Looooong Weekend!

So last week we got Wednesday and Thursday off from classes so we could take a longer travelling break! 6 Of us went to Paris and Barcelona. We did so much during 4 days, that we were completely exhausted by the time we got back.

On Tuesday night, 5 of us took an overnight bus to Paris. I would go in to more detail, but I think we all know by now how overnight buses go...not so great. basically.

Anyway, on Wednesday morning we check into our hostel. Then Caroline and I head off to EuroDisney for the day (and to meet our 6th member, who's coming from the Florence program)!! Disneyland Paris was wonderful! Although I'm a little bias, because I think everything Disney is wonderful. Being a wednesday, it wasn't very crowded. We rode 14 rides, including It's a Small World, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion (yea... they have a lot of the same rides as in California)! We also noticed that the rides here are a little more intense than those back home- a lot involved looops and jerking and darkness... it was fun though! They had things decorated for Christmas already. It was a really fun day. Caroline and I decided that it's hard to be in a bad mood when Christmas and Disney are combined...
That night we went to the Eiffel Tower. It is gorgeous at night! We met up with the other 3 girls here, and had a lovely time taking pictures at the top for a good 30 minutes.

On Thursday we headed off to the Louvre in the morning. Definately could've stayed there all day, slept over, and stayed there the next day as well! Unfortunately, we only had 2 hours. I'm proud to say I did some pretty fast walking during those 2 hours! First thing I saw was the Mona Lisa. It was cool. But they had this huge block of glass in front of it, plus it was kind of roped off, which made it hard to get a good look. I also looked at the Statue of Venus, the Egyptian Zodiac (which we learned in Egypt was stolen and brought to Europe!), some jewels from Britain, and so much more. The architecture of the Louvre itself was unbelievable!
Next we went to the Opera house which was the inspiration for the Phantom of the Opera! It was so neat to look at everything and see how it was incorporated into the movie/play.
We went to Notre Dame. It's so huge. It was very dark inside, I assume out of respect to those who come to worship. I love looking at the architecture in these Cathedrals, especially the Gothic ones.
We went inside the Musee d'Orsay and looked at the art in there. Next to the Louvre, it's the most famous museum in Paris. It was SUPPOSED to have Starry Night by Van Gogh, but we sadly learned once there that it is currently in New York.
We went to Montmarte, which is the home of the Moulin Rouge. It was a little sketchy walking there by ourselves, but it was one of our "must see's", due to the amazing movie!
We climbed the stairs of the Arc De Triumph. After catching our breath, we took pictures at the top and walked around admiring the view of Paris at night!
We probably went a few more places, but those were the main ones!

Friday, 3 of us stayed in Paris, while the others flew to Barcelona. This was an incredibly relaxing day. We walked along the Champs Elysee (I think I spelled that right) for some high-end shopping! It was actually more like high-end looking... We also went to the Rodin museum, home of the "Thinker" statue. And the Picasso Museum, to look at some very different art than is housed in the Louvre. That night, we flew to Barcelona. After arriving at our hostel (and fully stocked with the typical "i hate airports. i'm never using this airline again" stories) we wasted no time in falling asleeping to rest up before our final (and first) day in Barcelona!

Saturday morning, the 3 of us who flew in late went searching for a particular clothing store that was apparently everywhere in Spain. An hour and a half later, we found this store! yay.
Later, we met the rest of our group at Barcelona's Arc de Triomph, then found a little restaurant to have lunch in. We then went to this really neat park, which had an amazing view of the city. It had these cute structures that resembled Dr. Seuss houses, plus some other mosaic-like statues.
We went to this Cathedral, which is built entirely on donations. So basically, it's always under construction. Whenever they get more money, they just add more to it. It's a really cool idea. The church itself looks very modern, in the sense that it's not your typical church.
We also went to the beach. O... here's a bizarre story!:
So these people come up to us to talk. Turns out, they are Americans! Keep talking to them, and find out that they just so happen to go to the University that literally right across the street from our London house! Talk a little bit more, and find out that this girl in their group knows a professor that two of us had! Talk some more, and realize that she actually knows quite a few of the people we know at Pepperdine! She lives about 15 minutes from Pepperdine in Malibu. How wierd is that???
Later that night, we visited one more Cathedral before returning back to our hostel for a good night's sleep before waking up at 5:30 in the morning to fly back to London.

What a busy trip! I never would have thought a year ago that in one week I would be seeing as much stuff as I did this past week. It really is unbelievable.