We decided to get an early start this morning so we left our hotel at 8:30. We ate breakfast at the same little cafe we went to yesterday. We all got juice and croissants again. Then we took the metro to the Louvre. We were glad to find out that students got in free. We had heard so many horror stories about lines at the Louvre but there weren't any there. We got to walk right in. They might have been because we got there early though. We stayed for four hours and saw so much. We got lost a few times because it was so confusing and difficult to navigate. However, we saw so many things by just walking around. The two biggest things we saw were the Mona Lisa and Napoleon III's apartment. We also saw Aphrodite and Psyche and Cupid.
After the Louvre, we found a Laduree so we stopped to get some macaroons. That was the first time I had ever tried macaroons! They were a lot softer than I thought they'd be but they were still good. The chocolate was my favorite. Then we ate lunch before heading to Champs Élysées.
We were really surprised that Champs Élysées wasn't what we were expecting at all. We thought it would be like Bond Street with all the high end designer stores but it was more comparable to Oxford Circus. The only big designer store that stood out to us was the Louis Vuitton, which was the flagship. There was a huge line wrapped around the block of people waiting to go in. Then we got on the metro to go Sacre Coeur. In the metro station, Erika got her iphone pick-pocketed. We had heard pick-pocketing was really bad here and that you had to watch your bags carefully but we hadn't had a problem with it. I think we were all being really careful at first and then started slacking off a little bit. I felt so bad for Erika especially because she doesn't have a laptop on this trip and her phone was her only way of getting in touch with her family at home.
When we got to the Sacre Coeur area, we walked up all of the steps and had a beautiful view of all of Paris at the very top. It was rainy though so I'm sure we could've seen more without the fog. We went inside the cathedral and were really disappointed we couldn't take pictures because it was so beautiful. The architecture was amazing and the ceiling had the prettiest painting of Jesus with a golden heart on it, which was so radiant. There were also a sign that said there is always at least one person in the church praying at all times and it's been like that for the past 125 years.
We walked back down all of the steps and walked around the little town. We stopped at a tiny restaurant and had crepes for dinner. There were two women sitting at the table next to us. One was British and the other was American and the American one started talking about Chi O!! I thought it was crazy that we were in the middle of Paris in this small restaurant and someone right next to me was talking about Chi O. Then we took the metro back to our hotel for the night because we were exhausted and we had to leave tomorrow. I can't believe we got that much done all in one day.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
British Life and Culture - #18
This morning we left our hotel and headed toward the metro station. We stopped at a little bakery for breakfast. We had chocolate pastries and croissants. Then we took the metro to Notre Dame and walked around that area for a while. We waited for the other group to meet up with us and then ate lunch at a little cafe called Father and son. We got our first beignet and we all fell in love with them. It's like a donut with nutella in the middle. It was SO good.
Then we all went to Notre Dame. We went in and walked around to see everything. Then we sat down to wait to see the crown of thorns at 3. They had a short service and then we could all line up to kiss the crown of thorns. It was such a cool experience and I know my grandmother would've loved it. It was in a glass case with gold wrapped around it. I still can't believe we had the chance to do that. It's brought out only once a month and we just happened to be there.
After Notre Dame, we went down by the river to go on a boat ride. It was right across the street from the Eiffel Tower so we got the most amazing views. We went down the Seine River and saw so many cool sights. We saw the American Church, which was the first church that America had established outside of it's country. We also saw the building that the White House was copied after. However, the White House is 17 times it's size. The boat ride was really cold though so I sat inside the boat for most of it. Paris was a lot colder than I was expecting. I checked the weather before we left and it said everyday was supposed to be 75, even though a couple days would be cloudy. But today was 65 and without a jacket, I was freezing! I should've known weather channel would be wrong because it hasn't been right one single day since we've been in London. After the boat ride everyone wanted to go to a restaurant for wine but I was cold and didn't want to risk getting sick again so I headed back to our hotel.
Then we all went to Notre Dame. We went in and walked around to see everything. Then we sat down to wait to see the crown of thorns at 3. They had a short service and then we could all line up to kiss the crown of thorns. It was such a cool experience and I know my grandmother would've loved it. It was in a glass case with gold wrapped around it. I still can't believe we had the chance to do that. It's brought out only once a month and we just happened to be there.
