The one where My Mom and Aunt Karen visited paris

My mom came to Paris on a Wednesday. I had a final right when she got there so unfortunately I couldn't meet her at the airport but instead went to class to take my test and then met her after at the Rodin museum. I got to the museum first and only waited a few minutes before the pair of them walked through the front doors. It was so exciting! My mom had really come to Paris! Naturally they were a bit tired because they had flown 8 hours and had already gone to a different museum and checked into their hotel. But regardless, they were both so excited to be in Paris and I was excited to play tour guide for a little bit.

So the Rodin museum: it was actually really cool. Thanks to Rick Steves' Paris book, I learned all about Rodin's life, his work, and was able to put the story with the art. It made the museum so much more interesting instead of just looking at sculptures and busts and wondering why on earth he made them. We also got to see the "Thinker" which was pretty cool as well.

After the museum, we wanted to do something a little less strenuous so we walked over to Rue Cler which is this really cute pedestrian street kind of near the Eiffel Tower. Again, my mom had read about it in Rick Steves' book so we just HAD to go check it out. It ended up being really neat with a bunch of cool restaurants and shops. So we decided to have a picnic! We bought a baguette, strawberries, and the best cheese I've had thus far in France. It turns out all we needed to do was go up to the cheese vendor and ask for a recommendation! He recommended two separate cheeses; we got both and they were amazing!

So we took our picnic a few blocks away and sat down in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful late afternoon/early evening and it was the perfect temperature to just sit on a bench eating wonderful french bread, cheese, and strawberries, and catch up a little in front of the Eiffel Tower. After we finished eating, we went all the way up to the Eiffel Tower so my mom and Aunt could get a closer look. I think that is when it finally hit them that they were really in Paris. But just to finish the night off before they headed back for an early bedtime, we went back to Rue Cler where we saw this very delicious looking ice cream. The ice cream was fabulous as expected and then we headed for the metro to head home.

The next day, Thursday, I had class again but just in the morning. So my mom and aunt went to the Louvre to check out all the important stuff while I went to class. We met up at about 12:30 when I got done with class at the metro stop St. Michael in the Latin Quarter. From there we waited about a half hour for our walking tour to start. It had already been a long day for all three of us, with the Louvre and class, but we were ready to explore Paris and learn lots of facts about it on our way. I had never done the Paris walking tour and I thought it would be a good way for my mom and aunt to see a lot of the city in a short period of time. Well, 3 1/2 hours isn't really all that short but we were ready! So off we went! We saw lots of important buildings (most of which I'd seen) and learned new facts as expected. It was also really nice just to be outside enjoying the fresh air all afternoon so none of us really minded the walking.

We finished the walking tour around 5 near the Eiffel Tower again. The night before we had seen this really cute restaurant that we wanted to try on Rue Cler so since we had been walking all day, it seemed like a good idea to go get dinner. "A la Marche" had a lot of really intriguing things on its menu and it wasn't easy to pick but I ended up deciding on the salmon and rice pilaf, creme brulee for dessert, and we split a bottle of red wine. It was absolutely delicious. We sat around talking for awhile after and finishing our wine. It had been another great day in Paris but we still had lots to do over the next few days! So it was off to bed because we had to be up early the next morning for Versailles.

Friday morning I got up and hopped on the metro to meet my mom and aunt at their hotel. Then we got back on the metro to make it to Versailles. It was about a 30 minute train ride which wasn't too bad so we were at the Versailles front gates by about noon. However, even though we already bought our tickets into the Chateau, the line to get through security was unbelievably long! No thanks. So we decided we'd spend the day in the gardens and then go into the Chateau after so that hopefully there would be less people. And it really did work out perfectly! So for the next 4 hours, we simply walked through the gardens enjoying, again, being outside on such a lovely afternoon. We made it all the way back to the petite Chateaux and also the queen's hamlet. The queen's hamlet was my favorite part of Versailles by far. It was a little farm the back with houses with thatch roofs and all sorts of farm animals and gardens. It did not seem like it belonged in Versailles but in Beauty and the Beast. It was adorable and I can see why the queen wanted a place away from all the attention of France and would want a normal place like her hamlet.

