PARIS!

It has been forever since I posted an update documenting my life abroad!!! Around late March and early April-ish, school actually started to kick in and finals week, as well as a boatload of projects hit! So for the first time since being abroad, I had to buckle down and spend my time studying for exams.  The morning after I finished my exams, Morgan and I took a Chunnel ride from London to Paris. We spent two days there before embarking on our Italian adventure through Pisa, Cinque Terre, Florence,  and Rome! It was amazing. I am home now and am adjusting to life back in the states. I am also completely broke, so that's cool. It's okay, I'm trying my hand at hostessing for a local restaurant starting tomorrow, so hopefully I'll make back some of the insane amount of money I spent! 

Anyways, I wanted to begin by sharing pictures and memories from my time spent in France!

Chunnel from London King's Cross St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord was a great way to go! I highly recommend doing it - only takes about two hours and you are right in the center of Paris.

Documented via my health app, Morgan and I walked north of 26 miles during our time in Paris. But that's exactly how we wanted it, I loved being able to just walk around and find different fun places to stop. Even though we were only there two days, I felt like I really got to know the city by seeing it on foot. 

Being typical tourists, upon arriving in Paris we started off on the 1.5 hour walk to the Eiffel Tower! However, along the way we came across the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees. This was the perfect detour. I loved stopping at the different stores as we made our way to the Arc. The giant Louis Vuitton is amazing and we had to go for the macaroons at Laudree. Eventually, we made it the Eiffel Tower. We stopped for baguettes and ate them sort of on the side of the Eiffel Tower. Even though the side was not as picturesque of a viewpoint, it was super nice because there were no people there!! I hate crowds, so if I ever come back to the Eiffel Tower, this is where I'll be hanging again! 

On our second day in Paris, we ventured to the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay! Note to all my study abroad students - present and future! If you present a valid ID from your host institution, you can get into these museums for free!!! Huge savings of like probably $50, so that was a plus! Personally being a fan of more impressionist art, I loved Musee d'Orsay!! However, the Louvre and Mona Lisa were cool too. Both are def worth checking out. I love shopping, so Morgan and I boutiqued at awesome places for the rest of the time in Paris before being chased back to our hostel by the rain!

Thanks for a great two days, Paris! I'll definitely be back!

<3Bren