Blog Makeover!

Before I add some posts from Belfast (they're coming very soon), the blog has had a makeover. I wanted to switch things up a bit and change the format. I like the new look and think that it is a little more simple and easier to see the pictures and read each post. I hope followers of my blog agree! Enjoy - more posts to come (as promised) AND today also marks the beginning of my last 20 days in Ireland! Hard to believe how quickly the semester has gone. I hope that you guys have enjoyed this blog as much as I have enjoyed making it. Thanks for following and I promise 20 more days of great posts!

Not one to break tradition, here is a quote - (in honor of December . . .)

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas." - Calvin Coolidge

"I love Paris in the fall" - Part IV: Paris with Nathalie

Sunday, November 22

For our last full day in France, Emmanuel stayed home with the children so that Nathalie could take us into Paris for the day. We started our day by going to Notre Dame. After Notre Dame, we took the metro to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées

where we enjoyed lunch at Ladurée, a luxury cake and pastry brand in France, famous for being the inventor of the double-decker macaron - 15,000 of the little cookie are sold each day! After lunch, we wandered into a few more shops and then hopped back on the metro and headed home to play with the kids and enjoy a tasty dinner - Chinese takout - delicious!

Picture 1 - Suzi with Capucine and Tiphane

Picture 2 - Nathalie and me in front of Notre Dame!

Lyrics from another great song -

Every time I look down on this timeless town
whether blue or gray be her skies.
Whether loud be her cheers or soft be her tears,
more and more do I realize:

I love Paris in the springtime.
I love Paris in the fall.
I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles,
I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles.

I love Paris every moment,
every moment of the year.
I love Paris, why, oh why do I love Paris?
Because my love is near

- I Love Paris

"I love Paris in the fall" - Part IIIB: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

Saturday, 21 November
After an incredible day at Disney, we left the park and headed over to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show! Note - this was my second time attending the show and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. This time we were on the green team - also known as the lovely state of Montana. Sadly, our team did not win and I did not get to volunteer to help Mickey and friends guard all of the gold, but we had still had SO much fun and Arthur stayed awake through the whole thing!

Picture 1 - Enjoying our final moments in the park - trying on Disney's fall 2009 fashion line!

Picture 2 - Our place mat from the show - gives you more of an idea of what we're dealing with.

Picture 3 - Nathalie and Arthur after the show in front of the arena.

Picture 4 - Suzi and me enjoying one of many picture locations. You can't fully see it, but we are sitting on saddles!

Picture 5 - Arthur, Suzi, and me posing in front of the wild west frontier!

"I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained." - Walt Disney

"I love Paris in the fall" - Part IIIA: Disneyland Paris

Saturday, November 21

Judging from the title of this post, I'm sure you can assume we had an amazing day. Once arriving at the park around eleven, Suzi and I broke off to ride Space Mountain. After that, we all met up for lunch at Walt's - a really cool restaurant, in which the whole place is decorated with old photos of Walt Disney. So great! After lunch, Suzi and I did some more grownup rides - the Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. To top it all off, the entire park was already decorated for Christmas and they would make it snow throughout the day. Incredible!

Picture 1 - Arthur with Mickey - pumped for a day at Disney!

Picture 2 - Suzi in front of Space Mountain!

Picture 3 - Suzi and me at Walt's before our lunch.

Picture 4 - with the whole park behind us, waiting for the Haunted Mansion.

Picture 5 - about to ride Thunder Mountain - my personal favorite of the day!

"If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember this whole thing was started by a mouse." - Walt Disney

***NOTE: I forgot my camera for our day in Paris on Friday, November 20. As of now, I have no pictures for that day, but I hope to get some from Suzi and add a post for that day at a later time.***

"I love Paris in the fall" - Part IIC: Dinner with Borden

Thursday, November 19

Right after our bike tour, we took the metro to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and rushed into the closest movie theatre to see New Moon - the latest film in the Twilight Series. Luckily for us, movies come out on Wednesday in Paris and so we were able to see the movie before people in the United States. After the movie we met up with my future roomie at Wake, Borden! She took us to the Cafe du Marche, where we had a wonderful French dinner. After dinner, we went to another place and shared a nutella crepe. After that, Suzi and I went to visit the flat that Borden is living in for the semester - she has view of the Eiffel Tower! Little bit jealous.

Picture 1 - roomie picture take 1

Picture 2 - Suzi and Borden (who are both from Chicago) planning what to do for their photo, which in itself made for a really good picture

Picture 3 - Sorora Squat. Roomie picture take 2.

