Notre Dame
I took trains, metros, trains, metros, and a bus
A view from the climb up the Eiffel Tower
Laura!
Banana and Nutella crepes...oh my.
View from Pompidou
Monet
The metro broke down for a few minutes so this man broke out the guitar and started singing "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
Lourve
Sacre Coeur
This day was rough. I procrastinated
checking in and printing my boarding pass until the day of (it lets
you do the process 15 days in advance here), and RyanAir wasn't
cooperating online. After I tried multiple buildings, WiFi networks,
etc, I finally got it and rushed to the train station. I actually
left myself enough time, but of course I couldn't find my bus to
Pisa. As soon as I saw it, it was driving away. It was just like a
movie—me with my suitcase in hand and tears welling up in my eyes
as the bus pulled out of the lot. I took the next bus an hour later,
and made it through security at the airport with one minute before
the gate closed.
That's cutting it a little close...even
for me.
Once I got to Bordeaux, I caught a bus
to Port Maillot and my friend Laura from Georgia State was waiting
for me. We caught trains back to the suburbs where her host-mom made
us a ham and cheese quiche and there was a chocolate/banana pie-like
dessert waiting for us. I showered, cuddled with the german shepherd
they have and called it a night.
We woke up and had croissants, juice
and coffee prepared for us. We packed, caught a train and headed into
Paris! We dropped our things off at Laura's host-brother's apartment
in the city when we arrived. Kevin was so nice to let us stay in his
studio/room (not to be mistaken for a full sized apartment) over the
weekend while he was going away. Laura and I headed out to see the
Notre Dame and Shakespeare and Co. bookstore before I had to register
for classes at GSU online. We breaked for the sandwiches her host-mom
packed for us then went back outdoors to climb the Eiffel Tower! It
was so breathtaking. I never expected to be taken aback by it, but I
was. It was amazing. We climbed two flights and got a great view of
the entire city. To complete the experience, we ate over-priced
crepes underneath the tower like true tourists afterwards.
Afterwards, I saw Musee d'orsay, the
train-station-turned-museum. It was closed, but at least I got to see
the outside! I realized that French people are really kind and that
the stereotype of them being snobby is so far from the truth. They
don't like it if you go into a restaurant or shop and don't at least
offer a “bonjour” instead of “hi”, but that's understandable.
If you make the tiniest effort, they appreciate it and are as nice as
can be. Later we went for dinner at Les Fondus de la Raclette. Ham,
peperoni, potatoes, and bread were available to dip into a cheese
fondue, and the stove that you melt the cheese with was built right
into the table. After, we met Laura's friends from the UK at an
English pub. We had a lot of fun hanging out together and exploring
the night life of Paris!
We woke up and had our coffee,
croissants and pain au chocolat...so, so good. We visited Moulin
Rouge and the Sacre Couer, a beautiful church that looks like a
castle. We met Laura's French friends Vincent and Ludwig in the
artist's square and had lunch at the cutest cafe, Soul Kitchen. She
and I split a brunch: some kind of quiche with salad and a tasty
dressing, a latte, pear juice, and two desserts including an apple
crumble and a chocolate/blackberry pastry. The four of us played Uno
in the cafe, and ended up having to make up rules to it since
everyone seemed to have their own idea of how to play! The four of us
ventured off to Hotel de Ville and Pompidou afterwards where we
climbed the stairs and got an excellent view of the city. Vincent
told me that the Eiffel is actually a radio/TV tower and that
Parisians used to petition to take it down because “it was ugly”.
There was a French writer that used to take his breakfast and eat it
under the tower every morning because “it was the only place he
could eat without having to look at it.” Fascinating.
After, we saw Opera Garnier, Madeline
Church, and ate famous Laduree macaroons. Laura and I split caramel,
red berry, pistachio and Mary Antoinette (tea) flavors.
We went separate ways afterwards, so
Laura and I picked up things to make sandwhiches for dinner at the
grocery store. We were exhausted at this point, but I had to see the
tower by night before I left. It sparkles at the top of the hour, so
we saw it when it struck 11 pm. She and I got chocolate mousse at a
nearby cafe and finished just in time to see the tower sparkle at
midnight again. I never expected to be so captivated by it, but I
truly was. It took my breath away and I literally walked away from it
backwards because I couldn't get enough! On the train home, people
played their accordions and guitars for money, which I love listening
to. Paris is such a cheesy city, but I guess I'm pretty cheesy, too.
This day was dedicated to fitting in
everything possible before I had to leave to go back to Florence. We
went to the Louvre and saw Mona, which was so much smaller than I
expected! The area outside of the museum was so pretty and it was a
decently warm day. We walked into L'orangerie where I saw some of
Monet's paintings and snuck a photo, and then I had to get my things
to go to the airport. I was close to crying when I was boarding my
bus because it had been such a fantastic weekend. It was so nice
seeing a familiar face and getting to tour the city with Laura, who
has been living there for a few months now. I had the most wonderful
time!
*A (sideways...oops) video I took of the Eiffel Tower sparkling at nighttime:
https://vimeo.com/64942933
