PARIS

On Thursday (6/26), after class, two girls from my class (Karlie and Erin) and I left Brussels for Paris. I was so excited. These girls were the perfect company as well. Karlie is from LA and attends San Fransisco State University. She is hilarious and we are very similar; needless to say, she kept the trip entertaining. Erin is from Iowa and goes to Bradley. She is very quiet, but had quick witty responses to anything that Karlie or I said. My first international train ride wasn't too eventfull except the group that was sitting near us had at least three packs per person. They were from Holland and extremely loud.

Our train pulled up to Gare de Nord in Paris at about 4:30pm. Luckily our hotel was close by so we walked there to drop off our bags. We got a little turned around but eventually found the place. We walked into the room, and there was barely space for all three of us. We just started laughing at the situation. The bed was crammed into a corner, and our bathroom reminded me of the bathrooms on a cruise ship. It's a good thing we weren't going to spend time in there and we only were staying in that room for one night. We freshed up in the room and planned our attack on the city. Thank goodness for Rick Steves (again) for putting the metro stops in his descriptions of the sights in the city.

Our first stop was the Arc de Triumphe, but first we had to get there. We wandered to the metro station and were immediately overwhelmed by the metro map. We just stood there and looked at it for a few minutes and tried to find the Arc. Then, as if sent from above, our angel appeared. I didn't even notice her at first but Erin (who actually speaks pretty good French) started talking to her. She was trying to explain the lines to us and then realized we were American and started speaking English. She asked where we were going and showed us a million different ways to get there. Then, she decided that she would take us to our first metro change and show us to the next line. She helped us buy our tickets and got us on the metro. We were all so thankful for her arrival. We would have been starring at that map for a long long time. While we were on the metro, she pulled out a metro map and handed it to me. That was a life-savor for our trip. She walked us to our next train and told us that she works with students in Paris and she was glad she could help. None of us caught her name but we could not say enough thanks to her.

We emerged from the infinite lines of tunnels undgerground to see the Arc de Triumphe and the top of the Eiffel Tower. I forgot to mention to Erin and Karlie how giddy I was about Paris. I was just ecstatic about being there. Erin kept telling me to calm down. The Arc de Triumphe is just emense! I didn't realize how large it is. And the fact that 12 streets converge around it makes it look even bigger. You have to go underground to get next to the Arc. While we were looking for the tunnel, all the gypsie girls were following us around. They kept asking us if we spoke English and then would show is a card with some sob story written on it. Karlie and I started saying 'yo hablo espanol' instead, but it didn't work. They would show you the card anyway. I didn't want them to be so close to me so I just started being extremely rude and shouting NO at them. We found our way to the Arc and were immediately asked to take pictures for an American family standing nearby. It was nice to hear a good Southern accent again. Under the Arc is the French 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier'. We just missed the relighting of the flame, darn.

After we got our fill of the Arc, we walked down the Champs-Élysées. This is the famous street in Paris. All the big department stores line this street and other boutiques. There were some very expensive cafes and restaurants as well. There was a huge Louis Vitton store that was three stories high. Karlie and I were looking for the Chanel store but never found it. I don't think the girls were in a 'shopping' mood so we didn't go into any of the stores. It was a lovely walk though. I believe it's the widest street in Paris as well. After our lovely stroll, we went underground again to figure our way to the Eiffel Tower.

The metro stations in Paris are small with very few seats and extremely hot, very unlike the ones in Brussels. The trains were always croweded. We were very glad that none of us had backpacks on and we were usually lucky enough to find seats. We got to the Eiffel Tower and saw the line to go up and decided we would need some food before the wait. We walked down a few streets and found some sidewalk cafes that looked good. Erin wanted to try snails and Karlie was talked into it. I however would not try them. I don't think I could do it. I would only be thinking: 'that is a snail in your mouth right now'. I just wasn't brave enough. They both liked them actually. Dinner was good and we all got crepes with nutella for dessert, very yummy.

We walked the few blocks back to the Tower and stood in line. It wasn't a bad wait and we had entertainment ie Karlie and the Americans standing around us. This family had tried three times to reach the top of the tower but each time it was closed. They were standing behind us in line when the sign started flashing '3rd floor closed.' They just couldn't believe it. They wanted to talk to every official to try and get to the top. It was rather amusing to hear them complain about it. We paid our tickets and rode in a strange elevator to the second (third, not the top) floor. The view was spectacular. You could just see city for miles. And it was sunset and the breeze was fantastic. We were up there for a while just taking Paris in (and taking too many photos). I was really glad we did the Eiffel Tower at night and not during the day. The wait in line would have been exhausting. After we returned to earth, we walked to the park to get views of the whole tower. It was lit up and at 11pm it started shimmering. Oh if you could have been there!! It was just beautiful. I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time I was looking at it. We walked back to the metro and caught the train back to our hotel and fell directly asleep.

