Jour des Photos

 

Off to Amsterdam today in a few hours!  Bonne weekend tout le monde!

Bisous bisous,
Mary

Sit Back and Wave Through the Daylight

Kim giving the mic to the crowd as she preforms Daylight

Before my friends came to Paris this past weekend, I decided last minute to go to a Matt & Kim concert.  Funny how some of my most whimsical decisions can turn out to be the best ones.  The pictures don't do justice for the contagious energy and amazing sound coming from this two-person band. 

However, getting to/into the concert was no simple feat.  To start, we had to take a metro pretty much straight from class ALLL the way across Paris to reach the venue of Fleche d'Or (the pictures of the venue should look familiar right?).  Then the minute we got there, I realize that my ticket must have fallen out of its envelope as I carried it around in my backpack all day....oops.  Thank goodness I had a receipt with my name on it so after a good 5 minutes of French negotiating I successfully made my way into the concert.

Here is a link to their most popular single and the song the crowd went most wild for:

Daylight -Matt & Kim 

Matt & Kim

Abby & Mary

Matt and Kim made the trip to Paris all the way from Brooklyn, NY and were pleasantly surprised to find their concert sold out!  Although both sing, Matt mostly takes over the vocals and keyboard while Kim plays the drums.  The arm muscles on Kim were probably the most intimidating guns I have seen on a female.  Matt better be nice to her....

The concert was standing room only so I was able to make my way to the very front.  I even got to shake hands with both Matt and Kim afterward!  The two concerts I have seen in Paris have been incredible and in effect, when I get back to the States I want to try and attend small concerts like this one more regularly.  There's certainly something that be said for an atmosphere where the audience can meet the band after and stand within ten feet of them the entire concert.  Kim even crowd surfed!

On another note, tomorrow I am making my way north to Amsterdam!  Wish me luck on my first solo traveling experience!

 

Bonne journee!

Bisous bisous,

Mary

Some Special Visitors

Last fall in Charlottesville, I recieved an exciting phone call from my best friend since age 10, Eleanor, letting me know that she was going to be able to visit me over her Spring Break from Delaware University.  After nearly six months of anticipation and planning, she made the trip across the Atlantic this past weekend with her boyfriend Kevin and Kevin's two friends from Germany David and Mike.  Although many of us were just meeting for the first time in Paris, they made this weekend incredibly memorable. 

Me and Ellie

Ellie and I in Paris at age 16

During high school, Ellie and I were lucky enough to do an American Music Abroad program and traveled through Europe together for three weeks, it was quite a flashback being in Paris together again five years later.

Sitting outside the Louvre hiding from the rain

Raining at the Louvre

Picnic at the Eiffel Tower

Ellie turned 21 years old this week so as her birthday gift, I bought a lock that we wrote our initials on and placed it on the Pont des Arts Bridge, the oldest pedestrian walking bridge in Paris and the scene of many famous TV shows and movies such as Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, and Taken.  One of the most scenic places to stand on the Seine, you can see the Eiffel Tower in one direction and Notre Dame in the other.

Pont des Arts Bridge

"Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again."

--Pablo Picasso

Next weekend we are all meeting up again in Amsterdam.  I am ready for a little bit of traveling and to see new parts of Europe.  Get ready for a post on my experience at the Matt & Kim concert last Thursday!

Bonne lundi tout le monde!!

Bisous bisous,

Mary

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

IRELAND!

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go.
–Irish blessing

After much anticipation, the time finally came for me to follow my roots into the great city of Dublin, Ireland.....and what a time I had! From the moment I arrived there was an excitement in the city that couldn't be dampened. I took full advantage of the sunshine and walked around the city all afternoon with a friend studying abroad in Edinburgh. We saw Trinity College, Dublin Castle, the Spire of Dublin, and the many bridges in the center of the city.

Trinity College

                                          

Overlooking the O'Connell Bridge

By the night the pubs were making preparations for the next day...O'Connell's (the biggest tourist trap store you could ever imagine) was making its final sales...and some of the roads were beginning to be cleared for the next morning's parade.....The calm before the storm.

And a storm it was. 

We awoke at about 9:30 in the Temple Bar Hotel, literally in the heart of the city, to Irish music and cheers from the streets. We threw on our best St. Patty's Day gear and headed to the streets! By 11:00 the streets were flooded and literally all you could see in each direction was a sea of green. It was unbelievable. The parade came through around 12:30 and was very interesting. I didn't see very much of it, but from what I heard it was not typical Irish music and dance, but rather very modern and colorful, telling a story as it progressed.

parade!

