Traveling by train

When traveling by train, be prepared for strikes, and delays. However, you can always see if there is a train available when you need it by visiting www.voyages-sncf.com . The site will change to English if you need it to, and you can even book your tickets online.

Advice

When at the Abbey, it is better to not tell the truth or speak your mind, but actually, just tell people what they want to hear and go on about your business. There is so much drama, and the best way to avoid it is to be fake!

Flights

Overall, I found that the cheapest flights were Ryan Air, but by all means DO NOT fly with them. Paris Beauvais airport, is over and hour out of Paris. If you are trying to save money, then use EasyJet. They fly out of Charles de Gaulle, and into most major airports all over Europe. They are not too terribly expensive, and they get you where you need to go. The only problem I see is that you have to pay for any drinks or snacks on board. www.easyjet.com

Advice from a First Time European Traveler!

Okay. So, I am a recently turned 21 year old. Have I ever been to Europe? No. Did I choose to travel this beautiful continent without my family here and a no limit credit card. Yes. Why? Cause that's the best way to learn the most about yourself, in my opinion.

There are some things, some serious and some not so serious, that I'd like to share with potential abbey-ians as you prepare for this amazing adventure.



1. RyanAir (as of today) only lets CHECKED baggage weigh 15 KGs. Not, 50 KGs, as this young traveler thought beforehand. You will have to throw away several pairs of jeans, a blow-dryer, several books, a grocery bag full of hair products and makeup, and GASP: new shoes from Paris. You can probably tell that I experienced this dreadful experience, which I call my "Luggage Massacre".

2. Please, PLEASE, compost your train ticket. Getting hollered at by a old Italian man and paying a 5 euro fee is not worth it when you're on your way to a beautiful beach. Not the best way to start a great weekend. Just compost your ticket! Look for the yellow thing!

3. Girls, your beloved straightener will probably not work. All throughout the first week here, one will hear a "SHWOOSH" sound followed by a few cuss words of the blown-up hair straightener's victim's choice. Smoke will spread all around the abbey dorms. Buy yourself a 30 dollar European hair dryer and straightener at home (look at CVS, Walgreens and ULTA) and keep your expensive tools at home. Or great a really really good adapter.


4. Before you leave, pack. Take out half. Take out another pair of shoes. And then another dress. All you need: 3-4 pairs of jeans. Warm North Face type of deal. Some shirts. Lots of underwear (not kidding, you'll want it when you're 21 days on the road). Pair of shorts or a skirt. A hat. A scarf or two. Don't get crazy with the raincoats, the 300 dollar cocktail dress, the 3 pairs of Ugg Boots. You don't need it.

5. Never, ever, ever accept a drink from a man at a bar. I don't care if he resembles Gerard Butler via P.S I Love You. Be safe, you aren't stupid.

6. Keep up with your school work. Teachers are really there to help. Don't be afraid to ask. They all want to get to know you, unlike most of our teachers back home.

7. "Make new friends, keep the old, one is silver but the others gold."

8. Email your parents pictures! Mine love getting pictures and funny stories from me every so often! It'll be a great bond to have with them as they see you're becoming more independent.

9. Take an afternoon and lay outside in the Abbey Gardens. Read a book. Take a nap. Take pictures. Eat a pastry. Enjoy the French air that you won't have again for a while.

10. Write a blog. During your spring break, take a spiral or a journal and write a few sentences every night about what you did. 21 days later, you won't remember those little details on how Alexis spilled her drink all over herself at a bar or that amazing french dinner you had alone one night.

11.Live in the moment as much as you can. Don't worry about what's going on back home. Don't make summer plans or stress about an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. You won't be able to experience this adventure if you dwell on the past or the future.

