Le Resto du Roy

If a day at the Chateau de Versailles was the highlight of our trip to Paris, this quaint outdoor bistro played a pretty major role in the experience. Of course the Hall of Mirrors and the chateau’s famous gardens are worth making the trip, but have a seat on the outdoor terrace overlooking the city’s famous sites and you’ll feel a wave of simultaneous awe and satisfaction wash over your speechless self.

Where to go: 1 Avenue de St Cloud, 78000 Versailles

What to order: Dejeuner Menu—includes  starter, main, drink and dessert

Price: €15

Website: http://www.lerestoduroy-versailles.fr/

The Red Lion

Serving up standard British fare and libation since 1434, this standard watering hole sits just across from Parliament. Many a parliamentarian and every Prime Minister up to Edward Heath has been seen here. The allure for my visit is that Charles Dickens lived upstairs as a child and frequently returned to the pub to drink and write in his later days. If you’re going to eat fish and chips in London (you are), might as well do so in a den as renowned and alive with the ghosts of icons past as this one. Think of all the important decisions made on the stool you rest on!

Where to go: 48 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2NH

What to order: Fish and chips, sticky toffee pudding

Price:  £9.95

Website: http://redlionwestminster.co.uk/

Wafflemeister

Ahh London. It would only be fair to start at the very beginning (a very fine place to start) of my Great Awakening—the adventure that opened the door to all that ensued, the reason I am still unable to remove myself from Europe’s powerful (but loving) grasp.

London isn’t known for its gastronomical genius (I think fish and chips and mashed peas receive just the right amount of credit), but it is home to a phenomenon—nay, a truly brilliant human advancement—WAFFLEMEISTER.

To this day I cannot imagine a more perfect evening than dancing to street bands along the Southbank on a summer night before cooling down with one of those fluffy Belgian waffles topped with ice cream, fresh fruit and a number of other scrumptious goodies. There isn’t much that doesn’t taste good on a waffle. If heaven actually feels like the Strawberry Heaven, you won’t find a surprised expression on this face.

My study abroad fellows and I quickly made friends with the owners at Wafflemeister’s flagship shop in South Kensington so fortuitously close to our dorms. They promised to begin plans for a shop in the US, but to date we have not yet been graced with these celestial mountains of joy.

Where to go: 26 Cromwell Place, London SW7 2LD (hop out of the South Ken tube stop and round the corner to your right)

What to order: Strawberry Heaven

Price: £3.95

Website: http://www.wafflemeister.com/

oh, susannah!

Ok, I know that I have not updated in quite a while, and there may be no one to read this. But today's events must be documented. I am beginning to think that I have entered into the twilight zone instead of Roma, Italia. This morning, Emily and I said goodbye to Mary and Casey and we put our luggage downstairs for the day. Since Mary and Casey had to get back to Austria, we were switching hotels in order to get a smaller and less expensive room. Sounds simple enough, right? Hmm.

Anyway, we put our stuff in the room and headed off to the Vatican. When we hopped off the metro, we were stopped by a girl from North Carolina who told us that we should sign up for the Vatican tour. “It’s only 40 Euro,” she told us, “and you will get your student refund when you get up to the counter. You get to skip the lines and have an audio guided tour.” Well we thought that sounded like a grand idea—we had heard that it was $50 to get into the Vatican museums and that the line was at least 2 hours long. So we joined the group that was growing outside of a café near the Vatican. The group didn’t leave for another hour. Then we headed to St. Peter’s Basilica, where we sat and listened to our tour guide rattle off useless information for an hour and a half. It was really cool to be out in front of such an incredible place, but we were getting impatient to go inside. FINALLY, after much grouching from the members of our group, we began to stroll toward-guess what-THE LINE.

Yep, we still had to wait in the line just like everyone else. FOR TWO HOURS. People in our group were outraged, and we were beginning to get upset too. When we finally got inside the Vatican, we learned that the tickets cost 15 euro or 8 euro with a student ID. A Canadian dad argued with the tour guide and his wife about the injustice, and more and more people joined in. It became increasingly obvious that we had been scammed. We eventually realized that there was nothing to be done and headed off on our own tour of the Vatican. It was obviously quite incredible to see the Sistine Chapel and the many ancient art and artifacts that the sacred place had to offer, but we were so upset at being cheated by the gypsies that our hearts were no longer in our adventure. As we walked through one of the museum halls, I spotted a Boo Radley’s on Dauphin Street t-shirt. Of course, I had to ask if they were from Mobile! They were students at South, and one of them had grown up in Mobile. They asked us to come to lunch with them, so we headed to a pizzeria and discussed our travels. They had been to many of the same places as us so we were able to compare our respective experiences. It was so lovely and refreshing!

