Europe Update 5/27 Paris Day 4 This day was just a great day. After grabbing a delicious brunch right across the street from the Arc de Triomphe, I wandered off on my own and took the metro down to the opposite end of the Champs-Elysees to the Jardin de Tuileries. Since I had only a bit of time it hadn’t felt like there was enough time to do any sightseeing in the city, not without paying a good chunk of change or being rushed through something. I instead had decided to park myself in the gardens, since it was absolutely huge, with people hanging out all over in the shade of the trees and by the ponds. It was big enough that you could sit a little bit away from people and have your own space which was really nice. They had green lawn chairs, reclining or straight backed and you were free to drag them wherever so I headed to the upper level, kind of away from the main crowds and found a chair and a spot in perfect view of the Effie’s tower and obelisk and its accompanying traffic. I just sat there in the shade with the quite murmuring of traffic and people around me and ate an ice cream cone. Honesty it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was just amazing and just what I needed after the crazy bustle of the weekend. In the end I think I sat there for about 2 hours before heading back to the apartment to pack and head back to the train station. After two train rides we were back and a group of us grabbed cheap and easy pizza to fill our stomachs before all going home to pass out. Best Day.
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Europe Update! 5/26 Paris Day 3 Today I started the day out strong by sleeping in a little, hey I was out late and my feet had walked possibly more the day before than any other day of my life. Ginger and I decided to take today more low-key, we had been thinking Versailles but the gardens were reportedly closed, the trains on strike, and unbearably humid and hot. So we decided if we ever hit up Paris again later in life, it was a must-see. Instead we did something I really wanted to do from the day before, we climbed the Towers of Notre Dame. I got to see the famous gargoyle, see the bells (the bells of Notre Daaame!), play Hunchback of Notre Dame, and get a great calf workout. I really just wanted to see the city from above since we weren’t able to climb the Eiffel Tower the day before, and also, I love cathedrals? A cathedral a day keeps uh, Macy really happy? I couldn’t think of anything puny for that sorry. After some breathtaking views and a million photos later we headed back to the apartment for a while and gorged ourselves on pain du chocolates, or the chocolate filled square croissants, like the ones Starbucks sells but 1000% times better. I also got a ham and butter sandwich and I was shocked by how good it was, who knew!? I was also quite happy because I remembered how to order in French, “je voudrais un pain du chocolaté, s'il vous plait”. After that buttery, flakey goodness of a lunch, wandered off on my own down the Champs-Élysées. I had been here earlier in the trip but I hadn’t brought my camera previously so I wanted to go around and snap some photos. I had a great time wandering down the broad avenue, and it was nice and sunny out so that just added to the whole magic of the day. While I was strolling along, Ginger was waiting in line for the impossibly delicious macarons from Laudrée- possibly the most famous macarons in all of Paris. When I got back to the apartment later we sampled them and wow…..that was an amazing food experience. I got to try a black current violet, strawberry poppy, and lemon! It was amazingly light, with authentic, rich filling that wasn’t necessarily sugar. Definitely amazing! After having a small food coma, I managed to work out with my friend Katie to see her while she was still in Paris! She was in Paris studying with an NAU French Language and Arts study abroad, but we found time later in the night to meet up and take the metro to the Eiffel Tower. Despite the rain the two of us huddled under my umbrella as we ate crêpes and watched the start of the hour’s light show. After all, Audrey Hepburn once said about Paris, "This is what you do on your very first day in Paris. You get yourself, not a drizzle, but some honest-to-goodness rain, and you find yourself someone really nice and drive her through the Bois de Boulogne in a taxi. The rain's very important. That's when Paris smells its sweetest. It's the damp chestnut trees." It was definitely a dreamy moment with my best friend! Europe Update! 