it was june 30/july 1 2008

after months of preparation and anticipation michele and i were finally on our way to europe for the next six weeks of our summer. we both were ready to travel again and excited for an adventure together. we were to meet jess in ireland and travel with her for a while and then travel as two from paris onward.  

so here are my photos and my stories of the best trip, with the best person, in the best places.

it was july 2 2008

michele and i got off the plane in dublin after not sleeping the entire plane ride from boston. we were so confused and tired at this point, but incredibly excited when we saw jess waiting for us as we arrived and carrying a sign that welcomed us to ireland. it was so nice to see her and exciting, she'd spent the whole night taking a bus ride across the country to get to dublin. so from the airport we checked out the hostel, great location down a small side street. then we went back to the airport to get a bus up to northern ireland. OH boy was that insane...we spent alllll day on and off buses to get to giant's causeway at the northern tip of the country. the day was cold and rainy and we all slept each leg of the trip on whatever bus we were on. i was happy to see the irish countryside which is so pastural and rustic with farms for miles. there are cute stone walls and sheep and lots of cows that just sit in the fields looking over the cliffs. norther ireland is just cold feeling, weather wise and in general. we finally made it to giant's causeway having traveled about four hours to get there and then it would be another several hours back to dublin which resulted in us having one heck of an adventure and leaving us dead to the world by the end...

it was july 2 2008

we explored dublin by foot going to all the main attractions of the city. we went to trinity college, which reminded us a lot of harvard, just a very old college campus. we went from there to st. stephen's green, a beautiful city park where there was live music playing which was nice for us to just sit and eat lunch and enjoy being outside. 

our day after this ended up being insane, michele and i realized we had missed our flight to london because we booked it a day earlier than we wanted. we had to rush to an internet cafe, buy new tickets, get ourselves to the airport and fast. there was no way we were going to stay in dublin another day, we were ready for london!

it was july 3 2008

we arrived late last night into london and as soon as michele and i got out of the tube station and up to the streets we were so excited to be there. 

we did a complete tour of london today starting at westminster abbey which was amazing and perfectly timed because the bells chimed while we were there. from there we went to st.james's palace along the river thames and big ben. we went from that area of the city over to buckingham palace which is just as one imagines it; ornate, impressive, elegant and beautiful. st.james park in front of the palace was a great place to stroll and relax. we then ventured up to picaddily circus, but were quickly overwhelmed by the crowds so we headed back to the victoria section of the city where we were staying. we also went down to hyde park which is huge and was lovely, it smelled so good, it was beautiful, everyone was out just enjoying a little sunshine and the green grass and blooming flowers, it was a nice chance for us to relax from all the walking and from taking in everything that we saw. there's is lots more of london to see...

more london...

it was july 4 2008

we were in london for the fourth of july, an odd combination. 

we spent our day touring around different parts of london. our first stop was the tate modern museum which is free and a really nice museum dedicated to modern art where we spent most of our morning. i really enjoyed some gerhard richter and there was a great jackson pollock.

we continued on to the tower bridge, the famous bridge of the children's song london bridges falling down...falling down. it is actually a really beautiful bridge and we got to walk a little ways across it and then turned around because we had stumbled upon an amazing fruit, vegetable, and other treats market that we had to get back to. so we went back to it for a delicious lunch outside. 

our afternoon took us to nottinghill, the now infamous section of london made famous from a little movie named after it featuring the hugh grant and the julia roberts. there was a nice outdoor market along the streets with antiques and shops with knic-knaks. it was pleasant afternoon.

later that evening as we knew it would be our last in london, we went back to the thames at night to see everything lit up. the parliament was spectacular at night, all lit up and reflecting into the river. it was a great way to kind of wrap up our time in london, a city we were surprised to love so much.

it was july 5 2008

it was our last day in london and we went back to buckingham palace to see the changing of the guards. the crowd was several people deep making it feel like every tourist or person staying in london was there. we saw some of the guards marching into the palace grounds, but we could not really see any part of the changing. we did not stay long and got out even quicker than we expected because it started to rain.

it was july 6 2008

paris all the time, non-stop, all day pass. early in the morning michele and i left the hostel and went to the heart of paris with the plan to meet jess later on. the two of us explored around the louvre, walked the bridges that cross the seine and follow the waters edge to the next one. looking down the seine and seeing all the bridges and buildings is quite a beautiful sight. even after days in paris i was always delighted to see the bridges and banks of the seine. as we walked around in the morning, we saw our first glimpse of the eiffel tower. 

mid-day we met jess and went to the louvre, which after entering with the overflowing crowds of people, we soon realized, it was just too much. we did the traditional view of the mona lisa and other famous works, many of which i was happy to see after spending so many art history classes studying. but within less than half an hour we were out of the museum. the outside of the louvre impressed me more than the art inside, the building and its grounds are huge and elegant. the tuilleres that are the famous gardens of the impressionist painters are right behind the louvre and now offer a respite for those weary of how overwhelming the louvre can be. from the louvre we went down the banks of the seine to notre dame cathedral.

