Paris deserves two posts.

Week 11 Continued 

             

      I’ll start this blog by saying: Paris was magical. I can’t portray what I felt there as well as I’d like, but the following is my attempt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday

Paris! We were in Paris! When I was ten, I used to sit at my computer and teach myself French with google translate. I translated the entirety of Vanessa Hudgens’ “Baby Come Back (To Me),” as well as a few actual practical phrases, like “Je suis desole, je ne parles pas francais.” Living in Texas, there were maybe two moments in my lifetime where I had actually been able to use those phrases. But now I was in Paris.

               Julian, a beautiful man, took us across the city. I liked the fast pace feeling and using the subways. We crossed the Seine and made it to Notre Dame. I didn’t know what magnificence we were looking at until someone told me, and then I was floored. The intricate designs were gorgeous. The arches reflected the gold rays of the sun as it started to set. One of my favorite movies as a child, which I watched again recently, is the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I imagined the scene of Quasimodo being pelted with tomatoes in the square we were standing. We went in and saw the beautiful rose windows as mass started until it was time to leave.

               Two days ago, the Notre Dame caught fire. I watched on my phone from AIB as the spire collapsed. I was devastated and heartbroken. History is one of my favorite things to marvel at, and my favorite thing about being in Europe, next to the languages, is being in and looking at buildings that have been standing for nearly a millennium or more. Places like these hold so much history and have seen the world change. Our Lady especially is so spiritually significant. It baffles me that I was fortunate enough to see such a sight two weeks before it fell, and it saddens me that I didn’t take it in longer. Look at the colors a little longer, the ceilings and the chairs, the art all over. It has reminded me to truly be present and never let the gravity of such a place be lost on me- it could be taken away in moments.

               After we had (eh) crepes for dinner, we went to get some boba tea and then went back to the hotel. No one seemed to want to go out, so I went up to Marcus and Kevin’s room with Lindsay while we drank wine and played cards and told stories. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the night any other way.

Friday 
              The next day, we made our way to Versailles. This palace was gorgeous and the art all over the walls and ceilings was amazing. When we finished and made our way to the Gardens, I was in awe. When I was little, I never wished I was a princess- but this palace has changed my mind.

               And then- we had our picnic. Julian taught us all about the French wines and cheeses that we’d put on our baguette. Each one was delicious and the weather was phenomenal. The sky was bluer than I had seen it in a while. For a long time, Mayschoss was my favorite day this semester- there was so much happiness in the air there. But this day, on this picnic in the Gardens of Versailles, finally topped Mayschoss. The true beauty of Paris showed through while we ate our baguettes and sipped our wine and dipped our strawberries in whipped cream. We braided eachother’s hair, we did Tai Chi with Dr. Wasser, we cartwheeled and did handstands, and then we PULLED OUT! I had completely forgotten it was Pull Out Day, and all of us sophomores whooped for the first time in Paris. I don’t think I had been so truly content in a long time.

               When we left Versailles, a group of us walked up the Arc de Triomphe after getting Sid through security with his Lactaid-filled pockets. The stairs were a little tough, but the view was worth every step.

               Ana, Marcus, Josh, Ariella, and I rushed to the Sacre Couer before we had to meet the others at the hotel. Montmartre was romantic and the street performers were a sight to see! I did not make my way to the top- but I will save that for my next trip to Paris.

               We made it back to the hotel just in time and walked with Julian to the fancy French restaurant. The food was great and I always love free wine. Once we finished up with dessert and our conversations, we headed out to the Eiffel Tower. We turned the corner and saw it peaking out from behind the buildings in all it’s glory. I can still close my eyes and picture us standing under it. We got in line to go to the top, and as soon as we were next, the French woman got on the loud speaker to tell us they weren’t allowing any visitors to the top for the rest of the night, so we settled for the second story. As the tower twinkled on the hour, everyone looked for Marcus to make sure he wouldn’t seize.

               I loved the view, although I think it would be more special with the sun out on a nice blue day. I wish I had binoculars to people-watch from afar. When we went back to the hotel, although I kinda wanted to go out, I decided to rest.

Saturday

               The next morning, after waiting on Kevin and Marcus to wake up, we went to the Louvre. The Louvre! The place I hadn’t heard of until my junior year of high school, and have wanted to visit ever since. My feet were absolutely killing me on that four hour tour, but I loved seeing Boccaccio and Da Vinci, and Gericault. Lindsay and Adriana and I shopped for a bit in Le Marais and I took the subway back to the hotel alone for some rest before getting dinner. I napped for twenty minutes with Kevin before he and Marcus and I met with Ariella and the Ryans to find food in the Latin Quarter. It took a while to settle on something reasonably priced and not packed, but once we circled around a few times, we found the best thing possible! Our waitress was a sweetheart and the food was good- to wrap it up, she gave us all a free shot with her. I felt like I was in Greece again.

               Kevin and I were supposed to go out that night, but I was a fake friend and got tired. We chilled in the lobby with a group of them for a while, hearing about Masha’s prank on Jessica in the Louvre (she was convinced that a random guy was P Diddy and asked for his autograph). I went up to Kevin’s room and we did homework instead of going out (On a Saturday in Paris! I’m disappointed with myself)