Then Emily and I headed back to our original hotel to gather our belongings and move to our new one. Unfortunately, the people at the hotel were the type who refuse to speak English though they understand it perfectly well. Leaving was extremely frustrating and a HUGE hassle, but we were finally able to hail a cab and move to what we thought was a nearby location. Wrong again. We found ourselves quite outside of Rome in a dingy, littered town. However, our concierge was very helpful and eager to talk to us. We put up our things and headed out to explore our new area. Along the way, we got gelato at a sketchy looking institution that ended up having the best gelato we have had yet. I put my change in my keychain, and I heard the worker say something that sounded like Alabama/Obama. As usual, I smiled and nodded and we walked out.

A few hours later, Emily and I went downstairs to search for some dinner. The concierge asked where we were going and encouraged us to eat at the place across the street. We walked over, but the place was empty save for a couple sitting at one of the many tables outside. The waiters were gathered around and one asked if we would like to sit inside or out. Pretty standard. Except when we said outside, the waiter replied “sorry, outside is full.” His face was stoic as he led us inside. Needless to say, we were bewildered. The waiters stalked about our table throughout the entirety of our dinner, not asking if we wanted anything, just lurking. Across the way, an Italian/Swedish (they introduced themselves as both…) couple called our attention and said that they had been eaves dropping on our conversation and would we like any of their food or wine. “That is what we do in Italy,” they said. Sidenote: We know this to be false. Italians are R-U-D-E. A few minutes later, they interrupted again. “Sorry…isn’t Mister Bean a London cartoon?” We were both wearing London t-shirts and that—I suppose—is why she made that comment, but we were still left completely speechless by their bizarre interruptions. We couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of our situation. We left the restaurant (the outside was still empty) to go for a walk. As we walked by the gelato shop from earlier in the day, we heard them call “Alabama!” This time we knew it was no mistake. We went in to talk to them and the guy asked where we were from. I told him Alabama, and he said he had seen it on my license in my keychain. He had never been to the States but he liked the sound of Alabama. Then, with Emily Gurdian and God as my witnesses, the lady started singing “Oh Susannah” in Italian!!!!!!!! Her coworker joined in, and Emily and I had no choice but to sing along as well (in English).

Our minds sufficiently blown for one day, we walked back to our hotel. We stopped to talk to the concierge about our plans to climb Mount Vesuvius and visit Naples tomorrow, but all he had to say was that Naples is dirty and has a lot of cows. I doubt that it can hold a candle to today, but I’m interested to see what Italy will come up with next!

A Tale of Two Cities

I have a theory that the reason the study abroad planners schedule breaks in the middle of the trip like Stratford and our free weekend is to make us miss London and feel as if we are returning home by the end of our trips. If so, mission accomplished. I’m not saying that I didn’t like Paris, because I did. Watching the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower was an out-of-body experience unlike any other. We took a bus around town that let us get on at off at stops like Champs Elysees, Arc de Triumph (changing of guards was really cool), Notre Dame, and the Bastille. We saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, walked along the Seine, and we ate more éclairs, crepes, and croissants than anyone ever should. The food was UNBELIEVABLE. One night, we climbed the Eiffel Tower and saw the most beautiful panorama ever. Paris is called “la ville lumiere” for a reason. We could see from one end of the city to the other, and it amazed us how much ground we had covered over just a few days. There were miles and miles between our many destinations. After descending, we joined a crowd of people listening to a guitarist by the tower. It was really, truly amazing. My favorite part was Sacre Coeur, however. Yesterday before leaving we went to mass at this beautiful church in Montmartre. It was on one of the highest hills in Paris and we climbed hundreds of stairs to get there, but it was all worthwhile. The view of the city was breathtaking, and then we went inside to celebrate mass in French. I loved being able to understand the Priest and what was going on in mass and I was so excited to put my French to use.

