I never liked packing. I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something and since I have never been out of the country, there were a lot of things that I needed to buy and find out about like if I could use my bank card while I was there and phone cards and adapters.
I'm glad that everything is done though, my project has been completed and all I have to worry about is finishing up with my packing.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Exploring the cities
When we are done with our presentations, the rest of the day is ours to explore the cities and do whatever we want.
My friend are working on a detailed list of things to do while we are there to make the most of every second.
So far we have reserved tickets for "As You Like It" a play by Shaskespeare at The Globe theater and the Jack the Ripper Tour, in London. We have also planned a shopping day including dinner at a pub with live music.
In Paris we have signed up for a river cruise and dinner in the evening that will take us past the Eiffel Tower. We were also going to go to the Moulin Rouge because we both became obsessed with it after seeing the 2003 movie a few years back. But, upon further inquiry, we discovered that, while it IS a real place, its not as nice as the movie and webiste make it out to be. According to a lot of reviews on Trip Finder, it was not an enjoyable experience and most people said to skip it. As reservations there were extremly expensive, we decided it wasn't too much of a loss.
We still have a few more nights of free time and have not decided what to do yet.
My friend are working on a detailed list of things to do while we are there to make the most of every second.
So far we have reserved tickets for "As You Like It" a play by Shaskespeare at The Globe theater and the Jack the Ripper Tour, in London. We have also planned a shopping day including dinner at a pub with live music.
In Paris we have signed up for a river cruise and dinner in the evening that will take us past the Eiffel Tower. We were also going to go to the Moulin Rouge because we both became obsessed with it after seeing the 2003 movie a few years back. But, upon further inquiry, we discovered that, while it IS a real place, its not as nice as the movie and webiste make it out to be. According to a lot of reviews on Trip Finder, it was not an enjoyable experience and most people said to skip it. As reservations there were extremly expensive, we decided it wasn't too much of a loss.
We still have a few more nights of free time and have not decided what to do yet.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
EF Tour program
I will be traveling through EF Tours. Apparently this is the most popular and widely used summer study abroad program for universities. Apart from raising the departure fee two times, my experience with them has been pleasant so far. As I mentioned the entire tour will be 10 days, with the official itinerary listed below....
Day 1
- Fly overnight to England
Day 2
- London
Arrive in London
Take a walking tour of London:
The Strand
Trafalgar Square
Leicester Square
Covent Garden
Day 3
- London
Take a guided tour of London:
Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
Piccadilly Circus
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (if scheduled)
Optional: Windsor Castle
Day 4
- Oxford • London
Take a guided excursion to Oxford
Visit New College
Day 5
- London
Enjoy a free day in London
Optional: Olympics 2012 Tour
Day 6
- London • Paris
Travel by Eurostar train to Paris
Take a guided tour of Paris:
Place de la Concorde
Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomphe
Les Invalides
Conciergerie
Take a walking tour of Montmartre:
Place du Tertre
Sacré-Coeur
Day 7
- Versailles • Paris
Take a guided excursion to Versailles
Day 8-9
- Paris
Optional: Chartres and the Loire Valley
Visit the Louvre
Take a walking tour of Paris:
Latin Quarter
Visit Notre Dame
Enjoy free time in Paris
Day 10
- Depart for home
Day 1
- Fly overnight to England
Day 2
- London
Arrive in London
Take a walking tour of London:
The Strand
Trafalgar Square
Leicester Square
Covent Garden
Day 3
- London
Take a guided tour of London:
Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
Piccadilly Circus
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (if scheduled)
Optional: Windsor Castle
Day 4
- Oxford • London
Take a guided excursion to Oxford
Visit New College
Day 5
- London
Enjoy a free day in London
Optional: Olympics 2012 Tour
Day 6
- London • Paris
Travel by Eurostar train to Paris
Take a guided tour of Paris:
Place de la Concorde
Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomphe
Les Invalides
Conciergerie
Take a walking tour of Montmartre:
Place du Tertre
Sacré-Coeur
Day 7
- Versailles • Paris
Take a guided excursion to Versailles
Day 8-9
- Paris
Optional: Chartres and the Loire Valley
Visit the Louvre
Take a walking tour of Paris:
Latin Quarter
Visit Notre Dame
Enjoy free time in Paris
Day 10
- Depart for home
Studying abroad: The assignment
To graduate with global honors at Lock Haven University, I need to, as the title would suggest, travel to somewhere else on the globe. This 10 day experience also counts as a humanities seminar, a credit I need to graduate in my two majors, English (writing) and Communications (print journalism). I could have opted to take a course during the semester or during the summer here. This means I had the choice between staying here, and sitting in a hot classroom learning about works of art in a book with pictures that could never to the paintings justice...or seeing them first hand in all their glory in the National Gallery, The Tate, The Tate Modern, The Louvre and The Orsay in London and Paris.