Picture 4 - and again . . . Borden and I on the patio of her Madame's flat - yes. that would be the Eiffel Tower sparkling behind us!

French lyrics from a great song:

"Des yeux qui font baiser les miens, Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche, Voila le portrait sans retouche De l'homme auquel j'appartiens Quand il me prend dans ses bras Il me parle tout bas, Je vois la vie en rose."

- La Vie en Rose

"I love Paris in the fall" - Part IIB: The Return of FTBT

Thursday, November 19

After having such an amazing time with our Fat Tire Bike Tour in London, Suzi and I knew for sure that we wanted to tour with Fat Tire again in Paris. We met our guide under the Eiffel Tower at 11AM. After that, he walked us to their offices and we picked up our bikes. The tour was so much fun, although a little scarier than London because we spent a lot more time on the actual Paris roads. At one point we all had to bike through Place de la Concorde - his advice to us - "never look back." Also (true story), I got separated from the group at one point and had to maneuver around some parisian cars - rough. Overall, it was an amazing tour and I hope to someday do more Fat Tire Bike Tours!

Picture 1 - early in the day - just after meeting up with our guide under the Eiffel Tower.

Picture 2 - taking a stop and learning a little bit in front of the Ecole Militaire.

Picture 3 - Crossing my favorite bridge in Paris - Pont Alexandre III.

Picture 4 - enjoying the view and a rest from biking in the Jardin des Tuileries.

Picture 5 - Suzi and me with our bikes and the Eiffel Tower.

"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind." - Seneca

"I love Paris in the fall" - Part IIA: The Eiffel Tower

Thursday, November 19

While waiting for our bike tour to start, Suzi and I took an excessive number of pictures with the Eiffel Tower. The following are some of my favorites . . .

Picture 1 - its a little blurry, but I still love this one - throwing leaves into the air.

Picture 2 - photo shoot with the leaves take 2.

Picture 3 - So, we made some Italian friends who gave us their e-mail addresses so that we can contact them the next time we visit Italy. Yeah, ok.

Picture 4 - By itself.

Picture 5 - This was taken separately, but I still love it - on the metro on our way into the city.

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharial Nehru

"I love Paris in the fall" - Part I: The Arrival

Wednesday, November 18

Suzi and I woke up bright and early to catch our flight out of Cork. We landed in CDG around lunchtime, so we grabbed a baguette and some pain au chocolate and hopped on the next RER to le vesinet le centre. Once there, Nathalie picked us up and we went back to the house where we played with Capucine and Arthur for a few hours. After the kids went to sleep, Nathalie took Suzi and I out to dinner at La Crepiere (my favorite crepe restaurant).

Picture 1 - Nathalie and me after a delicious dinner at La Crepiere.

Picture 2 - Soon after landing in CDG - happy to be in Paris!

Picture 3 - Suzi waiting in the Cork airport - excited for our trip.

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

So, we went to London . . . Part III: Harrods

Saturday, November 7

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD***

Today, our last full day in London, we all decided to visit none other than the famous department store, Harrods. It was within walking distance from our hostel, so spent the morning finding our way. Along our walk, we stopped for brunch at a nice French restaurant. Harrods more than lived up to its name. We especially loved it because the entire seven floors were decorated for Christmas, which was pretty incredible to see. We especially enjoyed rediscovering our childhoods on toy floor as well as seeing what spoiled British children get for Christmas - a 15,000 pound miniature Hummer. After Harrods, we grabbed a quick lunch across the street at a nice restaurant and then headed back to the Hostel for a nap before grabbing dinner at a really good Chinese place - Kym's. After dinner it was back to our Hostel to pack and go to sleep. We were up the next morning and sadly in a taxi headed for Heathrow. We all agree 100% that our visit to London was quite incredible and I especially cannot wait to go back!

Picture 1 - Beautiful homes on the way to Harrods.

Picture 2 - Oriel - cute French restaurant where we had brunch.

Picture 3 - cutest Harrods teddy bear!

Picture 4 - some musicians providing Christmas cheer outside the store.

Picture 5 - #1 Hans Street - just for Em!

“You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of Life; for there is in London all that life can afford." - Samuel Johnson

So, we went to London . . . Part II:Fat Tire Bike Tour

Friday, November 6

Another amazing day in London. First, we had breakfast at our hostel where we had to wash our own dishes. After breakfast, we hopped on a bus to find the meeting place for "Fat Tire Bike Tours." For those of you who have never heard of this company, I highly recommend it. For about 20 pounds (18 for students), you have two tour guides who take you around the city on really comfy bicycles. It is hands down the best way to see a city. You stop about an hour and a half in and have a break for lunch. The tours are also offered in four cities so far, including London, Paris, Barcelona, and Berlin. In London at least almost all of the tour is flat and not too hard for anyone. Also, the tour in London took also through most of the major parks in the city, which in early November were gorgeous. After the tour, we grabbed Starbucks and headed back to our hostel. We got dinner and a really cool restaurant, Giraffe, which had edamame! After dinner, we walked the town some more and then headed back for a great night's sleep.

