monet in giverny

[ june 19, 2014 ]

what's up? i'm finally home after a whirlwind of adventures and have a desperately large amount of photos to publish (and i find myself watching an entire season of orphan black within 24 hours, ok julia ok). so everything will probably be out of order, whatever. we'll talk about my feelings and thoughts and lack of organization later - here are the photos from my day trip out of paris to monet's gardens in giverny with my lovely ladies kaya and cibel. (oh yah, i lived in paris for a month and a half) june 19th was quite a dramatic day in retrospect (things that happened include: my stolen phone and pretty flowers and discussing how we would let monet tattoo our asses and waiting for all forms of public transportation), and perhaps the only way to tell it is with a list~

1. woke up and made my way to gare de st. lazare from victoria's place (16th arr) to meet kaya and cibel (who were in town from their month long europe adventure) to go to monet's gardens in giverny, a little bit outside of paris
2. due to the train strike the next train leaving to "vernon" (the elusive destination the website told us to go) wasn't due for another hour and a half so i decided to take us to the nearby galeries lafayette for an a+ rooftop view (i am now a pretty qualified parisian tour guide, wooh).
3. got to roof and took cute selfie (hey kaya where is that selfie?) and then realized that my phone was not in my bag!?!? (wallet and mark ii were fine and untouched thank god)
4. remained calm due to disbelief (don't worry i felt the trauma later) and retraced steps back to train station and called my french number. phone went straight to voicemail - so reaffirming that my phone was indeed stolen and not mistakenly thrown into the trash.
5. boarded the train to vernon, there was no point in wallowing and missing out on giverny too.
6. kaya and i, being seasoned travellers, assumed that since giverny is a touristy destination and since paris is one of (if not) the most visited places in the world - figuring out how to get to monet's gardens should be easy? well. on the contrary things got slightly awry...
7. arrived at vernon and looked for way to get to monet's garden. ah! there is a bus! good! that does not come for another hour! ah! no longer good?
8. decided to walk the 5km because it was a nice day out, and found a very badly drawn map (which we then photographed with kaya's phone) as a guide
9. grabbed food at carrefour and then proceeded to get lost because we have (apparently) an impaired sense of direction
10. realized we walked a circle after a decent amount of time and finally found the seine and walked the right path to giverny
11. arrived at giverny and fawned over how god damn picturesque the whole damn place is.
12. consumed ice cream at the nearest truck because it was hot as balls.
13. proceeded to have our minds and eyes blown at the wonderful beauty of the original water lily pond.
14. kaya and i then suddenly realized ("seasoned travellers") that we did not look at any of the transportation times back to paris. ah. and since there was a train strike (thanks sncf :*) it would've probably been wise to do so.
15. scrambled out of monet's garden and waited at the bus stop that did not look like a bus stop while eating the rest of our cheese and hummus.
16. made it to vernon only to have the next train arrive in....two hours.
17. passed the time telling wild stories and acting them out (in which is just stood there and laughed at kaya and cibel because i can't act because i'm not fun) as the sun set in the background (paris is literally sunny until 9PM, it really fucks up with one's mental clock)
18. finally made it back to paris and victoria's room and then ate a large stick of butter jana procured earlier that day.

baths in bath

nyu took us out on a day trip to bath, england - a beautiful and adorable city built upon limestone. it was pouring during most of the walking tour, to our dismay - but the sun came out as we stepped onto the 2,000 year old floors of the roman baths (so it all worked out in the end).

bath basically was the party town of the 1800s and built for the hip and happenin' people of england to spend their vacations and days - and before that it was a roman settlement named aquae sulis.

kew gardens

about an hour tube ride away from the center of london is royal botanic gardens: aka kew gardens, da world's largest collection of living plants. to put it eloquently: i think plants are the coolest damn things - they're all grassy, planty, etc but the amount of diversity, color, and shapes they can take on are infinite. the gardens are absolutely stunning - full of various greenhouses and fields of flowers i want to frolic in, eat, and rub my face on.

