I Almost Studied Last Weekend...

...but then I traveled instead.

Since I'll be heading to London for four days tomorrow (!!!!) I thought I should finally write a post about Bruges and Paris last weekend (happy now Brennan?).

One of the many canals in Bruges (spelled Brugge in Dutch).

On Saturday last weekend I took a day trip to Bruges, Belgium with a student association at my university called Club Ulysse. The club organizes trips throughout the semester for relatively cheap (the Bruges trip was €20), and it's a great way to meet French students and other international students.

We left the university at around 8AM on Saturday and arrived in Bruges within about an hour and fifteen. After a few quick pictures we were set free to enjoy the day as we pleased.

Most of the day was spent wandering the streets and just taking in the beauty of the city. Bruges is known locally as the "Venice of the North" because of its beautiful network of canals. There are boat tour companies stationed on nearly every corner, and the city itself is a maze of bridges traversing canal after canal.

After walking for a while (and indulging in a famous Belgian waffle) we decided to get lunch at a nearby friterie (french fry shop), where I tried some traditional Belgian beef stew, called Stoofvlees in Dutch, and of course some Belgian frites.

Once we'd finished lunch we moved on to the more important part of the afternoon: the beer. Our friend Nicolas, who is half-Belgian, took us to a bar called the World of Beer and gave us recommendations of what to try. Upon walking into the bar, the first thing you see is a massive wall of beer (Dad, you would have loved it). I tried a beer called Hop, which was very good. The bar's bathroom also featured a sink with a built-in aquarium.

The rest of the day was spent wandering a bit more, taking lots of photos, and finally buying some Belgian chocolate. I snagged one more Belgian waffle before we boarded the bus and headed back to Lille around 6:30PM.

The travel adventures continued on Sunday, when I visited Paris for the first time with my friend Ginny. Her uncle was there for work, so we met with him on Sunday morning and he became our personal tour guide for the day.

Though Ginny and Howard had both been to Paris before (and in Howard's case many times), they indulged me by taking me to most of Paris' most recognizable landmarks. After a quick espresso near the train station (look how European I am Mom), we took the metro to Howard's "neighborhood" and he showed us the university he works with (L'Université Paris-Sorbonne) and the surrounding streets.

Walking along the Seine.

We eventually ended up at the Notre Dame de Paris, but decided not to go in because the line was too long. I made sure to snap some photos of the outside for good measure, but I'm sure I'll visit again when my parents come in December.

Next we took some time to walk along the Seine and peruse the street vendors. It was unusually warm and the views of the river were stunning. I also purchased a small map of Paris from one of the street vendors as my souvenir for the day. I'm planning to hang it on my almost-bare walls here at Triolo.

Playing model. When in Paris, right?

After spending some time admiring the Seine, we began the trek toward the Eiffel Tower in hopes of stopping at a bar or café along the way for a well-deserved glass of wine, but unfortunately none were to be found until we were nearly to the tower.

Once we had enjoyed our drinks we continued on to the Eiffel Tower. I honestly don't know what to say about it other than that it's MUCH bigger in person. We decided not to go up because of my irrational fear of stairs (which is called bathmophobia, in case anyone was wondering), and because I wanted to save some things for when my parents come in December.

We took some time to relax on the grass near the tower before hopping back on the metro to visit L'Arc de Triomphe! We, once again, didn't go inside but I got the obligatory tourist photo standing in front.

Next we made our way to Montmartre to have some dinner and take in the view from the Sacre Coeur. We ate at a small café near the basilica and then made our way up the hill once it got dark to see the lights from above. By that time we were all a bit tired from all the walking, so after some ice cream and a while sitting on the hill, Howard accompanied Ginny and I back to the train station where we caught the last train back to Lille around 10:30PM. I may have fallen asleep on the train in the middle of sending a text. Ginny may have taken a picture. I don't wanna talk about it.

Tomorrow I'm off to London to continue my travels, but I promise it hasn't all been traveling! I've also been attending my classes and events through my university. This week I attended a salsa class at Club Ulysse, met with my partner for the Tandem speaking program, and went out for dinner and drinks for Ginny's birthday! I am getting more and more comfortable with French each day, and have started reading and writing in French regularly for my courses. 

I have a few trips planned for the upcoming weeks, but otherwise I am looking forward to staying in Lille and spending time with the friends I have made. I'll be sure to keep updating as often as I can on my adventures and experiences here.

Until then, bisous!

Eiffel Tower (plus random tourist man).

Notre Dame.