I thought the leggings were a subtle touch

From the parade the scene shifted to the Temple Bar district, and I don't think there was a pub in the area not filled to the brim. Coincidentally we ended up spending most of our time at two bars that my brother had recommended to me before the trip...and I must say he led us well! I even tried my first (and maybe my last) Guinness. When in Ireland!. Many of the bars had live Irish music, singing and dancing; and the ones that didn't usually erupted in their own singing and dancing by the end of the day. I may or may not have even whipped out a few Irish jigs of my own...but I'll never tell. It was definitely a fun day had by all in attendance.



Green beer!



Now although St. Patrick's Day is a fun day to celebrate being Irish (or wishing you were Irish), we should remember the man behind the holiday.

Saint Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland by teaching about the Holy Trinity using the shamrock. He also is credited with driving all snakes out of Ireland.

All in all I had a great time in Dublin and cannot wait until the day I return to Ireland! I unfortunately did not get to see any of the countryside or coast, but that will definitely be the first stop on my next adventure to Europe.

((Speaking of St. Patrick's Day...shoutout to all of the McNally's and family reading this: I'm sad I missed the family party this year, but I heard it was a great one! Miss you all and see you this summer!!))

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite Irish sayings...

Now sweetly lies old Ireland
Emerald green beyond the foam,
Awakening sweet memories,
Calling the heart back home.
-Irish Proverb

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

-Irish Blessing

Like the shamrocks of Old Ireland may your joys grow all year through

 and Irish luck and laughter be a part of all you do.

-Irish Saying



 

Here’s to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one
A pretty girl and an honest one
A cold beer – and another one!
-Irish Toast

Cheers!

 Kelly

Breakfast in America?

One of my weekly traditions at UVA last semester, before locking myself up in the library for the remainder of the day was Sunday Brunch.  Veggie omelette and hasbrowns were always my meal of choice and it was occasion I greatly looked forward to during the week.

Brunch or really any meal in Paris is pretty much the opposite of a Sunday brunch in Charlottesville.  Large cups of ice water?  Refills in your large coffee mug?  Heinz ketchup?  Those things do not exist in Paris......or do they?

Thanks to the recommendation from one of the teachers in our study abroad program, with my friends Sonia and Michelle I discovered "Breakfast in America" or BIA.  There are two locations of this wonderful little diner in Paris: one in the Latin Quarter and the other in the Marais.  Their glorious menu includes a BOTTOMLESS CUP O'JOE for 2.50 Euro which pretty much made my St. Patty's Day weekend.  I found myself trying to drink it fast just to get a refill but caught myself and thought what am i doing?  Let's just say I will never take an American diner for granted again!

The diner was started by a USC film grad who moved to Paris and fell in love with the city.  However, he felt that it was missing one thing, an American brunch.  He opened his first diner in winter 2003 and never looked back.  

Clearly a French hot spot, the line just to get a table was an hour and a half long and from what I could tell we were the only ones in line speaking English.  Apparently the French appreciate a traditional American brunch as well:

 

Happy Sunday and enjoy an American brunch for me!

Bisous bisous,
Mary

Jour des Photos

Best "Glace" in Paris

Not far from Notre-Dame and located on the island in the middle of the Seine River exists Berthillon, possibly the best ice cream in Paris.  The day I tried this ice cream was not a warm one by any means but the delicious homemade ice cream still hit the spot.  I can't imagine how busy the shop gets on hot summer days! 

My friend Melissa and I went with the Berthillon Ice Cream Sundaes

Alexis had been here when she was 12 years old with her parents and promised her Dad that she would return to Berthillon on her recent visit to Paris. 

Alexis went with a Banana Split, yummm

The Original Location

A bit of important advice we discovered, make sure you go to this location of Berthillon.  All over the island are ice cream shops called "Maison de Berthillon" meaning they simply sell their ice cream.  I think it's an experience to go to the original location to smell the smells and see the massive kitchen in the back where the ice cream is produced.  The atmosphere is similar to that of Angelina's with a beautiful interior and an ice cream bar inside the shop.

Alexis and Melissa confused outside a Berthillon poser

True location: 29-31 rue saint Louis en l’ile, 75004 Paris

Joyeuse Fête de la Saint-Patrick tout le monde!

Bisous bisous,

Mary

Back to My Roots

Heading to Dublin tomorrow for the St. Patty's Day Festival!

I'm staying in the Temple Bar Hotel right by the famous Temple Bar for two days and then moving on to Edinburgh, Scotland Friday to stay with Shelby for a few days! Been waiting for this day to come for many years and couldn't be more excited to explore the land of my ancestors (the McNally's and the Kelly's)...even if it is only for two short days :)

Look out for a post next week about my adventures on the Emerald Isle!

XOXO,
Kelly

P.S. 
 I made a St. Patricks Day playlist for the plane trip over...this was the first song on the list...
Rocky Road to Dublin (This is a link)