Days 30, 31 & 32 (PARIS)

So, as I suspected, I didn't have much access to a computer while I was in Paris, but I wrote down plenty and remember SO much to add to the blog. :]

(Also, the date above is incorrect once again. This entry should be dated July 4, 2010. Happy Independence Day America!! Ironically, I came back to London on the Fourth of July) :]]

The first day (Friday) was LONG. It was also filled with unbelievably incredible experiences, though, and well worth waking up super early and the long train ride to France. When we arrived in Paris, we took a coach to our hotel (The Mercure), and got checked in. The rooms at this hotel were INCREDIBLE! Well, I guess by an average American's standards it would have been mediocre at best...but compared to the room I've been living in, it was heaven on Earth. I had a full bathtub and HUGE shower head, a TV (but we never had time to watch it), a small table with chairs and even my own night stand! I was so glad to be spoiled, even if it was only for three days.

Next, I went with a few girls I met to lunch down the road from our hotel at a restaurant called La Liberte'. I had the BEST toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on the top!



Taryn is a girl I met from Washington State on the first day of classes in London, and we caught up on the way to Paris. I also met her roommate in Paris, Andrea, who is from LA. My roommate's name is Sam (above), and we clicked right away! She is a fashion design major from Stephens College in Missouri. It was so nice to have such a great group of girls to hang out with while I was there.



It was DELICIOUS - and I am not kidding. There is a lot of ham and cheese around Paris, and also a LOT of crepes. If you have never had a crepe before, I recommend them highly. I had never heard of them before getting to Paris, which I thought was a little strange, but they are GOOOOOOOD!

Later that night we went on a tour of the Latin Quarter of the city. This is an area around the University of Paris, so there are a lot of college students and it is a beautiful area of the city. It is called the Latin Quarter due to the Latin that was spoken to teach in all universities during the 19th century. After that we made our way to...drum roll...the Eiffel Tower!!





To say it was overwhelming would not be sufficient. I was in heaven at this place. For as many pictures I've seen of the tower, it surpassed my wildest dreams in terms of size. Gigantic doesn't even seem correct to describe it. Beautiful, however, comes to mind right away. We stood in line and finally got to go to the top. The city was absolutely breathtaking from up there. About every 5 minutes I would freak out a little as I remembered were I was, and how it was even better than I dreamed it would be. We got to the top of the tower just as the sun was setting also (thanks to Tony), so we got AMAZING pictures!







Once we made the journey back down the tower, we went to the very front of it to see it light up at 11 o'clock. At night, the tower twinkles for 5 minutes at the top of each hour. When it lit up, I literally felt my stomach drop.





It was SO beautiful. I took some great pictures, marveled at this structure I've always dreamed of seeing and did my best to soak in every moment. I don't think I will ever forget that moment - it's cemented into my memory for the rest of time. I have never in my life felt further away from home than at that moment. I was in Paris, PARIS, and I was suddenly thinking about my life on the other side of the world and all the distance in between us. I was thinking about all the hurdles I had to jump to get to this place, and suddenly it didn't matter anymore. Everything seemed to fall right into place, because there I was, staring up at the most awe-inspiring sight I'd ever witnessed, and I regretted nothing.

Day two was full of touring, and it rained most of the morning. It wasn't exactly the ideal weather for the day, but nothing was going to get me down after seeing the Eiffel Tower the night before. Plus, it meant I was able to get some umbrella pictures...I've been waiting to take some. Paris is apparently much rainier than London in terms of annual precipitation.

The first stop was Notre Dame Cathedral, and it was incredible to see in person. It made me want to pull out old Disney movies like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and re-watch!





After that, we walked around the city, passed over the River Seine and walked through the courtyard area of the Louvre.







I never expected the museum to be THAT big. I knew it had to be a good size to house so many things, but this is the largest building of its kind in all of Europe! It was amazing to see it up close. I felt like Tom Hanks in the DaVinci Code, or Nicolas Cage in the National Treasure movies.

