Our Tale of Two Cities

Our last day in London was a complete whirlwind! We woke up super early thanks to a lovely British wake-up call and made our way down to the hotel's continental breakfast. With the prices of food in the city we tried to eat as much as we could to get us through the day (and stole a few Babybel cheese to tie us over). In search of Internet we made our way to Starbucks for some WiFi but were disappointed when, after we purchased our drinks, we realized that they actually charged to use WiFi there. We chugged a good portion of our drinks down and made our way to our favorite restaurant Pret-A-Manger. Appropriate because we should know French but we are embarrassed to admit we actually had to look up the meaning.. ready to eat. It smelled delicious, as it always did whenever we walked in (although we had never actually eaten there before so we really had no idea what the food was like). Marissa was able to Skype with her sister, Brianna, and was so excited to be able to talk to someone from home! We did our daily family emails confirming the fact that we are both still alive and well.

An hour later we were on a bus with tour guide Nikki who told us all about London. We rode in the coach with her for about three hours as she told us all kinds of interesting facts about the city. Unfortunately we only got off the coach at a few places for only a few minutes... just enough time to snap a few pictures with an extended arm, hoping to get some of whatever was behind us in the photo so we could prove we were actually there. The tour was a perfect way for us to get acclimated to the city. We saw many of London's historic landmarks--Big Ben, the House of Parliament, West Minster Abbey, St. Pauls Cathedral, the Lord Mayor's home, among many other sites. It was interesting to see how parts of the city was rebuilt after the war, however there was one cathedral that had been partly destroyed by shrapnel during the war but never recovered to remain as a reminder of the great war.


We passed Fleet Street and heard tales of the demon barber, passed a cathedral whose spire influnced the tiered wedding cake form we are used to today, a pub called The Hung Drawn and Quartered named as such in reference to the punishment many were given like William Wallace (Mel Gibson) in Braveheart, and our favorite, a pub named after Prince Albert who thought it fashionable to pierce every orifice of the body including his own personal jewels (now referred to as the Prince Albert).

We ended our city tour at Covent Gardens, an outdoor/indoor market with all kinds of artisans, shops, and food. This was the very place that Henry Higgins found his favorite pupil Eliza Doolittle working as a flower seller. After roaming through the market we decided to go back to Parliament Square as the tour never actually made a stop there. We took countless touristy photos and then took the audio tour of Westminster Abbey. We were blown away by how ornate the abbey was. It was truly breathtaking! The amount of money that kings and queens spent on tombs was outstanding. Henry VII had a tomb built for him and his queen that cost the modern day equivalent of £500,000!

Because we felt like we had become familiar with the layout of the city we decided to walk from Wesminster Abbey back to our hotel only four tube stops down. With no map and no real sense of direction in London we ended up one tube stop from our hotel..... two hours later! Needless to say we were exhausted at this point in our day so we quickly packed our things in our room and went out for a fish and chips and a pint at the Gloucester Arms, a pub just blocks from our hotel.

Tired and full we went back to our hotel and proceeded to make ridiculous video blogs--coming soon! As it was our last night in London Sophie came over and took us out to her favorite bar/club The Roadhouse. Unfortunately we were both completely unprepared to be in the same room with more attractive guys than we had ever seen in our entire lives and tried to avoid contact as much as possible because of the hobo-esque look we were sporting. Naturally we look forward to returning to London very soon to husband shop. It was a great way to say goodbye to one our favorite cities.

Nine hours later we were on a plane to our home destination. We landed in Nice and took an autobus to Cannes, about 40 min outside Nice. We were glad that London acted as a buffer for the culture shock that we experienced once we landed in France. I mean for one, they speak French here. Everything is in French. We did our best to try to read road signs and bilboards as we made our way to Cannes to refamiliarize ourselves with the language we haven't studied for quite some time now.

After our orientation meeting we were helped to our rooms by guys who were either French and spoke perfect English or American with perfect French... we are determined to find out there story and will report back soon. Our room is quaint and orange. Very orange. We don't know much about our classes or the program yet (meeting about all that is tomorrow) but we do know that we need to carry around our 4x6 student ID cards at all times as well as our Medieval-Hogwarts style keys and are not allowed to miss class (which we have five days a week... doesn't leave much time for weekend traveling). Those things were made very, very clear.

After all the excitement of the past few days we are looking forward to a quiet night in. Look forward to more thoughts on Cannes coming soon.