After Notre Dame, we went down by the river to go on a boat ride. It was right across the street from the Eiffel Tower so we got the most amazing views. We went down the Seine River and saw so many cool sights. We saw the American Church, which was the first church that America had established outside of it's country. We also saw the building that the White House was copied after. However, the White House is 17 times it's size. The boat ride was really cold though so I sat inside the boat for most of it. Paris was a lot colder than I was expecting. I checked the weather before we left and it said everyday was supposed to be 75, even though a couple days would be cloudy. But today was 65 and without a jacket, I was freezing! I should've known weather channel would be wrong because it hasn't been right one single day since we've been in London. After the boat ride everyone wanted to go to a restaurant for wine but I was cold and didn't want to risk getting sick again so I headed back to our hotel.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
British Life and Culture - #17
Today was the start of our four day long weekend and we went to Paris! We all met at the tube station at 7:30 and took it to the Chunnel, which left at 9:15. We got there around 12:45, Paris time. I was going to have to get used to another time change. Paris is ahead of London by one hour.
We took a cab to our hotel. It's a little out of central Paris and our driver didn't exactly know where it was. So our first experience was trying to find the hotel with a driver who didn't know any English. We settled in and then were in a hurry to find lunch. We didn't see anything near us so we started walking toward the metro station and found a little cafe there. We had steak and fries for lunch and the guys working at the cafe blared music for us. Then we went to the metro station and got day passes.
The first big thing we wanted to do was see the Eiffel Tower so we headed there. We got to see it and take pictures in front of it right before it started raining. I was disappointed that it was overcast because our pictures weren't that great but at least it wasn't raining very hard. We didn't want the rain to stop our plans so we walked to the Arc de Triomph. We tried to find out how to actually get to it because there's a circular road that surrounds it that cars drive on. We couldn't figure out how so we decided we would just start walking in a circle around it and maybe we would find out how. Finally we saw some stair then went to a tunnel underneath the road. We got to the entrance and found out we had to buy tickets just to walk underneath the arc. We didn't think it was worth it so we kept walking.
Then we sat down at a cafe to get crepes. It was raining pretty hard by now so we ended up just staying there for a couple hours waiting for the rain to calm down. We enjoyed watching people coming and going. It finally stopped raining so we headed back toward the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night. We got there at sunset and it was already lit up. It was gorgeous!! We decided to go up it so we could experience it at night. While we waited in line, it started blinking! Everyone oohed and ahhed and started snapping pictures. We got up to the counter and they told us the very top had just closed. We still had the option of going up to the second floor, which was about half way up, so we decided to do that. We could see all of Paris and it was so pretty. Everything was lit up and the lights of the city were beautiful. When we got down, we realized it was too late to take the metro so we had to get a cab. The driver spoke a little English and this was a huge surprise. It was much easier getting back to our hotel this time! Today was so eventful and I'm definitely exhausted.
We took a cab to our hotel. It's a little out of central Paris and our driver didn't exactly know where it was. So our first experience was trying to find the hotel with a driver who didn't know any English. We settled in and then were in a hurry to find lunch. We didn't see anything near us so we started walking toward the metro station and found a little cafe there. We had steak and fries for lunch and the guys working at the cafe blared music for us. Then we went to the metro station and got day passes.
The first big thing we wanted to do was see the Eiffel Tower so we headed there. We got to see it and take pictures in front of it right before it started raining. I was disappointed that it was overcast because our pictures weren't that great but at least it wasn't raining very hard. We didn't want the rain to stop our plans so we walked to the Arc de Triomph. We tried to find out how to actually get to it because there's a circular road that surrounds it that cars drive on. We couldn't figure out how so we decided we would just start walking in a circle around it and maybe we would find out how. Finally we saw some stair then went to a tunnel underneath the road. We got to the entrance and found out we had to buy tickets just to walk underneath the arc. We didn't think it was worth it so we kept walking.