we didn't get to explore the entire garden, we mainly stuck to the south side and visited the main greenhouses and the treetop walkway. click below to scroll the a large amount of tumblr photos of flowers, my guilty pleasure.

how to travel around europe, by an american student

people have been asking me about my traveling/upcoming travel and how one goes about such a thing, so i thought would compile my thoughts here. this is from the point of view of an american girl who has been in london for a few months - so this advice is geared toward non-europeans studying abroad/trying to make the most of their time and money. i've planned travel to a bunch of places so i'm in no ways an expert but this is based on SOME fact at least lol.

first off, tripadvisor - yelp - lonely planet forums are your friends. they often will tell you the best places to go and the best methods to go about doing things. the way i plan travel is first 1) thinking of a place 2) researching the location 3) researching travel 4) look up a place to live. this process is not easy and can get more hairy the more people there are going on the trip. let's start.

• transportation

regarding transportation, there are a couple ways to go about it. airplane, bus, and train. going by air will always be the fastest way to travel. there are two main budget airlines than function in europe: ryanair and easyjet. the ticket prices vary dramatically and can double on the more desirable days. if you are studying abroad, this is a bit of an issue because the tickets usually are the cheapest during tuesday-wednesday...aka when we have class. flying in europe won't take longer than a few hours, and you'll arrive at your destination pretty refreshed and ready to take on the day. problems? your luggage. remember, weight limits! when traveling (the cheaper way) on ground, it takes longer and you have to factor in your mental state when you arrive at said destination. i'm took easyjet to prague and i've taken ryanair from dublin to london. you get what you pay for, and people have varying opinions on these budget airlines so it's up to you.

traveling by train in europe is the second fastest - but can get rather expensive at times. if the prices work for you, go for it. i took the eurostar from london to paris (and back) and it was amazing. within two hours we were there, and the stations are located in prime locations. eurostar tickets are normally very expensive, but we bought it months ahead of time and snagged a deal for around £60. during my spring break, i took a train from berlin to budapest and let's say it wasn't as enjoyable. i thought i booked a cabin (no beds) for an overnight ride with my four friends, but when we got to the train they turned out to be regular joe seats - which resulted into a terrible's night's sleep. take a gander, it's up to you!

bus,  i think, is the most affordable way to go about - but not the most enjoyable. it's actually not bad at all, you're just sitting on a bus for around 5-8 hours. companies like megabus will have awesome bargain prices ($10 to paris!) but the times have to coordinate with your schedule. national express has really good prices too and runs in a lot of european countries. although buses are the cheapest, remember it's not the best way to get a night of sleep and it's tiring when you arrive at a place on little/no sleep. just keep that in mind especially if you take things like "sail and rail" that ask you to take trains, ferries, and buses on the same trip - it's very time consuming and often not worth the amount of money you save. (in me and my friend's humble opinions after taking a 7 hour trip to dublin vs the 1 hour pain free flight).

when planning travel, i think the most important thing to look at are the domestic websites. it will take you away from the well designed and comforting area of english sites, but often times if you take the domestic buses (that have international lines) you'll save a lot of money. ex: a hungarian bus line called "orangeways" has great deals but none of the times worked for us. we're took a train called mav-start from budapest to zagreb, and although the site isn't the most english friendly thing in the world it's got great deals.  

• living 

for students there are two options for living in europe. hostels or airbnb. hostels seem to have a negative connotation in american society - but they are not bad at all. rather, they're an awesome way to live while traveling because many hostels are geared toward young travelers on a budget. you'll meet people traveling around just like you and it's honestly a ton of fun. we met a ton of people traveling solo who befriend people in their hostel and end up hanging out in that city, or even another one because everyone is traveling around. sites like hostelworld provide extensive reviews and information on hostels around the world. things to note are: reception times and whether or not the hostel provides towels/breakfast/sheets/etc. hostels are usually the cheapest option - going for ~$10 a night - and many hostels arrange events as well. so all in all, make sure you read the reviews and research the location. there are also higher end hostels if you have the money for it.

the second option is airbnb. airbnb is basically a site for apartment rentals. basically someone has an apartment in which you pay a certain amount for a night - there is an allotted amount of people who can stay at said room, it's usually the best option if you have large groups and you're all traveling the same amount of days. i have had great experiences with airbnb, but like always make sure you read the reviews and double check the location in relation to the city.

hotels aren't really something you need to do, but if you want a hotel go for it. it's not as immersive as the first two, but it's an option for sharing as well. 

