Oh Paris! It's such a beautiful city. It's so different thank London (for once I felt the street layout made somewhat more sense, not by much though lol). The buildings were gorgeous with their little cast iron railings and double doors. I'm in love with Paris, even if it is a bit grungier. However I could never live there. Something about it didn't feel like home to me or even that it could someday feel that way, like London. I'm not sure why, but it felt more like a vacation spot. Maybe if I had more time there this feeling would change.
Anyway, I've been wanting to write about my trip to Paris since I got back Sunday night, but I have been so exhausted. I ran myself into the ground trying to do everything I could in the short amount of time I had in a new city. I've got to say I'm very proud of myself for what I achieved. I saw more, did more, than anyone seemed to have thought possible. So many people were so negative about the time we had. Seriously, people need to take a time out, realize they are standing Paris (in PARIS!) and appreciate the amount of time we have, even if it is short. I had less than 48 hours, but I did everything I had planned and more.
So Friday, around 2pm we find our way to the Eurostar (the train that goes under the channel that connects London to Paris). It's an interesting train ride through many tunnels and a lot of country side. It was supposed to be about a two and a half hour ride, but we were delayed. Twenty minutes outside of Paris, the train stopped and there was an announcement that there was a fatality and we would be delayed. Who does that? Normally, people just say there is a delay, not why when it is this kind of situation. It was so strange, but I never found out more.
I made it to Paris close to 8pm their time, got to experience Parisian traffic (too intense for words), have a brief glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, discover my room had a view of the Tower :-D, then off to dinner with a group of girls who were then somewhat friends. We found a traditional french restaurant and ordered amazing food, wine, and of course french dessert. The best part of the meal was when I tried escargot. Yep, I tried snails. And you know what? It was delicious! There really are no words to describe the taste, but it is superb. I have this belief that life is too short to be ruling things out, I will try almost any food once. Food is very important to me. People who are also going to school with me don't understand why I rarely eat in the cafeteria, why I'd rather spend money on eating out or preparing food. They just don't understand how important food is to me. Back home, my boyfriend puts so much effort into getting me the food I am craving or making a perfect meal. He also feels that food isn't just to keep us going, especially dinner. A meal is a time to slow down and be with others you love. It is a time to unwind from work, catch up with others, and enjoy life. It is a way to best experience a new culture, to be adventurous and dive into an unknown place. It is a way to travel back into time as you taste things you have long forgotten. Food is so much more than people give it credit for. I would rather spend my money on a delicious meal than a new dress. This is why I try not to turn my nose up at something different. Unless it is coconut, lol. People don't understand this and I feel it is limiting themselves from experiencing so much more in life. And diets? Don't even think about it.
Anyway, after dinner we took a walk to the Eiffel Tower. I don't ever think I will forget my first view of it. It was midnight, and it started to sparkle. I never knew that every hour, on the hour the tower sparkles. I was across the park from it, I got so excited I shouted, "It sparkles!" and ran across the street into the park. I couldn't wait to get up close. I didn't get to go inside this night, but just that view of this beautifully intricate, golden tower glimmering at midnight....it was magical. I studied this in Art History class, but nothing compares to seeing it in person.
So that was the end of my Friday. I was so lucky to get a room with a view of the tower. I got to go to sleep with that being the last thing I saw and it being the first thing I saw when I woke up. Bright and early I joined the group for a bus tour around the city. There was so much close by our hotel. Again we saw the Eiffel Tower, and also Napoleons tomb. I saw this amazing bridge, supposedly the most beautiful in Paris, where newlyweds gather to kiss in front of one of the statues. It's supposed to mean you will be together forever if you do this on your wedding day. I saw countless museums, the Rodin Museum, The Paris Opera House (where The Phantom of the Opera novel is staged), The Louvre, Champs De Elysees (very famous shopping street), Notre Dame (where Jesus' crown of thorns is displayed once a month), and so, so much more.
After the tour, they dropped us off at The Louvre. This is where that group of girls I spent my Friday with went from somewhat friends to hating me. This is why I despise high school drama and 18/19 year olds (there are exceptions). We went to use the restroom where you have to pay a pound fifty to use the facilities. I know some of you are probably outraged, that's $2.30 give or take. I didn't mind, because the service was amazing. As I approached the stall, an attendant went inside and cleaned it for me. Then, when I was finished she cleaned it after me. I thought this was really neat. Why not this level if cleanliness in America? And they had brightly colored toilet paper! I feel that if you are going to charge, then this should be a well serviced bathroom. And it was.
