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