The London Eye

One of my favorite attractions in England was the London Eye. Kristin, Steve, Steph, and I went at the perfect time, which was sunset. You could see Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Bridge. Everything was so pretty from above. The ride lasted about 20 minutes but it went by quickly. Overall I had an amazing time on this trip.

Lauren Dincecco







The London Eye






Kristin and I on the eye

"I'm so Jealous"

"I'm so Jealous of you." I have heard this phrase numerous times over the past week or so, whether it was when I bumped into a distant relative at the grocery store or a classmate was browsing through my facebook pictures. So may people are amazed it this opportunity that I have been given to travel to two of the greatest cities in the world. As I took a break from all of the homework I've akready been assigned this semester, I looked through my pictures again and this time really marveled at all of the places we were able to see. Some of my favorites were scenes from Harry Potter at Oxford University, the Eiffel Tower at night, Parliament, and Abbey Road. After expressing her jelousy about this amazing trip, my grandmother gave me the advice to keep traveling while I'm young, and without a career, kids, or a mortgage. After listening to her and glancing through my pictures, I am motivated to travel whenever and wherever I can! It has been such an amazing experience to not only see sights of a lifetime but also to have been able to meet incredible friends of a lifetime as well.

Au Revoir!
-Mallory Rousseau

Once in a Life Time Experience

London and Paris Trip was definitely a trip to remember. I met people that I will probably be friends with throughout the duration of my college career and beyond. I also had th eopportunity to become closer to the friends I came with. Being able to see all the sights that most people only dream of was more than I could ever ask for. The Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, Palace of Versailles, London Eye, Big Ben, and more. My favorite part of the trip was Cirque de Soleil in London. That show was the best show I have ever seen in my life! LOL Anyone who went to see it im sure if it wasn't the best it was definitely close to it. The acts and talents showcased were phenomenal. Most of them I had no clue the human body was capable of doing such things lol. But I really enjoyed my time there for the most part. I want to end with saying that I miss you Carol and when you read this know that you are in our hearts and our prayers. Get better soon !!

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the whole world. As a group we saw it a few times on various tours and site visits during the day. It was an amazing landmark during the day and when a small group of us visited it at night, it was even more impressive. Starting at 6pm every night the tower lights up for about five minutes, which makes it quite "sparkly, sparkly." We were able to witness this event several times including once when we were at the top of the tower. The view from the top of the this iron beast was unbelievable. All the buildings in Paris are no taller than six stories, so we were able to gaze at the entire city from the top. The Eiffel Tower is a must-see attraction when traveling in Paris.

-Nick Gagnon

To the left is a picutre of Candace Authier, Jillian Day, and I on top of one of the towers that we climbed at the Warwick Castle in London.

-Julie Kuchyt

To the left is a picture of Professor Ramesh Mohan, Jillian Day, and I (Julie Kuchyt) at the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.

-Julie Kuchyt

The Imperial War Museum was by far my favorite museum in London. One of the best collections of historic military artifacts was in this building. From tanks, to planes to missiles and submarines; one could see in person what helped to win both world wars. The museum also featured a special James Bond exhibit featuring both original and replica memorabilia and gadgets from the 007 series.

Out of all the sites I visited, the Opera house in Paris was one that surprised me the most. I did not anticipate it being so ornate. Prior to my visit, I thought “what’s the big attraction to an Opera house”? Once inside however, I was amazed at the architecture and detail which in my opinion surpassed that of Versailles. Large marble staircases, columns and floors lined the interior of the building as well as countless chandeliers. The exterior was comprised of columns and gold leaf sculptures.

- Kevin LaPierre (Harvard, MA)

Dinner Cruise

The Seine River Dinner Cruise is probably the best dinner I have ever had during the whole trip. It is not because of how delicious the food was, but I saw a beautiful Paris with a different view. After we got stuck in the traffic for almost an hour and being so hungry, I did not expect any nice views but food. But I was really touched by seeing the flash of the Eiffel Tower. The first impression of Paris was from a mini bus tour, which somehow disappointed me. I expected to see a lot about this romantic city, but I did not feel that much of Paris. And later I had some bad experience, which made me want to get out of Paris, but later on I saw another side of Paris, and I started to feel the city and like it. On the boat, I saw the flash of Eiffel Tower for several seconds, which is good enough for me to fall in love with the city.

