GET READY FOR A WHOLE LOT OF PICTURES!
I am back from Paris, and my oh my, it was an amazing weekend. I felt like I saw and accomplished so much, and then I realized, I still have way more to see... So let's just say -- I need to go back some time soon!
So: last Thursday evening, 45 other students & I boarded a coach bus to begin our long and tiresome journey to the Dover docks, across the English Channel by ferry, and another 4 hours of driving before reaching the magical city of Paris. I don't remember too much about the bus trip, other than I had a lot of fun sitting next to Cristen, and it was more pleasant than the last long bus ride because my stomach wasn't in severe pain. I was also able to sleep on a bench thing on the ferry. I must have looked like a hobo, but sleep is essential!
Friday: We reached our hotel around 10am. I suppose it was nice that this place wasn't a hostel? Except, I have grown to be oddly fond of hostels, and it wasn't the nicest of hotels. Nonetheless, I had a delightful time with Cristen as my roommate. We got settled and immediately made our way out on the walking journey that Cristen has planned for us. First stop: Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. This was BEAUTIFUL and so close to our hotel. Here are a few pictures!
We then went over to a nearby cafe and had DELICIOUS crepes for a late brunch! It was an excellent decision indeed. We then headed over to the nearest metro stop, pretty quickly figured out the metro system & got day passes (we're pros by now with public transportation in other cities) and headed over to the Lourve. The Lourve is HUGE & STUNNING & FREE (if you're a student/under 26)! Naturally, I saw the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. It was almost overwhelming because of how big it was. We stayed there for just a bit over an hour, and I felt like I barely saw anything!
As we continued our walking route, we made our way down the Champs-Elysees, one of the most famous avenues in Paris/the world. It was stunning and was transformed into a huge and lovely Christmas market. We were kind of in a rush because we wanted to get to the Eiffel Tower before the sun went down. Therefore, we made it most of the way down, saw the Arc de Triomphe from a distance, and then turned around to find a metro and make our way to the Eiffel Tower. We found the most. perfect. viewing. spot. ever! And, obviously, we ate crepes & had a photo shoot.
After all this, we made our way to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner. It was EXCELLENT. After dinner, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower viewing area to take more pictures! AND to watch the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle. I'm not sure if it does this all year, but it definitely does around Christmas time for a few minutes every hour after it gets dark.
(can you see the lights!?)
After this, we then made our way to see Notre Dame. After this long day, and a night of VERY little sleep, we made our way back to the hotel and went to bed.
Still with me? Well, that was only Friday! Now time for Saturday:
Saturday: We woke up pretty darn early and got breakfast at the hotel as soon as it opened. Then, Caleb, Nick, and our new Italian friend Marta made our way to Versailles! It was rainy all day, which was unfortunate, but Versailles was awesome! We had no trouble getting there and got in for free.
Hall of Mirrors!
Marie Antoinette's bedroom!
After leaving the Palace of Versailles and stopping at a Starbucks, we headed back to Paris. We stopped at a cafe for lunch near the Notre Dame Cathedral. We then went inside Notre Dame, which was, unsurprisingly, very beautiful.
Caleb really wanted to go up to the top of Notre Dame, but Nick, Marta, and I didn't necessarily want to, and we had some souvenir shopping to do. Therefore, we shopped & then grabbed some coffee/hot chocolate in a nearby cafe while we waited for Caleb. After he was done, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed to the top. It was awesome, and it naturally had some fantastic views!
Champs-Elysees: view from top of the Arc de Triomphe
We headed back down the Arc and walked to find my friend Robert! He was staying with a friend in Paris at the same time so we met up for about 15 min. before he had to head somewhere else. Nice to see a face from BC!
We then headed to the Galeries Lafayette, which reminded me of Harrods in London. It is a MEGA shopping area. We briefly looked around but then soon searched for food. I ended up spending an absurd amount of money at a cafe on steak. I ordered 'medium,' and they basically gave me raw meat. Is that the French way? So, then, I didn't really eat it!
We then headed back over to the Eiffel Tower to take some more pictures and this time, go up it! This was perhaps my favorite part of the trip. It was so amazing and so great to see Paris at night. We also of course stayed long enough to see the light show thing that happens every hour.
By the time we got down from the Eiffel Tower and headed back to the hotel, it was about 1am. I then chatted with Cristen (who had spent the day at EuroDisney!) for a while before we fell asleep. I was actually going to go to mass at Notre Dame the following morning -- it's Notre Dame!! -- and then I remembered: I really don't like Mass, and I really don't want to wake up that early! So, I slept and got pastries with some friends before heading to the bus to make our long journey back to Swansea.
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And that concludes Paris! Today, I had 5 hours of class. I also went to town and got MAROON PANTS!! If you didn't know, I've been wanting these for the past couple of months because they are THE trend in Great Britain. hahahah. I AM PLEASED! So, that is all! Hope all is well with everyone!
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