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Published: July 29th 2014
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So I was a little bummed I had to leave Berlin, but I figured since I'm not in Europe often, it would be amazing to see Paris.
I took an 8 hour train ride to France to stay for two days, the day of my birthday and the day after. Pretty cool way to bring in my birthday...😊
So my first "real" train ride was definitely an experience. I had no idea what to expect. I was thinking it would be more like an airplane ride, but really I had no clue. I ended up sitting in the wrong seat, and some last yelled at me in German to move (whoops)
So I sat in my correct seat, and made myself comfortable. I'm happy I got a window seat because WOW it was an amazing view. And it was nothing like an airplane ride..but a lot better. A lot roomier. And the train went so fast! I really loved that.
So when I first arrived in Paris, all I felt was chaos. It was nothing like Berlin and honestly I was soooo confused. I knew I had to take a taxi from the train station to the hotel I was staying.
The line for taxis was incredibly long and I even saw a taxi driver freak out on a lady because her luggage hit his car in accident. So, right away I was not really feeling France.
So we wait in line for a cab, and drive to the hotel. The roads are chaotic and the change from German to France culture came on a bit strong to me. Also, everything seemed more dirty and dark. And once we get to our hotel, I still wasn't feeling better. It was located in a tiny ally and the receptionist was so rude and not unhelpful. The room was not clean and I knew I couldn't stay there.
I took a walk to feel a little better, which worked because I got a delicious chocolate croissant 😊 and the neighborhood I was in overlooked the entire city. The language was also something that threw me off.(obviously) I was so used to German and finally getting used to it, and I don't know that much French. But it ended up being fine, because the people there were very helpful 😊
It took a while to figure out the metro system, but once I got
it, I was good to go. (Thanks to English information help people) I ended up switching hotels to a very nice once right by the part of the city I wanted to see. And I'm so happy I did!!!
The rest of the trip was just amazing. I woke up the day of my birthday and was ready to see Paris 😊 I started the day with another chocolate croissant (yum) and we took the metro to a train station that took us to Versailles. OH MY GOODNESS!!! The palace of Versailles was thee most beautiful place I have ever seen, ever! Completely breathtaking. We spent a few hours there, and took a tour. The history and culture is just phenomenal and I am so lucky I got to go there in my lifetime. It was truly an experience.
After spending a few hours at the palace, we went to lunch. Something I noticed about France, as well as Germany, is the restaurant service. It's completely different than in the States.
The server doesn't come over until youre ready to order, only check once if everything is ok (if that), and only bring the check over when you ask for
it. Normal, but very different than what I'm used to.
After the Palace, we visited the Louvre Museum, which is where the Mona Lisa is at. It was great, I almost did not go, but happy I changed my mind. There was so much amazing art, stuff I have only seen in textbooks. The Mona Lisa had a huge crowd surrounding her, like she was a rock star or something. I couldn't get up too close, but was happy to get a few pictures. What I liked about that museum also was all of the different people there. It was packed with people, but not many French people at all. Mostly tourists, which was okay because I got to eavesdrop on some tour guides to learn more about the art pieces :P
After the museum, I went to the Eifel Tower. Sooooo many people. It was absolutely beautiful, and way better than the pictures!! We found a little spot, sat down and enjoyed the rest of the night. Besides the annoying men trying to sell us alcohol and cigarettes, it was a great night. The tower was even more beautiful when the glitter lights come on. It was a great
birthday, and I'm so happy I got the opportunity to see such a beautiful city, but I was ready to return to Germany.
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