Volcano & Kelsey's Visit

Things have been a bit hectic over here because of the volcano! Fortunately, I did not have travel plans this past weekend- but Kelsey and Claire were supposed to come. Claire's flight got canceled and Kelsey was stuck in Paris for an extra three days! My mom was supposed to be here today but her flight was postponed until Sunday. Everyone is in the metro with suitcases because they are trying to get out of Paris!

This past weekend with Kelsey was fun. We picnicked in Parc Buttes Chaumont, which is one of the few parks in Paris where you can actually sit on the grass. The park was beautiful and massive. There was, randomly, a temple and waterfall in the middle of the park. After the picnic, we went to Le Marais and St. Germain to do a little shopping. On Sunday, we went to a flea market and farmer's market at Rue Aligre. On Monday night, Kels and I went to this Basque restaurant- Chez Gladines- which was PACKED at 7:30 pm (very early for the Parisians) on a Monday night. The food was delicious and cheap, which explained the crowds. We had basque chicken, a huge salad with ham, egg, potatoes, and cheese, and of course a caraffe of Sangria. Yeseterday, Kels and I went to Trocadero, which is the area across the river from the Eiffel Tower. It has an awesome view of the tower. We were in the area to try "one of the best chocolate eclairs in Paris". It was delicious, but it cost a pretty penny...

Me, Kelsey, Katherine w/ Picture of Claire (because she couldn't come) @ Waterfall in Parc Buttes Chaumont

Tourist season has finally arrived. The metro and streets are packed with American and Asian tourists. I've been trying to stay off the beaten path because I can't stand crowds. The weather is beautiful in Paris. Cherry blossom trees are blooming and there are tulips and daffodils everywhere. It is practically skirt weather, so I am looking forward to putting away my tights and and boots for a few months.

Cherry Blossom Trees!
Pretty Tulips near Luxembourg

Brianna and I bought tickets for Spring Break! We are going to Venice for a few days, then Greece (Santorini and Mykonos) for the rest of the week. Then, sadly, I leave Paris on the 3rd of June. Fortunately, classes end soon so I can soak up the rest of my time here in France!

London!

This past weekend I went to visit Ruth in London. It was a lot of fun! I arrived on Friday morning via chunnel (which was not as cool as expected! I didn't even notice when we went through it, it is a tunnel and does not take that long to go through). I met up with Ruth and her two friends who were also visiting and we all went to a delicious Dim Sum restaurant. After that, we went to the tower of London (where people were beheaded, etc.) and the tower bridge. We walked over to Westminster Abbey, which was beautiful, Parliament, and Big Ben. That night we went out to a Jamaican jerk chicken place which was very tasty.

Ruth and I at the Tower of London

In Front of Big Ben!

The next morning we woke up and went to Camden Market, a big market area where a lot of vendors sell different lunch items. I had one of the best burgers of my life- it was an Argentinian steak burger with garlic mayo, chipotle ketchup, arugula, red peppers, on homemade ciabatta. Then I had a strawberry, banana, and pineapple skewer covered in white/milk/dark chocolate and nuts. Delicious! We wandered over to Cyber Dog- the most peculiar robot store I have ever seen, complete with dancers and all. After that, Ruth took a nap while I went to Borough Market- a really cool big market with all different types of stands. I had a lemon curd and raspberry pie (yum!). Then I went shopping on Oxford & Regent Street where they had the only Anthropologie store in all of Europe! Needless to say, I bought something... Just earrings though!

That night we met up with our high school friends Matt and Mike at an Indian restaurant. It was nice to have actually spicy and quality Indian food. Then we went to McDonalds for Cadbury Cream Egg Mcflurries (best thing ever!). The next morning, Ruth, her friend, and I went to The Table for brunch. It was one of the best brunches I have ever eaten- I ordered pancakes with carmelized bananas and bacon. It was a really cute restaurant. It made me miss good old American brunches in the states. Surprisingly- Paris does not have a ton of brunch places.

After brunch, we went to Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Harrods (which was closed :/ ), St. James Park, and Trafalgar Square. The parks were beautiful- particularly St. James Park. A bunch of daffodils and tulips had just been planted in London, so it was really stunning. Ruth and I walked around for a while longer, then headed to Nando's Peri Peri- a chicken chain- for dinner.

Matt and Ruth at St. James Park

The next morning we went to The Breakfast Club for brunch, then to Bea's for tea! Tea was awesome- for 10 pounds they give you a platter of treats in addition to unlimited tea. It was delicious and a really cute place. After Bea's, we headed over to Notting Hill. It was a cute area of town. We just walked around and poked our heads into a few shops. Then we headed home and had dinner at a Lebanese restaurant called Hiba.

Tea @ Bea's

Overall, London was awesome! It was definitely a food-filled weekend and it was really nice seeing Ruth. The weather was not too bad- of course, there was rain, but there was also a lot of sun! I would love to go back sometime in the future.