5/25 Inside the Louvre! I know I’ve already posted a bit about the Louvre, but I just had so many pictures and things to talk about! The Mona Lisa was amazing, and surprisingly it wasn’t that crowded. It was small, but I knew that going since I had studied it previously! The only negative thing was that because of all the bulletproof glass and stuff created a glare on it so I couldn’t get an angle to see it without the glare. Some of the other art I saw was theheadless statue of Nike, which they had arranged at the top of a grand staircase so you looked up and bam! There it was! I also saw the Grand Odalisque which is one of the most famous nudes in the art world. I also got to see Venus de Milo which is one of the most famous Greek statues of what is commonly thought to be Aphrodite- which the romans called Venus. I also saw the Money Changer and His Wife, The Raft of the Medusa, the portrait of King Louis XIV of France which I’m sure most of you recognize, the Coronation of Napoleon, and so on. There were so many pieces of art I recognized and I was just in heaven. Another bucket list item completed! Europe Update! 5/25 Paris Day 2 Now this day, yes this day was the absolute dream of every aspiring world traveler, and definitely a slew of things off my bucket list. Today I hit all of the big tourist stops. I started the morning with a trip to Saint Chappelle, which was formerly the church for King Louis IX. It’s most notable for its amazing stain glass windows! As you can see it was beautiful! Then after that princess moment, right around the block was Notre Dame. Just like Saint Chappelle and pretty much everything today really, I had studied it in AP Art History, and well it’s the most famous church in the world. It was so cool to stand in front of it and realize you were actually at Notre Dame and were actually going to get to walk inside. Inside was just as gothicaly grand as expected. I got to see the famous rose window, the flying buttresses and even the crown of thorns relic! How cool! After Notre Dame and a little bit of Metro connect the dots, we made it to the landmark of a lifetime, the Eiffel Tower. The moment I got out of the metro and turned to see it…. wow. It was like looking at a cardboard cutout or a green screen, it didn’t seem real. Once I got closer and was standing right in front of it, it was just so cool, it’s the freaking Eiffel Tower!! I was a bit disappointed though as I didn’t get to climb it, but I did get to eat my first real crepe in its shadow. Talk about a picture-perfect moment! While I was there, Ginger and I ran into some of our friends from our program, and together we all decided to spend the rest of the day at the Louvre. Now I was in heaven, as I got to see a lot of artwork I recognized- everything from the headless statue of Nike, King Louis XIV, the Grand Odalisque, and of course the Mona Lisa! After a few hours, and my feet protesting the fact that the Louvre has 8 miles of corridors, I retired home for the evening. Or so I thought. One of my best friends in the world Katie is also studying in Europe, but in France with the French department! Originally we weren’t going to have time to meet up, as she was on a much more structured program but she had the night free so she took the metro to me and the two of us went to see the Eiffel Tower at night for its light show. It was raining however, but that didn’t stop us from munching on crepes and oooh-ing and aaaahh-ing over the dazzling lights. After all, Audrey Hepburn said “This is what you do on your very first day in Paris. You get yourself, not a drizzle, but some honest-to-goodness rain, and you find yourself someone really nice and drive her through the Bois de Boulogne in a taxi. The rain's very important. That's when Paris smells its sweetest”. Europe Update! 5/24 Paris Day 1 Mon amour! I finally got to do something I’ve always wanted, visit France! Though not just France, Paris! For our first “on your own” weekend a few friends and I hopped the train to Paris and was it beautiful one. Rolling French hills and charming countryside the whole way! We got to Gaur du Nord and got our metro passes and then Ginger and I headed to our Airbnb. It was a cute little one-person apartment in a really friendly, nice neighborhood in Paris, and right next to the metro line! Right next door was a real butcher shop, and an amazing Bakery where throughout our stay we bought a large plethora of croissants. Like, a lot. After settling down, I headed down a few blocks to see the Bastille, and stopped into a small bakery for a quiche and a meringue. After the quick dinner I headed to the Champs-Elysees to just walk up and down it a little bit and to see the Arc d’ Triumph, really just to say I saw something that day. It’s safe to say that after all of the travel I slept like a rock! |
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