On day 2 in London, England after studying abroad in Paris, France, Michael and I spent most of our day at Camden Market. I'd say Camden Market is one of my favorite places in London because of the SHOPPING. You can find fun clothes and accessories for cheap and there's also a lot of great food to try! It's known for the "different" crowd it attracts and for offering unique items you can't find anywhere else! There also a booth wear this man bends words into wire for accessories. He makes everything from wire necklaces to bracelets to rings. I get compliments on the necklace I got made there all the time!

After walking around Camden Market for a while, we went and visited Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and St. Margaret's Church. There are landmarks we obviously had to visit because they're staples of London!

BIG BEN!

Once we had visited all these places in London, we walked along the Thames River and people watched until the sun went down. We returned to our apartment for the night and went to bed!

Have you ever been shopping in Camden Market??

xoxo, Morgan

The Travel Breakdown: London; Eurostar, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Oyster Cards

So as promised, here's the continuation of my study abroad series! After completing our program in Paris, France (study abroad posts start here) Michael and I boarded the Eurostar at the Gare du Nord and travelled to London! We arrive in London at 12:30 pm, and took advantage of the fact we still had almost a full day left! We dropped out stuff off at the flat we were staying in (we rented a room through Airbnb! This website is great for people on a budget who don't really want to stay in hostels) and immediately hopped onto the Underground and went to the London Bridge. We just wandered around this area until we stumbled upon an organic farmers market in the area. This was fun and interesting to look at, and it was nice to finally speak to other English speakers (you almost take it for granted being able to speak English until you are somewhere you must speak another language for a prolonged period of time!) From here, we walked all the way to Buckingham Palace! (yes, lots of walking!)

London has such pretty architecture!

Near the center of London!

Buckingham Palace! As you can see, it was a perfect day to walk around because it was overcast so it wasn't too hot!

After walking all over the city, we decided to take a break and ride the bus for a while. It's nice riding the bus in London because you can do some sight-seeing without having to walk! The fact that the buses there are double decker buses make them great for sight-seeing and tourists!

Travel Tip for London: Be sure to buy an Oyster card when you get there! (I believe they cost around 10 pounds) They are reloadable cards that you can buy in the Underground (their metro system) and you use them on the Underground and on the buses in London. It makes traveling much easier and when your done using it, they'll refund you your 10 pounds! Just make sure to look up a place that will exchange the Oyster card back into pounds for you... I believe we exchanged ours at Heathrow airport?

Where's you favorite place in London?? Did you use a lot of public transportation like us? As always, I love your feedback and comments. If you have any questions, leave a comment! :)

xoxo, Morgan  

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Disneyland Paris, Last Night in France

On Day 30 of my study abroad adventure, I finally convinced Michael to take me to Disneyland, Paris! I'm a huge Disney fan, and I wanted to go at least one time in my life! The park is much smaller than the one in Anaheim (you could spend half the day there with enough time to walk around the entire park). The lines were much shorter, but the rides were totally different from the Disneyland park in Anaheim! There were a lot more roller coasters, and the rides were a little bit more intense (maybe French people like more thrill rides? haha). For example, Space Mountain had a LOOP in it and Indian Jones was a roller coaster too!! It was a nice day to go since it was overcast and the weather wasn't too hot. I, of course, had to stop by the souvenir shop and pick up a couple things to take home :) I wouldn't say this is a must-visit if you're ever in Paris, but if you're a Disney fan... how could you resist? I'm not going to lie, I do prefer the Anaheim park much more, but it's something I definitely don't regret because now I can say I've been there!

The front entrance to the park

Can you tell I'm super happy to be at Disneyland, Paris?

Almost in the Park!! 

The castle in the center of the park (which btw, is actually smaller than the one in Anaheim)

Yes, I took a picture of the screen. 