•  other general tips 
• esp when traveling in a group - establish up front what places you want to go to and make sure you guys have similar priorities. do not embark on trips with big groups. it will not work. (or it might, as long as people are ok with splitting up and are flexible)
• shit happens. don't get caught up if mishaps occur, just keep an open mind and know that freaking out gets nothing done. find a wifi source (cafe), sit down, and figure it out. it's okay that if you lose sometime, rather you lose a little bit of time than the entire weekend.
• if you need to nap, nap. if you want to go bed early one night, do it. wake up earlier the next morning and get a headstart. if you are tired and grumpy no one will have a good time, and it puts your body at a higher risk of getting ill.
• building on that, it's impossible to fully comprehend a city in just one weekend/a few days. you have to know going into the city, you are not going to do everything. just try and accomplish the things you want. maybe do some touristy things and then just walk around. in amsterdam, we did not end up going to the anne frank house but we got to wander the canals and go to various different places to eat. 
• just walk around with a loose idea in mind. it helps if you have a destination in mind, but slowly wander your way there and absorb the city along the way.
• on the flipside, it does help a lot if you do prior research, but it doesn't have to be super extensive. that might depend on the size of the city. smaller cities simply need you to walk around for a day and you might see everything. like cardiff and amsterdam are perfect for a leisurely wander. larger cities, you have to pick which tourist destinations you want to check out and then map out walking "paths" you can take. cities like london, paris, budapest are much larger and have much more to see. you'll have to pick a neighborhood to wander in if you have less time, for example. you have to check the opening times of the places, whether or not you need a ticket, if you can buy said ticket online for cheaper, etc. everything in europe closes early and sometimes on random days. it sucks.
• asking friends who have been to those places is the best advice - they'll let you know places to see and places to eat and which areas have the best nightlife/culture/vibe.
• if you have a friend (no matter how close) that lives in the city, ask to stay with them and/or take you around. their tours will be better than anyone you could find or do on your own.
• GOOGLE MAPS CAN LOAD OFFLINE. it's called okmaps! when you have wifi, type in ok maps - select the city or area you are in, and download! the gps will work on airplane mode. if it does not, turn off your cellular data and don't use airplane mode. don't worry, you won't get charged.
• money wise: take out cash when you get there. many cards will work abroad, make sure you double check before, and will ask you to pay a transaction fee. go to the ATM in the beginning and withdraw money once - so you won't have to continually get charged the fees. (they're usually under $5 i believe. and don't click the converted amount! click the US dollar amount.)
• as always, bring adapters that suit your country.
• when traveling around where some places won't have towels - don't bring your entire bath towel. either cut a square off or buy a hand towel, it's really all you need to dry yourself.
• HYDRATE YOURSELF. we forgot this so many times because most of the time i don't consciously think about drinking water. always have a water bottle with you and drink liberally, you'll get randomly fatigued from dehydration.
• sneakers. sneakers. sneakers.
• no one cares how you look like, pack light! find nice basics that you can wear over and over. my friends and i basically wore one outfit per city (and we went to five or so places). you will never wear all your clothes, so pack light pack light!

all in all it's not as intimidating or expensive as it seems to be - it just requires patience, planning, and a relaxed approach and u basically got it~ often times it's not the relaxing vacation you think it'll be, but an adventure. and it's 100% worth it.

okay! that's all i have for now - please leave comments if you have anything to add and i hope this sort of helped. weeee.

amsterdam: canals on canals II

day ones photos here. 