Picture 1 - All of us at the beginning of our Fat Bike Tour of London.

Picture 2 - Lindsay and me - rather excited to bike.

Picture 3 - One of our two tour guides, David, getting into his story about the infamous Wellington.

Picture 4 - Westminster Abbey - along the route.

Picture 5 - What to do after a three hour bike ride? Starbucks!

For more information on Fat Bike Tours, visit this website:

http://fattirebiketours.com/london

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine

So, we went to London . . . Part IB

Still Thursday, November 5

After buying the tickets, we headed back to the hostel to freshen up before our show. We had dinner at a really fun Mexican place that was recommended to us by one of the receptionists in our hostel. It was a great atmosphere and they had us all wearing sombreros by the end of the meal. After dinner, it was off to the theatre - the London theatre! Wicked was incredible. I had seen it twice before, but London made it special. All of the dialogue was in the British dialect, which was cool. It made me remember just how much I love that show! After Wicked, we headed back to our hostel ready for sleep after a long and wonderful first day in London!

Picture 1 - Sombreros and Mexican food!

Picture 2 - Outside of the Apollo Victoria where Wicked was playing.

Picture 3 - Pretending to be Galinda.

Picture 4 - Doing our best to be Wicked.

Picture 5 - All of us after an amazing show in front of the stage.

"So if you care to find me

Look to the western sky!

As someone told me lately:

'Everyone deserves the chance to fly!'

And if I'm flying solo

At least I'm flying free

To those who ground me

Take a message back from me

Tell them how I am

Defying gravity

I'm flying high

Defying gravity

And soon I'll match them in renown

And Nobody in all of Oz

No Wizard that there is or was

Is ever gonna bring me down!"

- Elphaba, Wicked

So, we went to London . . . Part IA

Thursday, November 5

An exciting day indeed. The five of us (Jenna, Lindsay, Sharlett, Suzi, and I) woke up nice and early so that we could catch a 5:30AM (its funny, but waking up early to catch a plane to travel Europe - no big deal; waking up for a 9AM class - not so easy) taxi to the Cork airport and then board our 7:30AM flight to Heathrow airport. We were all rather pumped - I even made a London playlist on my iPod for the plane ride there. Seriously. Arriving nice and early (9AM) gave us a full Thursday in London. First, we took a taxi (we loved how they looked) to our Hostel in Victoria, which wasn't too bad. It definitely made things cozy, with the six of us (Jenna's sister met her in London for the weekend) sharing a room - three bunks in all and one sink. After checking into the hostel, our first order of business was getting tickets to the theatre. For those of you unaware, London's Westend falls second only to New York when it comes to the theatre. We walked about an hour to a ticket hub that had been recommended to us. After some difficulty, finding good seats, we got lucky with none other than six seats on the 12th row to see WICKED!

Picture 1 - Can you tell that it was 7AM in the morning?

Picture 2 - Really excited about the London Underground!

Picture 3 - Picture with red phone booth - necessary.

Picture 4 - The gang with a blowup British guard outside Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum - please notice Suzi did not make it.

Picture 5 - With the Guard and his horse.

Remember Remember Poem

"Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot . . ."

A poem referring to Guy Fawkes' attempt at treason on November 5th, 1605.

Halloween in Limerick

For Halloween weekend, as part of our IFSA-Butler program, all of the Cork IFSA students spent the weekend in Limerick. We took a bus to Limerick on Saturday morning. Early that evening, we went to a Munster rugby match, which was so much fun! Munster won the game, which we were all very excited about. After the game, we went back to our hotel and all changed into our costumes (I was an Indian - see photos) before heading out to a club that IFSA had gotten us free admission to. The Irish are very inventive when it comes to Halloween and some of the costumes we saw were rather outrageous. Overall, it was a really fun weekend and we especially enjoyed getting to step things up and stay at a nice hotel for the weekend!

Picture 1 - In front of the Munster Stadium before the match - their color is red!

Picture 2 - Getting dressed and into character in the hotel before going out.

Picture 3 - Jenna and I with 'John and Edward' from the X Factor - very creative!

Picture 4 - Enjoying the Indian life!

"It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up at me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It's my partner." - Dr. Jonas Salk