Mont Saint-Michele and Forgeres, Bretagna

Second to last day in France and we woke up to leave for Mont Saint Michele, an old monastery. The place is very beautiful though with a whole little town on the island before you go in. While driving to it, there are many places to stop and get pictures of it. We got our breakfast there since there are quite a few restaurants and shops on your way in. It has some of the most gorgeous views around it (we were there during low tide) and even while walking in, there are just a million different points in which you can capture beautiful photos. It is a pretty vast place with high ceilings and a dark stone interior. We spent an hour or two here until we left to go explore some other places. We drove awhile until we hit Bretagne and stopped in a gorgeous city called Fourgeres that seemed a bit like it was built into the side of a mountain, as I guess a lot of Europe is. The fortress we toured in was called Chateau de Fougeres. The original wood fort was built all the way back in 1000! The 12-1300s is when most of the place as it is today was built. Crazy to think of how much history is in those stone walls. There were different towers you could climb up as well as the walls of the interior and it was fun to look out the tiny holes in the stone where they would fire out of. Not to mention the panoramic views of the city you had when you climbed up to the top. We also stopped at a church at some point before Versailles, however me and Megan didn't really feel up to going in to yet another church; don't get me wrong they're very beautiful but we had just woken up from napping in the car and were ready to just get to the hotel and eat dinner. Most of this trip our eating schedule was very off. It was not uncommon to eat lunch until 3 or 4 pm and then dinner at 9 or 10 pm as was the case today. The meals also take a lot longer so you may start at the later end of lunch but finish more towards early dinner time. It is very different here than back in America I've noticed, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a change. Tomorrow is Versailles palace which is huge and then I've sadly just been informed that we have to once again lug our bags onto the train and metro and through the stations. This time I tried to plan out where we could get on/off at so that we could make minimal stops and not be so confused though. Hopefully it works out, if not it won't take up much of my life so I'll just have to suck it up and get it over with! Sadly tomorrow is the last day and then we head near the airport and then the long, treacherous plane ride(s) back home. At least the next thing I have to look forward to when I get back is moving in to Columbia!

Mont Saint Michele

This is what happens when I try to take pictures

Didn't plan on the jacket but it was cold again so sorry for all the browns!

Skirt- H&M

Shirt- Target

Jacket- Galleries Lafayette 

Sunglasses- Forever 21

Bag- Marc by Marc Jacbos 

Chateau de Forgeres 

City View from the chateau 

One Day in Normandy

Oh my god. Those are the words I can use to describe having to bring my suitcase, carry on duffel, and purse onto the metro (two different lines) and the train today, not to mention there were 7 of us together and it was very crowded because it was morning. I'm glad it's over by now, but it was so difficult lugging it up and down stairs while people rushed by. I probably looked ridiculous but oh well, right? Well after arriving in Versailles from the train, we grabbed a bit to eat and the adults went to get the rental cars to pick us up so we just sat outside and waited. Besides once again being pretty chilly and windy here, it was a beautiful morning. And don't even get me started on the drive to Normandy. It was about 3 hours but the French countryside was so captivating to look at. In some ways I guess it's like back home in America, and maybe it's just because it's new and different and in Europe, but I really couldn't peel my eyes away from the window. The farmland fields are this beautiful golden color and it stretches for so long. Then most the houses would be built into the side of a mountain or just very clustered together in parts. There were stand alone cottages too, of course, but even these were so great because they were very old looking and mostly made out of stone. I did end up falling asleep for around and hour, then went straight back to taking it all in. Once we pulled off the highway and onto the country roads it only got better. Then we got to Normandy. After parking, we walked into the small museum which was very somber and made me tear up reading some of the stories of the brave soldiers and what they did. From there you can exit and take a short-ish walk to the American Cemetery and beach. The graves were very beautiful the way they were all (mostly) the same and lined up symmetrically. There overlook to Omaha beach was also gorgeous, you could even go down if you pleased, however we wanted to grab some lunch and stop a couple other places. Before getting to the next stop, we ate at a small cafe [Le Tivoli] off the road in one of the towns and it was really cute (like they all are), you could just get baguette sandwiches but for pretty cheap, like $4! Then we were off to Point du Hoc where many craters formed from bombings and you could also walk down into the bunkers. It was eery to see and think about being in that situation and how scary it must've been, but also a really neat site to see. Once again there were gorgeous views of the beach down below, although this one wasn't one you would go walk on really because it was very rocky. We didn't spend much time there before heading to our last sight-seeing stop; Utah Beach. This one was very vast and we actually walked out onto it all the way to the water. There were a lot of small crabs on the sand and water and the sun was out; it was just a fun little stop that I recommend everyone take if you're in the area, even if you don't plan on swimming. For us this week, it has been very cold and windy even though last week it was in the 90s and next week will be scorching too, but how can you really be mad at the weather when you're in paradise? We're staying at a Best Western (it's actually nice, I promise) in Ducey in which our hotel room has a gorgeous view and there's even a mill on the back of the place. Right when we arrived we met up with another old au pair and had dinner with her down the street at a Pizzeria. It was fun exchanging old memories and talking about their travels (I'm seriously lacking in this department!!) So, tomorrow we go to... well I don't remember maybe like Saint Michele? It's hard to keep up! I'll update you once again after the days end though, so have no fear, I will be here. Don't forget to get emails sent to update you every time I post (on the bar on the righthand side). Talk to you all soon :)