the next two days in amsterdam consisted of mint tea along the canals, biking in the bos along the tall trees and winding paths, drinking beer named "my precious," the ridiculously charming buildings sitting crookedly against one another, having pannekoeken once again -because we love it-, staring at the blue and yellow buildings shimmer in the canals for hours on an end, wandering around the city and trying to decipher dutch, seeing the absolute beauty of van gogh's paintings in person: the splashes of color and messy strokes that comprise a masterpiece of joy and emotion from a mad man's mind, the vanilla caramel cream cookie ice cream that we devoured alarmingly fast, watching all the bikers weave in and out of the narrow streets and across the bridges, sitting along the canals with our legs dangling above the water feeling like nothing is better than good company, food, and having my camera around my neck.

amsterdam: the pannekoeken life

hey ho, finally updating my blog with my travel photos. i uploaded them on flickr, so god bless the quality compared to the decreasing quality of photobucket.

i love getting to a city and spending the first day mapping it out in my mind and learning the streets. coming from manhattan, we're all equipped with the knowledge of city-exploring and i love seeing how each city compares to the next.

i've sorted this out into two blog posts, see day two and day three's photos here. thursday night we boarded an overnight bus to amsterdam (which included a ferry and stopping at calais, france for a little bit) and arrived at the crack of dawn. we stayed in a hostel outside of the city center: a camping hostel in the amsterdamse bos (forest) with their cute cabins and chalets.

in the end, we didn't have time to go to the anne frank house/heineken factory/rijksmuseum - but one can always save that for the next time.

white cliffs of dover

i want to first preface saying that i am grateful for everything i have in life: i am already luckier than millions of people. i'm healthy, i have a family, and i can afford to go to school. but seeing as this is my blog, i have a few things to say (even if they ooze major first world problems,  it's still relevant).

sometimes i hear my peers express their jealousy about how lucky i am to be here, in a way that sounded like this was just handed to me on a serving platter. my sister too (who is going through the same wanderlust and anxiety about the future that plagued me during high school), and i wanted to tell her that me being where i am isn't just a roll of the dice, but rather hard work and patience. again, i'm not saying i haven't had a lucky life (because i have) but my point is that i didn't rely on luck to get me where i am.

i didn't do much in high school, my parents were pretty strict on one hand and we couldn't afford to travel - so i spent most of my time in my room doing homework and perusing the internet, biding my time until i could see the world. seeing photographs from around the world made me burn inside, i loved my sweet suburban town but it was too dry for me and there was just so much color and life to see. some kids get to travel the world with the parents, and i wasn't one of them but that didn't mean that i could do it too.

it was junior year of high school when we read the poem "dover beach" and i don't remember getting much from the poem (after reading 5 million poems about old english guys ranting about the tragic beauty of the world it all kind of blends together.) rather it was when my teacher pulled up a google image search of the cliffs that the white cliffs of dover stamped an impression on me. sitting there in those weird high school desks conjoined with plastic blue chairs, i decided that i was going to go to the cliffs. i didn't know when or how in my life i'd do it...but i was going to do it. and i did.

i was always taught that if i wanted something in life, i would have to work for it. it's not worth it if it's just given to you, life is not that easy. all those kids having their parents buy them shiny new cars for their sixteenth birthday wouldn't ever really understand the ~virtues~ of sweat and work. so i worked my ass off in high school to get into a good college, and from there i spent all my time working to save up enough money to afford travel. i didn't pick up my bags and ask my parents to send me off to another country for an adventure - rather this abroad experience has been years in the making. i am forever grateful for everything in my life, but i worked for it.

the bus rolled up and ashley, gaby, g, and i walked out and just like the photos - there it was. the incredible cliffs snaking into the distance with grassy plains and hills. to finally be there: standing at the edge with the wind blowing the air out of my lungs and seeing the waves crash against the chalky white cliffs i felt so small but *cue dramatic instrumental music and voiceover that signals an important change in character development* that i could do it. i fucking just accomplished something i set out to do and once thought was improbable. it's not a picture, it's real life. my dreams are not impossible and everything in life will work itself out. in one way or another, i was going to be okay.