London? In the words of Lil Mama “We Kilt It”

Our fellow Americans – Greetings from London

For those of you who are not partial to the fascinating phrases of one, Lil Mama, "kilt" is a synonym for dominated and that is pretty much what we have done. The pair of us have been in London for a day and a half and already feel like experienced world travelers. We spent the entire first day exploring the city carrying our 15lb backpacks. Despite our obvious handicap, we managed to see some spectacular sites. First visiting Shakespeare's Globe Theater where we were in a group with tourists from Italy, France and Australia. Our guide translated most of the interesting points into French for the others and the two of us shared a moment of collective panic as we realized that very soon we will be the ones needing a translation (or at least a really good audio guide!)

Despite our fears we soldiered on to the Tower of London. It was about to close so we raced to the Crown Jewels – each of us picked out our favorite and took them as souvenirs. We kid – but seriously, the Queen's jewelry is pretty bitchin'. We then attempted to get into Harrod's but were stopped by the doorman. Apparently they don't allow enormous backpacks into one of the grandest shopping stores in the world – who knew?! Now that we had some time to kill (we couldn't help ourselves) we popped into a Starbucks for a hot chocolate and comfy couch to rest our aching feet. That night we met up with Sophie (Tara's little sis who now lives in London) Andy and Austin. It was cool seeing faces from home even though it made the whole experience feel a bit surreal. We spent the night at Sophie's flat in Notting Hill – which, we must say is not as advertised – no Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts anywhere. We marveled at how tiny everything in the flat was - then remembered that London was built for Hobbits and were instantly okay with it. Navigating around the city is super easy as the Tube, and it's color-coded route maps, make everything a breeze!

Today was another day of domination. Saw the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery. Galavanted around Trafalger Square and eventually met some students going to Cannes. We joined Austin, Andy and Andy's roommate, Ben, for a pint of beer in a local pub. Being our first beer in London and first pint ever…let's just say the hops got us good. We had a fabulous stroll through Kensington Gardens and wound up at Andy's favorite restaurant, My Old Dutch. What does one order at a Dutch restaurant in London you may ask…ummmm, only the LARGEST crepes you've ever seen. They were fabulous.

Tonight we enjoyed Billy Elliot the musical and think that the kid who played Billy was retarded (note to readers, we will be using retarded as a synonym for AMAZING from now on!) The kid was like twelve and could back flip off of walls. Off walls for goodness sake! Resisting our urge to steal the talented child, which may or may not be illegal here, we are now back at the Holiday Inn-Kensington. We still have one more day in London ahead of us, so look out because there is a lot more ahead.

Stay tuned for:

• Day three in London
  
• Two Girls, One Cannes actually being in Cannes
  
• And a lot more amazing shenanigans
  

Leave us a comment because we'd love to hear from you or e-mail us personally at twogirls.onecannes@gmail.com !!!

Peace,

Mofftar

*This section is where we are going to do a special shout out to our friends from back home.*

This post goes out to Brian Drummy – we saw a British musical and visited the Globe – how much more B-Drum can you get!? Hope you're well, buddy.

Twas the Night Before Departure

Our Fellow Americans--Welcome to our Blog!

We are so excited about everything that is ahead of us, and even more excited to take you along via Two Girls, One Cannes. To kick start Volume I in a unique, fun way we decided to do a good old Q&A. Below you will find Part Uno of the questionnaire each of us completed individually. It will give our fellow blog-followers some incite into our thoughts and feelings as we prepare to embark on one of the greatest adventures of our lives. Enjoy!

PART UNO

What do you still have left to do to prepare for your trip?
Marissa: I still need to pack. I'm sure I will be making several trips to Target before I leave.
Tara: I definitely need to pack. I know that I will put it off until the last minute. Anything I have purchased for the trip is still in its bag in my garage.

What is one item you absolutely cannot travel without?
Marissa: My passport! lol but really I cannot travel without my camera.
Tara: My laptop. I need a way to communicate with everyone from home and keep the blog updated.

What has been most surprising to you as you prepare for your trip?
Marissa: I never knew it was so difficult to get a French Visa!! haha and I am actually rather surprised at how nervous I am getting as we get closer to our departure day.
Tara: I've been surprised by how many people have been to Europe and offered up some great advice. Despite Cannes being one of the lesser known French cities many people have been there and have gotten us really excited about going.

