Last Day for an American in Paris!

So this is my last day on my week and a half long vacation.  It makes me sad because I feel like I didn't even see all that London/Paris had to offer.

Yesterday, we went on a 3 hour tour, but for any Gilligan Island fan's out there, it was by bus.  We drove all around the city, and then I headed back to the hotel for a few hours to rest my feet, while the others went to Versailles. 

Then later that night we went on a boat tour down the river Sane.  After the tour, we waited for all of our group members, I ended up getting a great deal on some souvenirs, but that was the least excitement of the day!

I saw my life flash before my eyes when I got caught in between the Metro (Subway) doors.  This was caused by my fellow group members not heeding our Tour Directors advice when she said get on as quickly as possible.  (Side note, other group members claimed I was the slow one... I can only go as fast as everyone else... Okay, Rant over!)

Then we saw the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower at 2200.  I can not express how breathtaking this sight was, and tried to take pictures, but there was no justice given!  So Beautiful!

And for today...

We started out by going to a perfume museum.  Very boring to be quite honest, but the perfume smelt pretty.  (I ended up buying a small bottle at 19 Euros...)

After the museum, we were free.  I opted to see 2 sites, Notre Dame and Jim Morrison's grave.  Both areas were very peaceful, and awe inspiring!

So now, it is bed time, and I must bid my foreign travel farewell.  We are departing for America at roughly 0500!  So early, and it will be hard to get focused, but then again, I get to see my family.


 Farewell for now Followers!

End of Days in London/Beginning to Ol Par'i!

                                           Hello my blog followers!

 Yesterday was a sad day, as it was our last day in London.  However we tried to make the most of it by taking in as much fun as possible.

First, my friend Melissa and I went to the British Museum to look at the historical treasures I missed on Thursday.  Then, we met up with some other of our group mates in Chinatown to shop and eat lunch.  Finally, I went on the "Ghost Walk of London".  I enjoyed it, except that it involved walking, (hence the title...) and my dogs were barking from the last week of activity. 

We all went to sleep that night knowing that we had to be up at 0500 to get on the "Chunnel".  While on the Chunnel, it was a smooth ride, and although it was space deprived we all ended up falling asleep during the 2 hours we were on the train.  (And as a side note, I felt like Harry Potter going to Hogwarts, because it was foggy and of course London.)


From the train, we came to check into the hotel.  Amazingly Beautiful would be an understatement!  It is like Carrie Bradshaw's apartment in Sex and the City!  (Made a girl feel important...)

We then went to the art museum where we saw none other than the Mona Lisa!  I almost had tears in my eyes beholding her understated beauty!  Not only her, but there were so many other paintings and sculptures that I was actually taken back to ancient times.

For tomorrow, we will be going to Versailles, followed by a trip down the river Sane to see the most amazing sights from a ideal location!  So all in all, a long day ahead!

Til Tomorrow Followers!

More/Less Fun Times in London

Day 5 in London...

To start off my morning on a bad note, I was not given a wake up call.  So, I got a call at 0900 asking where I was.  I quickly got dressed, got my hair looking presentable, and was downstairs in 5 minutes.  We then were in a hurry to get on the tube, and never stopped moving.  Keep in mind I woke up only 7 mins prior by the time we reached our tube.  So now, with that in mind, it did not make my tummy feel very well, and I started to feel shaky and queasy.  Feeling like this, I opted out of the British Museum, and London Eye, and went back to the hotel.

Very Upsetting.

But I rested and ended up feeling better. 

Then around 1800ish, we went to see "39 Steps".  This play was Hilarious!!!!!  I laughed so hard I couldn't stand it! 



So now tomorrow I will try the British Museum again with my good friend Melissa.  Along with the museum tomorrow, we will also be going to Chinatown, and finally out to dinner!  This will be our last night in London. ( I am making a sad face now!) 

More Fun Times in London

So Day 4 in London was my favorite day so far I think. 

We started off in the Tower of London... SO COOL!  I was able to see the final resting place of one of my idols, Anne Boleyn!  We were able to see the White Tower on the inside where there were interesting pieces of armor, the block and axe that they used to behead many people, and even (to my delight...) orbs in some pictures...  Plus on top of that we got to see the CROWNED JEWELS!!!  So breathtaking... Although we could not take pictures!

(Left, look in the hallway; Right, look at the top of the picture by the green sign.  There was not way to explain it, it was just plain freaky)

We also saw the "Neptune Building", with Neptune (Poseidon) facing out to sea.  Along by that building, there was a memorial for all those fallen at sea.  So moving!  By the memorial for the fallen Navy, there was a memorial dedicated to the unfortunate people on the very site the even took place.  Just the thought of all that murder made me cringe!

After the Tower of London, we went on the Dickinson Walking Tour.  3 hours of straight walking where Charles Dickinson got his inspiration... And let me tell you, I can understand why.

We then went to dinner where we had the traditional Fish and Chips.  Oh yeah, and a dessert called "Topsy Turvy".  (I think...)

Now after all that walking, I came back to the hotel.  Not that I wanted to, it is just my feet were screaming at me!  Walking from 0800-1900 can be quite painful I found out! 

So now tomorrow we will be visiting The British Museum, and then later that night going to the theater performance "39 Steps".  I will post more pics if I am able to.

More London!

Hello one and all!