Day 31 of my study abroad experience in Paris was the last day of class. We took our finals and went to Le Marais to get falafel for the last time. We went to a final dinner with some of our friends at a restaurant in the St. Michel area. It was really bitter, sweet but it was nice to enjoy the company of our friends in Paris for the last time. We went back to the Cité Universitaire and packed our luggage. Most of our flights were early in the morning, so we said our goodbyes and went to bed early. BUT... if you liked this series be sure to check back... Michael and I actually traveled to LONDON and BARCELONA as well so be sure to subscribe to this blog if you'd like to hear more about our trip there :)

Be sure to come back very soon! Michael and I spent 10 days after our trip visiting London and Barcelona, so I'll blog about that as well if you'd like. Also, be sure to visit my YOUTUBE channel, where I can also put vlogs up from Paris (yes, I DID TAKE FOOTAGE) but only if you'd like :) So be sure to let me know! Thanks guys :)

Edit: It's finally here! Here's the next post continuing my journey studying abroad in London, England!

xoxo, Morgan

P.S. Again, don't forget to visit my Youtube Channel, The Beauty Breakdown by clicking HERE

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Sacré Coeur, Montmartre, Lock Bridge

On Day 27 of my study abroad experience, I slept in and then met up with Michael to visit Sacré Coeur in the Montmartre area. I'd visited Sacré Coeur before (I'd visited Paris two years prior to studying abroad in France), but Michael had never been there. It's definitely an area you should see once in your lifetime and a must-stop place if you visit Paris. We took the metro there, and walked up to the Basilica at the very top. It is seriously such a beautiful church. We sat inside for a little, just to soak up the experience more and then decided to walk around the shops around the church. There are a ton of tiny boutiques on the streets surrounding the basilica and lots to look at. Since this place is known for the painters in the area (there's actually a courtyard by the basilica that has TONS of artists painting and selling their art) we picked up two small paintings while we were here. We got a painting of the Notre Dame (one of my FAVORITE places in Paris) and the Eiffel Tower (of course!).

Day 28 was a Sunday and we went to the area around the Notre Dame for breakfast (if you're looking for places to just wander around and randomly find something to eat, this place is great for that because there are lots of little restaurants and cafes). Since it was one of our final days in Paris, we decided to climb the Eiffel Tower. We took the stairs, which was a work out, but definitely worth it for the views. It's actually pretty cheap to do as well (I believe it's about 4-6 euros per person to climb the first half of the Eiffel Tower, then less than 10 euros to go all the way to the top)

About half way up the Eiffel Tower...look at that VIEW!

On Day 29 of my study abroad experience in Paris, Michael and I had a "date night" type of thing to celebrate our whole experience in Paris. We stopped by the lock bridge by the Notre Dame, and put our own lock on it (we couldn't resist). After putting our lock on the bridge and throwing the key in the Seine (I wonder how many keys are at the bottom of that river! haha), we went to dinner. We found a restaurant by the Notre Dame and got a three course "set" meal. A "set" meal is where they offer an appetizer, main course, and dessert from a menu that offers 3-6 options for each course. You then pay a set price inside of paying each course individually... you just pay per person if that makes sense (just as an FYI, there are a lot of restaurants around the Notre Dame that offer this type of dining experience). I got french onion soup, steak and spaghetti, and a caramel custard. SO GOOD! After dinner, we had a final boat tour along the Seine River with the rest of our program. It was so bitter, sweet but nice to float along the river and admire the city at night. After that, a group of us decided to go to the Pantheon to reenact the scene from Midnight in Paris. (haha)

Our lock is the one with the huge red heart on it... I can't wait to go back in a couple years and see if it's still on there!

I forced Michael to pose with me so I could capture the moment...I'm such a girl. haha

Look how beautiful the Eiffel Tower is at night.. totally surreal to ride by it on the boat and see it sparkle!

I'll be adding pictures of Sacré Coeur soon, so be sure to check back! :) 

Also read on to my next post on DISNEYLAND PARIS!!!   

  xoxo, Morgan 

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Académie De La Bière, Mummified Animals, Yummy Mussels

With only a week left, I really felt like a true Parisian. On day 24, my friends and I got breakfast and attended class and then walked around the area of Bastille (the metro stop!). I love this area because they have tons of tiny boutiques that offer unique items and they have a couple open air markets here. Of course, I can't go to the open air market without picking up cherries and peaches... for some reason, they're so much better than the ones from home! For dinner that night, a group of us went to
Académie De La Bière (In English, this means the Beer Academy) and got the moules et frites (mussels and french fries!). Evidently, this place is known for this dish and I can see why! It was excellent and they gave super large servings! They're also known for their beers, but I'm not a big beer drinker so I obviously didn't get any. A great place to eat and they're open late ;) If you take the RER B, get off on Port-Royal.. it's very close to the RER exit.