Omaha Beach Overlook

Rough Morning getting up, so makeup free & hair is tied up messily, oops!
 

Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc, again

Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc

French Countryside while driving  

Utah Beach

No great photos of me today, sorry!
Leather Jacket- Lafayette Galleries
Ripped Boyfriend Jeans- H&M
Blue Tank- Local Shop
Bag- Marc by Marc Jacbos

American Cemetery at Normandy

Paris Day 4 (Last day in the City)

Yes, yes, it is my 4th and final day in the beautiful city of Paris. I'm genuinely going to miss everything from the tiny, yet efficient apartment, to using the metro to get around to the cafe's where it's expected to have long meals where you talk to your friends/family and sit in crowded spaces. It is quite dirty, and at times smelly, here, however after the first day or so you don't even always notice it (you still do sometimes not gonna lie, just not as often). I really love how there's a different cafe every ten feet and they all have outdoor seating, with heating lamps if it's cold, and most often they's also small tables that face the street so when you're eating or drinking you can watch the passerby's. Going back to how this is the last day, we started off early by taking the metro to the catacombs and after getting in line we ran across the street to a bakery and I got pain a chocolat (my favorite!), then back in line. It took around 2 hours probably to finally make it in because it has a max capacity of 200 but it's worth it because it's so amazing and creepy at the same time to see with your own eyes. There are just all of these walls underground lined with real, human skulls and bones from centuries ago stacked on top of each other and it takes around 45 minutes to walk through. Next we headed off to the Pantheon in Luxembourg. This is where many famous people, most notably Victor Hugo (wrote Les Mis) and Marie & Pierre Curie are buried. It also has beautiful architecture all around it, no surprise. Luxembourg is so beautiful to walk around because it is filled with trees and pretty flowers so we stopped at Le Creperie after to have a [very] late lunch and dessert. The senate and Luxembourg gardens were the next stop, where we also ran into my friends old au pair again because she is a guard there! It has an amazing view so it is great to take pictures at or just sit and chill (there's many tables and benches to sit at around the flowers and garden area). After a short time here we had to race off to the site where Napoleon is buried to make it in time before it closed. There is also a mini museum there with tons of ancient armour there. Napoleon is not alone buried there, because many others have joined him since, but the building, again, is magnificent from the inside with the high ceilings and ornate wall designs. After spending some time here, we were on our way to the *drumroll* Eiffel Tower!! The grounds weren't as beautiful as I imagined and pictured it, with grass all around, it was actually just dirt and gravel sadly, however the eiffel tower itself was so grandiose. We weren't allowed to go to the very top for some reason it was temporarily closed and since we had already seen the skyline of Paris from a few different places around town already we decided to move on and took a boat tour. Sounds cheesy but honestly if you ever find yourself in Paris this is a must do because you don't even necessarily have to pay attention to the "popular" sites (unless you don't have time to go to them individually). Since we had already seen all these things many times in passing and going there, I just focused on the architecture of the city and the people. It was around 8 o'clock there and the walls surrounding the water were just brimming with people everywhere, with family, friends, and lovers talking, drinking, or having picnics. To me it all just seemed so perfect and beautiful. I know I must've used that word so many times by now, but all of this honestly is. We finally hopped back on the metro after the tour docked and made our long way back to around the apartment to have dinner finally (10 pm!). We finally found a good place, but me and Megan headed back right after eating to pack and get ready to move on to Normandy tomorrow. Plus I have had very little sleep so far and I've mostly ignored it, but today I couldn't anymore. So head back here tomorrow for my next update! I'm assuming our hotel near there will have wifi, if not, just keep checking because I might just have to post it a day or two late. As always, thanks!