After our 4 hours in the garden, we made the long treck back up to the main chateau. We had exactly 1 1/2 hours till the chateau closed so we were going to make the most of it. I thought that I really wouldn't like the chateau; I expected it to be overly adorned and ornate and basically tacky with way too many gold furnishings. So I was very surprised that I actually really liked all the rooms! It wasn't tacky like I had expected. They used tons of marble, and different colored marble, on the walls and it gave the whole place this very grand feeling without being tacky. There were also tons of paintings and less portraits than I had expected so I liked looking at those as well. We listened to our audio-guides during the tour of the chatuea and again, they gave us lots of fun bits of information about the kings and queens who lived there as well as how everything was made. We certainly didn't go through the whole chatuea, such as the kitchens, and servants quarters, and I actually felt like the royals who lived there didn't have that many rooms that they could go in. I would have expected more. The rooms that they did have were massive but you can only fit in so many massive rooms I guess.

So after we finished looking around the chateau, it was time to head home around 5:30 or so. But unfortunately, our way home was a little delayed because we couldn't find the train station. So what do you do when you're starving and can't find the train station? Go to a bakery of course! We grabbed a few donuts, some juice, regrouped and then headed out again to find the train station in no time. We got back to my mom and aunt's hotel, transferred their luggage to their new hotel by me and finally made it to dinner around 10 at Chez Prosper. This was by far one of the best meals I've had all semester. I got their house specialty, filet mignon with french fries, a small salad, an incredible dipping sauce, and a glass of red wine to go with. Naturally, we were all exhausted from our long day so we headed home without dessert this time and went to bed because we had yet another big day ahead of us.

Saturday was probably the most jam packed day we had the entire week. We got up early and went to a small town outside of Paris called Chartres. My mom, aunt and I went along with my friends Courtney, Monica, and Torey. We were all excited to get out of Paris for a little and enjoy being outside in this small town. We made the train just in time and it was so crowded that we actually had to stand the entire way there. But we didn't mind that much because we were just happy we made the train on time. So when we got there, we immediately got a map from the information center, and then went to find the daily market just South of the cathedral. The market was adorable and my mom thought it was the cutest thing. So be bought picnic materials, this time oranges, strawberries, bread, cheese, and biscuits, and then started walking through the town to have a look around. We all carried our picnic lunches as we window shopped a little bit and enjoyed seeing all the little buildings as we made our way along the river to a small park. My mom and I also got eclairs while we were walking, just for a nice treat :)

So we made it to our picnic stop were we spread out on the grass and benches and enjoyed our lunches. It was really nice, as always just to be outside and together. Soon after though, we headed back into town to visit the cathedral. The cathedral is Notre Dame de Chatres and is therefore dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was really beautiful and was once completely painted though today it looks a bit worn down. It is famous for its stained glass and also holds the veil of Mary. Many women make pilgrimages to this cathedral to pray for Mary for help during child birth too. We saw a lot of younger women praying by the alter when we were there which was really interesting.

After visiting the cathedral, we shopped around a little bit at the stores and then hopped back on the train home. My mom, aunt and I changed into warmer clothes for the evening and then headed up to the Montmartre area to visit the Sacre Coeur Basilica. It took us awhile to climb the many steps to the top but it was certainly a really cool view of the city once we got there. Then we went inside to look around. You can't take pictures inside Sacre Coeur but the silence and presence that you feel when you're in there is really something special. We sat down in the middle of the church and simply prayed and thought for awhile. But soon enough, our stomachs got the better of us so it was time to find somewhere to eat.

