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{Hannah} Europe Trip 2017: Paris

I arrived in Paris late Tuesday night and went straight to the hostel. Wednesday morning I was up bright and early, and took a walk down Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Troiumphe.

I walked up all the steps and had a wonderful view of the city. Afterwards I walked through the Trocadéro and over the river to see the Eiffel Tour up close.

I took the stairs up to the first two observation decks, and got to see Paris from another angle. It was time for a snack, so I walked to Rue Cler and got a Nutella crepe from a vendor on the quiet market street.

I continued on to the military museum in the Hotel des Invalides, and managed to spend over four hours there! It was getting late, so I walked back across the Seine via the Pont Alexandre bridge, and onto Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg St Honore–both of which are filled with high end fashion stores. I picked up my first Parisian macroons from Laduree, and enjoyed them in the Palais Royal gardens.

The next morning I went to Ile de Cite. I saw the magnificent Sainte-Chapelle church, to which these beautiful stained glass windows belong.

I visted the Conciergerie (an old building that was once a jail where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned), the Palais de Justice, and the Cour du Mai. I visited the Crypte Archeologique and saw ancient ruins that are buried beneath Paris. Then I went into the Notre-Dame, and waited an hour to climb up into the towers.

The last stop of the day was the Panthéon, where I made a friend in the crypt. We split a large sandwich from a small shop and enjoyed it at the fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg.

We tried to see the Catacombs and the views of Paris from Montparnasse, but the timing wasn’t on our side. I finished the night with a walk through Isle Sainte-Louis and a stop for ice cream.

For my last day in Paris, I started with a run up to the Sacré-Coeur to get one last view of the city.

Then it was onto the Louvre!

Even though I had almost five hours to spend in the museum, it wasn’t enough time! But I had to leave to catch my flight to Venice.

{Hannah} Europe Trip 2017: London

My Europe trip began in London, with my flight landing around 7 am on Sunday. It took some time to get through customs and make my way to my hostel (SoHostel, which was great) via the Tube.

Once I dropped off my bag and changed, I headed to Tower of London to take in the old fortress, and see the crown jewels. They had free tours, so I joined one to get a little more history of the place.

After a few hours exploring the Tower of London, I made my way across the Tower Bridge. I walked along the River Thames, passing Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Tate Modern along the way.

I stopped at the Anchor at Bankside for my very first fish and chips! I’m a vegetarian, so I was very excited to see that they had a vegetarian “fish” made out of cheese.

I continued down the river, where I went for a spin on the London Eye.

After the ride, I walked back across the river and past the Parliament Building and Big Ben.

Monday morning I took the Tube to Westminster Abbey, and enjoyed the audio tour they provided. I made it to Buckingham Palace in time to see the end of the Changing of the Guard. I stopped into the Queens Gallery where they were exhibiting paintings on Venice–a later stop on my trip! I toured the Royal Mews, before going on the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk. It’s seven miles through some of the most famous parks in London, marked by these medallions.

I took a detour off the path to get lunch at Paxton’s Head (which is actually part of the same pub group as the Anchor) and to see Harrods department store.

I finished the walk just in time to make it to a pub crawl. It ended up being more of a bar crawl, but I made a friend, and we ended up hanging out in Trafalgar Square late into the night.

My last day in London was Tuesday, and I took the opportunity to go for a run up Primrose Hill in Regent’s Park and take in the views of London.

Afterwards, I packed up and headed to the British Museum. I spent a few hours at the museum, and I’m sure I could’ve spent more time there. For lunch, I went to the only vegetarian and vegan pub in London! It’s called Norman’s Coach and Horses, and I loved the Shepard’s pie, though their whole menu looked good.