Paris Please!

I like to travel. I've discovered this. I really do. So our wonderful professors decided to give us a wonderful and amazing trip: Paris. Indeed. The one in France even! We were there for four days. We took the chunnel together and checked into our hotel: yes, a hotel not a hostel. Before we actually went I figured we'd have to meet as a group at certain times to go see certain things and we'd have to meet for dinner at a certain time like we always do. I was wrong. We got there, and basically, they said, "Have fun. Be safe. Here's your return ticket. See you back in London." And that was that! We were basically let loose in Paris to do whatever we wanted! Sweet!

I don't think I've been a tourist this whole time as I was in Paris. We started everyday at like 7 and didn't come back to the hotel until like 11. We just went all day and saw everything we possibly could. One of my favorite things was the Eiffel Tower light show. Every night starting at 9, every hour on the hour till about 1, for five minutes there's a light show. Basically the Eiffel Tower sparkles. It's really cool. So every night we found a new place to watch the light show. Usually with a crepe in hand. I don't think I've ever eaten so many crepes in my life than in Paris! That was basically all I ate, but somehow, I still didn't get sick of them. Nutella and banana is just a great combination. The first night we watched the light show on this hill over looking the city. The next night we watched it from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. And the last night we layed on the grass right below it. That felt like the 4th of July and it was really fun.

We decided one day to do all the excercise one could possibly need for a week. In the morning we got to the Tower early and climbed it. Yep. All 700 steps. Then there's an elevator that goes to the very top. And I can just say: the Eiffel Tower is really big. It is. And I didn't realize just how big until I was in a glass elevator rising very high above the ground. I am slightly afraid of heights, but usually I have no problems. I got a little uneasy during that ride. I just closed my eyes and stuck my head in my friend's shoulder and tried to think happy thoughts. But I wasn't the only one. A friend who was with me who normally isn't afraid of heights got a little freaked out. We were happy to reach the top. But it was well worth the ride up. And all the steps. The view was incredible. And the ride down was much better so that was good. That day we also climbed the Arc de Triomphe and walked the entire Champs Elysees. Sorry I know that's not punctuated correctly but you get the idea. We also went into the Pantheon and had to walk through a university protest to get to it. That was pretty cool to see. The Pantheon was really neat to see.

One day we went to Versailles and spent the day there. That place is incredible. The Room of Mirrors is absolutely amazing. That's just plain beautiful and jaw-dropping. The grounds are equally amazing. It's massive first of all. It's almost like a maze you could wander through for hours. There's also this pond/lake. A few of us rented row boats and spent almost an hour on it. Just the fact we were in a boat in the lake at Versailles is amazing, but I love rowing! So that really made my day. I had a blast. I secretly hoped no one else in my boat wanted to row because I would have done it all day if I could. I did give it up for a little while but they seemed content to let me do the maual labor while they enjoyed the scenery. I preferred it that way myself.

We went to a lot of museums as well. The Louvre is just as big as every says it is. If you've never been there don't under estimate it. It's BIG. And surprisingly, the Mona Lisa, not so big. This massive wall is dedicated just to the Mona Lisa and it's pretty tiny. But the museum is cool, though a little large for my tastes. We went to a bunch of other museums but by far my favorite was the Museum Rodin. It's smaller and is just sculptures. Outside it has the Gates of Hell, with Adam and Eve looking on. There's also The Thinker and a number of others. My favorite was inside. It was called The Kiss and it was the most beautiful piece of art I've ever seen in my life. When I saw it I literally just stopped and stared because I was so captivated. I want a reproduction of it to put in my house. It was amazing and will be forever branded in my mind.

We were able to see the catacombs as well. If you get the chance, I highly suggest these. It was a little creepy and kind of weirded you out when you really took a moment to contemplate what you were surrounded by, but the entire thing was really cool. There were designs made out of the bones and you kept thinking the rows and rows would end and they didn't! It was incredible to see and amazing that all of that was just sitting under Paris.

We did so much I can't even talk about it all. But it was such a great experience and so much fun. And it was really neat to spend some time in a place where they don't speak the same language and I don't speak any of it. It made me learn how to communicate better and really try to understand the culture better. I had a blast and am so happy we were able to go to Paris!