Je t'aime, Paris

The time I've waited TEN WEEKS for is finally (almost) here! My boyfriend, Ben, is coming on Saturday to spend a week with me in Europe. We will be spending the first half of the week in Sevilla for Semana Santa (the famous Easter Week festival) and the second half in Paris!

Therefore, after looking back at my blog, I realized I had never finished my post from my trip to Paris last semester! I really want to have everything documented so I can look back and remember where I went and what I did. I guess I just got so busy before I left last semester that I never got to finish my last two trips--Paris with my program and Barcelona with my parents.

Paris maintains its spot as my absolute favorite destination in the world. As cliché as I know this sounds, I have always dreamed of going to Paris. I've always been very interested in fashion and french culture, and Paris is, of course, the perfect place to go to soak in both of those things. 

I went to Paris at the end of November, so Christmas was in the air, and the already magical "city of lights" transformed into a scene straight out of my dreams. 

My weekend in Paris was probably the busiest traveling weekend of the whole semester. There was so much to do in a city that was so big, so I think it'd best to just go through and list everything I did day by day!

Thursday

• Arrived in Paris after flying out of Sevilla extremely early in the morning. We're talking meeting at 5 am at the Sevilla airport.
• Went on a bus tour with my program, including stops at Les Invalides, a big complex containing museums and monuments of French military history, and at the Eiffel Tower, of course!
• First look at the Eiffel Tower--I was amazed. I can't wait to get back there with Ben!
• Creperie for lunch: I split one savory crepe with spinach, egg, and tomato and one marron glacé (sugared chestnut) crepe with my friend Alex.
• Walked around and through the beautiful Notre Dame
• Hot chocolate break
• Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore
• Fondue for dinner... YUM.
• Eiffel tower light show at night!

Missing these girls this semester!

The creperie we went to for lunch- I was obsessed with their logo.

Notre Dame

Shakespeare & Co.

Fondue time-- we cooked our own meats!

Friday

• Visited the Sacre Coeur, a beautifully white church on top of a hill in the charming Montmartre area looking at all of Paris.
• Checked out an outdoor art market in the Place du Tertre square in the Montmartre area, where dozens of local artists were painting and selling art.
• Walked down the Champs-Élysées, one of the most famous, biggest shopping boulevards in paris, where I stopped and bought some delicious tea at Kusmi Tea.
• Sampled some Ladurée's world-famous macarons with some ice cream. :)
• Took a walk through the Christmas markets and tried some hot wine.
• Toured the world-famous Louvre Museum and got to see the Mona Lisa!
• Went on a fabulous dinner date with my friend Kathleen, where I ate french onion soup and duck with some lovely French wine!

The Sacre Coeur

View from the Sacre Coeur with Kathleen

Art Market in Place du Tertre

The Arc de Triomphe--Champs Élysées is one of the boulevards that branches out from the big circle around the Arc de Triomphe.

Laudurée perfection

Macaron, s'il vous plaît?

Our best Mona Lisa smiles ;)

The beautiful outside of the Louvre Museum

Yummy duck

My date for the evening...

Saturday

• Window shopped along the Boulevard Saint Germain (per my favorite Parisian Haley Pike's recommendation!)
• Lunch at Cafe de Flore, where apparently Chuck Bass is a frequent diner...
• Back to Shakespeare & Co. to buy some Christmas gifts, including a book about Paris for Ben!
• Went to the Love lock bridge, where I can't wait to go back with Ben!!
• Walked through the Musée d'orsay, a museum holding impressionist and post-impressionist work, including that of Van Gogh and Monet.
• Went to the Marais area for dinner with my first semester roommate (no, hermana) Olivia and her friend Lauren who was studying in Paris.
• Checked out the view from the top of the Pompidou Museum, the modern art museum that I'm hoping to see next week.
• Enjoyed some nice gelato and a macaron again.
• Eiffel tower light show again- because it will never cease to amaze me.

Sunday

• Took in incredible views of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomph.
• Tried the famous hot chocolate at the elegant tea cafe, Angelina.
• Back to Sevilla!!

It was, like most weekend trips abroad, a whirlwind trip, so I cannot wait to go back to Paris with the love of my life... how cliché!

