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Published: April 25th 2008
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April 13, 2008--
The Eiffel Tower has always fascinated me. Back in my high school's art class it was the subject of some of my sketches and an oil painting. Paris the setting of many of the movies I like, including one of my favorites--Sabrina. Sabrina talks about finding herself in Paris surrounded by romantic street music, good food, flowers, fashion alongside the Seine River. I felt like every time I looked at that river I was looking into a postcard or a Parisian artist's masterpiece. It didn't hurt that the Spring flowers, including tulips in every shade imaginable, were in full bloom and cotton ball clouds floated through the blue sky.
We got to Paris late Thursday night and after checking in to our hostel, called the "Perfect Hostel" (great location!), we scoped out a place to eat dinner at 10 pm. A cafe on the corner looked like our best option. I got a French specialty called the Croque-Monsieur, which consists of a grilled ham sandwich with a thick white cheese broiled on top. It was really good except the type of cheese used was a little thick and slightly on the sour side. I was
excited to have my first taste of French cuisine.
On Friday, after eating breakfast at the hostel (half a loaf of French baguette and a hot drink), the whole group met at the King Charles the Great statue outside the Notre Dame Cathedral. The decadent rose windows, statues, flying buttresses and flowering trees are a sight to see. From the Notre Dame we wove our way through a flower market and streets lined with bistros, crepe shops, souvenir shops and pet shops. After picking up food-to-go from the bistro/crepe place we picnicked on the benches and fountain ledges of the Louvre gardens. Perfecto!
Once inside the Louvre we saw many pieces of art that I have studied in my art history class, Renaissance to Modern Art. There were works by the famed Rafael and DiVinci, including the well-guarded Mona Lisa. Outside the castle-turned-museum walls was the biggest piece of art--the Pyramid which glints in the day and glows at night. A straight shot from the Lourve was our next big sight, the Arc de Triumph. I didn't mind the long walk down the park-lined street which turns into the famous fashion district, Champs d-Elysees. While on
the walk I got my first look at the Eiffel Tower. The Arc de Triumph was nice and I especially enjoyed the view of it from far off with the trees, flower and shop-lined boulevard in the foreground.
After sitting beneath the arc for a while, giving our feet a break, we headed to meet up with the large class group on the front steps of the Paris Opera House. It is the opera house made famous as the setting of the play, Phantom of the Opera. From the opera we walked a ways through the streets to a restaurant used by many French called "The Charter", which you get to through a small alley off the main street.
Our final visit for the day was to the Moulin Rouge, which, of course, none of us actually entered. We just wanted to get a picture next to the red light lined windmill. Then we picked up snacks from a grocery store right down the road to our hostel and chatted for a while in our rooms before getting some rest for another full day.
In the morning, I took a hot but only trickling
shower, then stood out on my room's fifth floor balcony. It was a nice view of the simpler beauty of the city---shuttered apartments with flower boxed windows and a woman watering her pots and pots of large plants in the cement courtyard in between. Later from that balcony, after coming up from breakfast to finish getting ready, I heard music and loud drums. I stepped through the French doors to the street below. A parade of children dressed in fish and spring flower costumes marched while throwing confetti. I'm not sure what was the occasion, but at least it made my morning. 😊
Before meeting with the class at 12:30 for a tour of the Muse d'Orsay, a few girls and I stopped for a view of the quirky fountain and "inside out" walls of the new art museum in Pompidou Center. After browsing the shops and markets, we got to our intended destination -Saint Chapelle too late to get in before the Muse d'Orsay, so we ending up browsing more tempting trinket and painting filled river market stands. The Muse d'Orsay houses many of my favorite artist's works...including Monet, Degas, Manet, Renoir and Van Gogh. I even
discovered a few new Impressionist favorites along the way. The painting I presented to the class, called "Ball at Galette de Montmartre" by Renior took place in Paris' more "rural"/residential hilly district of Montmartre, near the Sacre Coer. It was such an awesome experience to be standing in front of the original that I'd only previously seen and read about in books. Later on I explored the actual location of the painting. These were some of my favorite sights in all of Paris.
When in this district behind the Sacre Coer, a beautiful church inside and out, I got my favorite French delight--the crepe! It was my first one in Europe (I had been holding out for Paris). It didn't disappoint. I got it from a restaurant, not a stand, that had a sign out saying "crepes-to-go." I watched the French woman pouring our the batter--hot and fresh! So inside I went, picking out one with ham and Parmesan cheese--absolutely delightful. I think I will have to make these again at home. I sat on the cobblestone street's curb and relished the moment (and the crepe!)
At this point, I was traveling with a smaller group--just
two girls--as sticking in a larger group the day before was a little less relaxing. So together we went to the Notre Dame again, walked along the river, picked up grocery store dinners to prepare at the hostel, then head out for one last--very important--stop, the Eiffel Tower at night. We had SO much fun there! I literally jumped for joy. Along witht the view, we were having a great time teasing/joking/bargaining with the men walking around selling key-chains and light up glass towers. I ended up getting some of their stuff for really cheap, but the laughs were worth even more. I hadn't laughed so much in a long time! I never saw the tower up close in the day light, but seeing it sparkle against the navy sky retained the magical vision I'd always dreamed it to be.
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