Bonjour Paris

                                                          View from Sacre Coeur

             

                                                  Us getting ready for our Christmas dinner at the Eiffel Tower

                                             Jumping in the streets at the Arc de Triomphe

                            Outside Moulin Rouge since you are not allowed taking photos inside

                                                                        self explanatory

                                    Krystal and Kristi on our 'after dinner' cruise Christmas day

                                                   Eiffel Tower all lite up and sparkling

                                                 The back of  the Notre Dame because it was prettier

                                                   Krystal outside of the Louvre

                                                   Krystal in front of the Sacre Coeur

                                         Krystal and our French treats from the pastry shop around the corner
What to say about Paris....its completely magical.  I could have spent all four days just sitting and staring at the Eiffel tower, after probably two hundred photos I still do not think I took enough.  We landed in Paris Christmas eve and met up with Kristi before heading to the apartment we had rented for the four days we would be there.  When we got to our place we needed food and since all the stores were closed by then we somehow ran into a market and were able to get all fresh produce from them to last us a lifetime for really cheap too.  Waking up on Christmas felt anything but Christmas-sy but it was our first real day in Paris so we hit the streets where things were more lively then I thought they'd be since Christmas day is their boxing day.  We walked to the Sacre coeur  and even went inside.  From there we tried walking to the Arc de Triomphe but found out it was way too far so ended up having to take a tram.  The trams are interesting since no one pays and they all jump the gate that is supposed to try and stop your from entering without a pass, we soon joined in this escapade.  The Arc was super busy so to try and get a good photo we took to the streets where we were nearly run over but no worries we survived and have the photos to prove it.  To celebrate Christmas we were able to do something very special thanks to some amazing parents we have.  We had Christmas dinner in the Eiffel Tower! then to top it off we went on a river cruise then to Moulin Rouge to end the night.  It was a Christmas I will never forget.  The rest of our stay in Paris was very casual, we spent the days walking around seeing the sights and experiencing Paris life which was a nice break from the fast paced travels we experienced in Ireland. It was so great being able to experience all these amazing things with my sister I only wish I had more time with her but I am thankful that we got any time at all and were able to do all that we have done.

Krystal and Whitney's adventures to Ireland

                                                         Krystal kissing the Blarney Stone

                                                        Whitney kissing the Blarney Stone

                                                    View from the top of the Blarney Castle

                                                                    The Blarney Castle

                                                                       The Cliffs of Moher

                                                The spectacular view of the Cliffs of Moher

                                             Whitney in front of the Cork County University gate

                                                                      The town of Cork

                                                       Inside the Jameson Whiskey distillery

                                                      Standing by the Atlantic Ocean in Galway

                                                           Sister shot by the Atlantic Ocean

                                        Croke Stadium in Dublin third largest stadium in Europe

                                   Krystal posing by the guinness pint in the guinness storehouse

                                                             Krystal pouring a perfect pint

                                                                   Our perfect pours

                                                   Whitney pouring a perfect pint of Guinness
We are back from our escapades to Ireland and Paris but I will have to write about them separately since there is so much to tell.  We flew into Cork on the 20th and decided to kick off the trip with a visit to the Blarney Castle.  The Castle was really cool, and we got to hang upside down and kiss the Blarney stone.  The town of Cork is situated around a canal so walking around town was very scenic with the water always around you.  We decided to only stay there one night though so that we could see more of Ireland but before leaving on the 21st we made a trip to a town near by to take a tour of the Whiskey distillery.  Our next stop was Galway which is on the Western side of Ireland right along the water.  We arrived late and left fairly early the next morning since our hostel was anything but inviting.  Before heading to Dublin, our final stop in Ireland, we took a bus out to the Cliffs of Moher which was in the running to be one of the wonders of the world.  We probably would have been eliminated from the amazing race at this point of our journey since we got off the bus at the wrong stop! We were far from the cliffs and soon to miss the only bus back into town so we hailed a cab and ran the cliffs in a panic in order to make it back on the right!  After having seen the beautiful Country side of Ireland we were regretful to be in Dublin.  The big cities are never as nice as the little towns so we found it hard to adjust to the dirty loud atmosphere of the city.  We  made the best of it though by visiting the Guinness storehouse and becoming certified Guinness bartenders.  On our last night in Ireland we spent it as true Irish people would, drinking beer and watching Irish dancing! It was so good, we could not believe how fast there feet were able to move! Next stop Paris!!

Krystal Arrives in London

Hey great news my sister is now here visiting me! I am super excited to be able to show her the ropes out here.  I met her at the airport on the 17th and we went straight into London where we stayed in a hostel, it was Krystals first time doing that.  I took her to Abbey Road where the Beatles famously crossed the street, Big Ben (Krystals favorite), the London eye, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Diana's memorial, Buckingham Palace, Oxford street, Tower Bridge, Camden Town, and even platform 9 and 3/4 from the Harry Potter film.  As her Christmas gift I had gotten us tickets to the Lion King Musical which was beyond amazing and a perfect way to end our stay in London.  From there we had some difficulty getting back to my town as we missed the train by a split second from buying the wrong tickets which caused us to have to take the next train after exchanging our tickets for the right ones. Then to our enjoyment the driver of that train didnt show so we had to change trains therefore delaying us even more so that we missed the last bus to my school so we eventually had to cave and take a taxi....  But we made it to Colchester! I will show her my town which is small but cozy and then we take off to Ireland on the 20th.

Canterbury

                        The Cathedral and below is some of the stain glass from inside

                                                              The remains of the Castle.

The University of Essex has been very nice to organize trips for us exchange students.  We had already been taken to Cambridge earlier this year and this weekend they decided to take us to Canterbury, my second choice of school had I not gotten into Essex.  The town is very historical and beautiful and the main attraction is the Cathedral which was the first built in England.  Kristi and I took a tour of the Cathedral as soon as we got there because we had heard so much about it and we were able to marvel at the amazing stain glass windows, probably the best I have ever seen.  Canterbury had been bombed in the war, not sure which one, but the stain glass was removed and protected under ground to keep it from being destroyed.  We somehow had chosen to visit Canterbury the day of their Christmas Parade which was fun to see but it being so busy and all made me appreciate my little town.  We later had to meet up for a walking tour with the group which was very informative about the King's School which is a boarding school in Canterbury where the famous Canterbury Choir is from.  We even got to hear the choir practicing when we were walking around the streets.  In our free time after the tour we walked over to see the castle which has not been preserved and is merely a square block of stone now.  The bus ride to Canterbury is only an hour and forty five minutes of so depending on traffic however on the way home there was an accident ahead of us and we were stuck dead for four hours, making the trip take six and a half hours to get home.