Ever since one of Mark’s friends made the mistake of was kind enough to tell me that Gloucester Cathedral, only thirty minutes by bus from his home in Cheltenham, is where some of the Hogwarts scenes in the Harry Potter movies were filmed, I was set on doing a day trip there. Continue reading “Harry Potter Fangirling in Gloucester, England”
After spending the first half of the week exploring the towns on the Cote d’Azur, for the second half of the week my friend Sara and I headed to Paris.
I had visited Paris twice before – once at age fifteen, and again at age twenty. I had liked it both times and was curious to see how I felt about Paris the third time around.
Sara and I decided to stay near the Arc de Triomphe, which I would recommend as its quite centrally located. I was really impressed with where we stayed, the Hotel Mercure Arc de Triomphe Wagram. The hotel was modern, our room was spacious (for European standards), the location was very central, and most importantly – the WiFi worked really well.
Our first night in town we had dinner on the most famous street in Paris, the Champs Elysees which is plentiful with restaurants and shops. After our dinner and a bit of shopping, we did a night time bus tour. The bus tour was a good way to get a grasp on the city quickly – it started at the Arc de Triomphe, and we passed by the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, and various other attraction while learning a bit about each.
Funny side note: As we were walking to our bus tour, two guys came up to Sara and I trying to talk to us. One of the guys kept asking me something I didn’t understand in French – it sounded like he was saying “silly butter”, so I kept asking him what “silly butter” was. Turns out (thanks to Sara for figuring it out) he was asking if I was “célibataire” – which apparently in French means single – but sounds like “silly butter” and spelled out looks like celibate (awkward).
The next day I worked remotely from our hotel (never enough vacation days for me), while Sara toured the super-huge Versailles – apparently the palace and grounds at Versailles are bigger than Monaco AND Vatican City combined! That evening we had dinner at a restaurant at the Palais Royale and made our way to the post modern (aka strange architecture) Centre Georges Pompidou for drinks at the rooftop bar.
On Saturday we headed over to the Champs des Mars hoping to see a beautiful park next to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, the Champs des Mars (at least as far as our eyes could see) is pretty much mostly dirt because of everyone who goes there to get the perfect picture of them with the Eiffel Tower – ourselves included. Alas, after admiring the tower, we walked over the Seine River and hopped on one of the boats that would bring us to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame did not disappoint. Construction on it began over 850 years ago, and what has been produced in the years since is wonderful. The details put into the exterior and interior are truly beautiful. I definitely enjoyed the moments inside where I connected with my spiritual side.
Our last in the city we decided to go out in the well-know Montmartre neighborhood, where the Moulin Rouge is. It was good fun to explore an area thats previous residents include Picasso, Van Gogh, and Salvadore Dali.
Our final day I saw Sara off as she was flying back to Toronto. With a few hours to spare before my train back to London, I did a walking tour to learn a bit more about the history of Paris. During the tour I learned more about Louis XIV’s reign, Marie Antoinette’s opulence, and historic leader Napoleon Bonaparte.
My thoughts on my third time to France
Paris is a great city – and I recommend everyone visit at least once in their life. As it was my third time, I think I’ve seen quite a bit and likely won’t return soon unless I have a reason. France has always been a bit of a tricky country for me to pinpoint my feelings on. Some of my mixed feelings come from that I often don’t feel English speakers are welcome there (more so in the south of France than in Paris though), and that the laissez faire culture of the country is not always ideal for someone who is type-A like me. I definitely do appreciate France’s cafe culture, food, and beautiful architecture though.
What are your feelings on France? If you haven’t been, would you want to go?
Till next time all!
Having been only to Paris before, when my friend Sara asked if I’d want to do a trip to Nice, an area dubbed the “French Riviera” (or Côte d’Azur), I agreed to go. Sara had spent a year learning French, and I still remembered enough to get by from my high school days, so we went ahead and booked our trip – half a week in Nice, and half a week in Paris. Continue reading “Belles Villes on the Côte d’Azur”
London is a huge city, so as a tourist, or a new resident of the city, it took me some time to figure out where the best areas to go for a night out are. Below I’ll share a few of the top areas I’ve been to, and some of the specific places in each area I recommend.
Kensington
If you want to hang out with a posh crowd, this is where to go. I kid you not, when I went out in Kensington a guy was telling me all about the ‘struggle’ of having to wait for his boat to be sailed across the Atlantic since he just used it in the Caribbean but now was going to use it in the Mediterranean… such a rough life (eye roll).
Where I recommend: Kensington Roof Gardens, The Churchill Arms, Piano Kensington, Eclipse
SoHo
SoHo in London reminds me of SoHo in NYC – there’s a ton of restaurants, pubs, bars, and clubs all around. This is a great area to go for a night out because there’s something for everyone. There’s also a good mix of tourists (SoHo is close to Picadilly Circus) and Londoners who go here.