Au revoir!

A

How To: Eat your way through London

Two girls. Four days. Lots good food. As I said in my last post, I wanted to write a separate post just about my wine and dine dash through London with my friend Caela.

I loved everything about London, but perhaps what I enjoyed most about my time there a week and a half ago now was all of the amazing food options. Don't get me wrong--I love Spanish food, but sometimes it's all a bit homogenous. The delicious variety in London was like a little taste of home, and Caela and I took advantage of that to the fullest. 

So, without any further ado, here is my first-hand guide to eating your way through London in six easy steps. (Although I claim absolutely no expert status...)

1. GO TO AFTERNOON TEA.

Of primary importance in a weekend trip to London is the quintessential afternoon tea. This British tradition gained its popularity in the 19th century, when the Royal Duchess of Bedford, Anna, solved her afternoon energy pit by having a pot of tea and a small snack. She eventually began to invite her friends, which started a chain reaction of popularity of the afternoon tea in houses of Britain's elite. 

Those who know me know how tea-obsessed I am. My parents took me to my first real afternoon tea at The Plaza in New York last year. Since then, I have fallen in love with the tradition, and even planned an extravagant Afternoon Tea Bridal Shower for my sister last summer. So, I knew that of all of the abroad experiences I was hoping to have, afternoon tea in London was pretty high up on the list.

After doing lots of research, I decided that The Orangery seemed like the best combination of not totally breaking the bank but still having a very regal and traditionally British experience. The Orangery is in a building right next to the Kensington Palace that used to be the summer garden house of the queen. 

Like most afternoon teas, our meal came with unlimited tea (or coffee, as Caela opted for), an assortment of tea sandwiches, one plain scone and one raisin scone for each of us (served with delicious clotted cream and strawberry jam), and an assortment of beautiful desserts. I got Earl Grey tea (one of my favorites), and it was the perfect pair to the amazing food!

How beautiful is that china?

 

Happy, lucky girls!

It was an experience I will absolutely never forget. I strongly recommend that anyone who goes to London has afternoon tea. It was a "souvenir" that meant so much more to me than any tangible thing would have! (Although I did buy myself some tea!) 

2. GO TO CAMDEN MARKET.

The Camden Market is a huge outdoor & indoor market in the Camden area of London that not only just sells anything from donuts to falafel, but also many goods like souvenirs, art, clothing, and more. On our last morning in London (Sunday), we went to the Camden Market for a couple hours. We weren't that hungry when we were there, so we just got smoothies. Nonetheless, the smoothies were great and by the looks of it, it would be a great place to indulge in a nice, big lunch from one of the stands serving food from all around the world!

3. HAVE DINNER IN SOHO. MORE THAN ONCE.

Caela had read on one of her favorite blogs, A Piece of Toast, about a restaurant called Jackson + Rye in the Soho area of London. We didn't know much about the area, but we headed over there after doing a little shopping on Oxford Street (just a short walk away) on our first night in London.

We ended up having one of the greatest nights ever having dinner at the bar and talking to the bartenders and everyone around us. We had lots of drinks (too many, but they were just too good) and we both had steak and eggs for dinner on the first night, followed by the most delicious molten chocolate sunday ever...

We noticed that Soho was full of so many fun bars and restaurants when we were walking to Jackson + Rye, so we ended up going back to the area for dinner the next night. We went to a French place called Cote, where we both had yummy salads and wine.

On our last day, we couldn't help but reminisce on our amazing first night in London at Jackson + Rye, so we ended up going back for dinner! We were very happy with our decision, as we had more great conversation, drinks, salads for dinner, and the molten chocolate sunday I am still thinking about.

4. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LONDON'S BEAUTIFUL SCENERY.

Much of London's important sights can be seen from along the river, so a riverside lunch was a very fun way to take in the ambiance of the city!

On our first full day in London (Friday), Caela and I spontaneously ended up getting lunch at Swan at the Globe, a restaurant right next to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. It was such a chic place full of well-dressed "ladies who lunch." We both enjoyed delicious salads-something we don't get as much as we'd like in Spain- while taking in the beautiful view across the Thames River of the St. Paul's cathedral and other sights.