The Catacombs

The Catacombs

Wall of skulls/bones in the Catacombs

Where Napoleon is buried

Marie Curie and Pierre Curies entrance to their tomb

Armour from the museum 

Ceiling detail at Napoleon

Eiffel Tower!!

Romper/Necklace- Forever 21
Bag- Marc by Marc Jacbos
Windbreaker- Columbia
Ring- Mexico area in Epcot at Disneyworld

Paris Day 3

Yay so I made it to day #3 in Paris! We only have one more day in the city, and even though driving through the country to Normandy, then Versailles will be cool, I'm already sad thinking about having to leave here. I really love the culture and people here, I'm sure it's similar in most of Europe which makes me just wanna travel around here even more (possible next trips: Ireland or Spain??) We've become somewhat of pros (only kidding!) at using the metro and navigating our way around it by now and I've grown to like it even if it occasionally smells and can be overcrowded at times. The architecture here is just breathtaking. We went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and just took in all the panoramic views of the city from up there. I think that was my favorite thing of the trip so far to be honest. The many, many stairs needed to get to the top is worth it, trust me. This, along with visiting the Musee d'Orsay. We grabbed breakfast after getting off the metro at a local bakery and then promptly got in line, luckily since we lined up before opening we didn't wait too long, although it was delayed 15 minutes, sadly. Then, once getting in I had a mini freak out because I legitimately thought someone had stolen my phone, even though theres no way that could've happened; I was just in panic mode and not thinking (it ended up having slid down farther than I thought the pocket in my new purse could go). I really enjoyed this museum much more than the Louvre just because it was less crowded, easier to navigate, and had the time period of painting styles I enjoy more. My favorites were the Monet's, Van Gogh, and Alfred Sisley. Excuse my lack of painting terms, but I love it when they paint with dots instead of smooth brush strokes. After touring around there for a couple hours and the arc, we headed to Le Friedland for a late lunch, a little ways off from the arc area. Next was Pere Lachaise Cemetery, where Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and many others are buried. It really is a cool place to visit because of how stunningly beautiful the graves and mausoleums lining the cobblestone streets. It is a little ways off, but the metro has a line that goes there. Finishing up there, we raced back to Odeon station to meet with my friends old au pair and from there we went to dinner at Bullion Racine, a really cool old building. Dinner lasted nearly 4 hours but it passed so quickly talking to her and eating amazing duck, and cake/sorbet. Tomorrow has a lot in store, so till then!

Pere Lachaise Cemetery 

Jim Morrison's Grave

Me with Van Gogh's Self Portrait 

In the middle of the Orsay Museum

Inside an exhibit in the Orsay

A crepe I bought on the street (best i've ever had, no joke)

The Arc de Triomphe 

Views from the Arc

Me n the eiffel tower

The Perfect Spring Saturday

This past Saturday (aka yesterday), the weather outside was perfect it was a high 61 degrees and sunny out so why was I going to waste it? It started off with going shopping at an outdoor mall mainly for my mom but I also stopped a few places to see new clothes for this spring season. I have been wanting to get bralletes for awhile now and I love aeries (American Eagles lingerie) items, however this one in particular didn't have but one type of brallete and not in my size so I guess I'll have to check another one later. Afterwards I went to check sephora in jcpenny and almost bought an eyeshadow brush and too faced 'melted' lipstick but I realized I forgot my card at home. I'll definitely have to go back for that lipstick though because after trying it on I think I'm in love. Anyhow, later on in the day I texted my friend and asked if she wanted to go to a park called Ritchey Woods. Still waitin' on the leaves to start growing back to make this place more beautiful! However here's some pictures from our little afternoon adventure in the mean time, while those leaves are-a-growin!