Ireland and Paris!!!
So - I got back from Europe two days ago - and went to work yesterday, am I trooper or what? :) Still a bit jetlagged, but it's all good.
I went to Ireland and Paris with Michelle, Anna, and Caitlyn. (Caitlyn is a friend of Michelle's from med school). If I had to pick one word to describe the trip it would be intense. Beautiful, fascinating, exhausting, and jampacked with activities.
I suppose I should start by describing Ireland. Ireland is beautiful - the first day of our tour the weather was perfect, which made me happy - because I knew that rain would ruin the Cliffs of Moher. We saw a really beautiful Monastery, a brilliant landscape made from limestone - so unique, and of course the cliffs. The bus was comfy for the most part, and the tour guide was crass but knowledgeable and friendly. The next day the weather was a bit more brutal - we went to Dingle Peninsula and also the most westerly point in Europe - and I swear I have never experienced such brutal wind combined with rain - wind so hard that it literally pushed me sideways, forwards, and backwards. Combine this with uneven rocks and mud to walk on, and a steep incline - and I cant believe I didn't fall! Also, simply the bus ride was treacherous! It was all so exhilarating!
The next day we went to Blarney Castle, kissed the Blarney stone, saw some cool underground caves, and some other ruins/castles and the like. One of the evenings we went out to a fun pub (although I had to call it an early night). Then I got my personal space invaded by an overly-friendly man who ran the hostel... that was... interesting. The other evening we went out to see a storyteller (not traditional - more theatrical, and funny), and then out dancing - which was fun although some of the guys were way too aggressive. I was the only one not molested that night - I guess that made up for the previous night. A whirlwind tour - fun but tiring. Some people have been very friendly - others.... I think the dislike for America definitely seeped into how they interacted with us... and that was disheartening. This moreso applied to people on the tour - all but two of the Aussies acted this way, in addition to some South Africans. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt - but apparently a lot of people don't ascribe to that philosophy. This did put a bit of a damper on the trip for me - even though I knew to expect it... facing it is another thing. The two Aussies (a married couple) who were really nice and open and friendly restored some hope to me though.
Our last night in Dublin most of us had breakdowns of some sort... mine was emotional (I don't handle heated debate very well), others were physical (coughing fits, nausea, bumped heads). However, the next morning we got up super-early and continued on to Paris.
Paris was interesting. The first day we just did some exploring after making our way to the hotel. It was so nice to stay in a hotel after being in hostels, even though the hotel was mediocre at best! The Paris metro system is super easy to navigate - if you ignore the Parisians who hate making room on the train! We got to the Louvre - but it was closed by the time we reached it. Simply the outside was gorgeous though, and I was happy to just be there. Then we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower - which was absolutely gorgeous up close. Going up the Tower and back down was a pain in the ass (SO crowded), but it was quite the experience overall.
The next day Caitlyn was very sick (poor girl), so she stayed in while we checked out Notre Dame. Then we went back to check on her, and although she bravely tried to go out, she ended up needing to stay in the rest of the day. Anna, not feeling so hot herself, also stayed behind while Michelle and I went to Versailles.
Versailles was my highlight of Paris (well, it's not technically in Paris - but close enough). It was magnificent. Every inch of the palace was so ornate, so rich in history, so breathtaking. I need to go back sometime in the Spring so I can explore the gardens and see Marie Antoinette's chateau.
After Michelle and I got back to the hotel, Caitlyn was doing better and managed to eat some dinner. Then, after watching some French TV (Ben Hur in French is quite the experience), we headed out to the Champs de Elysses to celebrate NYE. We nearly got crushed to death trying to get out of the Metro (horrible - we all panicked, literally), but once we got out it was pretty. Basically, upon reaching New Years, people set off their own fireworks and popped bottles of champagne (some got on my coat). No main fireworks that we could see (which was a let-down), but it was certainly something new. Then, when we weren't allowed back on the metro at the stop we had arrived by, we wandered around Paris for an hour or two looking for another one. Brutal on the feet - but the people-watching was one of a kind!
The following day we slept in (yummy), and checked out some more sights in Paris. We got in some good shopping and saw some awesome views of the city from the Monmartre and saw the beautiful Chaple of the Sacred Heart (Basilica of the Sacré Cœur ). We wandered around, and ended the evening with drinking games and more French TV, to fly home the next morning.
All in all my first trip to Europe was amazing. I also learned a lot about planning future trips (ie - more time for breaks!!). There were some conflicts, but all ended well. I was so glad to get back to the US, back home - but I can't wait to take another trip to Europe! There will definitely be more in my near future!!