On Saturday, after going to the top of the Tower Bridge, we decided to enjoy the uncharacteristically warm London weather by eating outside along the Thames River. We ended up at The Butlers Wharf Chop House, where we both devoured giant veal burgers with blue cheese and a fried egg, paired with big fries and ketchup. It was, without a doubt, one of the best burgers I've ever had in my life, and the views were pretty incredible on their own.

5. ENJOY THE FANCY DEPARTMENT STORES.

London is home to several famous high-end department stores that are much more than your typical American department store. These mega-stores are complete with cafés, high-end grocers, champagne bars, and restaurants. During our short stay in London, Caela and I made it to Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, and Liberty of London. 

I bought myself some tea at Fortnum & Mason, and although we wanted to have tea or a snack in Harrods, it was a bit too crowded. However, even just looking around at all of the goodies in these stores made me excited, and is definitely something I would recommend to future visitors.

Macarons at Fortnum & Mason

One of the tea blends I bought, along with Earl Grey

6. HAVE MORE AFTERNOON TEA.

And last, but certainly not least, eating your way through London wouldn't be complete without as much tea as you can get. That is, if you're a tea fan like me. But Caela indulged in lots of coffee-including her beloved and missed iced coffee- and she seemed equally as happy. My hotel room had tea and an electric kettle, so aside from starting my day with tea in the room, I had tea both on the go or sitting in from several cafes.

On Sunday, or last day, we went back to walk around in the Kensington Gardens, and we ended up getting lunch at the cafe right by The Orangery. I couldn't refuse when I saw the same scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam that I had two days before at The Orangery. With some more Earl Grey tea and a salad, it was a perfect last meal in London.

There you have it, folks. A true amateur's guide to dining and drinking in London- one of my new favorite cities on the planet.

Ta ta!
A

Keep Calm & Go to London

We meet again, Ailie Abroad! Sometimes life just picks up and gets the best of me, but I am going to do my very best to write more--if not just for all of you, but for my future self.

I am back from one of the best trips of my year abroad: London. It was the international trip included in my program this semester, so I have been looking forward to it for months. I knew I was going to like London--everything regal, lots of tea, the big, fast-paced city feel... But I was shocked at just how much I liked it. The only way I can describe it is that it was a lot more "special" than I thought it was going to be.

It felt a bit like home--not only because of the English everywhere (which was pretty hard to soak in, and I ended up responding with "si" a few times...), but because of some reason I can't quite put my finger on. It was a much faster-paced city than Sevilla, which was actually refreshing for my fast-walking self, but it was still more than just that. I just had a feeling like, wow, I could totally see myself here. The list of places where I want to live is really getting long, though. (But, hey, isn't it a good thing to be open to exploring and living in lots of different places?)

Thursday

We got to London in the late afternoon on Thursday. We were staying in the Paddington area on a cute street with lots of small hotels. My friend Caela and I decided to take the tube (London's subway) out to the well known shopping area of Regent Street and Oxford Street to do a bit of shopping before the stores closed. Among the highlights were Topshop and Liberty of London, where we both did some damage on presents for our families. Liberty of London is my new obsession- Thanks, Caela! ;)

We headed to dinner at a place called Jackson + Rye in the Soho area that Caela had read about on one of her favorite blogs, A Piece of Toast. There was a long wait, so we decided to have dinner at the bar. It was the greatest decision ever, because we ended up having an amazing night talking to all the people around us and the bartenders. We tried lots of new drinks (a few too many...), and ended up staying out much later than planned. It was definitely worth it, though, because we both talked about how we will remember that night for a long time. We loved Jackson + Rye so much that we ended up going back for dinner on our last night. I am going to write a separate post just about all of the food I ate this weekend, because it was all incredible.

Friday

On Friday, we woke up with an unpleasant combination of headaches and exhaustion, but we decided to push through and embark on a lovely day of sightseeing. Our first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in the world. (Fun Fact: the Seville Cathedral is actually bigger!) 

We then walked across the super modern Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that, as goes the name, opened in the year 2000. We took a peak in Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and ended up having lunch at an adorable spot right next to the Globe Theater and the Thames River called Swan Bar. It was a very chic place fit with a perfectly stylish clientele. We enjoyed some delicious salads and guzzled water in attempts to get rid of our hangovers. 

