Paris, France

The City of Love

This past weekend was amazing!

I was stupid and walked alone to the bus station at 6 in the morning on Friday, so I ended up sprinting to avoid all the creepers. The walk convinced me to take a cab home when I got back from Paris. Then, Charlotte and I took a bus to Madrid, a plane to France, and the metro to Paris. On the metro, we met a very friendly man named Bjorn. He was older and trying to flirt with Charlotte. Bjorn was from Germany and working in Dubai and told Charlotte to E-mail him.

The first thing we did was go to the Eiffel Tower! I was in awe at standing in front of this site that I’ve seen so many pictures of. Now, I got to be in a few pictures of my own!

We walked the city with Steph as our tourguide and had a great dinner. When it was dark, we witnessed the magical tower light up and the Louvre sparkling. Within a few hours of arriving in the city, I had already observed two famous places and was excited to see inside the Louvre the next morning.

In the morning, we ate pastries for breakfast (every day pastries for breakfast!) and they were simply delicious. We got to the Louvre before it opened and got in for free since we are students in Europe! We saw the Winged Victory, The Wedding Feast, Mona Lisa (which was very small compared to the paintings around it, but had the biggest crowd), and Michelangelo.

Then, we went to the Museo d’Orsay and saw works from Van Gogh and Monet. We ate at a cute café and got espresso to keep us awake. The thrill of being in Paris had been my caffeine all morning.

We went to the Museo de L’Orangerie and saw Monet’s gorgeous Water Lilies. Two full circular rooms displayed his water lilies. He was my favorite artist.

We got nutella crepes! and portraits from stands on the street (I'm going to hang them in my room at school) before going to the Pompidou modern art museum. The architecture of this building is controversial because it is so different from the city.

We went to the grocery store and bought cheese (goat cheese with cranberries, brie, and another creamy cheese) and champagne and ate dinner on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. We met Steph’s friends here and learned how to count to 10 in French.

In the morning, we went to the Miraculous Medal chapel. Then, we went to Notre Dame. I loved the beautiful glass windows.

We got crepes again before leaving for Salamanca. On the plane home, Charlotte and I met a really nice guy, Daniel, from Australia who is traveling all throughout Europe. I am amazed at how many people from all over the world we met on this trip, and it was a learning experience just to hear them tell about their experiences. I am so thankful that I got to spend this weekend with Charlotte, my fellow Honors RA, and Steph, my friend from South Quad.

I am thankful for the time with my girls this weekend and the famous sites we experienced. I know this is a weekend that I will remember for the rest of my life!