12. Lastly, in the words of the great Tom Petty, use this quote as your manta for living at the Abbey:

*All I have to say is..I've learned one thing and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax....work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So stay out late, go out with your friends on Tuesday when you have a paper due on Wednesday, spend money you don't have, stay up til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does"

Sitting in one class

Doing homework for another, typical day at the Abbey...

spring break was fun, but now its back to reality...

i did a crazy trip that i was advised against doing......but, for me it worked...
during the 2 weeks after paris, i visited amsterdam, london, prague, plzen, budapest (driving through bratislava on the way there) rome, athens, and a 3 island day tour....

if anyone next year is a busy body like me, and doesn't want to spend all two weeks in one or two places...plan a crazy adventure, get lost in europe, hop all over the continent, and see as much you can see

don't expect much sleep, but it's not needed, because i have memories that will last a lifetime...

good luck to everyone next year...

btw, be careful about packing, getting to the airport early enough, and make sure that the airport you fly to is close to the city you are actually staying in, lol

Here at the Abbey, this is what we call class: Paris Week.

On Sunday we began our 'study' of Paris. The group of 42 was split in half for Sunday's ParisWALKS. While half of us went to the Louvre Museum, the other half spent the day at The Palace of Versailles. At Versailles we were able to see the home of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the last French monarchs. The palace was very extravagant. Much of it was gold plated. One room that was very interesting to us was the Queen's bedroom. Over sixteen royal children were born in the room. We saw the door from which Marie Antoinette escaped on October 5, 1789 during the storming of Versailles. The hall of mirrors was the most impressive room. It is very long and has many chandeliers that hang down the entire length of the hall. The paintings on the ceiling were very beautiful as well.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we participated in ParisWALKS guided by our very own professors. There were seven different walks every day and missing out on some to go on another was a little disappointing but ended up working out fine. We learned that one of the best views in Paris is at the top of the Centre Pompidou, what impressionist art actually is, and how the economics of Paris affect the markets and the consumers that shop at these markets.

Wednesday was a free day! Some people spent the day at EuroDisney. Some went to visit other sights around Paris. Others caught up on much needed sleep.

On Friday, after a fun, informative, and exciting week, the two groups from Sunday's WALKS at either The Palace of Versailles or Musee de Louvre went to whatever event they missed out on. At the Musee de Louvre, we learned that Cardinal Richelieu, who helped Louis XIII run France in the 1600s, worked out of our Abbey in Pontlevoy. We also learned from Dr. Mackaman that Mississippi taxpayers helped fund the renovation of two of the rooms in the Palais du Louvre several years back. The Louvre Museum itself is massive and i s said to take a month to observe everything inside. The Louvre Museum contains artwork from ancient Egypt up to the 20th century. Many famous pieces, such as The Wedding Feast at Caana, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, St. John the Baptist, and The Virgin of the Rocks, can be found inside. You can also see the Crown Jewels and Napoleon's apartment in the Palais du Louvre. Visiting the Louvre is overwhelming, but is an absolute must for anyone visiting Paris.

For more information, check these out:

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en

http://www.parismustsee.com/

http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/free-city/paris-text

Jaffe Cropper
Jennifer Flint
Jordan Randall

Airline Travel

Your choice of airline really depends on what you're looking for. If you are looking for the lowest-cost carrier, you will find RyanAir. The difficulty with RyanAir is that the airports not unlike Southwest Airlines in the United States usually are not the number one airport in most major cities, so they usually are not as easy to access as some of the other airline carriers. EasyJet is the next step up in price. While generally more expensive initially than RyanAir, EasyJet does usually fly into most major airports in Europe, saving you time and hassle. Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, and KLM also can get you around Europe easily flying into just about all the major European destinations. My advice for what it's worth would be not to use these airlines unless you are trying to reach a destination either that the low-cost airlines do not access, or are convenient as far as saving time and hassle. Some other low-cost options often include Aer Lingus (can at times be as expensive as the major carriers), , and many more. Do your research and go with what works best for your trip. I personally flew on RyanAir six times and lost two t-shirts from my checked bag, but it was a very worthwhile experience for me based on the low fares I had. Just look at what you want, service, location, lowest cost, etc. and really weigh your options. Happy flying and for those of you hoping to go next year I hope you heed my advice at least a little.
http://www.ryanair.com/en
http://www.easyjet.com/asp/en/book/index.asp?lang=EN
http://www.airfrance.co/indexCOM.html
http://www.klm.com/travel/generic/index.html
http://www.aerlingus.com/cgi-bin/obel01im1/bookonline/index.jsp
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/globalgateway.jsp/global/public/en_
http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh_com/de/homepage