What entertainment are you bringing with you on your long flight to Europe?
Marissa: The 30 movies we put on the external harddrive and the ten travel books I got for Christmas!... Lots of reading!
Tara: I have to have something good to read so of course I am bringing a Harry Potter book. I wanted to re-read Half-Blood Prince before the film came out, so the flight overseas will be a good chance to do that. I bought Watchmen because I've been looking forward to reading it for a long time. Also, I've got my iPod fully loaded with podcasts and other playlists I refuse to listen to until I'm on the plane.


What is the last meal you plan on having in America before you leave?
Marissa: Probably shredded beef tacos... I am going to miss Mexican food so much!
Tara: In-N-Out! I've already told my parents that we are stopping to have a burger on our way to LAX.

Have you ever been to France before? If so, when and where?
Marissa: Yes. It has always been a dream of mine to go to France. I believe I was in 1st grade and I was learning about Claude Monet and made it a goal to one day visit his home and gardens in Giverney. My dream came true the summer after I graduated from high school when my family took a two week trip to France spending time in Normandy, Rouen, Giverney, Deauville and Paris.
Tara: I visited France in '04. We went to Paris and visited all of the major tourist attractions but nothing outside of that.

What are you most looking forward to throughout your stay in Cannes?
Marissa: I look forward to experiencing European culture as a "citizen" and not just a tourist. I am looking forward to just jumping on a train and being able to visit any European country. Also super excited to live on the Mediterranean... might be tough.
Tara: I am definitely looking forward to experiencing a different cultural climate. I feel like everyone has a specific perception of France, including myself, and Cannes seems to be in a completely different realm. I just want to take everything in and appreciate the beauty the south of France has to offer. Also, I look forward to all of the yachts Marissa and I will be invited on by handsome millionaires. 


Choose three words that you feel best describe Cannes.
Marissa: Luxurious, beautiful, beach town
Tara: Beautiful, Affluent, Festival


Describe one thing you have never done that you hope to do in Europe?
Marissa: yacht party? haha
Tara: Get arrested! Jooooke.

What reservations do you have about traveling in Europe?
Marissa: I am concerned about the language barrier but am excited to pick up words from all languages.

Tara: Having something stolen. I can't even count the number of people who warn me about keeping my belongings safe. Even though they mean well, they have me a bit paranoid that all Europeans are pick-pockets straight out of a Charles Dickens novel.

What food are you most excited to try?
Marissa: Any and all food really.... I'm super excited about French cuisine.
Tara: I'm not necessarily excited to try it, but I've heard amazing things about froix gras. It might be slightly unethical but maybe I'll go to a farm where they treat the geese humanely before they force-feed and cook them.


Which food will you absolutely never try?
Marissa: There's really not a whole lot I wouldn't eat... maybe any animal organs that should have never become a delicacy.
Tara: Haggis. We may or may not wind up in Scotland, but I am making it known now that I WILL NOT try haggis.


What will you miss the most about home?
Marissa: Definitely miss my family.... and my dog! oh and my queen sized bed.
Tara: Familiar faces. I know that I will do my best to keep in contact with everyone but just speaking with them face to face is what I will miss the most. I will miss my dogs too! I miss them when I'm at school so I know it will be hard being so far from them.


What would you like to say your friends and relatives before you leave?
Marissa: I will miss you all so much. Even though I am thousands of miles away I still have skype/facebook/email so keep me posted on your lives! And don't forget to read about our travels on our blog.
Tara: I love you tons! Keep in touch. Don't miss me too much (as if you would!) because I cannot wait to return and share many awesome stories with you all. Leave comments on the blog because just knowing that your reading will inspire me to write more often.


What are you most looking forward to about traveling with Tara/Marissa?
Marissa: This is going to be an incredible once in a lifetime experience and I am so excited to share it with such an amazing friend! We have lived together for six months now at Rose and that brought us even closer and now traveleing together will do the same. I cannot wait to look back in 30 years at the journey we are about to embark on.
Tara: I couldn't think of anyone better to share this adventure with than Marissa Suzanne Moffitt. We have already done so many exciting things together; I know this trip will elevate our friendship to a whole new level. She'll be someone to laugh with on the long flights, the one who finds my passport when I leave it, ohhhh just about everywhere, and a friendly face to remind me of home. Besides, One Girl, One Cannes just doesn't have the same ring to it!

-MoffTar