So we are waiting outside of the bathrooms for everyone and they decided they want Starbucks for lunch. This group of girls refuse to spend much money while abroad. I can understand being on a budget, I'm on one. I know being low on funds, I always am. But these girls didn't want to spend the money for a real lunch. They were just going to get a drink and a muffin or croissant. That's it. It was noon, I'm of course starving. So I announced that I was getting McDonald's and headed up the escalator as they went to Starbucks. (BTW, it is a goal of mine to eat at a McDonald's in every country I visit. I've been told it's different and I want to know if it is true. So far, London McDonald's does indeed taste different. And the one in Paris is the best of all so far.) Apparently, this was the wrong thing to do. From that moment on, they began to hate me. And here is where the high school drama I hate so much plays in. They believe if you want to be part of the group, then you stay with the group. You follow the leader of the group, and that's it. I don't know who is reading this, or how well you know me, but if you are at all acquainted with me you well know that I am never part of 'the group.' I'm never 'a follower.' I make my own rules and follow my own path. If you don't want to come along, that's your prerogative. I'm not going to compromise my desires, what I want to see or do because I don't have someone to do them with me. If that means I have to be a loner, that's fine.
My leaving to get something other than the group led to me now being hated by a group of 19 year olds (and one 22) with a high school clique mentality. One girl tried to defend me by explaining this is just who I am. They said I was an idiot and they hate me. Ah, what level of immaturity did I stumble into when I met these girls? I've concluded, and it's going to sound harsh, that that amount of immaturity mixed with a so-called leader of the group that has a permanent chip on her shoulder equals one thing....bitches. I didn't know at the time that they felt this way. I knew something was up when I went to rejoin them and they weren't there. I had been ditched at The Louvre. Oh well. I actually preferred not being with them. You see, I like to eat and buy souvenirs without being judged.
So, I decided I would head to the Mona Lisa. After all, it is a must see. There was so much I wanted to do that day, so I knew I wouldn't be able to see everything I wanted in The Louvre, so I picked a few main pieces and went with those. (During the bus tour, I was informed that if you wanted to see all that is on display, which is only 2/3 of the inventory, it would take you eight months if you went every day without eating and sleeping while viewing each piece for only 30 seconds. That's a huge museum. Also, from one end to the other is two and a half miles. Yeah, that's why I had to pick and choose. Although her telling me that did seem like a challenge.)
On my way to the Mona Lisa, I ran into a couple of other girls from the group. They lead me to the painting. It was a lot smaller than I imagined, but there it was in front of me. Behind a glass box and a red rope, the most famous painting I ever studied: The Mona Lisa. It was breathtaking. I couldn't believe that me, a small town girl whom everyone told would never make it out of Medora, was actually in front of a painting I have idolized since grade school. I took a moment and moved on. I was on a time schedule. But seriously, that was one of the most fulfilling moments of my life.
One of the girls decided to join me on my adventure in Paris. I'm glad we found each other because I was ditched, she got ditched later, but we did more than anyone out of any group. Not to mention we get along splendidly. So we followed up with Venus de Milo, Winged Justice, several other pieces I studied in college, and a mummy.
After an hour and a half we left to find Notre Dame. It was a beautiful walk down the river to the chapel. We stopped at a couple of shops, bought some nice trinkets, and finally made it to our destination. We spent some time admiring the architecture, but did not go in. We had so much more to do and the line was ridiculous.
We back tracked our way and went down a beautifully small street to get to Musee Rodin, the place I most wanted to visit since Rodin is absolutely my favorite sculptor. On our way down this charming side street we passed a protest against terrorism, some very attractive French guards carrying assult rifles and wearking kevlar and berets, then we found a cute little boutique. Fairly pricey for what it was, but we haggled our way into some cute jewelry. I also found out chunky jewelry is not the style in Paris, interesting.
We finally made it to Musee Rodin where I marvelled at the glistening white statues created by such a talented sculptor. The people he carved were so life like. I had my picture taken in front of my favorite, The Kiss, and got told off because apparently there is no photography. Doesn't matter, I got my photo. I also saw The Thinker. The whole place was amazing.
After this we decided to make our way back to the Eiffel Tower to go to the top. On our way, we walked by Napoleon's tomb. On impulse we decided to go in. It was beautifully, and elaborately, decorated. Napoleon had a wish that everyone would bow to him after he was dead so the building was constructed so you had to lean over to look at his burial place. That was well thought out. I was suprised by the size of everything. It was huge. (Another fun fact: When the French received Napoleon back from the English years after his death, he was still perfectly preserved. Hair analysis shows arsenic was his undoing and it preserved his body. Also, someone had removed his penis. It is currently in a jar in New Jersey.)
