travel – Nigel Ip | Visual Arts Writer & Art Historian

2 Weeks in Paris – Day 8: Strolling

The second half of my weekend involved an early morning to visit the Paris Catacombs. The queue circled around the park with a wait of over an hour – who knows how many people were in the line. I walked there with most of the group but soon decided to give up and find myContinue reading “2 Weeks in Paris – Day 8: Strolling”

2 Weeks in Paris – Day 6: Animals

This day was perhaps the most intense – and certainly most enjoyable – seminar of the week. Having had a relaxing walk towards Reid Hall with a leftover ham and cheese baguette and stopping briefly at Patisserie Boulangerie for an espresso, myself and everyone else were plunged into deep discussion about revolutionary animals by ProfessorContinue reading “2 Weeks in Paris – Day 6: Animals”

2 Weeks in Paris – Day 5: Versailles

Out of our entire two-week programme, Thursday was perhaps the biggest day in the schedule. My day began with a brief breakfast at Reid Hall consisting of a pain au chocolat and university-provided coffee. Dr Stefan Goebel conducted our crash-course seminar on Versailles, focusing on the periods 1789-1871-1919, highlighting the Women’s March on Versailles –Continue reading “2 Weeks in Paris – Day 5: Versailles”

2 Weeks in Paris – Day 2: Architecture

My second day in Paris began with a brief search for food. A few of us walked around the nearby area scouting for cafés and pâtisseries. We ended up going to a very small branch of Brioche Dorée where €1 bought me an espresso and a pain au chocolat. It was time to head upContinue reading “2 Weeks in Paris – Day 2: Architecture”

2 Weeks in Paris – Day 1: Reunion

Early morning start. Destination: Gare du Nord, Paris. Departure time: 9:55am. The reunion was lovely. Awkward university students standing in a circle outside Canterbury West station. The rest met us at Ashford International. I needed a coffee – a latte was the result, along with two bars of chocolate. I haven’t had them yet. TheContinue reading “2 Weeks in Paris – Day 1: Reunion”