Dana

Parliament Buildings

Honestly, I think that one of the coolest things we saw was the Parliament Building in London. First of all, we finally got to see the famous Big Ben and Victoria Tower. We always see pictures of this building, but I think it was very cool to finally see the inside, with its ornate architecture and rich history. I thought it was very interesting to see just how similar the structure of the legislative branches of England and the United States are -we both have a two house system with a lower and upper house. Also, each house is split into different sections: one for the government and one for the opposition, much like the Congressional houses are split for democrats and republicans. The many different rituals and traditions that take place during Parliamentary sessions is fascinating, like how the Queen is not allowed to enter the House of Commons and how MPs must always "toe the line" during debates. I also found the fact that each house is represented by a different color: the House of Commons is decked out in green even though no one seems to know why, where as the House of Lords is decked out in red, which represents the royal nature of the House of Lords. I also liked how they tried to preserve some aspects of their history in the building, such as the archway that was built out of the rubble from the destruction caused by the German Blitzkrieg during World War II. All in all, I think that this was one of the major highlights of our trip; one that we will never forget.

Cheers,
Dave Gravel

Notre Dame

Home to the famous fictional character "Quasimodo," Notre Dame was by far one of the prettiest sites I have ever seen. Lauren, Kristen, Steve, and I were amazed at the intricate architecture and detail put into every aspect of this historical landmark.

Once inside we were overwhelmed by the feeling of serene calmness which surrounded us entirely. While we sat on the chairs in front of the gorgeous alter, someone (we're not sure who) began to play the organ both beautifully and eerily. With the organ busting out notes and all of the powerful displays, I think that Notre Dame was by far one of my favorite things I went to while abroad.

-Stephanie Rochefort

Shout out to Carol

Hey there Carol,

Our thoughts and prayers are with you! We miss you. Hope you are feeling better and that you can come home soon!

Cecilia

Abbey Road

One of our first days in London, a group of us took a trip see the most famous crosswalk in the entire world. I am talking of course about the crosswalk at Abbey Road, where The Beatles had their picture taken walking across the road. This picture was made into the album cover of one of their last albums, also titled "Abbey Road" and was released in 1969. "Abbey Road" became the most successful Beatles album, debuting in the UK at #1.

We took the tubes straight to the stop where Abbey Road is and it was a 10 minute walk from there. When we first got there we didn't even know which crosswalk it was. It looked nothing like it did on the album cover, but of course that's because 1. it was Winter and the original picture was taken in the Summer and 2. because the original picture was taken almost 40 years ago.

It took Brian Peters and myself 20 minutes to get two good pictures each walking across the crosswalk because of the heavy traffic. We still got the shots and proceeded to check out the famous Abbey Road Studio which you can see in the background of this picture. This studio is where the Beatles recorded almost all of their albums 50 years ago.




There is a white wall in front of the Abbey Road Studio covered in graffiti, song lyrics, and signatures and the dates they wrote them all, which I read later is encouraged. However the one thing that surprised all of us is that this wall had no date before Christmas of this past year. Meaning, this wall is whitewashed every few weeks. We found this amazing because the whole entire wall was covered in writing. As you can see, the entire wall is filled after only being whitewashed blank barely 2 weeks earlier. Here is some pictures of the signatures that were present on the wall.













The Abbey Road Studio doesn't grant access but I was able to take a picture from outside of it after walking through the graffiti gate. Overall this was a really cool experience to take the pilgrimage that many thousands of Beatles fans have taken over the years and to walk across the same crosswalk the Beatles once did, as well as other famous bands and singers such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Green Day, Pink, and Wings to name a few.

-Sean Haddad (Danbury, CT)

Life Lessons

So, one of the most important warnings we recieved before we left for our trip was, "Beware of the pick-pockets!" I unfourtunatley learned first hand at how swift some Europeans can be. To set my story staight, I didn't get mugged. It all started the night we saw Chicago. After the show, a few friends and I walked thought the Leicester Square area to China town and stumbled upon a bar/night club called O'neils. We had heard that other people from the trip had already been, so we decided to check it out. Upstairs we found a lively bar atmosphere with a live band playing American songs and a crowded dance floor. First things first, we went to check our coats and along with it I checked by purse aswell. I realize now that this was a stupid move in itself (handing over my belongings to a complete stranger) but this is besides the point. We paid the lady, recieved our ticket numbers, and headed to the bar for the first of many 3lbs drafts.

