Weekend in Paris

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So I took a weekend trip to Paris with Andy. It was super fun. Here's how it went down:

On Thursday evening we took the Eurostar from Waterloo to Gare du Nord. We got to the hotel late, and then were put into 2 scary/dilapidated rooms for the night since they didn't have a room with two beds. I was not a happy camper, but rolled with the punches nonetheless.

Friday morning we went to the George Pompidou Center for the National Museum of Modern Art. The art wa cool. Modern. The building itself was craazy fun, and even though it was raining, we had a nice view of Paris from the top. Then we had lunch at this super-cute French cafe, and our waitress was hilarious. After that we went to Notre Dame, which is a brilliant piece of Gothic architecture. The inside is so beautiful, and I joined the service for the veneration of Christ's relics, but left before it was over. I felt really bad about that. Then we walked to the Louvre, and it was free that evening for under 26s, so I got to see the Mona Lisa (she really is that amazing).

That evening we went to the Latin Quarter for dinner. I ended up getting a falafel though.

On Saturday we started off by strolling down the Champs-Elysee and seeing the Arc de Triomphe. I stopped in a chocolate store and bought a delicious bar of dark chocolate. It was really pretty, but had the sun been out and the trees in bloom, it would have been grand. Next, we went to the Musee d’Orsay, and spent a long time looking at impressionist paintings (Van Gogh, Monet, etc.) At the cafe there, I asked an American family, in German, if the table was free, and subsequently made it awkward because I wanted to tell them that I was American too, but ended up talking to Andy in a French accent. Andy says that I have a pretty good French accent. After that, we went to the Galeries Lafayette for some shopping! We didn't buy clothes though; instead, we walked around a lot, and I ended up buying French wine.

On Sunday we went to the Eiffel Tower. And, the sun was finally out! It was amazing. We took the stairs to the top and I took in the gorgeous views of Paris. Then, we went to the Sacre-Coeur, and lunched on crepes in Montmarte. Next, we went to Hotel des Invalides, but didn't go inside because we were too cheap to pay. Also, I didn’t really want to go to a war museum. That afternoon, we went to the Picasso museum, which, in my opinion was a bit of a let down. Afterwards, I went back to the Sacre-Coeur for mass. I ran up the steps because I was running a bit late, and I was thoroughly out of breath when I got in. For dinner that evening we stayed close to the hotel. I had a kebab sandwich and fries and a pastry for desert.

And then, on Monday morning, we woke up really early to take the Eurostar back to London. For breakfast, I had my finally croissant and coffee to mark the end of the trip. The train-ride back was good; there was some pretty French countryside out the window.

In conclusion, I had a great time in Paris. I just love the French. I love their food and their way of life. I really want to learn how to speak French now so that I could go back and have an adventure in the French countryside. I really enjoyed myself, and now I can check Paris off of my list of things to see in life.

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