We flew in to Paris on Friday night and after a major headache trying to figure out the metro/train system from the airport into the city, we ended up taking a taxi to the hotel. Not the best way to start our weekend, all being frustrated from the very beginning, but it quickly got better. The funniest thing we all noticed as soon as we arrived was how paralyzed we felt without knowing how to communicate. It's funny how our brains work-- when we're thrown into a country where we don't know the language, our minds immediately go to Spanish, because it has become our second language, our go-to language when we know not to speak English. However, when your taxi diver is from Paris, Spanish doesn't really help much. So after having to stop ourselves time after time from speaking Spanish without thinking, we finally made it to the hotel. Our means of communication mostly consisted of pointing to our paper with our hotel reservation on it, and using some intense hand gestures.
Being in France was the first time I have traveled outside the US to a country where Spanish was not spoken. I've mostly considered myself well-traveled, having spent two summer trips in the Dominican Republic. But never anywhere (recently) where either Spanish or English is not spoken. But the point is-- speaking Spanish in France probably won't get you too far.
We got up early Saturday and headed to the Louvre. In case you were wondering...it's gigantic. We only had two hours to spend there, and didn't even get through all of one wing. But we made it a priority to see the big stuff: aka Mona Lisa. We have become so use to having Jesus, our program director here in Spain, be our tour guide in all the museums we go to; but since we were doing this trip on our own, we were left to fend for ourselves. So that led us to renting those trusty headphone sets that tell you all about the artwork as you walk around. We thought that it would be a good idea, but really, they were really lacking. There was only commentary about a select few pieces of art, and it usually wasn't the one's I was interested in. Regardless, the Louvre was great. From all these art museum trips I've experienced this past semester, I truly have gained a bigger appreciation for art. It has become something where I can identify what I like, what I don't like, and really develop educated opinions. It also helps that I'm taking a Spanish Art History class here, which I guess has added to my growing appreciation. I now know that I have very little interest in Greco and Picasso, but I truly love impressionism-- artist such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro, and Seurat. Unfortunately, all the artists' work I really enjoy was held in the Musee d'Orsay, not the Louvre. But we visited it the following day, no worries. So honestly, I could have done without the Louvre. But I guess when in Paris, you are obligated to see the Mona Lisa.
After the Louvre, we went back underground, and took the metro/RER train to Versailles. It's actually pretty far outside the city, it took about an hour each way to get there. After having an epic feast of peanut butter and crackers on the train, we arrived. I have learned that peanut butter is an essential for every trip. In fact, I have to go to the store tonight and buy some before I leave for our 5-day excursion to Andalucia tomorrow morning. It's the perfect option for a quick meal on the run, easy to travel with, doesn't have to be refrigerated, and oh yea-- tastes like heaven in my mouth. Please don't take for granted how commonplace peanut butter is in the U.S. Once it's removed from your life, you will surely have a new found appreciation for this wonderful, childhood delight.
Versailles was grand-- painted in gold, trimmed in velvet, everything you would imagine a French palace/government center/weekend getaway to be. We saw the famous Hall of Mirrors, took goofy pictures of our reflections (of course), saw Marie Antoinette's bedroom, and room after room of paintings.
By the time we got back into the city, it was about 7 PM, and we were headed to the Eiffel Tower. If you ever get a chance to visit this city, definitely do the Eiffel Tower at night. It really isn't much to look at during the day; in fact its kind of ugly. But at night, it lights up and sparkles and really just seems magical. We only waited in line for about a half an hour, and then took the elevator to the top. It was pretty cold by this point, so we took some pictures, and made our way back down. I was really crossing my fingers, hoping that I would witness someone getting engaged at the top, but sadly, that dream never came true. After a jam packed full day, we attempted to find a restaurant for dinner. We came across this great little bar/restaurant where we all got pasta and ate until we experienced the best food comas in the world. Our waiter was quite a character-- that's definitely something I noted about French people; they are far more friendly than Spainards. I never would have guessed that. In my mind, I always had the impression the media portrays, that French people are a little stuck up, cold, and unfriendly. It couldn't be any further from the truth. It's in Spain where I get shoved on the street, people walk into you like you aren't there, no one ever smiles, no one jokes around with you at all. They're far too serious.
Day two: Notre Dame, El Conciergerie, Saint Chapelle, the Latin Quarter, Luxembourg Gardens, Musse d'Orsay, Moulin Rogue, and Montmarte. Luckily the majority of these sites were within walking distance of each other, so it didn't take as long to get around. The quick summary goes like this:
Saint Chapelle is a famous church known for its amazing stained glass. It was one of the most beautiful sights I saw. By far. The Latin Quarter was a lot of touristy shopping, with many restaurants to get gyros and felafel. So tempting, but I held off because we had packed pb&j sandwiches to eat in the Luxembourg Gardens, which was our next stop. The Luxembourg Gardens were absolutely beautiful-- it was a wonderful sunny day, and we sat around eating our sandwiches in the sun, and took a moment to soak it all in and relax before our next stop: the Musee d'Orsay. Going here was kind of an after thought, but I am SO glad it made our itinerary, because it housed some amazing art, like I mentioned before. Next, we took the metro to Montmarte, a part of Paris that is known for the Moulin Rogue and for having one of the best views of the city. It's a lot higher elevated, so we could see the entire city. After taking pictures in front of the Moulin Rogue, we made the uphill trek to the stairs of the Basilica, where we sat and enjoyed some ice cream, watched the sun set, and were serenaded by a street performer. He was camped out on the stairs, singing everything from Lean On Me, Wonderwall, James Blunt, Allison Krauss, and more. A huge crowd had formed, just taking in the sunset, and everyone was singing along. What an epic memory.
Oh, I almost forgot. When we were taking pictures in front of the Moulin Rogue, we met a guy who had just graduated from Texas A&M and was spending 8 months backpacking through Europe. So he joined us for our journey through Montmarte, and we traded stories of our travels over ice cream. Funny how travel brings people together and how we find so much comfort in talking with someone from the U.S.
On Monday morning, we took it easy and slowly made our way back to the Eiffel Tower to eat more pb&j sandwiches on the grass and take it all in during daylight. Soon enough, we were making our way back to the airport for the rest of the journey home (I mean to Salamanca...I don't really know where home is)
1 comment:
love the cartwheels!!!
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