Immediately upon arriving to Paris, however, we discovered that it is dirty—smelling like urine and sweat with trash and graffiti everywhere. London, on the other hand, is IMMACULATE. There are no trashcans anywhere, but the city is pristine. And the people are so nice. In Paris, the stereotype is true. They do not like Americans and they are violent towards us! We were pushed, waved away, and berated nearly everywhere we went. Needless to say, this did not improve our opinion of the city. The nicest people we met were from Tampa! We clearly adopted the British attitude of superiority and were so unbelievably happy to return home to London. After a joyful reunification with our friends (the Scotland and Ireland travelers were happy to be home too) we took a “gentle stroll” to Hyde Park. We picnicked by Peter Pan and had a lovely evening running around the park and bonding over our shared affinity for London.

to be or not to be

     We have spent the last few days in Stratford upon Avon, the home of Shakespeare and not much else. The whole town is centered around Shakespeare, with more references to his works in one glance around the block than you have probably ever seen. Our teachers told us that this is the time when most students catch up on their rest during a little hiatus from the big city. We proved them wrong. Stratford turned out to be the some of the most fun times we’ve had yet. When we got there on Wednesday afternoon, we checked into our respective bed and breakfasts (SO CUTE) and headed out to take a look around town. We ate at a small café and covered the extent of town within an hour or two, stopping in stores such as “Poundland” where everything is a pound—comparable to the dollar tree. Then the gang met up at a pub before going to see Morte d’Arthur, a four hour play. Many of us (including one of the teachers) opted to sneak out after the first of FOUR intermissions. We headed to the pub next door and watched the soccer game instead. Afterward, we discovered the Bureau-- a cool little club near our B&B—and we were the only ones there so we got to choose the music and talk to the bartenders.

     The next day we had to be up early for a tour of Shakespeare’s birthplace and grave. We were all relatively excited about this, but when we got up from the best sleep and breakfasts of our lives to find that this MIGHT have been Shakespeare’s birthplace, that what we were looking at MAY have been his ring…we were ready to peace out and find our own adventures. Later that day, our professor Mark gave a beer seminar as we sat by the river. It was actually very enlightening. Then, the best part—I spotted a place to rent canoes! Paul, Morgan, Casey and I got one and headed out. It was so much fun! We saw Shakespeare's grave and church and waterfall. When we got out, we got ice cream and walked along the river. It was a perfect day! As it grew dark (at 10PM) all 29 of us headed back to the Bureau. I will not attempt to describe how much fun we had last night.

     The bus pulled up to one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe at 11AM, and everyone stumbled out gracelessly. The Blenheim palace was one of very few that Hitler did not destroy because he wanted it to be his when he was in total power. We wandered around for hours before crashing under the shade of a huge tree in the formal garden. We probably made a pretty funny sight—29 college kids sleeping under a tree in one of the most historical and gorgeous sites in England.

rock on, america

     The word ‘lovely’ and its counterpart ‘quite’ are beginning to pervade my vocabulary almost undetected. English people use these words so frequently that we can’t help but say them ourselves. At the risk of being banal, however, I will say that they most aptly describe the events of the past few days. Immediately after class this morning, our LSU group (“le tigre” as the boys call us) took the tube to Camden, a hippie village in central London. Camden is essentially a market place with every tiddlywink and useless treasure you can imagine surrounding vendors of Thai, Polish, and Korean food as well as pina coladas—quite an eclectic mix. From outside of the open air market, we took what is called a long boat—a narrow, hundred year old boat—down through the canals of central London that were used until midcentury for travel and to carry goods throughout the UK. Along the canals were houseboats, famous graffiti, and floating Chinese restaurants…the usual.

     When we wandered back into the part of London with which we are more familiar, we decided to go see Mamma Mia. It was so much fun because the audience was extremely engaged in the show—clapping, singing, and dancing throughout its entirety. It was nothing like last night’s show, The Woman in Black. That show was one we attended as a group and happened to be SUPER creepy. Everyone was jumpy when we made it to the pub after the performance. One of our teachers was there hanging out with us and we were having a great time when the last call rang at 11 (this town SHUTS DOWN at 11). As my roommate turned to grab her purse, however, she realized that it wasn’t where it had been just ten minutes ago. All this time, we have heard about thieves in the big city but never really heeded the warning. How could someone slip in the middle of the 15 of us as we sat together talking and laughing and completely (apparently not) aware of our surroundings? However, this was the case! Two of the boys said they had looked over at Morgan, Mark (our teacher), Matt and me as we were talking at our table and that there had been two guys across the room looking at us, but the boys thought nothing of it. We figure that they must have snatched the purse and exited from the back. After this extremely discouraging event, we took the tube and headed home. On the tube ride, Morgan was cheered up by a friendly character wearing nothing but a leather vest and jean shorts who gave us the “rock on sign” and simultaneously repeated “4^th of July” over and over (it was July 5^th…).