cardiff // caerdydd

the five of us sat around the round black table in my common room perusing the internet for potential weekend trips that weren't too far away from london. cardiff, wales: 6 round trip for the weekend of february 7th? why not? we booked the tickets/hostel and set off with no concrete agenda besides vague notions of castles, beaches, and pubs.

cardiff was the perfect weekend getaway, retaining the british charm and history of london but on a much smaller/manageable scale. cardiff was the most adorable hostel i will ever stay at, with it's charming owners and array of juices/breakfast noms when we woke up. cardiff was walking along the rocky coasts and ridiculously green grass as we tried to decipher welsh (it does not look like a language). cardiff was staying in our warm hostel laughing at preposterous american jackets in the olympics and playing various card games. cardiff was the large medieval stone castle with dangerously steep staircases - americans love castles and cathedrals because the oldest thing we have is a mere 300 years old (if at all). cardiff was walking to the bay and having tapas with the most delicious spiced sangria i've had, followed by coffee ice cream. cardiff was unpredictable weather but having the rain and the sun work out perfectly to our needs. cardiff was encountering an older group of irish men at a bachelor's party and then meeting a group of much younger (and cuter) irish boys at the hostel. cardiff was falling asleep wrapped in soft blankets listening to the sound of wind and rain howl and splatter onto my bedsheets, warm from the orange glow of the night sky. cardiff (penarth, actually. 10 minutes away) was beautiful cliffs and sandy beaches that stretched as far as the eye could see. oh, and we had some english/welsh tea time which made me feel like a princess.

bon voyage?

our flight didn't happen yesterday. i woke up to a snow storm raging outside and little red letters: cancelled. after an initial freak out and a very helpful british man from the virgin atlantic customer service department - our flight was moved 24 hours into the future. facebook is a weird things, and one of the weird things is seeing all everyone arrive in london this morning (if things went according to plan ashley and i would be there right now) while i'm still a world away. regardless, we will be on the plane tonight and get there bright and early thursday morning.

don't get me wrong, i'm beyond excited and thrilled to be living in london for the next four months - but some part of me wanted to go somewhere far away where i would simply just fall off the earth for a little bit. nyu london is very tied into my life at nyu and my life in new jersey (with seemingly everyone i know studying abroad there) which is not a bad thing! it's just strange to see so many connections to home - a place i sort of don't want connections too.

i met megan breukelman the other day when i was in the city! we had known each other for years from deviantart and i was wonderful to finally meet in da flesh. i took a handful of medium format shots but most of them turned out blurry because i, despite what i may think, do not have the stability of a tripod. the last two photos were just files of francesca and my home that were from failed rolls.




now, i am off to spend a ludicrous amount of money on a moleskine because i don't care if they're overrated they are beautiful and make me happy.

europe 2012: paris - day four

our fourth (and last ): ) day in paris was dedicated to the lourve! it was seriously jaw-droppingly amazing. i just wanted to sit there forever to let everything sink in. you see something and you're like SERIOUSLY. how? what? jesus. after adventuring around the lourve, we had "flam" for dinner. it's basically a very thin tortilla with food on top. kind of like a pizza? we had one withe cheese, bacon, and onions and it was literally one of the most beautiful and deliciously light but yummy foods to grace my mouth.

after dinner, we gathered up our belongings and set out for the train station for barcelona. the train was....much smaller than we imagined. it's alright, we all squished into one cabin and listend to la vie en rose as we watched the french countryside roll by our window. in those few moments of time, everything was perfect. when the beds were put down, we climbed on top and gossiped and told stories until we were shushed to bed.

the train ride was overnight and around 8 hours. i slept on the top bunk and i seriously feared that the luggage would squish me before i fell off. but neither tragedy happened, and it was suprisingly relaxing to fall asleep to the lull and rocking of a train.