On day 25 of my study abroad experience in Paris, Michael and I visited the Louvre Museum after class. With our program, we got in for free to all the museums in Paris, and since this museum is HUGE, we decided it was a good idea to go back and explore the museum one more time before we left. We spent more time in the Egyptian wing of the museum, and looked at all the mummified cats, dogs, fish, and crocodiles! So crazy! This is one museum I could spend days in and still not lose interest...and that's saying a lot ;) After, we got coffee and dinner at a cafe near the Cité Universitaire and met up with some friends to enjoy their company along the Seine River.  

Some of the displatys in the Louvre

On Day 26 of studying abroad in Paris, it was a typical day except we got a bunch of friends, crepes (yum!), apple cider (an alcoholic version of sparkling apple juice that's super popular in France), and a blanket and hung out in front of the Eiffel Tower for the night. We stayed there all night watching the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower and the people, who were all enjoying the beautiful warm, evening weather. It was amazing being there with good company, and just relaxing, which is sometimes hard to do in such a busy city :) We caught the last metro back (the metro closes at 2 am I believe) and went to bed!

Even though it was the middle of the night, you can see how busy and lively this area is all the time! :)

 Almost done with my Paris trip! So sad :( Let me know what you guys think or if you've ever visited any of the places I've mentioned!

Read my next post on Sacre Coeur and Montmartre! Seriously so beautiful!

xoxo, Morgan 

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Pétanque, Galeries Lafayette, Saint-Chapelle

By day 22 of my study abroad experience in Paris, we were back from Normandy and Brittany. The weather was much warmer (around 85 degrees!) in the city than near the coast. We continued to resume our normal routine and got pastries and coffee at Aux Castelblangeois and went to class. After class, our whole study abroad group participated in a game of Pétanque. Evidently, this game is a popular French game. It's similar to bocce ball. It was pretty hot and we were all still tired from a weekend away, so we weren't really into the game. After playing for a while, we stopped by the Carrefour to pick up things to eat for dinner, and then went back to the Cité Universitaire and ate dinner. This day was pretty uneventful just because we were still recovering from the exciting weekend.

After class on day 23, a group of us went to the Galeries Lafayette shopping mall. This is a huge, 10 story mall that features all kinds of designer brands. I've visited this mall in the past (before I studied abroad in Paris, I had visited Paris during the summer of 2011 for a couple of days) so I just walked around and looked. This mall is pretty impressive if you've never visited before, so if you're big on shopping, definitely stop by!

We walked around the mall for a couple hours and went back to the Cité Universitaire to get ready for the opera. We got all dressed up and headed over to the famous La Sainte Chapelle to watch a performance around 6:30 pm. The performance was a Renaissance-style concert, and featured songs the royalty of France would have listened to centuries ago. I loved this performance because it made me feel like I was French royalty! Definitely something you should look into if you ever visit Paris :)

After watching the performance, we wandering around Paris at night! So beautiful!

After we finished watching the performance, we wandered the city and got late-night crepes. We walked around the Notre Dame, which is my favorite place to visit at night. I love how they illuminate the beautiful church. It literally looks like it came straight from a fairytale :) By the way, if you ever visit the Notre Dame, you MUST stop by an ice cream parlor called Berthillon. It's on the Île Saint-Louis (if you need to, Google it!) and try the salted caramel ice cream! That's the best one in my opinion :)

What do you think of this series so far?

Read my next post about The Academy of Beers and great eats in Paris!

xoxo, Morgan

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Normandy, Brittany, St. Malo, Omaha Beach

For days 19-21, my study abroad group and I went on an excursion to Normandy and Brittany. This was an optional excursion, and was an additional $300 to go on. This weekend was DEFINITELY worth the money though! This was easily my absolute favorite part of the whole experience.