We found this really adorable restaurant just down the right side of the hill that Sacre Coeur sits on. What we weren't expecting was the entertainment that went along with dinner! There was a street performer who was a fire twirler that stood outside the restaurant and did lots of crazy fire tricks as he spun fire on cords and strings to match his music. He even set off fireworks towards the end! It was pretty incredible. Besides the show, the food was outstanding as well. We all got quiche with a salad, red wine as always, and chocolate fondue cake for dessert. We took our time and enjoyed the lively atmosphere, happy wait staff, and yummy yummy food while talking about all we had already seen in just 3 short days and also what's been happening at home. Soon enough, we headed home and went to bed yet again.

Sunday morning we got to sleep in a little bit. We wanted to make the 11:30 mass at Notre-Dame so we didn't meet up until about 10:30. But we were a little surprised to find out that the Paris marathon was being run right down my street that morning! It was really cool to see and watch the runners all go by but it was also a bit of a problem because we couldn't get across to get to the metro station. So instead, we walked to the farther station and had to transfer a few times before making it to mass, literally just as it was starting. We found seats in the middle and sat down, all the while my mom and aunt tried to take in the huge ancient cathedral. Mass was nice as usual and then we walked around the inside of the church a little bit. Afterward, we went outside and admired it from the front for a little. But game plan for the day said to keep moving so off we were went to the other side of the island to see St. Chapelle.

St. Chapelle is the chapel that was built to hold Jesus' real crown of thorns that one of the French kings paid lots of money to have in France. He actually spent 3 times more on the crown than he did to build the chapel. Today, the chapel is famous for it's incredible stained glass windows that tell in depth bible stories in sequence. It was intricately decorated and only the very high nobility attended mass there. It wasn't very big but it was very impressive and was definitely worth the visit.

After St. Chapelle, we went to L'ile St. Louis which is the smaller island. We walked along the cute streets enjoying the bright spring day and went into one of my favorite shops in Paris, Diwali, which is a scarf and jewelry store. My mom and aunt found lots of things that they liked in there too. After stopping there, we went a little bit further to get Berthillon ice cream! Considering I take all my friends there who visit, it was a must stop for us as well. We got some yummy flavors and then walked across the bridge back to the mainland to sit down and enjoy them on a bench. Then, it was time to explore the Marais!

The Marais is the really cool Jewish area known for its trendy shopping and delicious falafel. So we window shopped a lot, went into a few places, found a really nice perfume and soap store, and then eventually we went for a semi-early dinner at one of my favorite places in Paris, L'as du falafel, known for the best falafel in town. Now, my mom and aunt had never had falafel (though neither had I till I got to Paris). Apparently the best falafel comes from Israel but I guess L'as du is the closest you can get and I had a good feeling my mom and aunt were really going to like it. And I was right! They loved it! But falafel is also huge and really filling and we weren't starving at the time, so for the first time I didn't finish all of mine but I was really close. As always, l'as du didn't disappoint. So we left very full and headed back to my apartment. I said goodnight to my mom and aunt around 7 so I could finish a group final project for class.

By 10 I had finished the project and I actually had some time to hang out with my friends Dustin and Sarah who were staying in my apartment! So we grabbed a few bottles of wine, some cheese, and crackers, and Courtney, Dustin, Sarah, and I headed out to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night. It ended up being a night full of laughs, photos, and enjoyment just hanging out on the grass in front of the tower. Before we knew it, we had seen the tower sparkle twice (because it sparkles at the beginning of each hour for 5 minutes) and we decided to head back home and get some sleep.

The next morning I got up and met up with my mom and aunt as usual. This time we were going to the Luxembourg gardens to look around. It didn't take us too long to get there and we walked around them for at least an hour looking at all the statues, trees, flowers, and people reading on park benches or running past us. It was obvious that lots of flowers had been planted over the past week because they weren't there the time I visited before. I couldn't believe the size of the flower beds! There would be at least 1,000 tulips blossoming around 1 statue! It was neat that we got to see the original statue of liberty in the garden and I also saw a statue that reminded me of Dance 100 from freshman year.

