Two Nights in the City of Lights

This past weekend I spent Thursday and Friday night in Paris. It was lovely.

I missed both of my classes on Thursday, but it couldn't be avoided. There are very few cheap flights into Paris from Alicante. And RyanAir only flies into a city an hour north of Paris called Beauvais. So I had to take a bus into Paris and find my way on the Metro to the hostel. I was a little worried about the hostel. They didn't officially confirm my reservation before I left but I hoped that they would have room for me. It took me about 45 minutes to get from where the bus left me to the hostel. And I didn't even have a map! I had written down instructions before I left Alicante, and I had a good picture of the route in my mind but I couldn't find a map until I got to the hostel. So after about 20 minutes with only a little trouble and one strange man trying to talk to me, I was able to find the hostel. Phew.

From there I decided to wander around a little. Thanks to forethought, I had packed a sandwich from home so I didn't need to find food when I got there. I would have been really nervous if I had to find a restaurant and order. I wouldn't know what anything on the menu was!

I walked to the Louvre first, since it was the closest to my hostel. I didn't want to go in yet so I just wandered around the outside and saw a nice park near it. Then I crossed the river and found the Museum d'Orsay. It had some nice sculptures outside. Seven women decorated differently, one for each continent. Then I followed the river to Notre Dame. It took about a half hour to walk there. But on the way a man interrupted me and asked for either a cigarette or a lighter. I don't remember which. I politely shook my head and told him that I don't speak French and continued walking. Now don't be alarmed! Just know that I'm very smart and have common sense and a strong sense of self-preservation. The man followed me and asked me if I spoke English and I said yes. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it wasn't too creepy, and he followed me, yet walked a good four feet away from me. He told me he was from Italy and was here for a few months working on his art. He made sure to let me know that he didn't mean to make me feel uncomfortable and if I was, I should tell him and he would leave, but since we're both strangers in the city, maybe I didn't want to walk alone. So I let him walk with me, I continued to the Notre Dame and he came with, explaining different things about the city as we walked. When we got to Notre Dame, he explained a little about both the cathedral and the courtyard. After that we stayed along the river and he showed me a place where lots of young Parisians like to hang out and we passed the most amazing bridge! The side railings were covered with locks, some small, some big, padlocks, diary locks, and ribbons too. Johnny (I think that was his name) said that they were left there by lovers. I thought that was really cool. We walked around a little more and I started heading back to the Louvre and toward my hostel and he said goodbye and went another direction. So in all, the whole thing was a little weird but not too strange. Though I felt a little uncomfortable, I never felt like I was in danger. It was mainly just awkward because obviously English wasn't his first language so I think he misunderstood me a lot and I think he might have though I was a bit hostile. But it's hard to know because of the miscommunications. I'd rather him think I was hostile than think I'm too welcoming. But it was nice to learn some stuff about the city.

So I made my way back to the hostel and on the way I noticed that the Eiffel Tower was glittering! Check out this video. It was awesome! So pretty. (Sorry that it's sideways)



At the hostel and found two girls in my room. I was glad to learn it was an all girls room and not co-ed. They spoke quietly so I couldn't tell if it was English. It was early (~9:30) but I started getting ready for bed since I didn't have anything else to do. Then I heard the girls speaking English so I was kind of relieved. One girl asked me something in French and I responded in English, that I spoke English. They gave a relieved laugh too! They were glad to finally be able to speak English with other people. One girl was from Vancouver and the other from some part of England. We chit chatted for a little while about why were were visiting Paris and in Europe in general. It was nice.

Then another girl showed up and she was from America! She said she goes to the University of Michigan and is studying in southern France. She was also from Chicago and said she has family in Arlington Heights! Such a small world!! That sort of think just AMAZES me. We're halfway across the globe and I find some who knows my hometown. So then I went to sleep.

I woke up the next morning at ~8:30. Just in time to eat a nice free breakfast and check out before 9:30. Let me tell you about breakfast. They had the usual cereal and bread with butter and jam. But they also had some good juice. I couldn't tell you what kind it was. It was a dark orange and I liked it. But then the lady behind the counter asked me something in French, something about a hot beverage. I only picked out the word chocolat, so I just repeated that and she gave me a bowl of hot chocolate. Well, gee, thanks. I had no idea what to do with it. I looked around and some girl was dumping sugar into her bowl. How was I supposed to drink from it? So I just drank it with a spoon. I sat facing a wall so people wouldn't think I was weird. Then I saw a boy drink straight out of the bowl. I still have no idea how I was supposed to drink it or what I was supposed to do with it. Oh well. I snuck some extra bread into my backpack so I wouldn't have to order food somewhere else. Oh, the life of a thrifty college kid.

I left the hostel and continued to wander around. I went visited a nice cathedral and said some prayers for all of you. Then I made my way back to Notre Dame and got to go inside this time! It was pretty. The outside was cooler than the inside but here's a video of the inside. I was kind of a hypocrite. I don't really like when people take too many pictures inside a church. I think it's more important to appreciate in your heart, but I just had to take pictures.