Then we sat down at a cafe to get crepes. It was raining pretty hard by now so we ended up just staying there for a couple hours waiting for the rain to calm down. We enjoyed watching people coming and going. It finally stopped raining so we headed back toward the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night. We got there at sunset and it was already lit up. It was gorgeous!! We decided to go up it so we could experience it at night. While we waited in line, it started blinking! Everyone oohed and ahhed and started snapping pictures. We got up to the counter and they told us the very top had just closed. We still had the option of going up to the second floor, which was about half way up, so we decided to do that. We could see all of Paris and it was so pretty. Everything was lit up and the lights of the city were beautiful. When we got down, we realized it was too late to take the metro so we had to get a cab. The driver spoke a little English and this was a huge surprise. It was much easier getting back to our hotel this time! Today was so eventful and I'm definitely exhausted.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Store Design and Visual Merchandising - #11
Today we had class in Kensington. We all met at the High Street Kensington tube station and started our walk from there. We went into a small boutique called Oliver Bonas. It was interesting because they had clothing and accessories on the top floor but downstairs they had home good items. However, their window display included merchandise from both floors. They used furniture as props along with mannequins wearing the clothes. I thought the blue chair to the left holding a purse was an excellent incorporation. Although, I do think the rest of the window display was a little cluttered and unorganized. It showcased a lot of their products but wasn't smoothly tied together.
We passed Whole Foods on our walk and I thought they did a good job of using furniture as props. They had wine displayed on tables.
We also passed Marks & Spencer and they used really great attention getting devices. Their theme was tennis and soccer. Even though the themes were extremely relevant, they did such a good job of making the display stand out. It catches your eye as you walk by and you can't help but look at it.
After class, I went back to my flat to pack for the long weekend. Then we went out for Mary's birthday. We went to Wagamama's, which was asian food, and then the Green Man for dessert. I'm off to Paris tomorrow and so excited!!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Store Design and Visual Merchandising - #10
Today we took a walk to see Fortnum and Mason, Saville Row, and a couple Arcades. We had to meet in Picadilly Circus at 2:30 and I had a little trouble getting there. When I got off the tube, I didn't know where to go. Apparently the class was right around the corner but I had a little mix up with directions so I accidentally walked about 10 minutes the wrong way and got a little tour of Chinatown. I've been meaning to go there at some point so I guess it all worked out.
When I finally found everyone, we started our walk in an area where men's stores are dominant. The store design and visual merchandising of those stores reflected the clientele of the area because they were very luxurious and masculine. One thing I noticed is that they all had very well-dressed employees. One of the stores was unique because it didn't have anything on display. You had to ask an employee to see something, such as shirts, which were stacked behind the counter. The stores were always sophisticated and they were mostly small boutiques. The interiors were very masculine in that one of them was decorated with antlers and dog statues. They were also incredibly organized.
The arcades were so fun to look at. They were like their own little world in the middle of the city. They were flawlessly clean. Jose even made a comment about them being as clean as hospitals. They were all bright and very well lit. I would say, in general, they were targeted toward business men.
We also went to Fortnum and Mason. I loved this store. Their signature color was a beautiful blue - like the "Tiffany's" blue. Horses were also a symbol of theirs and they were everywhere. Their windows had simple, dark backgrounds and colorful displays. The moment you stepped inside you could tell this was an elegant store. There were beautiful chandeliers hanging and the ceilings were very ornate. Their displays were very organized. At least in the tableware section, they used a lot of stacking (plates) and rows (cups) in their arrangements. There was a table with china that was set up by end use. They also had china that was Diamond Jubilee themed. I noticed that there wasn't any music playing in the perfume and accessories section and I was surprised. Overall, this store was so elegant and also fun to look at.
When I finally found everyone, we started our walk in an area where men's stores are dominant. The store design and visual merchandising of those stores reflected the clientele of the area because they were very luxurious and masculine. One thing I noticed is that they all had very well-dressed employees. One of the stores was unique because it didn't have anything on display. You had to ask an employee to see something, such as shirts, which were stacked behind the counter. The stores were always sophisticated and they were mostly small boutiques. The interiors were very masculine in that one of them was decorated with antlers and dog statues. They were also incredibly organized.
The arcades were so fun to look at. They were like their own little world in the middle of the city. They were flawlessly clean. Jose even made a comment about them being as clean as hospitals. They were all bright and very well lit. I would say, in general, they were targeted toward business men.
