Bonjour, Paris! Day One

Rooftops of Paris

I spent the weekend of Valentines Day in Paris with a large group of students from Swansea.  We had a wonderful time!  It was a very busy few days, but we managed to see everything we wanted to.

We took the bus Thursday night and drove all night to get to Paris Friday morning.  Unfortunately for me, I didn't sleep but two hours on the bus.  I was tired, but when we arrived in the outskirts of Paris, I hit my second wind.  After dropping our bags off at the hotel, my group of four Americans, a Canadian, and an Australian set off to sightsee.























First stop was the Opera Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in Paris and home to the National Ballet of France.  It was as breathtaking as its pictures.  The main hall was my favorite, with its grand double staircase with gilded accents on every surface.  I would love to go back some day and attend a show there.  The main theatre seemed a little bit small to me, but I think it was simply because I was standing in the back with a poor view of the upper decks.  The entire room was covered with red and gold velvet.  Next we wandered into one of the halls.  It had an enormous fireplace at one end, then glassy hardwood floors and gold chandeliers lining the the hallway all the way down to another enormous fireplace.  It was massive and reminded me of Versailles' hall of mirrors.

The Louvre courtyard

The Louvre was the next place on the list.  Overwhelming would be a very good word to describe it.  I knew it was big, but I had no idea how easy it would be to get lost amongst the thousands pieces of art displayed in the former palace.  We saw the two main must-see items, the Mona Lisa, and the Venus de Milo.  I was disappointed to find that the Mona Lisa viewing area was a chaotic mess.  The famous portrait is hanging on the back wall of a huge hallway.  There was no queue, no specified viewing area, nothing but about two hundred people elbowing their way to the front to take the obligatory photo and then push their way back out of the madness.  I was kind of hoping it would look like it did in The Da Vinci Code...not so much, but that was okay.

We walked through the Jardin des Tuileries on the way to our next stop, the Grand Palais, home of Paris Fashion Week.  The garden was pretty, but bare due to the winter weather.  I was surprised to find that rather than concrete walkways there was a light beige gravel mixture spread over the designated walking areas.  We passed this guy who appeared to be a pigeon whisperer.  He was catching pigeons mid-flight then literally handing them to the onlookers.  The strange things you see when you travel.  We made our way to the Grand Palais which is this enormous convention center with a glass roof that looks like an atrium garden from the outside.

Grand Palais behind Pont Alexandre III

The Grand Palais was in between conventions, so we couldn't go in.  Next up was Laduree on the Champs Elysees.  We all got macaroons from the store.  They were absolutely delicious!  By far, my new favorite treat.  We walked down the Champs Elysees, and grabbed lunch.  It is a street made for walking.  The sidewalks are about three times as wide as they are in the States.  All kinds of shops lined the streets, from Sephora and H&M to Louis Vuitton and Chanel.  I wish I'd gotten to see the trees when they had leaves on them.  The whole street is lined with these perfectly manicured trees and flower pots.  It made a lovely background to the cafes.



We continued down the street until we reached the Arc du Triomphe.  All I can say is wow.  There it was in all its grandeur.  What an amazing memorial to the victories of France.  It sits in the middle of a massive traffic circle.  Around eight different streets all merge at this point.  A while back, someone once told me that no matter where you are in Paris, somehow you'll always find your way back to the Arc.  I definitely understand what they mean.  Strangely enough, I found that I liked this monument more than the Eiffel tower.  Something about it is more understated and less gaudy and ostentatious.

It was a crazy first day in Paris, and by the time we hit our last stop, the Galeries Lafayette, I was completely exhausted.  The inside of the building looked like another opera or basilica.  It was beautiful.  I've seen pictures of the place at Christmas, and would love to return and see the enormous Christmas tree in person.  But even without the Christmas tree, it was awesome.  We somehow miraculously managed to see every main destination on the right bank of Paris in just one day.  We walked through almost ten arrondissements and past dozens of iconic sights. It was Valentines Day, so the six of us girls got bread, cheese, chocolate, and macaroons to eat in our hotel room and celebrate spending a wonderful day amongst friends in one of the greatest cities in the world.                    

Tales from day two can be found in the next post.  Pictures from Paris are all posted to the site, so check them out!  The adventures are to be continued!

Spanish Fiestas and Cardiff Part Two

Friday night I went out with my friend Molly and our Spanish friend, Patricia.  We were introduced to a huge group of Patricia's friends from Spain.  It was a blast!  It was really cool hanging out with this group that was all speaking a mix of Spanish, English, and Italian.  My spanish listening skills are definitely improving.

