Printemps et Londres

Forgive me for not writing sooner, but it's been over 60 degrees the past three days. Growing up in Los Angeles, where changing seasons are more of an indication for a changing fashion trend than actual weather patterns, I never really got the pure joy out of leaving the cold season.

But Paris is a completely different story. It's not hot like LA, and it's not freezing cold like Madison. Apparently I was lucky to be able to get some snow this year - it doesn't happen a lot in Paris. So yesterday, with a high of 67 in the afternoon, Jon and I head to Montmartre, a hillside region that I went to around two months ago. Only then, it was 35 degrees and pouring rain - one of my most uncomfortable days in Paris.

Thirty-two degrees warmer and sunshine definitely beats the pouring rain (even if I got a couple great pictures..) And while last time I was looking down on to a foggy Paris, yesterday was the clearest day of the year.

Paris doesn't have the same type of skyline as a New York, Chicago, etc. There's one (ugly) tower, the Eiffel Tower, The Panthéon, and Invalides. And it's hard to see most of them. For me, it was a relief to be able to walk around in Paris without a coat and to see the city in a completely different way. A day earlier, we zig-zagged along the Seine River, which was also among the best things I've done so far. Tragically, I left my camera at home. I did get some great shots of Sacre Coeur and Paris, so I'll post those instead.

This shouldn't overshadow our trip to London last week, but it's hard not to be excited during such an exciting time.

I had already been to London, so I was pretty much only going because a) one of our best friends, Zac, studies there, and b) it's nice to see other cultures after living in France for quite a while. Our first night out, we went to pubs in the Picadilly Circus, and to our surprise, a pint of good beer cost only 2.21 pounds (about $3.50). Last night I paid 4.50 euro (about $6) for a 25cl cup of Heineken. Oh well.

The weather was surprisingly great in London. The forecast said it was going to be pouring rain on Friday, and instead we got sunshine through the weekend. It was great to see Zac, and we even got see his favorite place, Golders Green (is that not the most typical Jewish name..), where he spends a lot of time.

We did all the touristy stuff: Big Ben, London Eye (though we didn't go in, line was too long), Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Camdentown, Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery. Going to the art museum worked out really well for me, considering I had an art history test two days later. We saw some amazing art by (notably) Velazquez, Caravaggio, Caracci, Rubens, Raphael, and Van Dyck. Great collection, but nothing like the Louvre.

London Eye and some other building

Anyway, it's been a really tiring week. I had a tough midterm, a lot of traveling, and it's not even close to over. Tomorrow, my study abroad program is taking us to Caen, Normandy and the D-Day beaches. Should be another great weekend, and hopefully I won't get too caught up in this weather. Just don't blame me if I do.