I went to Ireland and Paris with Michelle, Anna, and Caitlyn. (Caitlyn is a friend of Michelle's from med school). If I had to pick one word to describe the trip it would be intense. Beautiful, fascinating, exhausting, and jampacked with activities.
I suppose I should start by describing Ireland. Ireland is beautiful - the first day of our tour the weather was perfect, which made me happy - because I knew that rain would ruin the Cliffs of Moher. We saw a really beautiful Monastery, a brilliant landscape made from limestone - so unique, and of course the cliffs. The bus was comfy for the most part, and the tour guide was crass but knowledgeable and friendly. The next day the weather was a bit more brutal - we went to Dingle Peninsula and also the most westerly point in Europe - and I swear I have never experienced such brutal wind combined with rain - wind so hard that it literally pushed me sideways, forwards, and backwards. Combine this with uneven rocks and mud to walk on, and a steep incline - and I cant believe I didn't fall! Also, simply the bus ride was treacherous! It was all so exhilarating!
The next day we went to Blarney Castle, kissed the Blarney stone, saw some cool underground caves, and some other ruins/castles and the like. One of the evenings we went out to a fun pub (although I had to call it an early night). Then I got my personal space invaded by an overly-friendly man who ran the hostel... that was... interesting. The other evening we went out to see a storyteller (not traditional - more theatrical, and funny), and then out dancing - which was fun although some of the guys were way too aggressive. I was the only one not molested that night - I guess that made up for the previous night. A whirlwind tour - fun but tiring. Some people have been very friendly - others.... I think the dislike for America definitely seeped into how they interacted with us... and that was disheartening. This moreso applied to people on the tour - all but two of the Aussies acted this way, in addition to some South Africans. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt - but apparently a lot of people don't ascribe to that philosophy. This did put a bit of a damper on the trip for me - even though I knew to expect it... facing it is another thing. The two Aussies (a married couple) who were really nice and open and friendly restored some hope to me though.
Our last night in Dublin most of us had breakdowns of some sort... mine was emotional (I don't handle heated debate very well), others were physical (coughing fits, nausea, bumped heads). However, the next morning we got up super-early and continued on to Paris.
Paris was interesting. The first day we just did some exploring after making our way to the hotel. It was so nice to stay in a hotel after being in hostels, even though the hotel was mediocre at best! The Paris metro system is super easy to navigate - if you ignore the Parisians who hate making room on the train! We got to the Louvre - but it was closed by the time we reached it. Simply the outside was gorgeous though, and I was happy to just be there. Then we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower - which was absolutely gorgeous up close. Going up the Tower and back down was a pain in the ass (SO crowded), but it was quite the experience overall.
The next day Caitlyn was very sick (poor girl), so she stayed in while we checked out Notre Dame. Then we went back to check on her, and although she bravely tried to go out, she ended up needing to stay in the rest of the day. Anna, not feeling so hot herself, also stayed behind while Michelle and I went to Versailles.
Versailles was my highlight of Paris (well, it's not technically in Paris - but close enough). It was magnificent. Every inch of the palace was so ornate, so rich in history, so breathtaking. I need to go back sometime in the Spring so I can explore the gardens and see Marie Antoinette's chateau.
After Michelle and I got back to the hotel, Caitlyn was doing better and managed to eat some dinner. Then, after watching some French TV (Ben Hur in French is quite the experience), we headed out to the Champs de Elysses to celebrate NYE. We nearly got crushed to death trying to get out of the Metro (horrible - we all panicked, literally), but once we got out it was pretty. Basically, upon reaching New Years, people set off their own fireworks and popped bottles of champagne (some got on my coat). No main fireworks that we could see (which was a let-down), but it was certainly something new. Then, when we weren't allowed back on the metro at the stop we had arrived by, we wandered around Paris for an hour or two looking for another one. Brutal on the feet - but the people-watching was one of a kind!
The following day we slept in (yummy), and checked out some more sights in Paris. We got in some good shopping and saw some awesome views of the city from the Monmartre and saw the beautiful Chaple of the Sacred Heart (Basilica of the Sacré Cœur ). We wandered around, and ended the evening with drinking games and more French TV, to fly home the next morning.
All in all my first trip to Europe was amazing. I also learned a lot about planning future trips (ie - more time for breaks!!). There were some conflicts, but all ended well. I was so glad to get back to the US, back home - but I can't wait to take another trip to Europe! There will definitely be more in my near future!!