Wow. Where to begin. The emotions that were experienced these past days are indescribable. Omnipresent culture shock was definitely the theme of the trip. London, Paris, and Berlin we’re like nowhere I’ve ever been but I couldn’t be happier to have been given this opportunity. To put it simply, I really have realized how blessed I am to be traveling Europe and living a dream (thanks fam for making it possible).
The 10 day break began in London and it’s official… I’m in LOVE. London was my first hostel experience (Astor Museum Inn) and it was really unique getting to meet people from all over the place and be in that atmosphere. Seven of my friends and myself had our own hostel room so it was like a giant slumber party. I was also happy that Joe and John were able to stay in a room with all foreigners because I got to meet them through the boys. There was a cool French lady who provided us with a survival French cheat sheet for our next journey to Paris.
We also met a guy from Budapest and a few Australians. They pretty much all were in London living at the hostel while they work and learn English. Overall, all the hostels were like a cultural melting pot for young people.
(Our stop for our hostel on The Tube— Russel Square) <3
The Tube (British Train)…. OK sooo after this travel break I officially have decided I judge cities very critically on their public transportation system because we rely so heavily on it while traveling. The Tube has earned an A +++++ in my book it was easy to navigate, insanely clean, and really fast.
As I said before, I have fallen in love with London it was a city that was always alive and had so much to offer. We had a great time going out, the shopping was awesome, and the sites to see were beautiful and historical.
Here are some of my favorite highlights from being a tourist in London:
The first night we went exploring in London’s China town (above) and Picadilly (below).
The next day we were able to make it to the changing of the guards which was really cool to see. I have a video that I’ll try to post but basically thousands of people gather around every other day to see a whole traditional precession of guards coming to switch to posts at Buckingham Palace.
Outside of Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards.
How busy it was to see the guards changing… it was really hard to keep our group of 10 together in the masses!
Another palace we were able to see and actually even tour was Kensington. Inside there was a lot of creepy history of past monarchs and a lot of their possessions.
Outside of Kensington Palace.
This is the spot at which commoners could come to make a plea to the king or someone in his counsel. It reminded me right away of the scene in Game of Thrones when Geoffrey has to sit and listen to the peasants plea for food.
After a successful night checking out Picadilly Institute (so fun!) We had a day full of more site seeing ahead of us. Joe, John, Megan, and I decided to take the bus tour so we could have a guide and stay out of the London rain.
After London Joe, John, and I took the “Chunnel” (train under the channel) from London to Paris. I really enjoyed the Chunnel ride and spent most of the time in the restaurant car.
Within 5 minutes of arriving at Gare Du Nord Train Station in Paris we were approached by our first pick pocketer. Looking like confused tourists trying to buy tickets a man came up to us speaking great English and offering his help. Luckily, within seconds a French lady came up and started screaming French at him. Later, she told us he was trying to steal our wallets and was working for the train station to prevent these kind of things. We never had another issue but it made me very conscious for the rest of the trip.
Paris train system is called the Metro and was a breeze to navigate just like the The Tube. The true test of how great it was is that all of us spoke ZERO French yet could get around with ease due to their organized numbered and color-coded system. Within a few minutes of riding we finally arrived at St. Christopher’s hostel in Paris. It was so cool, again, to meet so many people from different countries. My room had 11 others besides me and was another unique hostel experience. All the beds had personal plugs, privacy curtains, and lights so that was a lot different than the open air dorms like in London. Some honorable mentions of the roommates include Marcello (Brazilian traveler), Thomas (annoying Australian student), Stacey (Alaskan backpacker, and 4 other Aussies we met in the room.
Laumiere our Metro stop for our hostel
The first full day we wandered around the city without a plan and it turned out perfectly. Randomly, we came across a hidden gem spot where we could see the whole city after hiking up a hill and bridge.
After this we also randomly stumbled upon the Louvre and The Arc. Given that it was a Tuesday and we couldn’t find an entrance anywhere we finally found out that the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays haha but spent a good 4.5 hours there the next day.
The next day we met up with some friends from our program and go to go to mass at Notre Dame which is a stunning church. Shockingly there was tourist memorabilia sold throughout the church and while mass was going on. It was kind of sad to see so many people snapping pictures (no flash) everywhere while Notre Dame service was in session.
That night we went up the Eiffel Tower and it was absolutely breath taking. Literally… we couldn’t breath walking up all those stairs and the view was gorgeous.
The next day we spent the majority of the day absorbing a small portion of the Louvre. Literally, one the biggest and most fascinating places I’ve ever been to. I was pretty happy that some of the art pieces signs were in English since I wasn’t able to get the audio tour (which btw I would say do if you get the chance!)
This is Sacré-Cœur Basilica (The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris) that was gorgeous as well and actually the highest point of Paris where you can see the whole city.
To top the trip off to Paris on the way back from the Basilica we stopped by a pastry shop that had unbelievable Macaroons… definitely my favorite food of the trip!
Again, the Parisian Metro was smooth as ever in getting us to Tegel Airport quickly and after a few minutes of waiting I was reunited with my long-time Austrian friend Marlene who lived with my family for 2 years in The States!!! Getting to spend time with her in Berlin was awesome and it definitely helped that she is a German speaker! Right away she was able to help us get easily to our hostel.
The Berlin Underground/Bahn was not as fluid as London and Paris… It definitely made the difference in getting around though.
We had to try a German favorite to start the trip… Currywurst! I liked it a lot and it was fun trying all different kinds of cultural foods in every city. Basically, its a wurst/hot dog drenched in ketchup and curry.
Memorial Site for murdered jews in the middle of Berlin City. Underneath the memorial was a powerful memorial in which we read diary entries, saw family photos, heard biographies, and witnessed some of the terrors. The most powerful room, for me, was a dark room when I initially walked in and then when my eyes adjusted on all four walls was projected a name of a victim. The whispering over the speakers spoke a short biography and the how they were effected. Then it moved on to the next name. The most astonishing thing was that it takes in total 6 years, 7 months, and 27 days before any of the stories or names repeat… shocking and chilling that they have only collected so few names of the actual victims but that it still will continually play for that long. I felt so lucky to be alive after leaving.
When we were wandering around in Berlin we happened to run into Joe’s grade school and my high school friend Lauren! It was so bizarre that we all were in the same city at the same time. It was fun getting to see her out that night too.
Marlene and I inside the Sony Center. Downtown Berlin was full of life and cool places like this where you can shop, walk around, and eat. Little did we know but when we got lost looking for the Sony Center apparently a famous film festival, Berinale, was going on we ended up being like 10 feet away from Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone!
On the last day we visited the famous Berlin Zoo and Aquarium! Although there were such impressive historical sites all over Berlin I’d have to say this was my favorite part of the trip.
Now we’re back on the daily grind with Midterms in Paderno….until next weekend… snowboarding in Interlaken, Switzerland.
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