So we make our way to the Tower once more, wait in line for an hour to take the elevator to the first floor. Wait in line in the cold again to take the elevator to the top. All in all we were there for three hours, most of it spent in line, but I have no complaints. Watching the sky fall into darkness at that height was breathtaking. At the top you could see all of the main monuments, the edge of the river, and The Moulin Rouge! I loved every minute of it, but it was so cold! I lost feeling in my fingers and toes.
So after that, we had an amazing meal in a cute restaurant on the way back to our hotel. I had more snails (don't knock it until you've tried it), duck, and my first macaroon! We had quite a rude waiter, followed by a flirty one, and a good view of some handsomely stereotypical French men that may or may not have been gay. We also discovered how common PDA is, and how much more attractive French men are compared to the British. At least in our experience.
After this, we met up with another girl and went to see a bit of nightlife in Paris. After an awesome ride with a cab diver who didn't speak a lick of English but got a kick out of us trying to understand him, we went to a bar where all the drinks were served with matching glow sticks. Not quite the dance club we were looking for, but it was still pretty neat. And of course, there was more PDA. Actually, our waiter came up to me and whispered in my ear in a heavily accented voice, "You girls are very nice. May I kiss you?" How about that? lol!
So we finally made it to bed. We had plans to go to Versailles very early in the morning. I only got maybe four hours of sleep again, but it was so worth it. I was the first in the breakfast area and the group of girls from Friday joined me later. I left them to eat to put my stuff in a special room the hotel had set up for us. When I got back the girl I met the day before was holding our tickets and said the others had left. I was shocked they had abandoned us again, but I felt that we would have so much more fun without them. And so we did. We spent a coulpe of hours in Versailles, and honestly, it's hard to describe. The size of the place mixed with the majectic murals,the frescos, the gilded....everything, it was too much for one trip. It was so beautiful and elaborate. I've never seen anything like it. We were so overwhelmed with the beauty of it that our minds were blown. We explored the whole main building and actually ran into the people who ditched us. I said hi, and got a lovely bitchy response back. That's when I knew something was up. Yeah, I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, but I didn't do anything to provoke that sort of hatred so I didn't think anything was wrong. It was only later when they ranted to another friend of mine that I knew what was going on. Oh well, their loss not mine. I would rather spend this semester on my own than be with people like that.
So after a while longer we left Versailles to go shopping at the mall on Champs de Elysees. Turns out it was really small and filled with designer things, so we asked a worker where a different mall would be. He told us the Galeries Lafayette is the largest in Paris. So we took a cab to there, turns out everything not on Champs de Ellysees closes on Sunday. At least we got to see The Paris Opera House up close, it was across the street. We went back to Champs de Elysees on a time crunch as we had to be back at the hotel by 3:35pm. We explored a few shops (including the largest Louis Vuitton in the world where a single keychain costs 298 euros. Do the math. That's scary.) We went to an Italian restaurant (I know) and I had the worst pasta ever. I'm pretty sure they forgot my food because it came fifteen minutes after everyone else's. It was just supposed to be garlic, olive oil, and basil. Well it came out in tomato sauce and it tasted as if they had dumped a whole container of chili powder in it. I like spicy food, but that was so bad I couldn't eat it. I polished off my friends pizza instead.
So we make it back to the hotel where we fall asleep on the bus back to the Eurostar. I did get an awesome photograph of lovely Parisian traffic, however. On the long way back, my new friend and I exchanged ghost stories and when she fell asleep I read all about Versailles. It really seemed like a dream. Did I really go to Paris? Even now it is still unbelievable. I have to go back someday. It was entirely too romantic for me to be there alone. It really is the city of romance and I don't think you can fully get that vibe until you have been there. I want to go back and kiss at the statue on the bridge. There is also another bridge where lovers carve their names into padlocks and lock it onto the railing so that they are forever locked in the city of love. That is on my list as well. I really am in love with Paris.
This was an extra long blog since so much happened. It was a great way to continue the procrastination of my 3000 word essay due next Friday. Well, I'm off to bed. I have class in the morning then a dinner with some friends so we won't feel lonely on Valentine's Day. However, I am looking forward to my present from Tom which will be here tomorrow. What could it be? Have a happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Cheers!
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