I find it very hard to stop and make time to do this blog thing when my friends are in town. The last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer but because there are 3 girls getting ready I have at least an hour before we are ready to even think about walking out the door....so backblogging it is!
Thursday March 25:
It was definately an odd feeling to stand at the International Arrivals gate at Heathrow waiting for Ash to come out from customs. The excitement surrounding her arrival to London kept me from sleeping the night before. Each time the doors opened, I scanned the crowds and luggage tags, only to be disappointed and left feeling like a friendless loser. I swear she must have been the last person from the flight to get through, an hour later my BFF and I were reunited...I know a little dramatic but considering we haven't gone more than 3 days without seeing each other since we were 18, I feel its warrented! We headed to my flat to drop off her luggage before going out. The second most exciting part of the day was Ash unpacking goodies from home including: Ranch dressing, Ranch dressing powder (add mayo and voila! Ranch!!!!) Peeps (Both yellow and pink), Tastykakes, and face wash! It was like Christmas morning! After I finished drooling over the thoughts of Ranch, we went shopping and out to lunch....both made me feel like I wasn't in London but back home in Philly. We didn't have to spend the time catching up because there was no time lost between us. After losing another 60 quid to Primark, we headed back to pack for Paris. Packing our best dresses, we were prepared to walk the street of one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. We spent the night at Lawrence's because although we are close, neither of us love the idea of sharing a twin bed! I couldn't help but be nervous of my BFF meeting my male BFF....worlds colliding is always enough to make me nervous. They seemed to get along well, but then again Ash can get along with anyone, and there isn't a soul who doesn't love her.
Friday March 26: Paris!!!!
Jetlag is a bitch, it is even more of a cunt when you get up at 4:30am to get on a train, but Ash was a trooper. Our hopes of parading our flowy dresses down the Champs Elysse were quickly dashed after we stepped into the dark rainy cold. I don't know what made me think it was any different than London, a 2 hour train ride does not add 40 degrees to the temperature....but we were in Paris. I have been to Paris once before, under much different circumstances. I was 20, it was my first trip outside of the US, well unless you count Canada but considering I didn't need a passport for that, I don't. I was also going over with my college roommate and her boyfriend....to visit my (ex)boyfriend, who was studying abroad. I had no choice but to be in love with the city....it was my first taste of Europe and I had a few of those movie moments that make people want to vomit (ie: Dancing on top of an empty boat cruise on the Seine while the Eiffel Tower sparkled). We were quickly reminded how difficult it is to travel in a city where English is not the language, ordering a coffee was even a pain in the ass. We checked into our hotel, showered, and headed to Sacre Coure and Montmatre. This was my favorite place the first time around, it's very artsy and offers amazing views of the city. We hiked up 300 stairs to the top of the cathedral, amazingly we didn't pass out and die, but we did get sweaty and sore pretty quick! The view was well worth the burn. After a million photos from the top, we marched on to see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysses, and the Arc de Triomphe. Unable to fight the exhaustion, we picked up a baguette, 2 bottles of wine, and cheese, and headed to our humble hotel for an early night.
Saturday March 27th: Versailles
Versailles is really an amazing sight; it's hard to imagine people actually living in a palace of that size and extravagence. No wonder people revolted, they practically powerwashed the place in gold. As our luck would have it, it was pouring and we were without an umbrella. The couple behind us were nice enough to let us huddle under theirs until we purchased our own from a vendor. The rain stopped us from really spending time in the gardens but it was fantastic nontheless. Since it was a high speed kind of weekend, we rushed back to the city to visit the Musee D'Orsey before it closed for the night. Beyond tired and cold, we found some comfort in heat lamps and multiple bottles of wine. After two, we thought buying another to drink by the Eiffel Tower was a great idea. Before we found a place to buy wine, we stopped in Harry's Famous New York Pub for a drink. Harry's was a hot spot for the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Humprey Bogart. It was nothing special: it was small, filled with french people, plastered with American college pennants, and very overpriced! We felt awkward immediately. Like all good drunk Americans, we felt the urge to stuff our face, the sign begging us to "try our famous American hot dogs" became irresistable. Unfortunately, they cost us 20 Euro and tasted like ass. Ash, a true hot dog connoisseur, was enraged by this and the mustard they spread on them. A lot can be said for Paris: it is beautiful, it is historic, it is romantic. It is also filled with a good number of people who are not known for being friendly, especially to Americans. Before I knew it, Ash threw her hot dog behind the booth, hoping it would eventually rot and smell. And then it was time to take one back for the good ol'US of A....stealing back our country's college pennants seemed like an appropriate punishment for their attitudes, we walked our drunken pride and 4 pennants!
We bought another bottle of wine and found a bench with a perfect close view of the tower. Within minutes we were drinking with a couple Germans and some guys from various islands. We cheered, danced, and drank as the tower sparkled behind us.
Sunday March 28: The Louvre
Nothing I could write would even do the Louvre justice. It is overwhelming, the rooms and ceilings are much like the art they house. I would need a whole week dedicated solely to the place to even scratch the surface of all it has to offer. After a few hours, we headed outside the park to enjoy some coffee and crepes....the french really got this part down. I am convinced a nutella and banana crepe may rival sex....