On day 19, we all loaded up on nice charter busses and headed to Brittany. On the way, we stopped at Mont St. Michel. This place is magical. It's kind of hard to explain but it's close to the coast. When the tides come in at certain times during the year, the whole city and monastery (which sits on a mountain) is surrounded by water. This makes is kind of an island...kind of not. Look up information on this area if you're interested because it's a little difficult for me to explain. Anyways, we walked around the quant little city, which has only one main path up the mountain to the monastery on top. Once we got to the monastery at the top of Mont St. Michel, we got a tour. The inside was obviously magnificent, and the views were to die for!

The view walking up to Mont St. Michel

The monastery at the top of Mont St. Michel

You can see how the ocean in the background! During certain times of the year, Mont St. Michel is surrounded by water!

The garden in the center of the monastery

Michael and I by the courtyard of the monastery

After our tour and lunch, we hopped back into the tour bus and arrive at our destination in St. Malo. St Malo is a really neat area because the whole city is surrounded in castle walls. It's literally an area frozen in history and has a ton of character. If you can make the trip out here, definitely try! It's such a fun little beach city and it was really refreshing to get outside of the busy city.

The sunset at St. Malo

The view while walking around the walls of St. Malo. The ocean here was is so beautiful! You can see they built a pool into the ocean in the background, complete with a diving board! 

Walking along the walls surrounding the city on our first day in St. Malo.

You can see how St. Malo is truly a "beach city". 

On day 20 of my study abroad experience, we got an official tour of St. Malo in the morning. We then got into our charter busses and visited the city of Dinan. This place literally looks like the city from The Beauty and the Beast. We walked around this city for a bit, got lunch, and headed back to St. Malo. This day was also Michael's 21st birthday, so I ran out to a local bakery and bought him a cake. We then got a HUGE group of us together and went out to dinner. We at a place called Cafe Simon, and got a preset meal. Preset meals are really popular in France, and they'll give you an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert for a set price.. you just have to pick from options they provide. There's usually 3-4 options for each course. I tried duck for the first time, which was really good! I liked this place because it was a fair price and good food. They also brought us complimentary macaroons :) To end the night, we all walked along the beach and watched as the tide came in.

Some of my fav girls on the trip! :) Had a blast with these ladies. The picture is really grainy because it was actually pitch dark when we took this picture....we just held really still and had a long shutter speed :) haha

Michael and Eric decided to jump in! haha

Our group at Cafe Simon for Michael's 21st birthday in St. Malo

He couldn't resist. Haha. You can kind of see my dinner, which was duck!

Day 21 of my study abroad in Paris was the last day of the excursion. We got on our charter bus and visited Omaha Beach on the way back. This was really fun for me because I'm a huge history buff. We got to see where the landing of D-Day was and saw all the war memorials. I took some sand back to the United States with me from Omaha Beach! They also a store where they sold vintage war memorabilia. I found a gun clip holder with a soldier's name on it so I bought it for about 30 euros and brought that back as well for my dad. He loved it :)

Michael and I walking along Omaha Beach... We were looking for neat looking rocks and shells to take home with us as souvenirs!

Literally, this excursion was the highlight of my trip. Everything we did was incredible, and I would really like to visit again one day. So much history and it's really nice to see another side of France.

Would you ever visit these places?

Read my next post on Petanque (a French game), La Galeries Lafayette (HUGE department store), and Saint-Chappelle.

xoxo, Morgan

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Victor Hugo, Orangerie Museum, Club Rex

On the 15th day of my study abroad adventure in Paris, I had another lazy day. I was a little tired from all the festivities from Bastille Day (to read about Bastille Day, click HERE) so I basically went to class, visited the Notre Dame to watch a choir performance, and then made dinner back at the Cite Universitaire.

Day 16 was an interesting day because our travel abroad group visited the home of Victor Hugo, the author of Les Miserables and Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). His home was cute and had a lot of art from Asia surprisingly!

A bust of Victor Hugo in the entrance of his home.