We decided that we had plenty of time during the day so we didn't have to get up too early the next morning. It was a good thing we didn't get up too early. We waited for our train for a few hours after we had finished sight-seeing. Our first stop on Friday was the Louvre. That place was amazing. I could spend days wandering those halls. If only, if only. I wanted to see everything, but the other two only wanted to see the major works. I was a little dissappointed that we didn't stay there longer. We entered through the glass pyramid and went directly to find the Mona Lisa. We found ourselves among the Italian sculptures before reaching the Mona Lisa. The sculptures were fantastic. I just couldn't believe it. Too bad we just power walked through those halls. After following the arrows, we found the crowded room of the Mona Lisa. Molly (my little sister) told me that the biggest painting she ever saw was on the wall opposite of the Mona Lisa. I was just wondering how big this painting could be. I was not expecting it to be as gigantic as it is. Molly is right; it is the biggest painting ever. The Mona Lisa is presented on a bare wall in the middle of a room. The wall and the opposite painting really dwarf the portrait of the unknown woman. I stood in the crowd to get a closer glimpse. As I was looking at it, I couldn't understand why this painting was so important and well known. Leo Da Vinci had so many other accomplishments and this portrait is his best known piece. It just made me wonder. We wiggled our way out of that room and I found my holy grail: 'The Coronation of Napoleon.' Oh it was everything I hoped it would be. I didn't even expect it to be there. I was so excited that I just fell onto the strategically placed bench and sat there. It is just a fantastic piece of art. I think I choked up about it even. Goodness me.

We (regretfully) left the Louvre in search of some food. We found a quaint cafe called La Voltaire. I thought 'What is more Parisian than a cafe named after a philosophe?' I had a very delicious sandwich. From there I could see the other art museum I wanted to visit. I asked the girls if they minded seeing more art. They were hesitant, but I told them I knew exactly were I wanted to go. It was the Orsay Museum and it houses some of the best Impressionist art in the world. I think they were glad we went there after they realized what they were looking at: original Van Goghs and Monets. Those paintings were just magnificent. Van Gogh's famous self-portraits were there and Monet's waterlilies were just in the next room. I really enjoyed that museum as well, but I guess that isn't a big surprise.

The weather that day was perfect for walking the streets of Paris. It was breezy and the sun was behind clouds so I didn't get sunburnt. It was cool and pleasant. From the Orsay, we walked along the Siene River to Notre Dame. We got a little lost on the Ile de City, but we just followed the noise of the crowd to the gothic cathedral. I didn't realize how big Notre Dame is. There were so many people just sitting outside. We decided to do the same because we did have a long walk over there. We just people watched and tried to avoid the gypsies again. There was an interesting mix of people about there. Just as it started to sprinkle a bit, we went inside the church. The ceilings are so high identical, and the stained glass seems just perfect. Unfortunately, the people inside forgot they were in a church and were way too noisy for the occasion. One woman was shouting at her husband a few people ahead of her and I shushed her. She wasn't too pleased, but I didn't care. She was being very rude. I sat down and just tried to obsorb the moment. I still couldn't believe I was in Paris, let alone sitting in the Notre Dame.

Our next destination was the Sacred Coeur (Sacred Heart). It's an all white cathedral atop the largest hill in Paris. It looks over the whole city. Unfortunately, the metro stop is at the very bottom of this great hill and we had no idea which street to turn down to get to the church. We decided to hail a taxi to get to the top. We got in a very nice Mercedes taxi, and just as we shut the door, it started sprinkling again. We had great timing. One street he drove us down did not look very good. It must have been the 'red light district' or something (catch my drift?). Just as we were turning off of that street, I caught a glimpse of the Moulin Rouge. I pointed it out to Erin and Karlie, but they missed it. The taxi dropped us off just a few blocks away from the church. It was a lovely part of the city. It was quiet and you could smell the crepes as you passed each cafe. The Sacred Coeur is beautiful. I was really amazed by it. It had multiple domes and reminded me of the Taj Mahal (because I've been there before, haha). We walked in and I was taken aback. The nuns were singing and praying and the dome above the altar has a beautiful mosaic of Jesus Christ. They forbid the taking of pictures, so I can't show you the glory of this church. You just must go when you go to Paris. It is a must see.

The Sacred Coeur was our last stop in Paris. We took another taxi back to the hotel to pick up our bags and we decided to eat dinner at McDonalds. It was delicious. We sat there for awhile and told crazy family stories to each other. It was strange to hang out with them all day and then realize we know very little about one another. We really did have a great time together in Paris. We finally got on the last train back to Brussels and I barely caught the last metro back home. I slept for a very long time on Saturday morning to recover from Paris.

I am very glad I got to see Paris. The trip made me appretiate Brussels so much. I am very glad I am not studying abroad in Paris. I think I would get sick of all the tourists in the city. I also couldn't believe how dirty Paris is. There was trash in all the streets and all around the 'monuments.' It is definitely not like that in Brussels. The streets are very clean. You can see men in bright jumpsuits everywhere picking up trash and cleaning the metro stations. The metro stations were another thing I didn't like about Paris. They were cramped and hot. In Brussels, they are open and not as hot (though sometimes hot). It was nice to return to a place that felt somewhat like home after being somewhere so different.

Can you believe I only have two weeks left in Europe? I don't know where the time has gone. Have a great week!! Au revoir!

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