My first day (Thursday) in Paris was a long day. Our taxi picked us (me and Shelby) at our apartment at 4:30 AM to ensure that we were at the airport by 5, since our flight left at 7 AM! We had to take an hour and a half bus trip to the city of Paris, then the metro to our hostel. We only arrived at our hostel around noon, then freshened up, grabbed a delicious sandwich at a nearby French bakery, and then mapped out our itinerary for the day. We decided on the Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, and the Arc de Triomphe. Museum workers were on strike when we arrived, so we walked from the metro stop, past the Louvre to the Musee D'Orsay (where there is art work by Picasso and van Gogh, etc.), and then realized that the museum was closed due to the strike. We walked back towards the Louvre, did some window shopping, and went to the Notre Dame. We saw a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower walking toward Notre Dame. One of our roommates who had already traveled to Paris told us to climb the bell tower in the cathedral. Today was just not our day, because when we asked information, they said that no one was allowed to climb the tower that day; she didn't give a reason, just said we couldn't. Rather than go all the way to the Arc de Triomphe, we did some souvenir shopping, and I bought my typical post cards to include in my scrapbook along with a fashionable Parisian hat to keep me warm. Since it was cold and rainy, we decided to sit at a cafe and try some French wine. Shelby and I split a bottle of red Bourdeux wine, and since it was my dad's birthday, I toasted to my dad back in the States. :) After the wine, we walked around in search of a good restaurant and finally found one to please both of us- I ate French onion soup, roasted duck with honey sauce and French fries, a Coca-Cola, and a baked apple with caramel, nuts, and cinnamon for dessert. I was glad I had finally had a taste of French cuisine- I think I'm hooked. We went back to our hostel and went to bed because we were so tired from all the traveling.
Friday was another long day, but we saw so much of Paris, it was totally worth it! We had breakfast at the hostel, and the weather was beautiful- not rainy! And there were hardly any clouds in the sky. We took the metro to St. Michel (in the Latin Quarter) where the bike tour began. Yepp, you heard right, I took my first European bike tour in Paris! And I would recommend it to anyone who goes to Paris, it's much better than walking and taking the metro to all the tourist spots. Right before we left for the bike tour, we found a Starbucks and got our caffeine fix for the day. On the tour, we saw Notre Dame from the outside, Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris), the exterior of Musee D'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, the place where Napoleon was buried, and much more. I got a little work out along the way, and Shelby had a little trouble with her bike, since she's shorter than me and they didn't have a small bike to fit her short legs. But she survived. After the bike tour, we decided to get some crepes. They were much deserved after the work out! For lunch, I had a savory crepe- ham, cheese, and mushroom- and for dessert, I had a Nutella and banana crepe. They were both soooooooooo delicious. We decided to go to the Arc de Triomphe, only to find out that civil servants were striking, so we couldn't climb to the top like we had planned. We walked down Champs Elysse, the street with all the designer stores. There was also a Christmas market going on towards the end of the long boulevard. The street looked so pretty at night, all lit up with lots of Christmas lights and decorations. We went back to the hostel to freshen up and grab our gloves, hats, and heavier jackets, since it was getting a bit chilly outside. We went to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. That's really all we wanted to see and the museum is so big, that we really just saw the Egyptian exhibit and then left. We met Chad, Leah, and Alan (Chad and Leah's friend) outside the entrance to the Louvre. Again, we walked around Paris in search of a restaurant with a reasonable price. I had French onion soup again. :) I said good-bye to Chad, but I knew I would see him next weekend in Sweden. They were going to Portugal for the next several nights, so we wouldn't see them in Paris anymore. After dinner, we went back to the hostel and fell asleep early again.
On Saturday, we woke up for breakfast at the hostel again and took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. It was pouring down rain, and I hoped that it would stop so that it wasn't raining when climbed to the top. Lucky for us, we waited in the rain in line for a loooooong time to climb, but once we started climbing the stairs and took the elevator the rest of the way up to the very top, it stopped raining. It was windy at the top, but we had an awesome view of Paris! Then we took the metro to the Moulin Rouge. This was the meeting point for our walking tour of the neighborhood Montemarte, where many famous artists have lived. Before the tour, we had a hot dog on a baguette for lunch, then it was off to see the famous sites. I found out the name Moulin Rouge means the Red Windmill in French, and then we started walking to more places. We saw where Van Gogh lived with his brother in an apartment; the red light district of Paris (Pigalie); the story of Saint Dennis, the patron saint of France; the cute/quaint houses and apartments in Montemarte; the last surving windmill in Paris; a statue of the Egyptian-Italian diva Dalida, who our tour guide compared to an international Cher; the only vineyard left in Montemarte; Picasso's studio and a copy of one of his paintings; places where the French film Amelie was filmed; a cafe where Picasso traded his paintings for food; the Le Maison Rose (the pink house) where Van Gogh regularly ate in a restaurant on the first floor and indulged in the pleasures of women at the brothel on the second floor of the house; the Artists' Square, where I could have had a sketch drawn of me; and the Sacre Coeur (which means Sacred Heart), an amazing church in Paris located on the highest point in the city with another great view. After the tour, we freshened up at the hostel, then went to see the Eiffel Tower at night to see the special light show that is only happening this year (120th anniversary) every hour during the evening hours. We went on a pub crawl and ended the night at a night club. It was fun to experience the night atmosphere that Paris has to offer.
On Sunday, we woke up, ate breakfast, and checked out of our hostel. We finally were able to climb the Arc de Triomphe, and since we're students, we climbed for free. :) Then, we went over to the Musee D'Orsay, hoping the strike was over and it was open. Well, it was open, but all museums in Paris are free on the first Sunday of every month, so the line was veryyyyyyy loooooooong, so Shelby and I decided we will just have to come back to Paris to see it, since we didn't want to wait in line for that long. We grabbed some lunch and walked around. We didn't have a specific direction, but it started pouring cats and dogs and somehow we ended up at the world's first department store, which can be found in downtown Paris. We went back to our hostel to gather our bags, then went to the airport. I have no comment for the airport that was 1 and 1/2 hours outside Paris. It was small and slow and our flight was delayed, not due to weather, but because the airport was inefficient. But that was honestly my worst flight experience in Europe, and since it was at the end of my study abroad experience, I guess I really can't complain. We arrived back in Rome and made our way back to our apartment. It was a wonderful weekend and I need to return to Paris. I wouldn't say it was my absolute favorite city, but it makes my top 5. Until next time, ciao!
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