Bonjour from....London?!

Bonjour from the beginning of week three here in Paris!! It is amazing how quickly the time has flown by and I am so sad to say that this is the beginning of the last half of our time here :( Last week was full of so many adventures and experiences and I know that a blog can't possibly begin to hold all of the memories that I have made, but I hope I can get my thoughts together enough to share with you some of the things I enjoyed last week!

A trip to Paris for a music major isn't complete without completely enveloping oneself in the numerous amounts of fine arts and entertainment offered here. So since Erin and I knew we had many fine arts cultural experiences in store we deemed last week the "Fine Arts Week." Catchy, huh? :) Although our "Fine Arts Week" really began by seeing the opera that I wrote about in my last blog, the following Monday was full of plenty of theatrical experiences to make up for it. The entire Baylor in Paris group took a group tour of the famous Opera Garnier opera house. (To those who may not be as familiar with it, it is the opera house that the phantom of the opera is supposed to have derived from.) hehe :) Regardless of whether or not the phantom business is true (hint: the tour guide told us it's false), the building itself is absolutely stunning and has so many elaborate rooms full of rich history (literally this place costs what would be trillions of dollars now), and is an amazing visit for anyone who enjoys the arts.

The gorgeous foyer in the Opera Garnier

The Opera Garnier

After the opera visit, our Baylor in Paris group had tickets to see a play that the theater class was studying called "On ne bandine pas avec l'amour," translated as "You don't mess with love." It was an interesting play that was performed entirely in French, but honestly my French vocab isn't quite up to the standards reequired to understand everything that happened. It was an interesting way to appreciate French culture and I hope to someday be able to read the play and understand it better. :)

Relaxing with my sweet friend Laura in a park before seeing the play!

On Tuesday after class, our Baylor in Paris group had a scheduled tour of the chateau at Versailles. This large and luxurious palace has seen many kings and even the famous Marie Antionette as residents, and the gardens have a breathtaking view of green scenery and fresh air. Besides getting lost in the city of Versailles trying to find the train station to go back to Paris, our group really enjoyed seeing some of the vast luxuries the kings and their courts required when they lived in the palace. 

Having fun mimicking the statues in the gardens :)

Wednesday brought about a long overdue day of....SHOPPING!!! Don't worry, I didn't buy anything, but it was so much fun visiting one of the largest department stores in Paris called Printemps. It has over 7 stories of clothes, shoes, accessories, perfumes, and make-up galore. Let's just say I was in a little piece of heaven even though the only shopping I was able to do in the store was window shopping. We spent most of the afternoon there and I really enjoyed being able to browse through the beautiful pieces of jewelry, scarves and clothing all for outrageous prices, but justly so. (It IS Paris, the fashion Capitol of the world.)
We spent Wednesday night studying for our midterms on Thursday and packing for our long weekend getaway trips all across Europe.

Thursday meant tests and traveling for all of us Baylor in Paris students. Erin and I had made plans months in advance for this past weekend and it was one of my favorite memories of my time in Europe thus far. Erin and I made our way to London this weekend and were so blessed to be able to stay with my sister's amazing friends Sarah and David who live in London. While most of Thursday was filled with travel, we made up for the exhaustion with some great Greek food and some down time at David and Sarah's house.

Friday was a day of exploring London and enjoying many of its own luxuries such as tea, shopping and sightseeing. We enjoyed a brunch at The Tea Room in another large department store, that I believe is even larger than Printemps, called Harrods. Erin and I were blown away at the amount of things offered for sale at Harrods, and I made my first big purchase at one of the many jewelry counters :) After lunch we headed to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the London Eye all near the Westminster bridge. I was so excited to finally see many of the monuments I had only ever seen in pictures, and I definitely felt like the many pictures I had seen had not done the view justice. Friday night included our front row tickets for the musical Les Miserables, (in which Erin cried enough for the both of us over the incredible talent that the performers displayed during the production.)  

Finally in London!

Big Ben!

We were meant to be British ;)

Westminster Abbey

All dolled up for Les Miserables!

Saturday was slightly marked with bad weather, but in the morning David and Sarah spiked our interest with a small visit to Buckingham Palace where we participated in celebrating the Queen's birthday with the parade that was put on by some of the military and guard for the Queen. We were even a bit starstruck by the entire Royal family, (and yes we did catch a sighting of the beautiful Kate Middleton.) After the celebration Erin and I went on a long search for Shakespeare's Globe and the Tower of London where the crown jewels are located. Both of those visits were cut a bit short because of time constraints, but well worth the visits nonetheless.

Celebrating with the Queen at Buckingham Palace!

She received her own air show. Go figure.

Beautiful view of the city from the Tower of London

Saturday night included one of my favorite memories of the visit to London, which is rather sad considering I had enjoyed the spectacle before. Erin and I scored amazing seats with a student discount of only 26£ per ticket for the musical Wicked in which I heard one of the most INCREDIBLE voices I have ever heard play the character of Elphaba. I will admit, I did cry through a few songs because of how great the voice of Elphaba was, but all in all it was the perfect way to end our time in London. 

So excited for Wicked!!

Sunday was another long travel day, in which Erin and I were both tested with patience when we thought we might miss our flight back to Paris. No worries (as the British say) though because here we are again in Paris, safe and sound and bright eyed for another week full of more sight seeing and attempting to absorb the beautiful French language :) 

I am reminded daily of how blessed and lucky I am to have this opportunity and experience here in Paris and sometimes I still can't believe it's real. I hope that I can come home to America with a little more insight into another culture that is very different from mine, but also with the grateful mindset that I live in a place that is protected and governed by those with my best interests in mind. I am so excited to make the most of what's left of my time here in France, and I am so glad that I am sharing it with some of the sweetest and most wonderful people who love their time here as much as I do. 


Until next week when I am even closer to my return home,
Emily