After walking around the gardens, we walked to the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. In the chapel, you can see St. Catherine, an incorruptible, sitting on top of the left altar in a glass case. She saw the blessed virgin Mary 3 times while praying in the chapel and was told to create the Miraculous Medal. The chapel itself was beautiful. It was very bright with intricate mosaics on the walls in bright white, yellow, and blues depicting the stories of Mary. It was a very holy place and it was definitely interesting to see and visit.

After visiting the chapel, we headed back towards the Luxembourg gardens where we had passed some cute bakeries. We found one that looked very promising and went inside to pick up some lunch. I had a smoked salmon with lettuce and some special cheese sauce on focasia bread with herbs and a raspberry tart for dessert. We then took our lunches back to the gardens, found some chairs, and sat in the sun eating our lunches while looking out over the fountain and flowers. It was a very relaxing lunch. After that, we had all afternoon to shop! My mom and aunt were still looking for just a few things more to buy and bring home to friends and family, so we went to some stores on rue Rivoli. The chocolatier was our last stop and we got some delectable treats to take home.

Nap time! Since we had been on our feet all day, and all the days prior, we thought we'd all take a well deserved hour nap before dinner. So I went back to my apartment and my mom and aunt went back to their hotel. An hour later, we met back up for dinner and I took them to Faubourg's for french onion soup, wine, and a cheese plate for dessert. After this last, wonderful and relaxing dinner in Paris, for my mom and aunt at least, we headed to the metro to catch a train to the Eiffel Tower. We made it there and my mom and aunt got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night in Paris; it was something they both said they never dreamed they would see in their lives. It was really fun to watch with them, but it was also a little cold so we headed back a few minutes after it stopped sparkling. We made it back to my apartment and I said goodbye to my mom and aunt. I was really sad to see them go but we had had a wonderful week together in France and I was so glad they came. The other good thing is, I would see them in less than a month! It was definitely a great week but I already had to start thinking about London and Italy coming up in just 3 days.

The one with Sunburn in Barcelona

Our flight from Paris to Barcelona left at 6:30 in the evening on a Thursday. When we booked the flight, we figured it was best to travel the night before so you'd be fully refreshed the next day. Luckily, it worked out exactly like that. We arrived in Barcelona and took a bus to the city center. From there, we walked along La Rambla, or the main pedestrian street, to find our hostel for the first night. The first night wasn't too eventful. We checked into our hostel, set up our beds, went exploring in the city and bought some snacks, and then went back to the hostel to sleep.

The next morning we woke up fully refreshed and ready for day 1: beach day! We put on our swimsuits under our clothes, locked up our luggage, and headed out. First we grabbed some donuts and fruit for breakfast and then we bought sandwiches for lunch that we stored in our beach bags for later. We bought the fruit at a covered market right off of La Rambla; the pineapple was absolutely incredible. So we walked down the rest of the street and eventually made it to Port Valle, the main port full of massive ships. It was while we were walking along the Mediterranean that Courtney and I received the first of many cat calls in Barcelona. "Hey baby! Yummy, yummy!" We're not exactly sure what they meant by that but 3 months of training in Paris has taught us how to ignore strange men very well.

After the port, at last we stumbled upon the beach. We couldn't have asked for a better day: 75 degree weather with a slight breeze. We were on the beach for approximately 6 hours. I applied spf 30 sunscreen twice; unfortunately I missed a few spots and ended up looking diseased on my leg and ankles. Courtney on the other hand, turned into a ripe tomato; she may of may not have forgotten to put on any sunscreen before falling asleep on her towel. But it wasn't until much later that we realized we were any burnt at all. We met up with our friend Bret and his roommates on the beach, he gave us directions to his apartment, and we went to get our stuff from the hostel, grab some gelato on the way, and then meet up with them at his apartment after.

