Our group here in London realized pretty soon after arrival that we only had one true long weekend. It was just last week, hardly a month into our program. While planning a trip to Paris with new friends was daunting, I am beyond happy with how my mini-vacation turned out.
Between the 25 people on this program, we collectively covered five countries. I chose to plan a trip to Paris, France. Having visited with my mother in 2015, I was dying to get back and witness some more of that particular Parisian charm. The two friends who joined me have not been outside of the country aside from their time this far in London, which led to them entrusting me with much of the logistics– a true test of my abilities as a traveler (and I am proud to say that our trip went off without a hitch!).
On our first evening in Paris, we went to the one monument we all felt we HAD to see: The Louvre Museum. The museum was one of the few attractions I missed out on during my first visit, so I was grateful to see it now. Between the three of us, I think it may have been the favorite. With its vast collections of unforgettable art and the majesty of the building itself, it was truly amazing to witness.
Another favorite of our sightseeing adventures was the Sacré-Cœur. Located in Montmarte, it is my favorite church in Europe. I feel that its position up on a hill high above Paris, and the simplicity of its still regal design are absolutely stunning. My first visit to Montmarte was in the early morning on a rainy summer day in 2015. The streets were empty, and the grey of the clouds matched the grey of the church, creating a fantastically ominous feeling. However, this time, I was met with a sunny day and a cloudless sky. With this came hoards of tourists, all falling in love with the view that blew my mind now almost three years ago.
As is necessary for any trip to Paris, we also visited the Eiffel Tower and had a picnic on the Champ de Mars. My travel mates both remarked about its size, and how they felt that it was one of few monuments that has actually lived up to their expectations.
Later that evening I was lucky enough to connect with a friend from my last semester’s classes at Northeastern. She is currently studying at Sciences Po through one of the university’s semester abroad programs and had gotten in touch with me when she learned that I would also be abroad for the fall, a perfect example of one of my favorite things about Northeastern: just being a Northeastern student creates a bond because our students are exposed to so many unique experiences. Many of the people I’ve met in classes have reached out while abroad and, in turn, become some of my closest friends. Similarly, over the past few weeks in London I’ve met up with many friends who are now Northeastern alumni traveling to London for business. All of these instances have turned into massive catch-up sessions and reinforced how truly lucky I am to have the kind of network Northeastern grows amongst its students.
After a lovely, classic cafe breakfast of coffee and an omelette, we ventured to the Arc de Triomphe, something that greatly impressed both of my travel partners. We followed this with a walk down the Champs Elysees in search of crepes. Fun fact, Serbia, where I recently completed my first co-op, also has a penchant for crepes. However, in naming the treat, they chose the word pancake or paličinke instead of crepe.
One thing I noted throughout the course of this trip was how comfortable I felt navigating Paris on my own. I felt entirely at home in the city, despite not being overly familiar with it or speaking the language (the extent of my French can be summed up as “je ne sais pas”). This is a marked change considering how out of my element I have felt on past trips, and something I largely credit to my experience living in Belgrade this past spring.
While I loved my time in Serbia, it was certainly an adjustment from my live on the east coast of the United States. With a new language, new alphabet (Здраво!) and few home comforts to help me transition, it took several weeks before I felt at home there. Living in London, however, has been an entirely different experience. I felt at home and at ease right away, something I believe carried over to my time in Paris because I felt confident in my ability to accomplish whatever I chose to. Whether that be grocery shopping or a day trip outside the city, I have been comfortable handling it since the day I set foot back on this side of the pond.
While this confidence made Paris feel slightly less foreign than I remembered it, it also made our trip entirely painless, and I could not be more grateful.
Upon arrival back in the United Kingdom, we had a week of classes and guest lectures, covering topics that ranged from freedom of the press to the powers of local governments throughout England. All were fascinating and prompted great discussions of the differences between America and the UK.
This week the Hansard program is taking us Scholars to Edinburgh, Scotland for a week of parliamentary lectures and site visits. I am particularly excited for two reasons. First, my internship placement, a cornerstone of the program, is with two members of parliament which represent the Scottish National Party. This trip to Edinburgh will be enlightening and provide incredible exposure to the inner workings of the party and the devolved Scottish government. Secondly, Edinburgh has been on my list of cities to visit for years and I am thrilled to be visiting with such a wonderful group of people.
Check back next week to see what I got up to!