     On Sunday, we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral for Mass. The church was gorgeous and the entire mass was sung, but the best part was that I heard my name being called from across the church and looked over to see Kyndel Edens! It was so great to see a familiar face so far away from home! Later that day, we had a 4^th of July celebration at our dorm. We ate pizza and had birthday cake with the other American students and later got in trouble with the mounted police for shooting off fireworks. I had another welcome encounter from home just moments ago as I rode the tube station home from Mamma Mia. I had just finished talking to one of my friends when the guy next to me asked if I was from Mobile! He and his fiancée just graduated from Alabama and were on vacation to England before heading to grad school. They had noticed my Alabama license and he said that they could tell by my accent that I was a Mobilian! All the LSU people got a kick out of that, and I was so excited to meet them. We finally hopped off the tube and headed back to the dorms in full agreement that the day had been truly quite lovely.

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous

     Where to begin? The last few days have been so full of superstars, monuments and famed events that I can hardly separate the days from one another. We entered the realm of the rich and famous here in London, not the least of which include the actors who play Twilight's Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Paul and Riley. The Twilight gang along with Joe Jonas and other British pop sensations attended the UK premier of Eclipse on Thursday night, and we were there to see them! At first, we were only permitted to stand with the public masses around a screened in area which enclosed the stars and the elite members of high society London who were present to greet them as they stepped out of their limos. However, after exchanging some sweet words with the security guard, he decided that these "lovely charmers" should be able to go inside! We were literally feet from the red carpet.

     Duffy, the UK singer was also present and made it quite clear that she was not familiar with the Twilight saga despite claims that she "adored the novel." She said that myths are very common in Wales and that her favorite was one that Stevie Nicks had told her about a "bah (bear) who ate anotha bah who climbed a tree and ate a wahwolf." Everyone booed her off of the stage. The next night, we attended the National Theatre where we were given a tour (so cool, Laurence Olivier is a genius!) and met actress Natalie Dormer (The Tudors) and some guy from Jurassic Park and The Tudors--can't remember his name.

     Today, we ran into Serena Williams and Nadal at Wimbledon of all places. Wimbledon is one of the coolest things I have gotten to do so far...it was quite an experience. First, we got off the Tube to a sign that indicated Wimbledon 30 min away. We began the hike and 30 min later took a left suggested by another 30 minute sign. We began to see buses and we asked where we might enter the stadium, but the driver laughed, pointed in the direction from which we had just come, and told us it would be about a 30 minute walk in that direction. Thus began our first ride on a double decker bus! He took us to the queue which was literally miles long and after a few hours, we made our way into Centre Court. It was such an incredible and humbling feeling, being there in such a world renowned place with tension rising over the imminent sporting event and tons of people milling around drinking champagne with strawberries and cream. We sat on the hill and watched the match on the huge screen behind the court. Again we ended the night with a customary visit to the pub, but as it has been a long day (we met at 5AM to get to Wimbledon...) and everyone is sunburned, we have decided to retire early.

THANK YOU, BERLIN!

     No, I did not visit Germany tonight. Nor, I am certain, did Jack Johnson. Had he perhaps been coherent enough even to remember his own song lyrics, he may not have made the mistake of thanking Berlin in a gathering of 60,000 Londoners. The concert was a blast despite (or maybe as a result of) Jack’s drunken blunders. Ben Stiller even made a cameo appearance playing the air guitar! One of the excerpts we were required to read for our English class over here was Xenophobe’s Guide to England, in which the author describes the English as polite and non-confrontational at all costs. This I have found to be utterly untrue. Two girls were standing up in front of us at the concert—the only two standing in the entire section, mind you—and the couple next to us kindly asked them to sit so that we could all see the stage. Before we knew it, Jeff and I were surrounded by caustic accusations from all sides. “We paid good money for these seats and we can’t see through you!” “Oh so you’re calling me fat now?” “How dare you insult my mate?” This is the PG version. Overall, quite an adventure.

