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Life Well Wandered

Study Abroad

What I Learned After Being Verbally Assaulted in Brussels

Easy Ways to Keep Up with a Foreign Language

Practical Study Abroad Tips from Someone Who’s Been There Before

Mantras for a Happy and Healthy 2017

How to Plan for a Busy Week

US vs. UK Academics

Last Weeks in London

Culture Shock is Real

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#blackouttuesday

#blackouttuesday

The only way to get to know a city is to walk it u

The only way to get to know a city is to walk it until your feet start to hurt. And even then, barring truly horrible blisters, continue on. If you’ve ever traveled with me, you know I am not exaggerating. 👣 In Paris, I’d spend just about every free moment wandering around different streets and arrondissements, sometimes with friends but mostly alone since there are very few people who will tolerate my incessant walking. I was a flâneuse (the feminine noun of the verb flâner, meaning to stroll or wander about with no specific destination in mind). 🚶🏼‍♀️ It was through becoming a flâneuse that I fell in love with Paris and its grand boulevards and uniform Haussmannian architecture that contrasted so starkly with its narrow, winding streets, small ruelles, and old houses. ✨ Paris became mine that summer and I was worried that London wouldn’t be able to live up to its expectations when I would arrive a couple of months later. 🇬🇧 #lifewellwandered

I could bore you with interior pictures of the doz

I could bore you with interior pictures of the dozens of churches and cathedrals I visited while in Paris - and I probably will do so with other cities I tell stories about. But for Paris, I’ll just share Sainte Chapelle (literally, Royal Chapel), built in the mid-13th century and one of the grandest achievements of the Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. ⛪️ If you enter on any normal day, you’ll find yourself stunned by the 15-meter high windows depicting 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments. If the sun is shining through them, even better. If you visit near sundown on a clear, sunny day for a concert, however, your experience will be much improved. Imagine the warmth of the last rays of the summer sun shining through the thousands of pieces of stained glass with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons played by a live orchestra situated at the altar. I’m not a religious person, but it was in this moment that I felt close to whatever higher power might exist in the universe. ✨ #lifewellwandered

Instead, I spent my short time in Amsterdam in mus

Instead, I spent my short time in Amsterdam in museums. I woke up hours before anyone else in my group and walked from our dirty hostel to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. On the way there, I was stopped twice and asked for directions in Dutch, which was a nice turn of events given that I stuck out in Paris. 🗺 In the afternoon, I rejoined my group and we visited the Anne Frank House and I cried. Amsterdam charmed me with its canal streets, wonky houses - it was unlike any city I had seen before. In Amsterdam, I learned never to judge a destination by its reputation - everywhere has something for everyone. ✨ P.S. If you like taking pictures on the side and want to see how far you’ve come since you first started using a camera regularly, take a look at pictures from years ago. Out of the 310 pictures I took of Amsterdam in 2014, I only liked 5 of them (and I don’t even consider the 5 I liked to be *great* either). 📸 #lifewellwandered

I wasn’t too keen on the image I had of Amsterda

I wasn’t too keen on the image I had of Amsterdam in my head. Pot, partying, and a well-known Red Light District didn’t deter me from going by any means, but they did make me wonder what the weekend away from Paris would have in store for me. 🚆 Alas, if you’re looking for tales of debauchery, you won’t find them in this post - not because I’m hiding anything, but because I just don’t have any. Instead, I ended up staying sober and wandering around the city with my friend after he smoked for the first time to make sure he was okay (classic Alex move). I don’t have any regrets. 🤷🏼‍♀️#lifewellwandered

If given the opportunity, never turn down a free d

If given the opportunity, never turn down a free day trip - even if the train you have to catch departs at 8:05 from a train station that takes over 30 minutes to get to from your apartment. Mont-Saint-Michel is one of those Instagram places that, even if you don’t know its name, you’ve definitely seen pictures of it. I was very intrigued by what looked like a drip sandcastle emerging from the surrounding sand. 🏰 Originally only accessible during low tide, Mont-Saint-Michel was first built as a sanctuary to the archangel Michael in 708. It soon became a major focus of pilgrimage. In the 900s, Benedictines settled in the abbey and a village grew up around it. It was considered an impregnable stronghold during the Hundred Years War as the English assaults were unsuccessful. From the Revolution until 1863, the abbey was used as a prison. Now, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with thin, winding streets and a few too many tourist shops for my liking. Nevertheless, I loved every minute of my visit. 😍 Four years later, I would see the outline of Mont-Saint-Michel appear in the distance on a drive from Rouen to Saint-Malo. It wasn't on my itinerary and I wasn't expecting to see it on our drive, but it felt like a sign from the universe telling me how far I had come. ✨ #lifewellwandered

Every sunny day in Paris, you’ll find terraces a

Every sunny day in Paris, you’ll find terraces and parks filled with people enjoying the weather. Once a summer in Paris, you’ll find yourself surrounded by just about every other Parisian and tourist alike walking the streets for the annual Fête de la musique, a celebration of music throughout the city that lasts through the night. Streets are filled with people, musicians, and artists in the best way possible. We went from bars to restaurants, from churches to quais, listening to every kind of music imaginable. Highlights included gospel music on the steps of a church, heavy metal in a neighboring café, and rap on the steps of Notre Dame. 🎼 At 2am, I was almost home. I had just gotten out of the metro and was walking quickly down the dark street that led to my apartment. Eyes forward, headphones in with no music playing. Six men sitting on a stoop whistled and made comments about my appearance. I was wearing longer jean shorts, combat boots, and a zipped-up olive green jacket. Not every night in Paris is magical. 🤷🏼‍♀️ #lifewellwandered

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