One of the walls in a room that was dedicated to Asian art.

A room in Victor Hugo's home that was filled with art from Asia!

Artwork in Victor Hugo's home that featured a scene from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

On the 17th day, the metro broke down on our way to class -__- We were almost an hour late but we were excused since it wasn't really our fault. After class, we met up with our study abroad group and we get a tour of the Orangerie Museum. This place is not a must visit if you're ever in Paris, but if you're interested in impressionist and post-impressionist art, this place is covered in it. Our group then walked through Les Jardin des Tuileries again and our professor talked about some of its history. One thing I observed while walking through the gardens was how many French people were sun tanning! They love a nice, tan complexion surprisingly! Also, lots of Parisians were out picnicking...summer in France is a great time for this activity. We finished the day by walking around the Le Marais area, which is kind of like a "Jewish" area in Paris. They have YUMMY falafel in this area, and if you ever visit this area, check out a place called L'As du Fallafel. This place is known for their falafel and it's pretty cheap too!

Day 18 on my study abroad in Paris experience was a normal day... until the sunset. This night in particular, we decided to go to a notorious club called Club Rex. It's supposed to be a big hot spot in Paris. A group of us decided to go, so we fueled up on some wine and headed out. We got to the club around 11:30 pm and were then told it didn't open till 12. We ate food while we waited and then headed inside when it opened. It was, of course, empty, so we asked the bartenders when more people would come. They told us 1 am, but when 1 am rolled around, we were still the only ones there...weird. We asked again and they told us 2 am so we waited again and you guessed it... still empty by 2 am. We left around 2:30. I have a feeling it was because we went out on a Thursday night. Here, in the United States, college students typically go out on both Thursday and Friday. But obviously that's not the case. Overall, out of all the clubs and bars I visited in Paris, I wasn't super impressed because they were just like the bars and clubs here. Not really too different... well except the nights they are busy!

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Even though we were the only ones in Club Rex, we still had fun! :) 

I will be adding pics for this post in the next day or so, so come back and check them out :) And don't forget to let me know what you think of this study abroad series!

Keep reading! In my next post, learn more about my excursion to Normandy and Brittany! This weekend was easily my favorite weekend of the whole trip!

xoxo, Morgan

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Bastille Weekend, The 14th of July, Eiffel Tower

In France, their "independence day" is July 14th. Luckily, I was in Paris to experience this celebration while I was studying abroad in Paris! On the 13th day, you could tell the city was buzzing in preparation for the next day. Because of this, Michael and I had a lazy day. We got breakfast and took it over to the park off of Rue du Faubourg. Here, we watched a caribbean band play music for a while, which was quite entertaining. Later that day, we met up with our friends from the Cite Universitaire and had our own bbq! This was really fun and we just sat and picnicked for a while. This is what most Parisians do on their free time. They like to picnic, smoke, eat cheese and wine (which is excellent in France, of course), smoke, and enjoy each others' company. I love this type of lifestyle :)

After eating and hanging out for a while, we went to a local bar in Paris. I, unfortunately, don't remember the name of the bar :( but it was a typical bar. We caught a cab later and came home late!

Finally, the day was here....Bastille Day! We got breakfast at McDonald's because all the other local businesses were closed since it was a holiday. We then stopped by the CarreFour, which is a grocery store here, and loaded up on provisions for the day. We picked up wine and snacks and then took all that and a blanket over to the Eiffel Tower. In the grass by the Eiffel Tower is where everyone sits to watch the fireworks. Our teacher told us there would be thousands of people there! So Michael and I went early to get a good spot. We got lucky and got a spot that was in the center of everything! There was a show before the initial fireworks, and then around 9:30 pm or 10 pm, the fireworks started. It was one of the coolest fireworks I had ever seen! They also lit the Eiffel Tower up so it was oh so pretty and SPARKLY :D

Our spot in front of the Eiffel Tower was great! Look at the flag in the middle of the Eiffel Tower...very cool!

You can see how the fireworks illuminated the Eiffel Tower. 

