Paris
I want to write all about Paris, because it was great, and get every little detail and thing before I forget it into a hard copy, but I'm just a little too stressed right now.
I just book my spring break trip (Barcelona) which is in exactly two weeks. I waited a little too long to book it, and paid for it in the price. Also, credit cards are not nice to you if you're not using US dollars, so there's another fee. I'm sure the trips will be worth it though.
Ok, so Paris. When we first got there we had a boat trip down the river Seine. It was a great way to first see the city, and I of course saw the Eiffel Tower immediately. We did some exploring around the Tower (because there wasn't enough time to go to the top). After checking into our very nice 2* hotel, I went out with two Beckys. One spoke French pretty well, and we (she) started talking to a guy in the place we decided to get food. His name was Amor (French for love), he was in his late 30s or early 40s, and he wanted to show us around. We wondered down a few blocks and came to a cafe with live jazz. He bought a bottle of win inside and we just listened to music and relaxed despite the language barrier. This whole situation may sound strange, but was really nice and chill. I'll probably never forget him, he was just a nice guy and looking for some companionship for the night.
The next day was completely filled. Our first stop was the palace of Versailles and the gardens. Although they were doing a fair amount of construction, and the gardens were half dead because of winter, it was still great. It is something that I remember seeing in books and learning about Louis XIV, and it was just really cool. Walking around the gardens was really magical. It felt like I was the only person in the world and I was discovering these gardens all by myself. I drew a smiley face in the sand to picture my emotions and with the hopes that someone would find it and enjoy it.
Notre Dame was the next stop. That place is crazy. The outside is more decorated than the inside, and the detail in the architecture is unbelievable. I haven't had a chance to look at any of my pictures yet, but I'm sure I have some good ones. I got a crepe with nutella, and walked around and was enjoying Paris quite a bit. I also saw the Holocaust memorial. I also went into their version of Walmart to buy batteries for my camera. The clerk asked me something, and I just told her "Je parle Francias tres mal." I speak French very poorly. For some reason that seem to solve everything. The whole trip has made me want to study French however. I always hated foreign languages, but I'm intrigued now.
Our next stop was the Sacre Coure, which is a church on top of a hill that provides an amazing view of the city. Right next to it is an area known as Monemarte, which is where a lot of artist display and sell their work. Very cool.
Next it was time for me to journey to the top of the Eiffel Tower. One of my life goals. The real experience is in the journey. Going up and down was insane. Once you're at the top, it's a great view, but being in the glass elevator was a real rush. Because I was up there so long, I missed the bus everyone else took back. I went into a metro station, and...only 13 stops, I can totally walk that. But first I wanted to see the Arc de Triumph again, so I walked over there. It is surrounded by an intersection of 12 avenues, and could have probably fifteen lanes of traffic if it wasn't such a mess. I ran across this road. That was crazy in and of itself. I then walked down the Champs Elysées, and sang a song I learned my first year in French class (video evidence exsists). I then began my walk back, without a map or really an idea of the exact route, which was part of the reason I wanted to do it. I didn't realize it was probably about five miles, but no regrets. I saw the Sacre Coure at night, which was incredible. It kind of looks like it's floating in the sky. I walked through the red light district and saw the Moulin Rouge. I saw a gas pump randomly on the side walk. Like next to a parking meter, and that's it. That is a gas station in Paris.
The next day we went to the Louvre, and it was awesome to see the famous glass pyramid. I also saw some amazing pieces of artwork. I spent most of my time looking at the Egyptian artifacts, Italian paintings, and large scale French works. Some of the paintings were more than 30 feet wide. Crazy. Saw the Mona Lisa as well.
I got back to London around 10:30, ate a quick meal and headed off to watch the Super Bowl. It ended at 3am, and I went to my internship in the morning. It was a crazy few days.
I just book my spring break trip (Barcelona) which is in exactly two weeks. I waited a little too long to book it, and paid for it in the price. Also, credit cards are not nice to you if you're not using US dollars, so there's another fee. I'm sure the trips will be worth it though.
Ok, so Paris. When we first got there we had a boat trip down the river Seine. It was a great way to first see the city, and I of course saw the Eiffel Tower immediately. We did some exploring around the Tower (because there wasn't enough time to go to the top). After checking into our very nice 2* hotel, I went out with two Beckys. One spoke French pretty well, and we (she) started talking to a guy in the place we decided to get food. His name was Amor (French for love), he was in his late 30s or early 40s, and he wanted to show us around. We wondered down a few blocks and came to a cafe with live jazz. He bought a bottle of win inside and we just listened to music and relaxed despite the language barrier. This whole situation may sound strange, but was really nice and chill. I'll probably never forget him, he was just a nice guy and looking for some companionship for the night.
The next day was completely filled. Our first stop was the palace of Versailles and the gardens. Although they were doing a fair amount of construction, and the gardens were half dead because of winter, it was still great. It is something that I remember seeing in books and learning about Louis XIV, and it was just really cool. Walking around the gardens was really magical. It felt like I was the only person in the world and I was discovering these gardens all by myself. I drew a smiley face in the sand to picture my emotions and with the hopes that someone would find it and enjoy it.
Notre Dame was the next stop. That place is crazy. The outside is more decorated than the inside, and the detail in the architecture is unbelievable. I haven't had a chance to look at any of my pictures yet, but I'm sure I have some good ones. I got a crepe with nutella, and walked around and was enjoying Paris quite a bit. I also saw the Holocaust memorial. I also went into their version of Walmart to buy batteries for my camera. The clerk asked me something, and I just told her "Je parle Francias tres mal." I speak French very poorly. For some reason that seem to solve everything. The whole trip has made me want to study French however. I always hated foreign languages, but I'm intrigued now.
Our next stop was the Sacre Coure, which is a church on top of a hill that provides an amazing view of the city. Right next to it is an area known as Monemarte, which is where a lot of artist display and sell their work. Very cool.
Next it was time for me to journey to the top of the Eiffel Tower. One of my life goals. The real experience is in the journey. Going up and down was insane. Once you're at the top, it's a great view, but being in the glass elevator was a real rush. Because I was up there so long, I missed the bus everyone else took back. I went into a metro station, and...only 13 stops, I can totally walk that. But first I wanted to see the Arc de Triumph again, so I walked over there. It is surrounded by an intersection of 12 avenues, and could have probably fifteen lanes of traffic if it wasn't such a mess. I ran across this road. That was crazy in and of itself. I then walked down the Champs Elysées, and sang a song I learned my first year in French class (video evidence exsists). I then began my walk back, without a map or really an idea of the exact route, which was part of the reason I wanted to do it. I didn't realize it was probably about five miles, but no regrets. I saw the Sacre Coure at night, which was incredible. It kind of looks like it's floating in the sky. I walked through the red light district and saw the Moulin Rouge. I saw a gas pump randomly on the side walk. Like next to a parking meter, and that's it. That is a gas station in Paris.
The next day we went to the Louvre, and it was awesome to see the famous glass pyramid. I also saw some amazing pieces of artwork. I spent most of my time looking at the Egyptian artifacts, Italian paintings, and large scale French works. Some of the paintings were more than 30 feet wide. Crazy. Saw the Mona Lisa as well.
I got back to London around 10:30, ate a quick meal and headed off to watch the Super Bowl. It ended at 3am, and I went to my internship in the morning. It was a crazy few days.