Pictures from Paris/London

I see London, I see France....

Hey everyone !!!!
Sorry in advance for the length of this post....

So this past week was Fall Break for my school. I got to visit Paris and London ! How fab is that? I am such a lucky girl, I am living the life I must say. I traveled with 3 other girls, Two of them live in my apartment building and one of their friends from the US. I must say I was very impressed with how well we planned our flights and hostels and transportation arrangements we made for our trip! From Sunday night to Friday night we spent the days traveling. three nights in Paris and three in London. 

      Ok, so Paris ! Paris.....I am a Fashion girl so of course I was excited to be in the Fashion Capital of the world! We arrived in Paris Sunday night, got to our hostel settled in and went to grab something to eat. We found this cute little restaurant by our hostel, the decor was artsy very Parisian. We tried to read the menus but none of us know French, luckily the waiter spoke English and gave us an English menu. We ordered water which in Europe comes in pitchers for the table (which in Italy is not free) So we were happy to hear it was free. For most of you that know me know I'm a picky eater, so I ordered something that sounded familiar of course lol ! I ordered "Rayon" ravioli with four cheeses. This dish was good they weren't lying when they said four cheeses...it was so cheesy I couldn't finish it! I was glad I got it though because it was delicious. Even though I didn't finish my dinner I got dessert...since Creme brulee is a french dessert I had to try it. It was so creamy and sweet, LOVED IT.
    Day 2, officially our first full day in Paris...we woke up bright and early and started our adventures. Took our maps and made our way ON FOOT, to the Louvre Museum. The Louvre Museum was huge, there was so many different rooms and themes. The most famous painting in the museum was the Mona Lisa, there was so many people in front of the painting waiting to take pictures ! Of course I eased my way in and got a pic with Mona ! After the Louvre we made our way to the Eiffel Tower, since our map said they weren't too far from each other  We stopped at a little place to eat lunch...this was a waste of money!!!! I looked on the menu and ordered "hot sausages"  I asked the waiter if hot meant spicy he said no, so I continued to order them. He comes back out with freaking hot dogs..I couldn't believe I wasted my money on two hot dogs I could have boiled my self! We were let down so it was only right we go get some pastries :)! We found this cute little shop around the corner and got some macaroons, I love these now. They are just so cute and colorful I had to try a few different ones. With full bellies we continued our journey to the Eiffel Tower..not sure of the direction we asked a few people along the way. One couple we asked just happened to be on their way there. The lady says "How old are you girls?Your parents are letting you travel alone?" . I know I am little but come on lady I'm almost 21! So we followed their lead and made it to the Eiffel Tower ! I was so happy to be in front of it I couldn't believe I was there. Like in front of the Eiffel Tower, so just like any other tourists we began taking millions of photos in front of it. Right in front of the tower were bears, each bear represented a different country I thought this was such a great idea ! (The American Bear was painted as the Statue of Liberty). We went home after that and got some much needed rest.
   Day 3, Up bright and early again we made our way to Versailles. We figured out how to take the train and made our way there. It was a gloomy day, good thing the touring was inside. We were given little audio devices that gave us information as we went through each of the rooms, which I thought was nice. The rooms were crafted so beautifully. I have a new found love for gold ceiling detailing. It looks so rich and elegant. Marie Antoinette's room was every girls dream room ! After our viewing of the rooms, we went to walk around the city of Versailles for a while. We found the best place to eat at, we seen crepes on the outside menu and we were sold. It was the best idea ever ! We got a deal, a savory crepe and a sweet crepe and a drink for a good deal. I got a chicken, cheese, and guacamole crepe and for my sweet crepe peach, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. We were stuffed and ready to walk it off. Walked around for a bit and then caught the train back to Paris. The next day made it over to London !
    In London we were very good with catching the "tube" which is the train. Our first day we had a laid back day, we walked around the city and just enjoyed ourselves.For dinner we found a nice little pub/restaurant. The bartender told us in places like this you find your own table and when you are ready you go to the bar and order. This is not like the US. I ordered a bacon, chicken sandwich thinking it would be small, it was huge it was like a triple decker sandwich lol.  The next day we Took the tube and went to all the "touristy" places.I was pretty disappointed with the weather because once again my planned outfit was ruined. I wasn't really expecting alot of rain so I planned to wear a long maxi and my cheetah flats, but because of the rain I had to throw on my leather boots. Man I hated this getup but I made it work, there was no way I was going to ruin my cheetah loafers.We went to the London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace.We ate Lunch at a cute little pub, I had a ham and cheese it was so good, and I tried a beer only in a London pub once right ? Cheers! After all the running around we wanted to experience the nightlife. We took the bus and ventured out, we found a place and settled. It was not really up my alley but it was nice to see what the party life was like. The next morning my travels were sadly over, BUT not really because I was on my way back to my temp. home in Italy. BUT that was postponed when we missed our flight....I was so upset, but like adults we figured it out and made the best of it.
 I can honestly say I love traveling, these trips helped me realize how independent I am becoming, I can't wait to see more places. But for now Firenze I am home <3 !
I will post pictures in a seperate post...

Au revoir...Cheers...xoxoxox

Church in The Duomo

Buongiorno a tutti ,
Happy Sunday everyone !!! Today was an interesting day...lastnight my roommates decided that we wanted
To go to a church service. We woke up and made it for the 9 am service. We went inside of the Duomo for church.Just imagine how beautiful the church was inside ! It was very nice inside the ceiling murals were gorgeous! Before service started a visiting priest came over and talked to my roommate and I. He noticed we were new faces and asked where we were from, he spoke in Italian. Which means I could not understand everything he was saying lol, But I did pick up a few things all I know is he was happy to see us ! I looked over and seen this man talking to a couple a few rows across from where I was sitting. He chatted with the man and woman and a few seconds later I noticed him giving them baskets...they now became the collectors! All I could think was thank you God for not letting him choose me ! How funny would that have been? The service began and I realized everything was going to be in Italian...I guess I realized this but I never really realized it haha. There was no bibles, just programs. So I tried my best to follow along. There was two priests that were alternating during the service. A few times I was able to repeat some phrases. I just felt proud of myself to be at church on Sunday. Felt good, I am definitely counting my blessings. This whole trip is such a great experience I have just been feeling so blessed ! I received Eucharist  and went back to my seat and prayed. This honestly felt so good, I prayed for my loved ones and thanked God for giving my life so much balance.