As the night progressed, I carelessly misplaced my ticket numbers for my coat and purse so I decided to head to the counter to straighten things up before the rush at the end of the night. I told her how I lost my number, and after giving me some trouble for it, I was able to pursuade her to find my pusre on the ground, look up my ID, and hand it over. Now I was stuck lugging around a chuncky purse. I skeptically decided to set my purse down near the stage where I saw many other unwanted coats and such so figured it would be okay, we would be leaving soon anyway. For the next hour or so, I checked on it periodically between dancing and getting some drinks from the bar. Unfourtunately, after my last drink of the night, I went to get it and it was gone, along with its contents: my camera, cell phone, atm/credit cards, ID, and some money.

All I can say is lesson learned. At first I was pretty shook up by it but now I realize I really didn't lose all that much. In fact, I gained a very valuable life lesson and an experience that I will never forget.
-Colleen Scanlon

Warwick Castle

It seemed as if I had climbed over 1,000 winding stairs to the high towers of Warwick Castle. As I reached the top step of the tallest tower, I caught my breath and looked through the fog at the entire compound and the city beyond. As I looked at the elaborate layout of the castle, it was hard to believe that it was built almost 1,000 years ago! All of the rooms, towers, and stairs were still in tact and open for touring. The view from the tower was beautiful, despite my fear of heights. As we made our way down another set of spiral stairs, we found ourselves in various rooms. After seeing many rooms filled with wax figures, I was startled when a woman dressed in old-fashioned clothes greeted me; I thought she was wax! Besides the many dark rooms, the towers, and the prisoners' dungeon, I also enjoyed the grounds in general. There was a beautiful conservatory and dozens of peacocks roaming the gardens. We were able to get within inches of them to take pictures. Despite the long bus ride and the many stairs climbed, the Warwick Castle was a great place to visit with such an interesting history.
-Mallory Rousseau

"it's a love story, baby just say yes"

Big Ben. Enough said.










Royal Albert Hall. A group of us went to see Cirque du Soleil Quidam here. The show was amazing, even from our nose bleed seats at the top.









Our entire group went to see Chicago while in London. I'm not one for musicals, but it was a good show if you like that sort of thing.

We went to the Louvre and saw the Venus de Milo.

One of the only days we actually saw the sun. This is the view of the Eiffel Tour during the day. Gorgeous.

Our last night in Paris :(. Dinner cruise was lots of fun, especially with the view we had from the Seine River.

This experience is one that will last a lifetime! I made friends with people I might not have had I not had this opportunity. Memories & friendships to last forever!

~Janna Silva

Cirque Du Soleil Quidam

While in London, my friends and I decided to see one of the famous Cirque Du Soleil shows called Quidam. As described by their website :

"Quidam: a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past. It could be anyone, anybody. Someone coming, going, living in our anonymous society. A member of the crowd, one of the silent majority. The one who cries out, sings and dreams within us all. This is the "quidam" that Cirque du Soleil is celebrating.

A young girl fumes; she has already seen everything there is to see, and her world has lost all meaning. Her anger shatters her little world, and she finds herself in the universe of Quidam. She is joined by a joyful companion as well as another character, more mysterious, who will attempt to seduce her with the marvelous, the unsettling, and the terrifying."

The show itself was absolutely unbelievable. I couldn't believe some of the things those performers were able to do with their bodies. The show had everything from contortionists to acrobatics. What I thought was especially interesting is the age range of performers. The cast ranged from young children to fairly old adults. One of the best acts was a group of four girls who could not have been older than ten years old. They did this really engaging act involving jump ropes and wooden blocks. I can't even begin to explain some of the things those little girls were able to do with such common objects. Another great act was the body throwers. At one point there were about six or seven people standing on one persons' shoulders and then they would jump onto a different tower of people. It was unreal. Although I really enjoyed the show, I found it difficult to follow the story line...it was a little odd, to say the least. All in all though it was a great show and I am glad we were able to see it, especially since we went to the premier showing!


the stage from our seats

-Steve Alibrandi (Braintree, MA)

Chicago

On one of the last nights in London we all were able to see the show Chicago! The experience was very amazing and fun. The theater was in a great location with many shops and resturants around in which we all got to enjoy. Since London is known for their great Indian food I decided to try it out (not that great- but im a picky eater ;-) ). This part of town was just upbeat and fun with many friendly people.

Once the show started I felt a bit at home since the actors didnt have a british accent and it does take place in America. The musical was just more than I had imagined, upbeat, funny, and mesmorizing. The actors were believable and the costumes added alot to the part (all of which were a bit scandalous). For the most part the songs were sung flawlessly and you could tell they all enjoyed what they were doing. I felt as if I was part of the show instead of just watching the show. Not to mention we had third row seats in the center!! This was one of my many favorite parts on the Lodon/Paris trip.

The Catacombs

Catacombs

The last afternoon, I went to the Catacombs.

