Normandy with my program and couldn't say no! It's full of history and loads of good food (what part of France isn't?). We left Paris early in the morning and headed to the Mémorial de Caen - which is a museum that goes through the history of WWII and also has detailed information about what happened on the d-day beaches on June 6, 1944.

Afterwards we headed to the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach. Visiting the cemetery and the beach was a solemn experience, but both are so beautiful. It made me reflect on my own family, especially my grandfather who was a POW during WWII. 

After visiting the cemetery we walked along Omaha beach, which is one of the many d-day beaches along the coast in Normandy, France.

Then we headed to this cute little walled town named Saint Malo for the night and had this wonderful view from our hotel room.

We ventured outside the walls to this little "island" (becomes an island at high tide) and watched the sunset. France never ceases to amaze me with how beautiful it is.

The next day we headed over to the abbey Mont St Michel

The abbey is built on this island that can be an island or not be an island depending on the tide - confusing enough?

There are still some monks who live here and it is huge! There is a town below with lots of little shops and restaurants. 

Deux Châteaux

After spending the night in Tours, we headed to the next château, Château de Chambord.

This place is so massive! It's the biggest château in the Loire Valley and (only) has 365 fireplaces - one for each day of the year. My favorite part was this staircase in the middle. The guy who built it was basically a ladies man, so he built this staircase that is a double-helix design so that two people could be walking on it, could see each other through the center, but would never meet. How clever! 

We were told that this is also the Château that inspired the castle in Beauty and the Beast. 

 So many staircases!

 The back of the château with the dreaded scaffolding...

My friends and I always joke about the scaffolding. You see these pictures of these beautiful places and you go there and they are always being restored. 

My friends and I walking through the gardens at the castle. Thanks to Marissa for snapping this photo! (I actually have FRIENDS....haha). My housemom asked me one day if I had any friends, which was kind of embarrassing and funny, especially since I am no means a home-body in Paris. But here is the picture to prove it ;).