First, I would like to apologize for not posting last night.  The day was packed full of sightseeing and I was exhausted.  So let me tell you how the last 2 days were...

We started our day out with breakfast at 0745.  We then left the hotel at 0840 to begin our sightseeing journey.  We all flocked onto a bus where we met our tour guide for the day, Stuart.  He had a light hearted, but very knowledgeable air about him, and we defiantly enjoyed the information he gave us, along with his "down to earth" take on "The British".

We first went to see Windsor Castle.   This was such an awe striking experience that is etched in my memory forever. 

We toured King Charles II apartments, but were unable to take pictures inside.  We saw The Queens Dollhouse, Paintings and armor of Centuries of rulers (like King Henry VIII), china, old beds, and rooms and rooms of history.

On the outside, we were able to see the oldest tower, built in the 1100's, the famous Rapunzel Tower, and of course, the guards!

From there we were able to walk around Windsor village, where we were able to get souvenirs and a bite to eat.  I wish I was able to tell you that we had a traditional British meal, but sadly, we all had either chicken nuggets or burgers.

We then got back on the bus, where we made our way to Buckingham Palace.  We were told that The Queen would be arriving, but sadly, we missed her.  Very upsetting.

We again, got back on the bus where we were taken to Westminster Abby.  YES, THE place where Prince William and Catherine Middleton were married a year ago!  I got tears in my eyes with all the information overload.

And Yes, Westminster Abby is right by Big Ben, and I was able to catch a picture of The British Parliament, and Big Ben.

We then made our final stop at St. Pauls Cathedral, where back in 1981 history was made when Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.  Along with that, we were also able to see original rubble left from the air raids during WWII.  Very Moving!

After all that, our day was over, we went to a vegetarian restaurant, (Yucky by the way!) and came back to the hotel.


OK!  That was all day one.


 Day 2 was a lot less interesting however.  Me and 2 others in my group opted out of the extra excursion, so we slept in, and went shopping, where we saw those robot looking people, and had our pictures taken with them! 

That is all from me today.  Please tune in another day, because tomorrow is... THE TOWER OF LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally in London!

So, Here we are, in the historical beautiful UK! 

The plane ride over was awful.  It was delayed an extra 4 hours, so that is MORE TIME TO HURRY UP AND WAIT at the AIRPORT!  OYE!  Then once we were on the plane, I was (literally) stuck in the middle.  (Not exactly how I envisioned it...)  After what seemed like forever, we were here!  While we were up the air, the clouds were so beautiful that I felt that I was as close as I could get to heaven alive. 

We then walked about a mile and a half around the airport, and made it through customs... (Definitely not as bad as I thought it would be.) 

After that, we claimed our checked luggage, P.S.  None of ours got lost, and finally met up with the transportation to the hotel.  This is where my story takes a not so pleasant turn...

While in the plane, I felt a little sick, but nothing bad, but then our crazy driver got ahold of my stomach!  I ended up missing our first excursion to the heart of London because my stomach had other plans for me... Needless to say, very disappointing... 

However, I am now feeling better, and eating London's version of a bacon cheeseburger with chips (AKA fries) and coleslaw.

Tomorrow we are going to the heart of London again, via chunnel, to go see Windsor Castle.  I am extremely excited about this, and am anticipating plenty of pictures!

Til Tomorrow my followers!

Start of the London/Paris Journey!

Hello my fellow Moraine Parkers!  I am Sara, the London/Paris blogger.

As I write this, I am (not so patiently) waiting for tomorrow to arrive.  We have it scheduled to meet at the Moraine Park campus at 12 noon, then from there travel by a van to O'Hare International Airport.  Our wonderful driver, Dr. Ron Campopiano, volunteered to take us to the airport to diminish any confusion on how to get there. 

There is so much excitement in the air, and a lot of PACKING TO DO!  I am enclosing a picture of the jumbled mess that become my bedroom dresser.  Therefore starting my photographic journey of my first time abroad. 

I will be sharing all my experiences, from the airplane ride over, to the delicious food, to the fantastic sights to see. 

So please check back, because I will be updating the blog daily!!!!!!

London-Bound!

Bon voyage, MPTC Students! Four Moraine Park students depart for London from Chicago tomorrow (Saturday), and one of those students, Sara Ann Adelmeyer, has agreed to share with us various highlights and moments from the experience. While one of the four will return to the States Saturday, March 24, Sara and two others will extend their trip on to France via the Chunnel, and they will return to Chicago Tuesday, March 27. 

Sara hopes to upload videos for us and share some of their itinerary on the blog over the next 10 days. If you are interested in seeing what they will be doing and where they will be going, please click this link and be sure to add your email for updates when they are posted. When Dr. Campopiano asked Sara if she would serve as our blog host during this time, he said Sara was excited, but then corrected that, saying, "stoked is a better word." Sara is serving as our group leader for the tour, so we are looking forward to viewing the uploads and reading the posts as Sara and the others meet new study tour friends and experience London and Paris. 

Thank you, Sara, for your leadership role in this effort, and thank you, Dr. Ron Campopiano, for being willing to initiate this first experience with EF College Study Tours. Your willingness to help get the students to/from Chicago is very much appreciated. Here's to first experiences -- the London Eye, Big Ben, the Tower of London, the Eiffel Tower, the Chunnel (Sara, remember what I told you about your ears popping!), and double-decker buses!!