O, The Places I'll Go...: To Paris, With Love

I don’t know how it is possible but each place I go I love more than the last. The journey getting to Paris was not a simple one but for Elizabeth and I’s first journey on our own I think we did a great job and learned a lot. I got done with class at 4:15 on Wednesday and had to rush home to finish packing and getting everything together to make a 6:00 train-sounds simple right? Well when you have to walk everywhere and you realize you forgot your keys to your apartment and no one in your apartment is home and still need to book your train ticket online it makes things much more stressful. However we did make the train with plenty of time to spare. We took the train to Milan then hopped on another train to Bergamo where I flight actually flew out of. Once we got to Bergamo we had dinner and gelato (of course) we took a bus to the airport. We made it to the airport and settled in for our night to spend there until are 6:30 am flight. We found a cozy spot on the tile floor and slept on our backpacks with a ton of other people doing the same thing we were. Our flight took off with no problems and we arrived in Paris then took a bus to the city. we started walking and realized we had no idea where we were or where we were going since we couldn’t check into our hostel until 4:00 and it was only 10:00. We found a nice little café and enjoyed some lunch with a delicious pastry to go along with it. We proceeded to see some sites and kill time. Our first sight was the Arc de Triumph where the unknown soldier was buried. It was really magnificent. Down a road from that we saw a Ferris wheel in the distance and headed that way. When we got there we realized it was right by this giant garden that was in front of the castle where the Louvre is held. We explored the garden and the Louvre. The castle was the biggest I have seen yet. Catharine Medici lived there and had the garden made- she was a part of one of the biggest families in Florence history. The Medicis were very wealthy people that eventually became Dukes in Florence. After that we made our way to the Eiffel Tower because our hostel was close to there. With aching feet we found ourselves by the peaceful side of the one and only Eiffel Tower and enjoyed its beauty before we headed to the Aloha hostel. For our first hostel experience I would say that it went well, it wasn’t luxury but free breakfast, free internet, and free crepes in the afternoon was all we really needed. We enjoyed a nice dinner then found a local bar where we had a few beers and people watched. The other girls got in later that night and we were all exhausted from our travels so we checked in early. Friday we started off by heading down Saint Germain where we enjoyed some lunch on the river. We could have not asked for a better day so we soaked up the sun by the river for awhile. Then we headed to Notre Dame, it was the first gothic church I had seen yet and was absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen stain glass windows like this before. The sun made it even more breathtaking. After that we took the metro to Jim Morrison’s grave. The cemetery where he is buried is huge and his is just nestled in with the others. There used to be a statue of his head but someone had stolen it. Among the gifts left on his grave sight were: panties, half finished bottle of wine, cigarettes placed every so nicely, and flowers. There was a tree close by that had various messages to him as well. After that we bought a bottle of champagne and headed for the Eiffel Tower this time to really take it all in. It was just like the picture in all of my history books, which made it even more unreal that I was actually there. We found a spot in the grass to enjoy our champagne and the Eiffel Tower. That night we went out to dinner then met up with one of Elizabeth’s friends from home at an Irish Pub. The night life was a lot of fun there and people were friendly for the most part but kept to themselves. On Saturday we woke up early and had some mimosas under the Eiffel Tower before we climbed over 350 steps to the second level of it. On the first level there were cafes and an ice skating rink. On the second level we enjoyed some waffles and Nutella. We were going to venture up to the top but it was a bit too cold and a very long line. We went back to the Louvre and this time actually went in. No one would ever be able to see all of it even in a full day it was almost overwhelming. We did make the much needed stops though to the Venus de Milo statue, the Mona Lisa, Napolean’s Apartment, and the Egyptian exhibit. There was so much beautiful art work there it was mind boggling. The Mona Lisa was actually very small but surrounded by other beautiful paintings as well. Napolean’s Apartment was the most lavish thing I have ever seen, I can’t imagine living like that! After that we headed back to the hostel for our free crepes and then headed out to dinner in the Moulin Rouge area. It was so lively by that part of town it was very exciting! On our way home that night we stopped by the Eiffel Tower to see it all lit up, it was hard to take my eyes off of it and all of its sparkle. Imagine living in one of the apartments by it and seeing that out your window every night? Elizabeth and I headed back to Florence early the next morning. Paris was magical, I can see how so many people fall in love there. I had remembered more of my French than I expected so I was able to order most of the time, it was only when they spoke back so quickly that I had trouble understanding. Paris also did wonders for my sweet tooth- the pastries and crepes were sinful. Everyone was so fashionable but shopping was a no no since everything was so expensive. We did run into more pick pocketers and gypsies than I have yet. They kept trying to get us to sign things, we even had little girls swarm us and act like they were deaf. Luckily we all made it out without anything stolen. It was a very successful trip and I am looking forward to exploring Italy these next two weekends. Today in class we went to the Palazzo Pitti-where Cosimo Medici lived and Catharine Medici was born. There we explored and learned about the Boboli garden. It is neat to learn all of the history behind those things. If only all classes could be so interesting. It was a successful weekend once again. I did not fall in love in Paris but I did fall in love with Paris.