Midnight in Paris

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When we went to leave Berlin, we discovered that our flight had been cancelled to Paris due to an air traffic control strike. However, no evidence for a strike seems to exist after checking the news and reading the papers. Nevertheless, we changed our travel plans around and took a night train to Paris. This is the 2^nd most memorable night of my life (the 1^st will be described soon). We got on the train to find that our cabin was about 6ft by 6ft compartment with triple bunk beds. We squeezed into the tiny compartment and climbed into bed, just in time to see the two German men (who appeared to be partners) strip down in their underwear and climb into the beds beneath us.

After a rather uncomfortable night, I awoke in Paris. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we went to the Eiffel Tower. It was a surreal moment looking at a monument that I have seen repeatedly on TV, movies, and in books. However, somehow none of the images I have seen quite capture my view from the very top. The next day, we went to the Louvre. This was amazing. The amount of artwork and history is breathtaking, even the building is beautiful. People often say that the Mona Lisa is not very impressive. I however, found her to be quite fascinating. I already knew that it was a small painting, so that did not surprise me. Rather, I was intrigued with the history that the painting holds.

One of my favorite things that I did in Paris was my day trip out to the Palace of Versailles. I was excited that my history major got me in free to the palace and Marie Antoinette’s home. The palace was stunning! After wandering the halls and rooms filled with painted ceilings and intricate carved fireplaces, I understood why the starving French people protested the monarchy and over threw it. I have always been drawn to the French Revolution; so again, I was extremely excited to see a place that I have studied thoroughly in books.

While everything in Paris was amazing, nothing compared to Notre Dame. I attended a Maundy Thursday and a Easter Eve Mass there. The cathedral was filled with people all holding candles. While I did not understand any French being spoken, the 2 services (which lasted about 3 hours each) were very moving. Even though I did not get a formal tour of the cathedral, I feel that I saw that building the way it is truly intended to be experienced.

Unfortunately, the Easter Eve mass went longer than was expected and we missed our connecting train to get to the airport. The train dropped us off at 12:45 am in the worst part of the outskirts of Paris—thus beginning the most memorable night of my life. We tried to ask around how to get to the airport, but no one spoke English. Instead, they seemed to be eyeing us suspiciously. Just when we were convinced that we were going to be spending the night on the street, a night bus rolled up from nowhere and stopped in front of us. I owe that bus my life. After a very long night of sleeping in the airport, we finally took off to Barcelona.

My experience in Paris was one of the best in my life. I fell in love with the city and its history. I hope that one day I will get the chance to return because 4 days is not enough to truly uncover what the city has to offer.

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