We also went to Fortnum and Mason. I loved this store. Their signature color was a beautiful blue - like the "Tiffany's" blue. Horses were also a symbol of theirs and they were everywhere. Their windows had simple, dark backgrounds and colorful displays. The moment you stepped inside you could tell this was an elegant store. There were beautiful chandeliers hanging and the ceilings were very ornate. Their displays were very organized. At least in the tableware section, they used a lot of stacking (plates) and rows (cups) in their arrangements. There was a table with china that was set up by end use. They also had china that was Diamond Jubilee themed. I noticed that there wasn't any music playing in the perfume and accessories section and I was surprised. Overall, this store was so elegant and also fun to look at.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Store Design and Visual Merchandising - #9
Today for class, we walked around a new part of London that we hadn't been to yet! We all met on King's Road for our walk. We walked all down that road and looked at all of the shops. There were some chains but a lot of boutiques. I found that there were a lot of shoe boutiques. There was a Gap, which is a worldwide chain, and there was also Monsoon, which is exclusive to Europe. One thing they all had in common was that were small.
Then we took a walk down Sloane Street. It was definitely more high end and luxurious. Most of the displays were simplistic but the fixtures were expensive. Their windows usually only displayed a few pieces of merchandise and accessories were very common. One store that strongly exemplified this was Fendi. They displayed only two handbags in their windows and the organization was very simplistic using the outline of stacked boxes. The store Hackett heavily emphasized accessories. Their mannequins were dressed in suits but each one almost had a personality because of the accessories they were wearing. One was wearing glasses and one was carrying a briefcase, etc.
We saw co-advertising in the Smythson window. They partnered with a lighting company, whom displayed "jellyfish" lamps in the window.
Chloe only focused on two outfits in a staged design. The store was very open because the outer wall was all windows. The accessories were at the front of the store and handbags were the first things you could see by looking in.
Dior's windows were simplistic but emphasized the outfit very well. The background indicated that the mannequin could have been at an elegant event. The outfit was also accessorized.
Then we took a walk down Sloane Street. It was definitely more high end and luxurious. Most of the displays were simplistic but the fixtures were expensive. Their windows usually only displayed a few pieces of merchandise and accessories were very common. One store that strongly exemplified this was Fendi. They displayed only two handbags in their windows and the organization was very simplistic using the outline of stacked boxes. The store Hackett heavily emphasized accessories. Their mannequins were dressed in suits but each one almost had a personality because of the accessories they were wearing. One was wearing glasses and one was carrying a briefcase, etc.
We saw co-advertising in the Smythson window. They partnered with a lighting company, whom displayed "jellyfish" lamps in the window.
Chloe only focused on two outfits in a staged design. The store was very open because the outer wall was all windows. The accessories were at the front of the store and handbags were the first things you could see by looking in.
Prada used a variety of colors and they also focused on accessories. They displayed only one outfit and accessorized the outfit, as well.
Versace's windows were not like the other stores in this area. As a group, we decided we didn't like them. They were too bold and busy. They didn't look classy and were described as tacky.
Mu absolute favorite was Gucci. They had a giant paper purse in their windows. They had the actual purse to the left of it. I thought this was a unique way of focusing on accessories.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
British Life and Culture - #16
I went INSIDE Buckingham Palace today!!! This was probably my favorite place I've toured here. A big group of us met at the tube station at 11 because we wanted to see the changing of the guards, which started at 11:15. It was supposed to last until 12:00 and our tickets to go into Buckingham were for 12:15 so we thought it would work out perfectly. Well...the tube took longer than we thought it would, of course. Then we got there and didn't realize how crowded it would be. We couldn't get a spot to see the changing of the guards even if we tried. There were soooo many people there! So we decided to skip the hassle of trying to find a spot to watch and went inside.
I went inside with Emily, Victoria, and Lindsay. We went into the Queen's Gallery first. It was full of Leonardo Da Vinci's work. It focused on Da Vinci's studies of the human body. He worked for years studying the body and had so many drawings of what he thought the inside of the body looked like and how it worked. He was surprisingly accurate with many theories. The most interesting displays were his drawings (like what a fetus might have looked like in the womb) next to the anatomically correct diagram of what it actually looks like. He studied everything from the reproductive system to blood flow to behavior and emotion. I had no idea he studied the body so this was a very informative exhibit.
The next thing we visited were the Royal Mews. I knew that these were horse stables so I thought the only thing we were going to see was horses. I was so excited I was wrong. They had the Queen's stage coaches on display! Each one had it's own little garage and we could get so close to them. They had the carriage that is used for Royal Weddings and that Diana had ridden in. My favorite coach was the Coronation Coach, though. Saying it was beautiful is an understatement. It was covered in gold from top to bottom and had Roman statues on it. It was so tall and absolutely gorgeous from every angle. This coach had it's very own room and it had statue horses attached to it and statue men riding the horses so we could see what it would look like if it were being used.
