But let me tell you, fall break was amazing. I had such an appreciation for each place that I visited and the different quirks that I discovered. I think ultimately I had a fall break that was very fitting to what I wanted. I got to hang out with my flatmates and fool around in Paris, spend some time pounding the pavement solo in Milan, and meet up with some other friends in Athens (including two studying at an SU center in Florence, so it was cool to see them.) Here's the full low-down of my break.
Paris: Saturday, Sunday, Monday
The first day of fall break was BY FAR the worst. I had a very early flight from London on Saturday, and of course I missed it. I used to pride myself on the fact that I've never missed a flight before. Even if I've been behind schedule in the past, I always find a way to bypass the security line, run faster through the crowd, or do something to make sure I get my butt in that seat. But this time, I get to one of the security checkpoints in Heathrow, and I was turned around. I was too late. After some talking and some research, I discovered that the best plan was to go home for a few hours and then take a train later that day. A minor setback in hindsight, but I already felt like break was ruined.
Once I arrived in Paris I got to the right stop off of the metro and found my hostel quite easily. Now, I was supposed to meet people under the Eiffel Tower at around 1pm, and by this point it was already 6pm. I had contacted one of them while on the train and told them that I would find their hostel and meet them there. This proved to be quite the challenge. Armed without a map or any knowledge of the French language other than what I remember from middle school or the foreign exchange student that my brother had, I set out on my quest. Paris is a confusing city. Once I found them, I was exhausted. So were they, though, so we had a chill night.
The next day we did the big tourist stuff, of course. With such little time in each city, tourist stuff is pretty high on the list, since I've never been to Europe. In line at the Louvre we ran into four people from Syracuse, NY including two alums of SU. What a small world! The inside of the Louvre was even more exciting.
There she is!
Lunch break. French bistro. YUM! After that we ventured to the Eiffel Tower. When I first saw it, I was taken aback. It was actually there in front of me, and not on a screen. Sure, it looks the same, but the experience was just something I hadn't felt before. It was actually RIGHT THERE!
See? It's RIGHT THERE!
Next stop: Notre Dame. Yeah, that was cool too. But the best part was a guy we met there. We saw this man with an arm covered in birds. We saw that he was feeding them something out of his hand, and we wanted a part in it. All we had on us was a brownie, so we crumbled it and I quickly stuck out my hand filled with pieces of a messy brownie. The birds didn't seem to even notice. The guy saw me though, and grabbed my arm, brushing the brownie chunks off. He yelled at me, (in very broken English) and then poured me a handful of rice. Within seconds I was covered. He then proceeded to show us a card showing that he was in the armed service during World War Two, and he told us that he loved America and that he shot a bunch of Germans. I wish I could have learned more about this man.
After that, my friends had to leave for their next city, but I still had a night and a day in Paris. They had gotten there a day before me, so I wanted to take a day on the other end to myself. They left for Germany, and I had the night in Paris. I decided that I loved the Eiffel Tower so much that I wanted to go back. The first time we were only there for like 15 minutes, and I wanted to do more. I climbed the stairs as high as you can, freezing the whole way. I thought it was AWESOME, though. The view of the city is indescribable.
Here's a view looking at the "inside" of the Eiffel Tower.
After that, I just wandered around. That's my ideal style of travel; just wander around looking at things of interest until I realize that I'm completely lost and miles away from my original starting point, and then find my way back. It's a lot of fun, but in Paris in the middle of a Sunday night without a map it can be a challenge. After a decent amount of aimlessly walking around, I found my way home and got some sleep.
The next day I did something that I just couldn't resist. I'm such a Disney geek at heart, so I just could not pass up the opportunity to go to Disneyland Paris. I told myself that if I was satisfied with my day in the city on Sunday that I would go to DP, but that if I thought that I was missing something that I would do a second day in the city. I loved day one, so I wanted to do something else.
The entrance to Disneyland Paris
I have been to Disney World a few times, both as a child and more recently, but this was so new to me. A lot of the attractions have similar ride tracks, but the styling and theming of the park is just so different. DP also has a few unique attractions, and my favorite part was definitely seeing these for the first time. (They have a Finding Nemo roller coaster that is really well-done.) As a big fan of all things Disney, and a marketing major, I was just really intrigued by how Disney presents their ideas to a European audience. The park was also advertising some Halloween theming, but there was very little actually in existence. I was disappointed to see that only some areas of the two parks that make up Disneyland Paris had any Halloween theming, and what was there was kind of lackluster. Some areas had Christmas stuff already, and that just made me mad. Other than that, I had a great day in the parks. I did some research beforehand and found that most visitors agree that you need more than one day to truly appreciate Disneyland Paris. I completely disagree. It's easily accessible on the Paris metro, and if you are a good planner you can fit it all into a one day timeframe. You just have to be ok with keeping a very fast pace all day, along with using fast pass and hopping between attractions, shows, shops, restaurants and the two parks quickly.
The castle at Disneyland Paris
Milan: Tuesday
I had a very early flight to Milan the next morning. I had some trouble getting to the airport, but I gave myself WAY more than enough time to get there. I was not going to miss another flight. Once I got into Milan and found my hostel, I was ready to see another city! Milan is different from most Italian cities in that it's mainly just a big "industrial" city. But a big industrial city is always good for one thing: SHOPPING! I went to a huge flea market and then the biggest shopping area in the city. I spent pretty much the whole day doing this, but I didn't buy a single thing. I was so proud of myself. My credit card was happy with me too; a nice day of relaxation for it. This was until dinner, where I had DELICIOUS gluten free pasta and tiramisu. I don't think I've ever had tiramisu in my life because of my allergies, so this was really exciting for me. I had a lot of fun exploring this city too, but luckily I had the aid of a map this time. Milan was actually pretty easy to navigate, so I was able to get the most out of my day.
Milan Cathedral/Duomo (best shopping area in the city)
Athens: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Flew to Athens in the morning and met up with one friend who is also studying in London and two friends who are studying in Paris. It was nice to see them! That night we explored the Acropolis and had a great Greek dinner. We then got caught in the biggest rainstorm I've seen in months. And I saw the brunt of South Africa's wet season this summer, so this is saying a lot.
The next day we went with a group of people from our hostel on a bus trip to Napfoli, a beautiful city with castle ruins, beautiful swimming areas, and just a quant city feel, as opposed to the HUGE METROPOLIS feel that Athens radiates.
The castle ruins in Napfoli
The next day we explored the city of Athens more in depth, including some shopping, some watching break dancers in the city center, and some other sites. We saw the temple of Zeus, a few great collections on the history of the marathon & ancient Greek theatre, and lot of other really cool stuff.
Me and Athens
That night it was time to say goodbye, so we celebrated the fact that we can legally enjoy the city in our own special way.
Jess, Mel, and me in Athens
The next day was the flight back, which felt a lot longer than it really was. Maybe that had to do with the fact that I was surrounded by children. But now I am just looking forward to enjoying the "back 9" of my time here in London. I was told that this semester will move way too fast, and the people who told me this were absolutely correct. Fall break felt like a blink.