Where I recommend: Coach & Horses, Dirty Martini, Kingly Court, Ain’t Nothing But Blues Bar
Camden
Amy Winehouse used to live in this area. It’s very hipster but has a lot of cool art and a good vibe. You’ll find a mix of Londoners and tourists here as well. There’s also a nightly bar crawl of Camden (mostly for tourists), but is a good way to go to a few bars with a group at night.
Where I recommend: The Hawley Arms, The Camden Head, Camden Comedy Club (£5 and £10 comedy nights!)
Dalston
Dalston is a rapidly gentrifying area, and hidden within there are some really cool places to go out. This is a bit off the tourist track (there aren’t really any tourist attractions in this area), but as its a fifteen minute walk from my flat I go out here quite often.
Where I recommend: Dalston Roof Park, Escudo de Cuba, Jolly Butcher, Tipsy Dalston
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is near Bank, so lots of bankers come to this area for happy hour after work, although it’s more of a hipster area overall. It has a lot of cool bars, and regular bar crawls.
Where I recommend: Zigfrid von Underbelly, Queen of Hoxton, Blueberry, Bavarian Beerhouse
Which of these areas do you think you’ll visit on your next trip to London? Hopefully all of them!
Till next time all!
Wow – I’ve been in London for six months! Even saying that feels unbelievable.
Before Moving…
Just over a year ago, moving abroad was just a dream for me. I talked about moving to England with family and friends, but it still felt so foreign, so distant, and in all honesty, I wasn’t sure if it was totally attainable.
But then I did it. After applying to dozens upon dozens of positions for several months, I was able to land a interview for a job in London. Even with a Swiss passport which lets me work in the U.K., it was still difficult to get an interview from abroad.
I was SO nervous for my interview! I loved London as a tourist, but would I also like living there? I debated this question the night before my interview. But then the interview happened and they offered me the job that day and something in me knew I had to do it.
I moved five weeks later, at the end of February.
Once I Moved…
Moving did feel hard at first; there were so many unknowns. Would I make friends? Would I be able to afford London? Should I have stayed in the U.S.? Would I like it? What if I hated it?
I also was sometimes overwhelmed with having to figure everything about how to move a new country out, by myself, while starting a very busy new job. Moving into my flat, getting utilities set up, opening a bank account, learning the lay of the land in a new city, and adapting to British culture – all were aspects I had to overcome.
It was also hard early on to sometimes deal with the perception of Americans that people tend to have. Trump, politics, and shootings as of late don’t help the already not-great image that many people have of the U.S. I sometimes felt very frustrated (and even upset) when I had to defend that I still love my country despite these things.
But then at one point, things started to change. After about a month, I finished getting the utilities set up in my flat and opened a bank account. I made friends and started having a social life. I met my now boyfriend, Mark. And, the main reason of why I moved in the first place, I started traveling around Europe. I also finished my Master’s, which was a huge personal accomplishment, and opened up a lot of free time.
Where I Am Now
I feel settled now in London. My flat and neighborhood feel like home. Not in the same nostalgic way I feel about my hometown, but as a ‘home for the moment’ sort of way. I have my local grocery store, restaurants, cafes, park, and pubs. I’ve figured out what neighborhoods I like to spend time in, and which I’d like to still explore.
I’ve had quite a few visitors, which has been a great way for me to see the tourist sites (and bring friends and family to my favorites!). I have been pleasantly surprised with how many people have made it to visit – Marianna and Aaron, Karen, Sara and Trey, my parents, Lauren, and Suzie have visited. My sister Angie is also coming in October.
I also adjusted to the work I was doing. The project with Vodafone I manage can be demanding, but at my six month review this past Monday I was given an ‘exceeding expectations’ review by my manager. My immediate team is amiable and I really try my best to make our project run as smoothly as possible.
I’m also fortunate to have a few good friends now, and have deepened those relationships. I also am very happy with Mark and glad that our relationship has progressed well.
The wander luster in me has been overjoyed since I’ve been able to travel quite a bit since moving. The majority of my trips are weekend jaunts, but from London it’s not very expensive, and I try to maximize my time in each location. Thus far I’ve made it to Norway, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Italy (Milan for a day), Spain, and Switzerland.
I’ve also visited various towns and cities in England like Cheltenham, Eastbourne, Bracknell and Newbury (for work), Reading, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon.
I know that moving here has changed me for life. Probably in many ways that I won’t don’t really realize yet, and won’t really realize till I’m gone. It’s one thing to talk about moving to to another a country, but another to do it. Even when I do move back to the U.S., I doubt this will be my last time living abroad.
Till next time all!
Noelle Across The Pond 