They coordinated the lights on the Eiffel Tower and the fireworks with the music playing! By the way sorry for the poor picture quality again! It was difficult to take a picture with so many things going on and I didn't have the best camera at the time!

Look at how pretty the Eiffel Tower was!

Overall, one of my favorite days of my study abroad program in Paris, France. Just as a side note, if you're ever in Paris, visit the Eiffel Tower during the day AND at night. They turn the lights on at sunset, which in Paris during the summer time, is very late. Usually, the lights would sparkle at 10 pm, 11 pm, 12 pm, 1 am, and 2 am. I believe these are the times. I know they go off every hour, on the hour, after sunset. Definitely check them out because they are amazing!

Have you ever seen the Eiffel Tower sparkle? Would you ever visit for Bastille Day?

Let me know if you have any questions so far and what you think about my study abroad series! I'd love to hear your feedback :)

Keep on reading!! My next post is about visiting Victor Hugo's house (the author of the Hunchback of Notre Dame), the notorious Club Rex, and L'Orangerie Museum!

xoxo, Morgan

The Travel Breakdown: Study Abroad in Paris; Opera Garnier, La Sylphide, Angelina's

On Day 10, we walked around Chatelet and Les Halles after class. Here, they have lots of shops and fun things to look at :) To go here, you literally just get off at the metro stop labeled Chatelet and Les Halles. This was another exciting night for me because we attended the play, La Sylphide. I've never seen a play before so it was exciting to see this one in particular because it is one of the world's oldest, romantic ballets. It was truly beautiful and a new experience because since it was a ballet, there was no dialogue. Instead, the dancers acted out all of the emotions with their expressions and movement. The ballet was at the Opera Garnier, which is one of the most famous and well-known opera houses in the world. If you visit Paris, look up tickets and see if you can catch a play! It's well-worth it. This was also included in our program!

Michael and I got to dress up for the occasion! This was taken inside the Opera Garnier. 

This is a huge chandelier that was above the seating area. 

This was the view from our seats. We sat in box seats, which gave us a great view of the entire stage and opera house.

I really appreciated being able to experience this play in the Opera Garnier. This is something I'll never forget! :)

Day 11 was "typical" day in Paris. We got our morning pastry and coffee at Aux Castelblangeois, went to class, and got lunch after at a place called Morry's. It's also along Rue du Faubourg and they have AMAZING bagels. I loved the bagel that had fresh slices of salmon and cucumber on it! It's similar to a Subway but for bagels. You can assemble your own toppings or pick a "pre-assembled" bagel. We also walked along the open air markets in the area. At the Bastille metro stop, you can find open air markets that sell fresh fruits and veggies and used/vintage goods. This is typically where we bought our produce (particularly the cherries and peaches, which are especially fresh and tasty) because it was cheap! We then went and walked around Les Jardin Des Tuileries again, and stopped by Angelina's pastry shop. This place is absolutely legendary and is supposedly the favorite pastry shop of Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel. Fancy! Overall, a little overrated, but I had to try it! The cake, mille feuille, is what they're know for, along with macaroons of course! Oh and you can't go to Angelina's and not try the hot chocolate :)

Here's what I got! Sorry for the poor picture quality!

 The following day, on day 12, we had another relaxing day. We got a "4 cheese pizza" from a cafe which included cheese like blue cheese and camembert cheese. It was definitely one stinky pizza and not what I was expecting when I ordered it! That night, we walked along the Seine, which is absolutely incredible at night. The Notre Dame is to die for and is literally magical. If you walk further down the Seine a mile or so (walking in the opposite direction of the Eiffel Tower) you'll come across where all the locals hang out at night. There's tons of salsa dancing, swing dancing, smoking, drinking, and laughing. There were even rap battles! Venture out and try to find these one night! They're really interesting and you feel like a true Parisian :) Be sure to bring a blanket, wine, cheese, and crackers so you can comfortably hang out :)

Hanging out along the Seine River

Playing a game while hanging out along the Seine :) 

Let me know what you think of this series so far and if you have any questions! :)

Read my next post! It's about Bastille Weekend (France's Independence Day! It's insane!!)

xoxo, Morgan