Sunday, May 20, 2012

A Weekend in Merry Old England!



I just got back “home” to the FIAP after a fantastic weekend with my family in London. However, before I get into that, I want to catch up on a few highlights from the end of the week in Paris! “Romeo and Juliet” at the Opera Bastille was absolutely amazing – the dancing, the set design, the staging, and the costumes were all wonderful! I also really enjoyed our trip to the Musee D’Orsay and our walking tour of the Montmartre area. I definitely want to make it back over before I leave…there was so much more I wanted to see, but we ran out of time! Then on Thursday night, I met up with my family for an amazing dinner at Le Procope. In true French style, the meal took two and a half hours! It was certainly worth it though (especially dessert!) The next morning, we started off at the Louvre. I could have spent days there, and I still don’t think I would have seen everything! We spent a lot of time looking at the Italian paintings, and then explored some of the ancient Egyptian work. 
 Later that afternoon, we hopped on a train and rode out to London! Our adventures there began with a performance of “Les Miserables” at the Queen’s Theater! The show was overwhelming! I have always loved this musical (especially after being a part of a production of it in high school) and it was such a treat to get to see it live! It is such a powerful story and the music is beautiful! Afterwards, we went to a small café for tea and desserts! I must say, as a tea lover, I feel very at home in England! Hot tea is available everywhere and it’s so much more prevalent than coffee (unlike back in the States!) I love it!

 Saturday morning began with a tour of Parliament. Our tour guide was incredibly informative, and quite funny as well. The building itself was exquisite and I learned a lot about England’s government procedures, as well as its history and traditions. Then we got on another train for my favorite part of the weekend…The Making of Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour! I am a huge Harry Potter fan, so this was a real treat for me! We got to see a ton of the sets, costumes, and props used in the movies, as well as sketches, renderings, and models from the production. I got to stand on the Knight Bus, steer the flying car, visit Honeydukes Sweet Shop, and finally taste Butterbeer! I could probably talk about this tour all day, but for the sake of time I’ll move on!

This morning, we woke up and took the Underground down to the Tower of London! This was another fascinating tour, full of hundreds of years of history! We also got to see the Crown Jewels, which were unbelievable! I have to say, the crowns are REALLY large…I can’t imagine wearing one on my head! The jewels and diamonds were absolutely stunning though!
After our visit, it was time for me to head back to Paris! I was sad to leave the family of course, but I’m looking forward to another exciting week here in France! Plus, it is much warmer and much sunnier here! I guess I should probably head off and start preparing for class in the morning though! Week 3, here we come!

No comments:

Post a Comment