First, a bit of history. From what I understand, the Catacombs used to be stone quarries and run underneath a lot of Paris. The cemeteries were getting too full, so the bodies were exhumed and brought to the quarries, which by that time were long abandoned. The bones were placed in an ‘artistic’ pattern along both sides of all the passageways. I’ve included a picture of what they look like. This picture is from google (http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-09/paris-catacombs-2-wall-of-bones.jpg), as none of my pictures developed properly because we weren’t allowed to use flash.

When I got to the Catacombs, I was surprised by two things. First, there was light down in the passageways; the Concierge at the hotel had originally told me I would need to bring a flashlight or some other light source. The second surprise was that it was a straight shot through the Catacombs and you come up a few blocks away from where you went down underground. All the side-paths were closed off so no one could get lost. I was originally under the impression that you could go down, wander around, and then find your way back to the starting point, but it was a single passage through with no need to return back the way you came.

It was a pretty strange experience. At first, there were only long bare passageways, but a few minutes of walking later, the bones began. There were also a lot of passageways leading off the main one, but they were all barred shut. I can only imagine how extensive the network is. It was weird to think about how many bones were down there, how many people were down there. There were a lot of memorial markers, all in French so I don’t know what they said. There were also a few really cool stone carvings, carved right into the rock along the passages.

At one point, a family just ahead of me (American, judging by their accents) was wondering aloud to each other why the Catacombs were there in the first place, so I offered to tell them what I knew (which I included above). I was caught a bit off guard when they asked if they could film me talking, since they were recording their entire trip to Paris. I agreed, and told them as much of the history as I knew. As I was walking away, I heard one of the girls say, “Can you imagine it being your job to artistically assemble skeletons? I can’t imagine it pays very well.”

A bit farther along, I noticed something that made me laugh a little. A fire extinguisher. Now, I know they have to have them for safety regulations, but it struck me as odd that they would need a fire extinguisher where the only things around are rock and bone, and everything’s damp anyway. I suppose the visitors could catch on fire, but if you manage to set yourself on fire in the Catacombs, that has to be some kind of accomplishment.

Near the end, there were a couple ‘bell caverns,’ which are caverns formed from parts of the ceiling collapsing on the passageways slowly over time. According to the signs that were actually in English, parts of the ceiling in particularly unstable areas collapsed, forming a bell-shaped cavern above the passageway, and eventually the structural integrity gives way and the passage caves in completely in that spot. Of course, that was when the quarries were in use. Nowadays, people have the power of concrete, and the few bell caverns that hadn’t collapsed had been reinforced to be safe. They’re pretty cool to walk through.

After a half hour or so, I reached the end of the passage and started the 100 or so steps up to ground level. There were actually less steps going up than there had been going down because the ground was lower (and therefore the Catacombs were closer to the surface) where the exit was.

--Matt Ciaffone

Blogging Note to London Paris 2009 Students

Students can blog for the next week. You can either create a new post or comment on an existing post. If you want to upload pictures (hope you do), you need to create a new post.

Seine Cruise... more photos

Sparkly, Sparkly Evening

The last night of SIE London Paris 2009 was celebrated with a dinner cruise on the Seine. We saw many beautiful Paris landmarks and buildings as we glided down the river on the crisp winter evening. Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, and the many bridges that connect the city. One of the highlights was seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. As we sailed by the tower burst into a dazzling show of twinkling lights. Most people made a dash from the warm dining room to the upper deck of the boat to get a better view and take many pictures. Between the flashes of light from the city, the tower, and the camera flashes, it was indeed "sparkly, sparkly."

This is Versailles

The last stop on our European adventure was Versailles. Kind Louis XIV, the self-named "Sun King" moved the government to Versailles from Paris in the 17th century. Several students posed for a photo in the famous Hall of Mirrors, and a few stopped in to admire the beautiful chapel.

Musee D'Orsay

During the afternoon following the Exxon presenation, there was some time for some independent exploration. A number of group members went to the Musee D'Orsay where Professor Maura Coughlin took them on a guided tour through amazing exhibitions of works by Rodin, Picasso, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezzane, and Gauguin. The museum was once the Orsay train statio, which was built in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition. It houses art works from 1848 - 1914.

Exxon Visit

On Tuesday, January 12, the group ventured beyond the city limits to visit the French headquarters for Exxon Mobile. Ms. Aude Charotte and Mr. Benoit Sant Sernin were gracious hosts and very informative about the state of energy in the world today and how Exxon mobil plans to produce oil and develop more efficient energy technology.