I write to you tonight after my house finished a progressive Mexican dinner. Man, I love mexican food!
Last night, I saw my first musical here in London, Billy Elliot. It was fabulous! Really spectacular to see such young talent upon the stage. Incredible dancing from 12 and 13 year olds!
This past weekend, our group traveled to the city of Paris! The trip was filled with all you would expect: crepes, French language, metro, poodles, etc.
Day one we visited the Musee de Orsay and the Louvre. It was such a privilege to be exposed to world renown paintings and to see artwork up close and personal. The Musee de Orsay used to be a train station and is considered a newer museum containing artwork from artists such as Monet, Manet, and Van Gough. The Louvre is the biggest art gallary in the world. One could spend hours upon hours in the Louvre just looking at different artwork. Oh wait...I did! 
That night, a group of us went to the Arc de Triomphe and then the Eiffel Tower. I LOVED being at the Eiffel Tower all night. We soon went up the Eiffel Tower to the second level (unfortunately, the very top was closed.) The lights on the Eiffel were magical and the night seemed like a dream.
I again, spent the next day lounging on the lawn near the Eiffel Tower. As we spent time taking pictures and relaxing, we met a few girls sitting next to us who are from Texas also studying abroad in Europe. They were so kind and gave us a whole baguette they had extra as well as grapes! There I was: eating a baguette and grapes laying down staring at the Eiffel Tower on a gorgeous, sunny, hot summer day. The night ended with strolling the Champs Elysee and seeing more of the Paris atmosphere. One thing that Paris has more than London I would say are beggars. Adults and children. While laying on the lawn that afternoon, three young children came up with notes waving them all in our faces asking in French for water. Many people held clip boards walking down the streets and near the Eiffel tapping, following, and asking us to sign petitions of some sort.
Our last day was pretty much free and so a couple friends and I went to Montmartre. This is a gorgeous overview of the whole city as well as many shops up and down the mountain. The day was extremely hot and perfect for exploring. When i was ten, my family and I went to Montmarte and i got a portrait drawn so i thought it was only necessary that i get a portrait done again of myself ten years later. It's so interesting to see the difference between the portrait of my 10 year old self and my 20 year old self. I also was able to eat my first sandwich baguette! Ya know...with jambon et fromage (ham and cheese).
CREPES!
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| Nutella |
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| Nutella & Strawberries |
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| Nutella & Banana (my favorite!) |
After returning from Paris, it was the first time i felt as though London was home. I loved Paris, however, it did not steal my heart. London has such a clean, friendly, and fun feeling where as in Paris, i felt I had to be way more on guard, the environment wasn't very clean, and I just didn't feel as though i wanted to stay there for a long period of time. It was super fun whipping out my French i learned in high school even though it wasn't extensive.
Au Revoir!
Love it!
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