from the louvre we walked to notre dame where we spent a lot of time both around the cathedral and behind it where there are adorable small side streets all lined with cafes, shops, restaurants, and chocolatiers. sneaking our way back behind the cathedral really paid off because we discovered such a pleasant little shopping experience. 

notre dame itself is just beautiful, the front is a heavenly stark white marble while the back is completely the opposite, being dark and mysterious. there is also a nice garden area behind the cathedral with benches and trees manicured so they grow all in a line and shade picnic benches for people to stop to enjoy a quiet lunch break or afternoon rest. rest however was not something that was on our minds. we were on a mission to see all the main stops on this one day tour of paris.

our second stop on our all access pass of paris led us to the arc d'triomphe. it took us awhile to get to the arc, but it was well worth the while once we arrived. we got to go right underneath it and it is so impressive just with its size first and then all the carving and relief work just blows you away. our feet were tired let alone our whole bodies so we attempted to take a small break and sit down at the base, but were quickly told that it was not allowed so we were on our feet again and put them to good work because no amount of exhaustion was going to stop us from getting jess to the eiffel tower.

the eiffel tower... what can i say. we spent a good part of the day here and took far too many pictures. we did not walk up or ride the elevator up the tower, but instead marveled at it from all angles possible. i feel as though the eiffel tower just leaves you speechless, not because it is so beautiful, but because it is this legendary, made out to be larger than life, romaniticized, must see in your life and you enjoy it, but feel not quite as fulfilled as you imagined. 

we spent most of our time in the park just behind the eiffel tower where we laughed at people being all lovey-dovey and tried to take humorous pictures of unsuspecting people and then went and ate the all-so-french crepes for dinner. 

we wanted to see the eiffel tower at night because it was rumored to be lit up blue that month so we waited for night to fall and the lights to come on. once they did it lit up a royal blue and sparkled. it was the perfect ending to a busy and bittersweet day. we saw so much of paris and had a wonderful time, but we had to say goodbye to jess and michele and i were to continue on our adventures just the two of us.

michele and i stayed in the montmatre section of paris. our first impression of paris, getting off the train into montmatre we thought wow! this place is dirty. it was much more gritty and rough than dublin or london where the streets are impeccably clean. we were a little sketched out by the area, but we did not spend much time in montmatre as there was so much to see elsewhere. by our last day in montmatre it did not seem so bad. it was actually quite cute as we walked around one morning and found little shops. it felt very old parisien, like how we all imagine paris was in its hay day. 

i love the old buildings, apartments and shops, some with little balconies and with their corners facing the streets. the streets are so small and they curve along following the road. the buildings are a white wash with chimneys and just all in all, exactly how i imagined the city. 

it was july 7 2008

we moved ourselves from montmatre to alesia(sections of paris). we met claire, she cooked excellent food for us, we slept great, and i got new shoes...hallelujah. we stay with claire for the rest of our time in paris and it's a nice home away from home feel. alesia is a really cute part of the city and still close to everything we wanted to see.

it was july 8 2008

today we went to the palace of versailles, outside the city of paris. the palace is enormous as well as the manicured grounds all around it. we never went into the palace because it was swarming with tourists, but we did walk all around the chateau and the grounds. we went down the huge long mall with the enormous pool that felt like it went on forever and ever. it was hard to comprehend the entirety of the grounds. there were a lot of people walking the grounds, riding bicycles, and running. inside the grounds are numerous gardens and fountains, and little forest paths and little meeting circles and just a labyrinth of pathways. the palace is so huge that you can see if from just about any where. versailles was a nice getaway from the city.

it was july 9 2008

we went back to notre dame today. this time we were determined to go inside. the inside of the cathedral is beautiful with stained glass windows. we then waited outside in line for a very long time to walk about 400 or so steps to the top. once you reach the top you can view the entire city from an outer ledge. it was a wonderful view of paris. we could see all along the seine to the eiffel tower and everything in between. we also got up-close to the gargoyles and saw the famous bell tower. the experience was really worth it. it was such a beautiful day which made it all the better.

it was july 9 2008

we stumbled upon a real paris gem today. as we were walking through the city we found the gardens of luxembourg which were absolutely gorgeous. there is a large building at the entrance and then the grounds filled with lovely flowers, a large pool of emerald green water, nice pathways, statues, and people genuinely enjoying the sunshine of the day. 

this was by far one of our best days in the city and of the entire trip. i've never laughed so hard in one day. there is a laundry list of hilarious things that happened to us.

paris has to be one of the most stunning, fun and memorable places i've ever travelled to. it may seem cliche, but i really fell in love with the city of paris.