Paris!!!

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Eric's Visit and Our Trip to Paris

I got a very special visit from my boyfriend Eric last week! After two months of not seeing each other, it was indescribable how amazing it was having him here! Of course I took him all around Salamanca, showing him the Plaza Mayor, going out for tapas, getting chocolate and churros for breakfast, and translating for him like a pro! Overall it was just perfect. And to top it off, we went to Paris for the weekend!

Paris was spectacular! I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it!

We took the bus from Salamanca to the Madrid airport, then flew to Paris. We arrived at night, and unfortunately, after the trains stopped running. This forced us to take a taxi that both induced cringes and left our wallets significantly lighter. (We’re talking around 50 Euro here...VERY expensive!) After reluctantly forking over the cash, we checked into our hostel, which was nice but nothing special, and went in search of food. As it was late, we stopped at the first place we found, which just happened to be a pizza shop. Upon ordering a cheese pizza, the cashier asked us something in French and pointed to a bottle of olive oil. Olive oil on pizza? Sure why not. I nodded. As he started to drizzle the oil on our pizza, I heard a French woman in line behind us sharply take in a breath. “Ooo,” she said, making a nasty face. “Spicy...hot sauce,” she said in English. I turned to her and asked “Olive oil? Spicy?” She could have legitimately thought it was hot sauce, but my instincts tell me she was trying to pull a fast one on some ingnorant Americans. Nice try Frenchie!

The next morning over breakfast, Eric and I were contemplating how to spend our day when we saw a brochure in our hostel advertising a FREE tour of Paris. “Is this for real?” we wondered. But in the end we decided to give it a shot. And what a great decision it turned out to be! When we arrived at the designated meeting point, where a small crowd had already gathered, and were divided into groups based on what language we spoke. Then our tour guide, Brian, introduced himself. An American student obtaining his masters in French at one of the universies in Paris, Brain turned out to be a funny, informative and cheerful guide. He took us on a 3 1/2-4 hour walking tour of Paris- explaining the history of Notre Dame, the mysteries of the Louvre, the demise of Napoleon and the building of his arch, anything and everything you could want to know! And it really was free. You could tip if you wanted, and we did, since we had had such a good time. At the end of the tour, we were tired and starving! So we walked to a nearby stand and got sandwiches and crepes for lunch. Honestly, that was the best butter and cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. And the crepes! THE CREPES!! Nutella and sliced bananas smeared on a warm thin pancake? Mmmmm. New favorite food? Check.

That night, we went on a tour (with the same group, of course!) of Montmartre, the seedy, artistic side of Paris where people still make-out in the streets with berets on their heads and baguettes under their arms. As Montmartre is outside the city limits, it is free of Paris taxes, and more importantly, free of Paris taxes on alcohol. As such, it was and still is a gathering place for free-wheeling performers, singers, and artists. We met up with Tyler (I guess Brian had to study or something) in front of the Moulin Rouge. He informed us for a mere 90 Euros you too can see topless ventrilaquists, dolled up ponies, and women swimming in aquariums with drugged snakes! Not like the old days of the Frou-Frou eh? Forget scanty white skirts with slinky black stockings, we’re talking drugged snakes here! Geesh.

After that brief diatribe, we began snaking (hah! snakes...) our way up Montmartre’s hills with the Sacre de Coeur as our destination. We made a few stops along the way at Amelie’s cafe (as seen in the movie Amelie- the largest grossing foreign film ever), and the studio where Van Gogh used to live and paint. His life was so sad. He didn’t sell a single painting while he was alive. Not one. It was only after his death that he became the renowned post-Impressionist painter that we all know today. What a tragedy!

Anyway, after some huffing and puffing and grumblings of an unexpected calf/butt workout, we made it to the top of the hill, where the Sacre de Coeur stood beautifully awaiting us, illuminated by floodlights and the natural glow of white trevertine stone. It was a really pretty church inside too, but the best part was the view from up there! Thanks to Tyler’s impeccable timing, we even got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle in the distance! (which it does on the hour starting at 8pm). Beautiful. Once we were all done “ooh-ing” and “ahh-ing,” we finished the tour with a toast of wine at a local cafe. Santé! (Cheers).

Next, Eric and I ate dinner at the world’s first Bistro! During the Russian invasion, soldiers would come into restaurants and demand their food by saying “Bistro! Bistro!” which is Russian for “quickly.” One woman then began to advertise her restaurant as a “Bistro,” where people could come and get served in a very short time. Viola!

The following day, we put our newfound knowledge of the geography of Paris to the test and set out on our own. We bought all-day metro passes and got off at Notre Dame first. Just think, this Gothic treasure was used as a warehouse at one point during the French Revolution. Now you see it and think of Quasimodo swinging from the bells and rescuing Esmeralda. Merci beaucoup Victor Hugo.

Then we meandered over to the Louvre, where I got free admission for being a student studying in Europe! Woohoo discounts! We walked among the Egyptian riches that Paris acquired by virtue of Napoleon’s sticky fingers, and of course, pushed through throngs of tourists snapping pictures to catch a glimpse of that slyly smiling woman, the one and only Mona Lisa. A lot of people say they are supremely disappointed by Mona, but after hearing so many complaints about her, I was actually pleasantly surprised. She isn’t that small. And you can still make her out through all that bullet-proof glass.

After that, we hopped back on the metro and got off at the Arc de Triomphe, an impressive homage to Napoleon that he never got to see finished. I guess that’s what happens when you get exiled (twice!) We strolled along the Champs-Élysées and pretended we could afford to shop at the luxury stores. I did see a gorgeous Stella McCartney raincoat in the Adidas store. Only a cool 450 euro...not exactly in my budget unfortunately.

That night, we saved the best for last: The Eiffel Tower! It’s best at night in my opinion. And way bigger and taller in person! Well, we bought our tickets and went up. Allll the way up. The view from the top was stunning- all of Paris is laid out before you, twinkling sweetly down below. We were even lucky enough to be on the top while it started sparkling. We became surrounded by flashing lights, those from the tower and those from people far away taking pictures with flash. So this is what it’s like to be famous I thought. Well, maybe. I didn’t need to be famous though. Being on top of the sparkling Eiffel Tower with my boyfriend was surreal enough. Somebody pinch me PLEASE! :D

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