Ivan, Julia, and myself.

Yesterday Molly and I were up bright and early to meet our American and Australian friends to take a day trip to Cardiff.  There was a Six Nations rugby game going on in Cardiff so the streets were lined with Wales Rugby gear.  The city was packed with fans and vendors.  It was really a sight to behold!  It reminded me of WSU on game day when we have the Cougar Athletics people holding the signs coming into town welcoming people to Pullman, everyone's wandering around in Coug gear, and the energy is overwhelming.

Flag lined High Street the morning of the Six Nations game.

We spent most of the day wandering through Cardiff.  Eventually our large group split into two and ended up being led around by myself and another Taylor from Texas A & M--we are very similar in a lot of ways.  It was kind of like meeting my twin, but then my twin has the opposite personality as me.  Weird!--my group went to Bute Park which is right next to Cardiff Castle, then we found a pub and watched the last half of the rugby game.

Molly, the other Taylor, myself, and our friend Marina from France.

Cardiff is quickly becoming one my favorite cities.  There is lots to do, but it's not terribly spread out, so it's easy to get around.  The castle and the art museum were surprisingly fun the second time around.  It was also nice to spend some quality time with my fellow Americans.  We love all of our Australians too though!  We came back in the evening, all tuckered out from a busy day.  It was a blast!  More trips are already being planned for the future.

As usual, be sure to check out the photos page for more pictures--there are lots of them--and keep an eye on my page because there is much more to come!

Feature: WSU Honors College Students in Action

Courtesy of WSU Honors College

I was notified this morning that the WSU Honors College has featured my blog on their Students in Action page.  The website can be found here.  

I have been active in the Honors College for two years now, both as a student ambassador and as a mentor to incoming freshmen.  We have a wonderful program centered around small class sizes and discussion based lectures.  We like to think of ourselves as "a liberal arts college in a research university."  

The classes are always interesting and engaging, but my favorite part of being involved with our program is our strong sense of community.  You can always find a friendly face on campus, and a person who shares your interests and passions.  I actually met my two closest friends through the Honors College.  The first, during freshman orientation and the second, last semester in my Honors English class.  All of our students come from incredibly diverse backgrounds.  This combined with the mutual commonality serves as a foundation for meaningful connections with other students.  Plus, it's a fabulous conversation starter!

My exchange program in Swansea is just one of several exchanges offered by the Honors College, as well as many faculty-led trips to places like Brazil, Ireland, and Scandinavia.  

Just a quick thanks to the Honors College staff who helped get the site up and running, and all of those who have helped me through the application and advising process.

An update on my departure preparations:  I leave in T-minus nine days.  I'm slowly crossing things off my To Do list.  Typically, I am packed more than a week in advance, but I am majorly procrastinating.  Luckily, it's all I have left to do, and everything's coming together.

Home Away From Home

I received my housing assignment today.  I will be living in a single room with an ensuite bathroom in one of the dorms on campus.

Courtesy of Swansea University

Something different from the US university housing system is that there are three sizes of rooms, small, medium, and large.  Personally, I did not have a choice as to the size of the room, but I'm assuming domestic students do.  The other thing I found rather interesting, was that there is no roommate lottery system like at WSU.  All of the rooms are single rooms, most often in either a flat/apartment setup, or like my dorm is set up, with rooms in a traditional dorm style sharing a large common area.  Like this:

Courtesy of Swansea University

Introductions and Pleasantries

Hi guys!

I'm writing this blog to document my semester abroad in Swansea Wales, and to share my adventures with my friends, family, and any future students considering going abroad.

For the sake of any newcomers, I will go ahead and introduce myself.

My name is Taylor, and I am a sophomore honors student at Washington State University.  I am an accounting major, with a background in Spanish and French.  My Spanish is coming along nicely, but my French needs a lot more work.  While home for Christmas break, I'm brushing up on my German to prepare for a visit to a friend of my in Muhlheim, Germany.

I grew up in the southeastern part of the United States.  The one question I get all the time, even after having lived in Washington for almost three years now is, "Where are you from, because you aren't from Washington."  My southern accent comes out the most when I'm tired.  I'm secretly hoping I'll come home from Wales with a cool southern/british accent hybrid.

I love to read, travel, and watch TV.  Any of my friends can tell you, I'm entirely too invested in the well-being of my TV drama characters...don't even get me started on the emotional trauma Downton Abbey has put me through!

Anyways, that's all for now.  Keep checking back, subscribe to the RSS feed, or keep an eye on Facebook for new updates! There are the appropriate links to start following this blog on the left side bar.

Talk to y'all soon!