     
     Earlier today, we rode the London Eye which is the largest farris wheel in existence. We saw the entire city from a bird’s eye view. It could literally take your breath away. After that we wandered around the city, had fish and chips, and took pictures in telephone booths. Yesterday, we explored the main tourist attractions that everyone comes to London to see. We visited Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Parliament and of course, Big Ben. I hate to dwell on the minute details, but I feel it would be a great injustice not to describe the little things that make London so special. Just as the intricacies of the architecture are what make the city’s buildings timeless treasures so endearing that they are protected by the state, so it is the corner flower shops, the black taxis that speed erratically through the streets, the “give way” (yield) signs, the millions of coffee shops and the 300 languages that are spoken within the city that truly comprise the beauty—nay, the SPLENDOR—of London.

     Last night, after eating at a noodle bar called Wakamama (seriously), our group split up to go see different theatre shows. We went to the Her Majesty’s Royal Theatre to see Phantom of the Opera. It was unlike anything I have ever seen—beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Afterward, we met up with the rest of the gang at Chanos, a popular pub near Tralfalgar Square. Pubs are such a major part of the culture here, and it really was the conclusion to a perfect day. We have to be awake before 6 tomorrow to head to Stonehenge and Winchester (JANE AUSTEN!!!!!), so as it is nearly 2AM now, I will have to share the rest of the details later!

Chapter 1

     SURREAL. That is the only word that can describe this journey so far. Yesterday morning I watched from my airplane window as the sun rose above the Atlantic Ocean and took the place of the morning star that had been shining all night long. We flew through SIX TIMEZONES…try to wrap your head around that. When we finally landed in London, it took forever to go through customs and then I headed out to catch the train to the middle of the city. It was SO quiet and clean! Most of the people were on their way to work reading the news papers or a book. I looked out the window as the train flew past the landscapes and I began to realize just how beautiful the city is. Even the graffiti was proper—one said something about “bad behaviour.” I love the little differences in the language like the extra Us or the “premises for let” (space for lease) or how they have “way out” signs instead of exit. Upon arriving at my train stop, I hailed a cab and headed for the Imperial College. Never have I felt so independent, so free! By 9:30 AM (London time) I had arrived at Evelyn Gardens in the district of South Kensington and Chelsea (South Ken, as the locals call it). My plane landed hours before the New Orleans group arrived, so I planned to unpack and walk around the city. The unpacking went smoothly—our room is so quaint! But I ended up catching up on that jet lag until our meeting at 3.

           We gathered with our group, met each other, and took off to the city. Our instructors taught us how to use the tube (Underground railway), we went to Trafalgar square, London Chinatown, and Covent Market where My Fair Lady begins. After that, we broke off into groups of our own. My group went to a little café in the Covent Market and watched street performers in the square. When we got home, my roommate Morgan and I went into the gardens behind our dorms and we met Matt, an Imperial grad student from New Jersey. He has lived in London for a year and a half and told us all the basics about how to maneuver the city and where to go. He was eager to hear about the states and was happy to talk to Americans! We inquired of the time and were extremely surprised to discover that it was 9PM though it was light outside like 5PM! Morgan and I decided to take a walk around our neighborhood before it got dark. We spent about an hour and a half cruising the city in awe of how old and gorgeous the flats and shoppes and streetlights (believe it) are. Matt had told us that our dorms are located in one of the most expensive postal code in the ENTIRE WORLD, and it was evident as we walked the surrounding streets. When it finally started to get dark around 11, we came in and read a little of our political science books before we went to sleep.

     Yesterday was one of the rare sunny and hot days in London, and as there is no AC, our room was sweltering last night. We woke up at 5 unable to sleep because of the heat. So we got dressed and headed into town! We ate breakfast at a café (so European) and walked around downtown. We took a taxi to the grocery and got what we needed for the week. It is 8:15 now and we have had what feels like a full day!

Prologue

     Today is the beginning of my journey across the pond! I have been keeping up with Morgan's Jackson Hole blog all summer and have decided to make one myself as a personal chronicle of my travels to London, Paris, Rome and everywhere in between over the course of the summer. I am now sitting in the Charlotte, NC airport as I await my next flight which will take me to London. Already the trip has been filled with adventure: my first airplane ride, my first airplane ride alone...you get the picture. For anyone who has not been fortunate enough to have a five hour layover in a major airport, you have certainly missed out. There are so many people to watch, so many languages to interpret, so much activity! At this moment, I am eating a cheeseburger and drinking a coke with lots of ice as I watch a troop of army men singing with the airport pianist. I will certainly miss America.