View walking down from the Millennium Bridge

After lunch, we went to the Tate Modern Museum. It is the most-visited modern art museum in the world, and had some pretty cool collections. It also had some really weird pieces of art, namely the sculpture pieces, but I suppose that's modern art for you! After the Tate, we met up with our group for a private tour of the British Museum. It should probably be called the "Everything the British stole from everyone else" museum, but it was pretty incredible nonetheless. The British Museum documents the creation and beginnings of civilization, so there were a ton of Grecian and Egyptian pieces. We even got to see the original Rosetta Stone!

Modern art or just some sheets of mirrored glass? You decide.

The British Museum

Then came the highlight of the whole weekend, and the moment I had been looking forward to all year: afternoon tea! After extensive research, we decided to book afternoon tea at The Orangery. It is located in the Kensington Gardens in a building that was built as Queen Anne's garden house in 1704. The history and building are amazing, and I will go into much more detail in my separate blog post about food! There is just too much to say, but I can tell you that it was a total dream come true.

When we finished our tea, we decided to continue living like royals and head over to Harrods, London's famous, high end department store. It was huge, so we ended up going back the next day to see more! We ended Friday night at another delicious restaurant in the Soho area called Cote. 

Saturday

On Saturday, we did our best to wake up early and get moving. We started our day at Picadilly Circus, a road circle that is London's answer to the Times Square scene. From Picadilly circus, we walked to Fortnum & Mason, another famous department store that is known for their tea. It was pretty much tea shopping heaven inside, and I ended up getting a tin of a loose tea blend called "Jubilee" and a tin of Earl Grey tea bags. I'll definitely be keeping the beautiful tins once I finish the tea!

After grabbing some tea (and iced coffee for Caela!) at Pret (which seemed to be everywhere in London), we walked to Trafalgar Square to go to the National Portrait Gallery. This museum is home to many beautiful portraits, namely those of the royal family. We saw beautiful pictures of Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, Prince Charles, and more. 

We hopped back on the tube and headed over to the Tower Bridge to catch some beautiful views of the city. We ended up getting lunch at a cute restaurant along the river with views of the bridge. It was a gorgeous day, so we were able to sit outside to take it all in and people watch.

View from lunch!

After we devoured some amazing burgers, we were back on the tube yet again heading to the Westminster area. We walked around a bit and saw Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey

Our last stop in the area was Buckingham Palace, which was enormous and more regal than I could've imagined. Just the gate itself was pretty freaking royal...

A pretty great travel buddy :)

Saturday ended with our second trip to Harrods, a bit more shopping, and then another night in Soho. We got a drink at a bar and then headed back to Jackson + Rye for our last dinner there. We had more great talks with the people around us, more delicious food, and more drinks (although we toned it down a little so we wouldn't feel like we did Friday morning...)

Sunday

I woke up on our last day in London with a bittersweet feeling. I love Sevilla, and it truly feels like home to me know, but I really would have loved about two more days in London. London is just huge, so there is no way to see everything you want to see in one weekend. Caela and I decided to make the most of our last few hours in London by going to Camden Market. Camden Market is a big area of different markets selling anything from clothing, souvenirs, and art prints to food and drinks. The Camden area seemed a bit more artsy and alternative, so it was interesting to see a different side of London. 

We walked around Camden Market for about two hours until we realized we weren't quite hungry enough for lunch just yet. So, we decided to head back by our hotel to walk around more in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We ended up getting lunch at a cute little cafeteria on the bottom floor of Kensington Palace, where we realized that we had lost track of time and had to rush back to meet our group at the hotel to leave a 3 pm. We ended up getting a quick telephone booth shot, since I had been looking for a good place to take a picture in one all weekend.

After a long wait in the airport and a less-than-smooth Ryanair flight, I got back home after midnight. Thus, it has taken me till today to recover and write this (now pretty long) post. 

I set a 5 year time limit to go back to London. I think that's pretty reasonable, right? I would love to see more of the English/Scottish/Irish countryside like my parents did on their honeymoon, so I think I can make it happen. :)

Thanks for reading everyone. Cheerio!

A