Outside Bret's apartment, we went to the grocery store to buy some dinner, sandwich materials for the weekend, and sangria for that night. Everything was so cheap! We certainly weren't in Paris anymore. After making ourselves dinner, everyone started getting ready to go out to the clubs at about 11. No one even had a taste of sangria until about midnight. You see, in Barcelona they are nocturnal; the lifestyle is completely backwards where they stay up all night partying, get home at the crack of dawn, sleep half the day and then do it all over again. It's clearly a viscous cycle.

So we headed out to "Ocean" at about 2:30 AM. Because a friend of mine knew the promoter, Cooper, Courtney, and I were invited into the VIP section and given a bottle of champagne! It was clearly going to be a fun night. We had a great time with everyone, dancing and enjoying the music. We finally made it home around 6:30, popped a pizza in the oven, sat up for a little while longer and then went to bed.

Now, Courtney and I had an agenda. There were many things we wanted to see while in Barcelona so we truly couldn't spend the whole day sleeping. We were up by noon and out the door by 12:30 ready to explore Barcelona. Our first stop, Sangrada Familia. Sangrada Familia is a Basilica designed by Gaudi that is supposed to feel like a forest on the inside. I was incredibly impressed by the basilica. From looking at pictures, I could tell that the building is very artistic and unusual and I didn't think I was going to like it at all. However, the outside was incredible and the inside was even better. It was massive and intricate. My photos don't do it justice but I will always remember what it was like to be inside. The basilica is still being built today. The interior was finished in 2010 and Pope Benedict XVI offered mass to dedicate the basilica at that time. The exterior, which began production in 1890 is projected to be finished in 2025 I believe. The most interesting aspects of the basilica was the decorative elements used to make the basilica feel like a forest. There were many spirals, leaves, fruit, animals, and trees incorporated into the decorations, but all these things were incorporated amongst statues depicting the lord's passion or other bible stories. It really was incredible.

After visiting Sangrada, we went to see Casa Batllo, another building by Gaudi, and there we accidentally ran into Rachel and Kelly! The 4 of us left together and went to see Gaudi's Parc Guell; this park is incredibly large and filled with colorful mosaics all over the walls and benches of the park. It was truly beautiful and the park also overlooked the city so we took pictures of some amazing views. After the park, we went and saw one of the coolest things I saw all weekend: the magic fountain! It was a huge circular fountain with many streams of water that shoot and spray water to a Disney medley for 15 minutes. It was perfectly in time with the music and made me feel like I was sitting in a Disney theme park.

After the fountain, we went back to Bret's, went to mass at 8, took a quick nap, and got ready to go out again. Again, the sangria came out around midnight and we all hung out at Bret's before heading to "Catwalk" around 2:30. By saying the name "Kike" at the door, we all got in without paying cover and ended up staying at the club dancing until about 5:30 in the morning. We had planned on staying up to watch the sun rise but instead we went home, made eggs and fell asleep around 6:30.

We didn't wake up till about 1:30 the next day. This is precisely why I don't like the Barcelona lifestyle; you're awake all night and then sleep half your day away. It's not my cup of tea. But after we got up and got ready, we took a train to a suburb and hiked around park Collerosa for a few hours enjoying the nature. After heading home and showering, we met up with our friend Jamie for Spanish Tapas for dinner. I ordered quid and didn't realize I would literally be served a full squid to cut up and eat myself. We also had chorizo, croquettes, and potatoes with hot sauce. From there we took a metro back to La Ramblas and saw a Flamenco show! It was very intense and the dancers were insanely fierce. It was a very cool and different sort of dancing but I really like it. By then, it was already 11 so we went back to Bret's and made the boys crepes as a thank you for letting us stay there. Then we packed up and headed to bed around 1:30 just to get up at 6:30 to catch our flight back to Paris.

It took awhile to get home but I was happy to make it back. Barcelona was an amazing place to visit but I certainly couldn't keep up with the lifestyle for an entire semester. Before I knew it, it was 2 days later and my mom and aunt were arriving in Europe! More to come about our adventures soon.