You had to pay to go up in the bell towers and there was a really long lines so I skipped that. It was kinda scary but there were three French army guys walking around the area carrying these huge machine guns. It made me a little nervous. What the heck to they think is gonna happen?














But then I headed back to the park by the Louvre and this time it was open! They have some pretty nice sculptures and I had a good time looking at them all and remembering the stories I learned in mythology last semester.

It was about noon so I started heading to the hotel to meet up with my Aunt Laura, Uncle Vic, and cousin Margaret. They are the real reason I was there. My aunt told me I should meet them there because they were visiting Margaret in London and they stopped in Brussels and were gonna visit Paris. So I said sure! Anyway, I headed to the hotel and luckily my hostel was on the way. The reason I wanted to go by the hostel again was this... Across the street was a shoe store. And not just any shoes. Christian Louboutin shoes. The store was closed when I left in the morning, but now it was open. Let me tell you about these shoes. They are so famous. They're known for having a red sole. They cost upwards of $800 a pair and all the celebrities wear them. I think on average, they're ~$2,000. So I was so excited to see them in real life. I was too scared to actually go in the store so I took pictures from the outside. They were beautiful. Sadly, that's when my camera decided to poop out. No more batteries. I was SO sure I had charged it all the way before I left, but I guess not.

So I continued to drool over the shoes for a few more minutes then I continued walking to the hotel. It took about 45 minutes to get there and I waited for a a little while from them to arrive. They finally got there and I was so happy to see them. It was so nice to see family. I almost wanted to cry because I do miss home a little bit. But it turns out that Margaret's boyfriend came too, and it was really nice to meet him.

But we checked in and then decided to head to the Eiffel Tower. We got to there and decided to take an hour long boat tour on the Seine River. It was quite nice. Then we took touristy pictures in front of the Eiffel tower (which is surprisingly, very brown. I thought it would be dark gray), shared some chocolate crepes, and went to look for a little cafe. We found one and had dinner #1. I figured "when in Rome" and had my first bowl of French onion soup and cafe au lait (coffee with milk). It was mediocre. I mean, I have nothing to compare it to since I've never had French onion soup in America.

Then we took the Metro to the Lourve and went inside. I got a sweet "young person" discount and got in for free! We were all pretty tired by this point so we didn't stay too long. Just long enough to see the most important things (Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and a few other things) and some more sculptures. I love the sculptures the most. It's because I know so many of the stories! It's so cool to be able to tell who is who and what's happening. The Venus de Milo was cool but there are so many other beautiful and cool ones too! It made me wonder when her arms fell off. No one will ever know. It's so amazing to see the details. I made them go to a room with only statues and I just wandered around while they rested on some stairs.

We left around ~9pm and found a restaurant near the hotel for dinner #2. I had some delicious chicken with rissoto and mushroom cream sauce and had some sips of other people's wine. Then to finish it off I have crème brûlée. "When in Rome" right? It was really good.

So that's three typical French foods in one day! Crepes, French onion soup, and crème brûlée. Check those off the bucket list.

Then we called it a night.

The next morning we slept in a little bit and had breakfast at a cafe my cousin wanted to find. It was called Rose Bakery. I think it was organic or something. I think Margaret or a friend found it in a cookbook. I had porridge with honey and a cappuccino. The others had scones and crumb cake and coffee and tea. It was cool watching them make different treats. We spent more time there than anticipated so we headed west on the Metro and quickly got off at the Arc de Triomphe. I had to hurry because I needed to get to the bus station to get back to the airport. So we quickly took some pictures, said goodbye, and I got back on the Metro and got on the bus. The crummy thing was that I knew what bus I needed to take, but it would get me there so early for my flight. I wish I could have taken a later bus but I didn't know when the next one would be.

So I sat in the airport and listened to my book on tape on my iPod (1984 by George Orwell) and then had an uneventful flight back to Alicante. It was nice because I had a window seat and saw some really cool cumulus clouds. Yeah, I think the simplest things are cool. Could be worse, right?

One thing I now realize, my cousin Sam pointed it out, is that I didn't see a mime! What kind of trip to Paris was that if I didn't see a mime! It's like the only stereotypical French thing I didn't see/do while I was there. Gosh, I guess I'll have to go back and look for one. haha

Also, I would have liked to see the Moulin Rouge, but it was too far away. I had to prioritize with only 48 hours in the city.

Oh, and my Aunt Laura was nice enough to bring me packets of peanut butter! I didn't think I could bring a big container on a carry-on on the plane but she found individual packets! I love my family :) Everyone is so kind.

Now only three more weeks until my family gets here! Time is passing so quickly. I'm done traveling for a little while. This weekend is Carnaval so I'm staying in town. It should be interesting. I'll write more about it later.

Hasta luego! Wish me luck with my classes this week.