I'm taking a break from writing a few papers...just one of the many breaks I've taken in the past day or so. It's almost impossible to change mindsets from the carefree world traveler to the university student with two, 2,000 word papers to write by Tuesday.
Anyway, on Saturday night I returned from the most wonderful 3 days in Paris. And by wonderful I mean, sitting by the Seine River with good friends, eating crepes and looking at the Eiffel Tower in the distance... taking in the sunshine at the Jardin des Tuileries, watching the fashionistas set up for fashion week, walking through the Louvre and seeing the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa... watching street performers and talented oil painters at the Sacre Coeur (the highest point in Paris), climbing the Eiffel Tower and getting the most wonderful view of Paris...
Jen, Jackie and I had been looking forward to Paris for so long and now that it's come and gone, we're all pretty bummed I think. Our trips just keep getting better and better. Ireland was great, Munich was awesome, Paris was incredible... up next is Spain!
On Thursday we went right to our hostel from the airport and lucky us, ended up with our private bedroom even though we signed up for a 12-bedroom dorm (it was cheaper!). The hostel was in the Montmarte area of Paris, a great district with a lot of cafes and amazing views of the city. The Sacre Coeur was only about a 10 minute walk away... too bad we only discovered it on our last day because I think it was one of our favorite places in Paris! After checking into the hostel, we headed for Champs Elysees (famous shopping street), stopping at an antiques market right on the river and grabbing a crepe for lunch.
This is when the life is good moment happened... Jackie, Jen and I just sitting by the river on a beautiful, sunny day, eating delicious crepes and looking at the eiffel tower in the distance. so awesome. Here's a romantic picture of me and Jackie that Jen took haha nothing says love like nutella crepes and an antique market.
After a casual stroll down the Champs Elysees, not going in any store because that would just be a tease, we made it to the Arc de Triomphe, and headed on over to the Eiffel Tower. I wasn't sure if I would be impressed by it... just because I've seen it in so many pictures before. But I thought wrong. It was incredible...
To save some money, we decided to forgo the elevator and take the stairs instead. Never have I climbed so many stairs in my entire life. So. much. exercise. But so worth it. I do have to admit that I listened to my ipod for part of the way up because I have a severe fear of heights. Oh well, whatever it takes! We finally made it to the middle level (stairs don't go to the tippity top). It was breathtaking, literally. We were out of breath from that climb. But the views were spectacular.
I didn't realize it at the time, but our tour guide explained that the views from the Eiffel Tower can be a little hazy considering the amount of pollution in the air. That was one of the negatives of Paris.. pollution, dirty streets/metro, a lot of beggars and gypsies, I was always holding onto my purse for dear life so I wouldn't be pick pocketed... made me appreciate London's "cleanliness" a lot more.
After the Eiffel Tower we went back to the Champ Elysees to grab dinner at a little Italian place (don't worry, they had French food, too!). I got pasta carbonara, which was super delicious. We had french bread, some french wine and tiramisu for dessert. Worth the hefty price of the meal. It's hard to avoid spending a lot of money on Paris.. I didn't buy myself much beside a scarf and some postcards, but I still left feeling like all the money was sucked out of me!
Thursday night we went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for the most spectacular view of Paris... the Eiffel Tower is so beautiful at night. We even saw the hourly light show, when the tower sparkles for 5 minutes.
Then we took the metro to the Moulin Rouge, snapped a few photos and headed back to the hostel for some much needed rest.
On Friday we took a free walking tour with the Sandeman's New Europe company, which we've done a few tours with before. Our tour guide Linda was so awesome, and kept us entertained the entire 3 hours. She told us a lot of quirky facts about the city and its history.. for example, one time, at the statue of Louis XIV, his scroll was replaced by a giant light saber. Yes, star wars style light saber! After the tour finished up we grabbed some lunch and found a seat at the Tuileries Gardens, which are right next to the Louvre. We felt so Parisian, sitting in our lawn chairs, looking at the little kids and their toy sailboats in the pond, taking in the French sun. Another life is good moment!
The Louvre is free for students after 6 p.m. on Fridays so we went there for about 3 hours. Even though we didn't see everything, we saw A LOT. And while some people are underwhelmed by the Mona Lisa, I thought it was still pretty neat. It's the most famous piece of artwork... ever... and there it is, the original.. right in front me. How is that not cool?!
After some dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, we went back to the hostel for some sleep... yet another long exhausting day.
On Saturday we had a good amount of time before we had to get to the airport, so we checked out Notre Dame. Such an incredible church... but I wish I caught a spotting of the Hunchback.. or Esmerelda... no luck. Here's a picture of the girls and I....
Then it was over to the Montmarte District (near our hostel) and the Sacre Coeur. I couldn't believe how much was going on in that area! Cafes, artists, tourists, street performers everywhere. And these weren't your average street artists... these guys had so much talent... painting landscapes with acrylics and oils, drawing spot-on portraits of people sitting in front of them, etc. It was so great! Then we finally made it up to the Sacre Coeur basilica!
and had the most incredible view of Paris...
And on that note... our trip to Paris was complete. Back to the airport, and back to London (still the greatest city in the world!)
Overall, we all had a great time but we wish we had MORE time! I wanted to see Versailles so badly, but we just couldn't fit it in... I would've loved more time in Montmarte and at the Eiffel Tower... oh well. That just gives me reason to go back! :)
Some more good news: I will be editor in chief of the Marquette Journal next year! That's our university magazine for those of you who don't know! I am so excited, and can't believe how crazy of a year this has already been, and will be!
So this blog post was a longer break from my papers than necessary... but now it's back to work. Manchester on Thursday! Madrid and Barcelona next week!
xxx au revoir!
No comments:
Post a Comment