europe 2012: paris - day three

probably my favorite day of paris. the day started out with the notre dame, paris street wanderings, & the bookstore "shakespeare & company." i finally got to try the infamous parisian macaron, and i shall tell you it was worth the wait. oh, an the gelato there? better than life. the afternoon was spent up in montmarte perusing stands of beautiful, stunning artwork of paris. i couldn't help myself, i bought a few pieces. i didn't photograph much in montmarte, just out of respect for the artists. it amazes me how one city can inspire so many different, but equally amazing pieces of artwork. of course we had to visit moulin rouge and pose by the one too many sex shops. the day concluded with a boat ride on la seine and the amazing eiffel tower. climbing it was the workout of the month but the view was worth everything. you know how paris is hyped up too be one of the most beautiful/need to visit places in the world? well it's safe to say it lived up to every single word. the view was beyond beautiful. upon our descent from the tower (in which my knees forgot how to descend stairs. i'm not kidding) we devoured the most satisfying nutella crepes to grace this earth.

my camera started loosing battery somewhere during the boat ride, so i tried to conserve battery life and borrowed my friend's point and shoot for a few shots.

i was tempted to make posts based upon location. one post on the notre dame, one post on the eiffel tower.....but i dunno. that would be wayyy to many blog posts for my liking so you get giant 100+ photo spams.

europe 2012: paris - day two

i couldn't bear to cut any more photos down. it went from 1,000+ --> 300 --> 70. so i put the rest under the cut! (i've realized a reason why a lot of my photos feature profiles, it's because when working with first time models and you need to get the shot (right then and there) i've discovered that people are most comfortable with their profile because they do not need to make eye contact with the camera. yup.) anywayyy:

day two started out with a bus tour of paris, in which only half of us were conscious for. we made a few stops, did touristy shit. including stopping in front of the amazing eiffel tower. there was this open, stone pavilion where people gathered to photograph one of the best angles of it. i remember sun, laughter, and feeling utterly and blissfully happy. and from there, we adventured around paris with our free time and shopping along l'avenue de champs- élysées. (it was amazing) we didn't have enough time that day to climb l'arc de triomphe (yeah, all french and fancy) but we stood under it - and holy shit. (by the way, i took spanish in high school so i consider myself adequately fluent in it.) i was able to communicate pretty well in spain if i must say. but french? i didn't know a single word of it. we say the greatest H&M ever and went to a fragonard perfume factory...in which i purchased some. i usually never buy perfume, so i thought - WHY NOT I'M IN PARIS.

the evening included crepes, disgustingly sour wine (hey, we're legal in france!), and a trip to the bar. drinking in europe is much more.....calm. it's less RIDICULOUS then it is in the states. here it's like ohmygawd drinking yay!! but since we're all legal there, i felt like the atmosphere was more...."chill?" like it wasn't some big deal it was here.

europe 2012: paris - day one

day one consisted of 13 delirious children who haven't slept in over 30 something hours. the plane ride was this awful experience full of numerous attempts to fall asleep in various positions. it was a night flight and it was 7.5 hours. we arrived in paris around 7 in the morning and immediately got ready to start our first free day. me, being the dumb ass that i am, brought my dysfunctional 50mm on the first day. i learned from my mistake, so the rest of the trip is shot with my 28-135mm lens.

NOTE: a lot of the photos i took were personal and lots of silly pictures of friends. for the sake of brevity, i will only include a few snapshots from they day - but do know that i took 500-1000+ photos depending on the day. and many are cute and goofy. :) (i just hate it when i go through vacation pictures and all the photos are all formal looking, just me?) oh, and i edited the majority of these photos too. I'M A CHAMP!

it was cloudy and we were tired beyond belief, so the day was a blur of walking around the perfect streets of paris and visiting the courtyard of the louvre.

myrtle beach: day 2

day 2 {july 8th, 2011}: the beach!

i hadn't been to the beach in years, so i was one happy camper. we spent the day soaking up the hot summer sun, chillin' in the water, and feeling the wonderful salty breeze in our hair.

our pool of ~ awesomeness ~ in which we sat there and just relaxed.

bahaha, i read the entire prisoner of azkaban during the trip.

my hair was quite short!