Madison – London – Paris

After just completing all my coursework here at DTU, it’s time to Blog!  The past two months have given little time for pause, and I have some catching up to do.

The first journey began with a quick jaunt back home to Madison for 3 days.  Silly me forgot my toothbrush, so I had to go all the way back and take care of a few matters. It was great being back in town, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the vast majority of my time with friends and family.  It was a treat to be able to do nothing but catch up with everyone. I must say though, this made me realize that I miss Madison and everyone there.

Just kidding, that would have been crazy if I had actually done that.

Flying into London.  I had modified my original travel plans to continue on to Paris, and had worked in about 6 hours in London in the meantime.  I wandered around in my jet-lagged stupor, riding the tube and going on a walking tour.  I only had time to see a small portion of the city, and would love to go back for an actual trip sometime – Zach?

Buckingham Palace

Location of the 2012 Olympic Volleyball games

Remember Remember 

After having my fill of fish and chips, I was on my way to Kings Cross / St Pancras to catch the Eurostar under the Chunnel to Paris.  Despite my excitement to see what a tunnel looks like, my sleep deprived self napped for the entire ride, only waking up once we arrived in Gar Du Nord.

The next day I met friends from DTU at Versailles, where we wandered around the palace and gardens for most of the day.  It was very interesting to see the extremely lavish setting. It’s amazing what royals could get away with. 

Hall of Mirrors

Marie Antoinette's Bedchamber
She escaped through the secret door when the angry mob came knocking

By night, a few of us wandered up to Sacré Coeur, a church perched on an overlook of the city with a great view.  Along with all the others that had found their way there, we enjoyed a beer while sitting on the steps and taking in Paris.

The next day we wandered around more of the city, going on a walking tour and seeing the famous sights. We then visited the Notre Dame, followed by the Military Museum, the place of Napoleon’s tomb.

More museums and attractions the day after, we started with the Musée d'Orsay.  I think this is my favorite art museum that I’ve visited so far.  I can dig on some Monet and Van Gogh.  After that, Fudge and I went underground to see the Parisian Catacombs.  That place is weird.  It was a nice change from the average museum though, and I don’t think I’ll have another chance to wander around neatly stacked piles of human bones anytime soon.

Responding to the tune, we were beckoned to the Champs Elysées, and climbed up the Arc de Triomphe at its end. 

The Paris Marathon earlier that day

And saving the most notable for last, we made a trip to the Louvre.  It's absolutely overwhelming.  Somebody should tell those guys to tone it down a little.

"A bunch of tourists, looking at something"

And to my chagrin, I learned that the Eiffel tower is in Paris! I think it’s pretty interesting that the it was only supposed to be a temporary attraction for the 1889 World’s Fair, but it still stands 122 years later. They don't build them like they used to.

After this triple header, it was back to Copenhagen for 2 days before my 12 day Italy trip.  Oofda.