Like every other day in Paris, it was rushed and jampacked. Although we only a short amount of time, we really did get to do and see a lot. It was a great start to a week with my friends.....
Thursday March 25:
It was definately an odd feeling to stand at the International Arrivals gate at Heathrow waiting for Ash to come out from customs. The excitement surrounding her arrival to London kept me from sleeping the night before. Each time the doors opened, I scanned the crowds and luggage tags, only to be disappointed and left feeling like a friendless loser. I swear she must have been the last person from the flight to get through, an hour later my BFF and I were reunited...I know a little dramatic but considering we haven't gone more than 3 days without seeing each other since we were 18, I feel its warrented! We headed to my flat to drop off her luggage before going out. The second most exciting part of the day was Ash unpacking goodies from home including: Ranch dressing, Ranch dressing powder (add mayo and voila! Ranch!!!!) Peeps (Both yellow and pink), Tastykakes, and face wash! It was like Christmas morning! After I finished drooling over the thoughts of Ranch, we went shopping and out to lunch....both made me feel like I wasn't in London but back home in Philly. We didn't have to spend the time catching up because there was no time lost between us. After losing another 60 quid to Primark, we headed back to pack for Paris. Packing our best dresses, we were prepared to walk the street of one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. We spent the night at Lawrence's because although we are close, neither of us love the idea of sharing a twin bed! I couldn't help but be nervous of my BFF meeting my male BFF....worlds colliding is always enough to make me nervous. They seemed to get along well, but then again Ash can get along with anyone, and there isn't a soul who doesn't love her.
Friday March 26: Paris!!!!
Jetlag is a bitch, it is even more of a cunt when you get up at 4:30am to get on a train, but Ash was a trooper. Our hopes of parading our flowy dresses down the Champs Elysse were quickly dashed after we stepped into the dark rainy cold. I don't know what made me think it was any different than London, a 2 hour train ride does not add 40 degrees to the temperature....but we were in Paris. I have been to Paris once before, under much different circumstances. I was 20, it was my first trip outside of the US, well unless you count Canada but considering I didn't need a passport for that, I don't. I was also going over with my college roommate and her boyfriend....to visit my (ex)boyfriend, who was studying abroad. I had no choice but to be in love with the city....it was my first taste of Europe and I had a few of those movie moments that make people want to vomit (ie: Dancing on top of an empty boat cruise on the Seine while the Eiffel Tower sparkled). We were quickly reminded how difficult it is to travel in a city where English is not the language, ordering a coffee was even a pain in the ass. We checked into our hotel, showered, and headed to Sacre Coure and Montmatre. This was my favorite place the first time around, it's very artsy and offers amazing views of the city. We hiked up 300 stairs to the top of the cathedral, amazingly we didn't pass out and die, but we did get sweaty and sore pretty quick! The view was well worth the burn. After a million photos from the top, we marched on to see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysses, and the Arc de Triomphe. Unable to fight the exhaustion, we picked up a baguette, 2 bottles of wine, and cheese, and headed to our humble hotel for an early night.
Saturday March 27th: Versailles
Versailles is really an amazing sight; it's hard to imagine people actually living in a palace of that size and extravagence. No wonder people revolted, they practically powerwashed the place in gold. As our luck would have it, it was pouring and we were without an umbrella. The couple behind us were nice enough to let us huddle under theirs until we purchased our own from a vendor. The rain stopped us from really spending time in the gardens but it was fantastic nontheless. Since it was a high speed kind of weekend, we rushed back to the city to visit the Musee D'Orsey before it closed for the night. Beyond tired and cold, we found some comfort in heat lamps and multiple bottles of wine. After two, we thought buying another to drink by the Eiffel Tower was a great idea. Before we found a place to buy wine, we stopped in Harry's Famous New York Pub for a drink. Harry's was a hot spot for the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Humprey Bogart. It was nothing special: it was small, filled with french people, plastered with American college pennants, and very overpriced! We felt awkward immediately. Like all good drunk Americans, we felt the urge to stuff our face, the sign begging us to "try our famous American hot dogs" became irresistable. Unfortunately, they cost us 20 Euro and tasted like ass. Ash, a true hot dog connoisseur, was enraged by this and the mustard they spread on them. A lot can be said for Paris: it is beautiful, it is historic, it is romantic. It is also filled with a good number of people who are not known for being friendly, especially to Americans. Before I knew it, Ash threw her hot dog behind the booth, hoping it would eventually rot and smell. And then it was time to take one back for the good ol'US of A....stealing back our country's college pennants seemed like an appropriate punishment for their attitudes, we walked our drunken pride and 4 pennants!
We bought another bottle of wine and found a bench with a perfect close view of the tower. Within minutes we were drinking with a couple Germans and some guys from various islands. We cheered, danced, and drank as the tower sparkled behind us.
Sunday March 28: The Louvre
Nothing I could write would even do the Louvre justice. It is overwhelming, the rooms and ceilings are much like the art they house. I would need a whole week dedicated solely to the place to even scratch the surface of all it has to offer. After a few hours, we headed outside the park to enjoy some coffee and crepes....the french really got this part down. I am convinced a nutella and banana crepe may rival sex....
Like every other day in Paris, it was rushed and jampacked. Although we only a short amount of time, we really did get to do and see a lot. It was a great start to a week with my friends.....
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