The choice was obvious.
To receive the credits, I must select three works of art and lead a 25 min. discussion about them to further understanding and appreciation for the piece.
As an artist of words, I have the deepest respect for the visual arts. To me, writing, art, music and performance theater are all interconnected and are best in combination with each other. I tried to select paintings that exemplified this because I knew I could find a lot of interesting subjects to speak and ask questions about.
The painting I selected are:
The Marraige Contract/Settlement by William Hogarth (1743)
The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse (1888)
Dancing at the Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1876)
Each one of these are not only a beautiful example of a specific art movement, but they also tell a particular story that is either tied to literature or social commentary. I'm a bit nervous about the fact that I have to lead a discussion for 25 min. but I'm sure if I break it down and explore many different viewpoints of the paintings I will be able to find enough to say about them.
The choice was obvious.
To receive the credits, I must select three works of art and lead a 25 min. discussion about them to further understanding and appreciation for the piece.
As an artist of words, I have the deepest respect for the visual arts. To me, writing, art, music and performance theater are all interconnected and are best in combination with each other. I tried to select paintings that exemplified this because I knew I could find a lot of interesting subjects to speak and ask questions about.
The painting I selected are:
The Marraige Contract/Settlement by William Hogarth (1743)
The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse (1888)
Dancing at the Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1876)
Each one of these are not only a beautiful example of a specific art movement, but they also tell a particular story that is either tied to literature or social commentary. I'm a bit nervous about the fact that I have to lead a discussion for 25 min. but I'm sure if I break it down and explore many different viewpoints of the paintings I will be able to find enough to say about them.
Going across the pond
What will the sun rise look like from the other side of the Atlantic? Will I see the images I've dreamed of in travel magazines come to life right before my eyes? I will walk through the historic streets I've always heard about in novels and seen in movies. The very roads beneath my feet bore witness to countless historical events that have shaped the world as we know it, for good or ill, who's to say?
This summer, I will be studying abroad in London and Paris for 10 days from May 17-26. This will be the first time I will go over seas, and I am beyond excited. When I first heard about the possibility of studying abroad last year, it hardly seemed real. When I officially signed up, it seemed ages away. Now, with only about 13 days remaining, its difficult to fathom.
I've always wanted to go to England ever since I was old enough to know what England was. I grew up listening to stories about the mysterious land of tea and crumpets from my grandmother who came to America from England when she was about my ago now. She was a war-bride from Swindon, now in her 80's and very much looking forward to seeing photos from her homeland. My interest in England has grown, the same as I have. Through movies and literature, by way of the news and history classes, I've caught myself dreaming of Big Ben, and castles and the Queen more than once. And oh the history! What better way to discover not only one's personal past but national heritage than to travel to the mother of America.
In the past few years I've also become increasingly interested in France. Thanks to literature, mostly the Charles Dickens novel with which this blog shares its name and The Scarlet Pimpernel, I have come to love the French Revolutionary era. Marie Antoinette and the Rococo era also fascinates me so you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that we would be visiting the Rococo Mecca: The Palace of Versailles.
This summer, I will be studying abroad in London and Paris for 10 days from May 17-26. This will be the first time I will go over seas, and I am beyond excited. When I first heard about the possibility of studying abroad last year, it hardly seemed real. When I officially signed up, it seemed ages away. Now, with only about 13 days remaining, its difficult to fathom.
I've always wanted to go to England ever since I was old enough to know what England was. I grew up listening to stories about the mysterious land of tea and crumpets from my grandmother who came to America from England when she was about my ago now. She was a war-bride from Swindon, now in her 80's and very much looking forward to seeing photos from her homeland. My interest in England has grown, the same as I have. Through movies and literature, by way of the news and history classes, I've caught myself dreaming of Big Ben, and castles and the Queen more than once. And oh the history! What better way to discover not only one's personal past but national heritage than to travel to the mother of America.
In the past few years I've also become increasingly interested in France. Thanks to literature, mostly the Charles Dickens novel with which this blog shares its name and The Scarlet Pimpernel, I have come to love the French Revolutionary era. Marie Antoinette and the Rococo era also fascinates me so you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that we would be visiting the Rococo Mecca: The Palace of Versailles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)