The next thing we went to see were the State Rooms. There were 19 of them and we spent the majority of our time going through these. They consisted of a Ballroom, Drawing rooms (like living rooms), a dining room, and rooms simply for entertaining. This is where presidents or kings of other nations would come and where the Queen would entertain them. Every single one of these rooms was breathtaking. I can't even describe how beautiful they were. I'm so disappointed they wouldn't allow photography in these rooms but it's probably a good thing they didn't because I would've spent an hour in each one just taking pictures. However, I did spend at least 10-15 minutes in each room because there was so much to look at. They were decorated just as they always are in use. Everything from the furniture to the lamps to the fireplaces to the hallways to every inch of the ceilings were covered in gold and lavish with detail. I have never seen anything so gorgeous in my whole entire life. We've seen some very pretty palaces and sights here in London but none of those can even compare to these State Rooms. I didn't realize that most of the decoration of the palace was because of King George IV and Queen Victoria. King George IV was responsible for most of the lavish architecture and decorations but some of the palace was unfinished when he died so Victoria continued the work.
While we were there, we also saw the crown jewels. I thought it was interesting how many of the crown jewels were made for past princesses and queens and especially Queen Victoria but hardly anything was made particularly for Queen Elizabeth II. All of the pieces were passed down to her, of course. I love how they included pictures of Queen Elizabeth II wearing each piece throughout her rein.
This tour was worth every penny and I feel so lucky to have been able to do it.
I went inside with Emily, Victoria, and Lindsay. We went into the Queen's Gallery first. It was full of Leonardo Da Vinci's work. It focused on Da Vinci's studies of the human body. He worked for years studying the body and had so many drawings of what he thought the inside of the body looked like and how it worked. He was surprisingly accurate with many theories. The most interesting displays were his drawings (like what a fetus might have looked like in the womb) next to the anatomically correct diagram of what it actually looks like. He studied everything from the reproductive system to blood flow to behavior and emotion. I had no idea he studied the body so this was a very informative exhibit.
The next thing we visited were the Royal Mews. I knew that these were horse stables so I thought the only thing we were going to see was horses. I was so excited I was wrong. They had the Queen's stage coaches on display! Each one had it's own little garage and we could get so close to them. They had the carriage that is used for Royal Weddings and that Diana had ridden in. My favorite coach was the Coronation Coach, though. Saying it was beautiful is an understatement. It was covered in gold from top to bottom and had Roman statues on it. It was so tall and absolutely gorgeous from every angle. This coach had it's very own room and it had statue horses attached to it and statue men riding the horses so we could see what it would look like if it were being used.
The next thing we went to see were the State Rooms. There were 19 of them and we spent the majority of our time going through these. They consisted of a Ballroom, Drawing rooms (like living rooms), a dining room, and rooms simply for entertaining. This is where presidents or kings of other nations would come and where the Queen would entertain them. Every single one of these rooms was breathtaking. I can't even describe how beautiful they were. I'm so disappointed they wouldn't allow photography in these rooms but it's probably a good thing they didn't because I would've spent an hour in each one just taking pictures. However, I did spend at least 10-15 minutes in each room because there was so much to look at. They were decorated just as they always are in use. Everything from the furniture to the lamps to the fireplaces to the hallways to every inch of the ceilings were covered in gold and lavish with detail. I have never seen anything so gorgeous in my whole entire life. We've seen some very pretty palaces and sights here in London but none of those can even compare to these State Rooms. I didn't realize that most of the decoration of the palace was because of King George IV and Queen Victoria. King George IV was responsible for most of the lavish architecture and decorations but some of the palace was unfinished when he died so Victoria continued the work.
While we were there, we also saw the crown jewels. I thought it was interesting how many of the crown jewels were made for past princesses and queens and especially Queen Victoria but hardly anything was made particularly for Queen Elizabeth II. All of the pieces were passed down to her, of course. I love how they included pictures of Queen Elizabeth II wearing each piece throughout her rein.
This tour was worth every penny and I feel so lucky to have been able to do it.
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