Next we made our way down the Champs-Élysées to get lunch. At this place, I had a burger with a fried egg on the top (I was liking how they put egg on everything), but the burger had no bread! It was still good, but don't call something a burger if it's not, ya know? We also all got dessert - mine was chocolate musse. YUM :]



The Arc de Triomphe was positioned perfectly for us at the end of the Champs-Elysees.



This was another moment I felt giddy with excitement. I couldn't believe were I was. Taryn, Andrea and I ran to the center of the road were there was a cross walk to take pictures, and it was pretty much awesome...standing there...in front of the most famous arc in all of the world...on one of the most famous streets in all of the world...just posing :]



Later that day, I went on a tour of the artists quarter of Paris. This area is up on a HUGE hill. A hill that we had to take stairs to get to...and there were A LOT. There were probably several hundred, and I wish I were kidding. When we got up to the top, everyone was panting and sweating. But the view was absolutely worth it! I could see for miles out across the city. I could even see the Eiffel Tower in the distance, and knew that I was VERY high up. Tony showed us around the area, and I got the best GELATO there! It was cappuccino flavored! Then, we saw the a small restaurant/bar that became the first impromptu Can-Can dance hall in Paris. It was called the Lapin Agile or "Agile Rabbit." I guess you may know where we ended the night...



The Moulin Rouge!! I was completely blown away!! I guess I didn't really think about the fact that it was in Paris, so I had no idea I would see it! It was the perfect end to an amazing day in France!

The last day started with the Louvre. This building is like a piece of art itself. The architecture and details have to be seen to be understood. Just breath taking. We saw TONS of brilliant and historic artwork, I felt as if I were dreaming (I know I've said that quite a bit, but again, I am in no way accustomed to taking in so many life-altering experiences in very short periods of time). I felt so thankful to be there, seeing all the amazing pieces I have until now only seen in books and on TV.















Next, the four of us went to the Catacombs. We had tried to get in here the day before, but got there too late so decided to try again on Sunday. This was the CREEPIEST thing I had ever done, period. I guess I didn't really know what I was expecting it to be, but I felt like I was in a haunted house, except the house was a huge tomb hundreds of feet under ground with human bones everywhere you looked. As the English would say, 'It wasn't my cup of tea.' I supposed there are many people who would think this was the coolest thing they had ever seen, but to me it was like walking around in a grave site - which is exactly what it was. There were bones just lining the walls everywhere you looked, and signs in French indicating which graveyard they were moved from.





Apparently when the graveyards were becoming too full a long time ago, graves were starting to come up out of the ground so the decision was made to move them all down into the Catacombs. I was glad when it was over, but I am still glad I saw it - definitely something to remember.

We rushed back to the hotel after we left there to make sure we got to the coach before it left for the train station without us. While I'm on the subject, a word about the Metro in Paris (the underground system). It was VERY different from the tube in London, and I have to say I was surprised. The undergrounds (and the whole city in general) just, to put it bluntly, stunk. I mean literally stunk, like urine and body odor. I know that is really gross, and I'm not trying to bash Paris because it isn't that way in all parts of the city. I just noticed that the metro was much dirtier than the tube in London, and the smells were much more, prominent, if you will. The metro also has stations about every 500 feet, which makes it inconvenient to travel across town because you have to stop about 15 times. In London, going across town happens in about 6 or 7 stops. I did like some aspects of the metro, however. Random musicians would hop on at any given moment and play their accordion and sing French songs while you road along. Those were the moments that really felt like Paris.



I really LOVED seeing Paris! I've dreamed of going there for as long as I can think back, and I felt so thankful to actually see all the amazing sites I have always wanted to see. I would say the best part was by far the Eiffel Tower, and seeing the Mona Lisa. These were defining moments in my life, that I knew I would remember forever before they even happened. Just amazing. I was definitely ready to get back to London, though. I have never felt so attached to this city! I LOVE London, and I think going to Paris made me realize how at home I feel here. I have been to a lot of big cities, and I never thought I would ever feel comfortable living in any of them, but London has proved me wrong. There's something special about this place. :]


Here are some videos I took at the Eiffel Tower: