Quality Education in the Benedictine Tradition.

search

Bearcats on the Road

Bonjour Paris - Part I

Posted by Gina McKlveen on Tue, Mar 01, 2016 @ 04:00 PM

Bonjour Paris!

 Meal.png

Friday, Jan. 22, 2016

Our flight to Paris was scheduled to leave from London Gatwick Airport at 4:45 p.m. and arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at 7 p.m. It is only an hour flight to Paris, but there is an hour time difference between London and Paris. At 1 p.m. Korrie, Tori and I met Kenzie (who was coming from her class at Hamilton House) at Kings Cross St. Pancras Station to catch our train to the Gatwick airport. When we got to the turnstiles we decided to ask a worker if we purchased the right ticket to board the Thameslink train to Gatwick, but it turns out we did not. The workers at the station were very helpful about getting us the right ticket we needed. So after a little bit of confusion, we had our tickets and were on the train to Gatwick.

The train took us right to the airport terminal, so we quickly got off and made it through security, then had a late lunch before our plane departed. When it was time to board our flight, I was shocked to find out that I had to walk outside, on the runway, to board our plane. Like I mentioned before, I have very little flight experience so climbing up a set of shaky metal stairs into the back entrance of an airplane is certainly not the ideal situation for someone who isn’t a frequent flier. Once I made it on the plane and got comfortable, I fell asleep and the next thing I knew, I was in Paris.

At the airport we had to wait in line at immigration since we were entering into a different country. After a wait that felt like forever, we made it through and were on our way to our hostel. The difficult part was finding our way to the hostel. Since we were in France, most people obviously spoke French so it was difficult trying to follow the directions we were being given by people who barely spoke English. Although I have some knowledge of French from high school I am by no means fluent, and I only know a few basic phrases. Fortunately, a man at the information desk at the airport pointed us in the right direction tracing out our route from a train at our terminal. So we got our tickets and boarded the train.

The Metro was a lot dirtier than the Tube and smelled terrible. If this is what public transportation was like in other countries, I was grateful I was staying in London. Luckily, it was a short train ride and we made it to our hostel without any problems.

After we got settled into our room, it was almost 9 p.m., but we went out to dinner at a small French restaurant. The menu was all in French, but our waitress (who could obviously tell we were Americans) was nice enough to translate the menu for us. The food was amazing, but the bread was to die for. I think I ate a whole loaf just by myself. It was the perfect way to spend the first night in Paris.

 

Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016

Our second day in Paris started early in the morning and went all day. We walked all across the city and saw so many amazing sites. I ate traditional French dishes, practiced my French speaking skills, got called a “stupid American” by an angry French man, saw some of the greatest works of architecture in the world and still didn’t take enough pictures.

NotreDameExt.pngNotreDameINT.png

NotreDameEXT2.png

Notre Dame

In the morning, we ate breakfast at our hostel then asked the front desk for directions to Notre Dame. We purchased an all-day train pass from the Metro station so we could make it to as many places as possible during the day. Our first stop was at Notre Dame. It was a lot bigger than I expected it would be. My pictures inside don’t even do it justice!

LockBridge.png

LockCloseup.png

Gina_on_Lock_Bridge.png

Love Lock Bridge 

After Notre Dame we took a detour to the Love Lock Bridge. There was a souvenir store right across the street from the bridge so I purchased a lock, a marker and tried on some berets, just for fun. Finding a place to put my lock was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I finally found the perfect spot, then kissed my key goodbye and threw it in the river behind me. Fun Fact: It was here where an angry French man called me a “stupid American.” He apparently hates that tourists come and pollute the bridges with locks because it makes the bridges look “ugly.” I could see his point, but I didn’t like being the target of his frustration.

Louvre.png

Louvre

Our next stop of the morning was the Louvre. We decided not to go into the museum just because we didn’t have the time. If I do end up going back to Paris, I’d definitely stop back here and see the Mona Lisa!

Louvre_Selfie.png

Stay tuned for Part II of my visit to Paris!

Topics: Paris, France, Gina McKlveen, Louvre, Love Lock Bridge, Notre Dame

About this Blog

In Bearcats on the Road, students chronicle their lives while studying abroad or completing internships away from campus.

Michael Orange

 

How can you study abroad?

Study abroad learn how

 


Join the Community

Subscribe to this Blog

Schedule a Visit

Request Information

Apply Now to become a bearcat


Latest Posts

Bloggers 

Paige Casario

Paige Casario is a junior International Business major with minors in Spanish and Operational Excellence. She is studying Business and Spanish and living with a host family in Sevilla, Spain, for the spring semester. She is very excited for this opportunity and experience and can't wait to venture all over Spain and Europe.

Nicole Reitz

Hi! My name is Nicole Reitz and I’m a junior psychology major at SVC. This spring, I’m studying at Edge Hill University in England.

Gianna Boburka

Hi! My name is Gianna Boburka. I am an international business major with minors in operational excellence and entrepreneurship. I will be studying abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece, this summer for five weeks. In addition to taking two classes abroad, I will be exploring many different sites around Greece.

Theresa Thimons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theresa Thimons is a sophomore majoring in mathematics. She is the proud little sister to nine siblings and aunt to seventeen nieces and nephews. Theresa believes that each encounter she has with another human is an opportunity to better understand the heart of Jesus, as every person is the result of God’s love. In whatever career path she ends up taking, she looks forward to solving problems and hopefully inspiring more people to explore the world of fun that is found in math.

Sam Geer

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Sam Geer. I’m from Murrysville, Pennsylvania, and I’m a junior at Saint Vincent. I’m getting my major in Environmental Science and minoring in Public Administration. I’m a work study at the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve and am a member of the Benedictine Leadership Studies Program. This summer, I'll be traveling to Bhutan in the Himalayas of Central Asia, home of the bearcat, where I’ll be studying environmental sustainability and Bhutanese culture. 

Gabrielle Kohl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi! Im Gabrielle Kohl, an avid reader who loves to travel around the world! I love to experience new culture, literature, people and food. I aim to make a positive impact in the lives of people with whom I interact in order to make the world a happier place.

Nicole Berry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi! My name is Nicole Berry and I am currently a junior studying communication and psychology. I also am minoring in children studies. I am a commuter and currently live in Delmont, PA. I am hoping to graduate in May 2017 and go on to graduate school for my Masters in Social Work and Juris Doctorate.

Anastasia Jaeger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anastasia Jaeger is a junior English education major with a minor in German and a minor in peace and justice. She has always dreamed of being able to travel around the world and is thankful that Saint Vincent College has these opportunities available to students. When she is not at college, she is likely working her part-time job at a local bakery. In the future, she hopes to travel more and do humanitarian work or teach high school students English.