My Own Passport to Paris

Written 5-17-10
Paris baby!

France was never at the top of my list to visit, but person after person told me I had to go before leaving Europe. I went and fell in love with the city just as everyone said I would. We arrived Friday night (5-14-10) and were greeted by Sarah’s friend, Kirsten, who so generously hosted us for the weekend. Kirsten lives in a home stay with a French family during her semester in Paris. The family was so nice to let us stay there, and we couldn’t have had a better set up. Just a few blocks from the Arc du Triomphe (the famous arch in Paris), we had the best weekend living like Parisian students!

We woke up early Saturday morning to ensure a full day of sightseeing. As it was my first time in Paris, naturally I wanted to see and do it all! On our way to breakfast at the Champ-Elysees, we passed the Arc du Triomphe (the famous arch in Paris), which is absolutely stunning. It is modeled after the Arch of Titus in Rome, so it was cool for me to be able to make the comparison. My beignet breakfast was superb. Though I do love Café du Monde, it definitely beat Nawlins beignets. Since the weather was perfect, we walked to Napoleon’s tomb, which we expected to be free. We entered like we knew what we were doing, but we were quickly corrected by an uptight French lady. The reputation of the French is true. They are not very welcoming. However, we saw the tomb and I was satisfied and unwilling to pay to enter again. After seeing Napoleon’s residence in Elba, It was really cool to see his tomb, which is in a beautiful museum and plated with gold. Closeby was the Musee Rodin, or the Rodin Museum. Auguste Rodin is an incredible sculptor who is most famous “The Thinker.” His work was impressive, but I stay true to my Italian roots as a Michelangelo fan. We metro-ed to the Latin Quarter for lunch where I enjoyed REAL French onion soup and other French food. We also went to Jardin du Luxembourg to hang out. It was a must-see spot for a photoshoot on my "Passport to Paris" list in the city. On our stroll home, we passed by Notre Dame, the Louvres, and other famous Parisian sites. It was a wonderful day concluded by dinner at a fun wine bar with amazing cheeses, which are considered dessert in French. Since it was Saturday, we finished the night with a fun Parisian hot spot called Chez George. It had great music and very attractive French boys for eye candy.

Sunday was more relaxed but still filled with fun! We began the day at L’as du Falafel,which is an amazing Sunday hot spot with delicious falafel. I met up with my friend Sam, who goes to UT with me, and she joined in on our strolling. We strolled by Centre de Pompidou, which is the funkiest building I have ever seen. Basically, it’s inside out. All the piping for air, liquids, electricity and transportation in the building are color-coded on the outside. It’s a modern art museum, which didn’t interest any of us, but the building itself is a site to see. From there, on to the LOUVRES! Originally built as a palace, the Louvres now houses some of the most famous art in the world. The most famous is the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian, painted the Mona Lisa in Florence, but Paris has it for some reason. It was cool to see, but I don’t think it’s any more special that most of the pieces in the Louvres. It’s simply a normal sized portrait that is fairly dim and doesn’t look different from a lot of other paintings of the time. I know I sound arrogant, but I just don’t see why it’s so special except that everyone knows what it is. I saw some other cool art in the Louvres too, but museums get old after a while. Kirsten and Sam both left us to do work, but I dragged Sarah to see Notre Dame with me. After all, it was free and there is a Disney movie based in the church. It was very different from any church in Italy because it was more about stone structure rather than art or frescoes on the walls and ceilings. It is very beautiful, and I love the Gothic style. It’s interesting to look at! Since we visited the church just before mass began, we were able to listen to the organ before leaving. The music definitely reflected the style of the church. It was very depressing and choppy music, but interesting nonetheless.

We spent Sunday night in the area of Sacre Coeur, which is a beautiful church on the north side of the city. We ate at a famous fondue restaurant called Refuge du Fondue that serves wine in baby bottles and is all about the experience. The food was great and the environment, though hot, was very fun! Since the restaurant was fairly close to Paris’ sex district, Sarah and I had to see Moulin Rouge before leaving. That sounds rather sketchy, but it’s not as dicey as it sounds. It’s certainly no worse than Bourban Street by any means. We wrapped up our night in front of the Eiffel Tower. It is an amazing structure, but, in my opinion, it’s most gorgeous at night. It was a great way to wind down from our long day.

Monday was a very relaxed day compared to the previous two. Sarah and I woke up early to climb the Eiffel Tower before the line became a mile long. It was a rainy day in Paris, but the view was still worth it! I never knew the purpose of the Eiffel Tower, so I’ll give you a short history lesson. It was designed and built by a man named Eiffel for a world’s fair. He used bridge designs to inspire the design. It wasn’t originally supposed to remain in Paris, but since it was the highest point in the city, the government decided to keep it and use it for military purposes. Interesting, huh!? The rest of the morning was spent seeing the Bastille, eating Parisian food (croques and crepes), seeing the Opera house and shopping around Galleria Lafayette (a HUGE department store with over 70,000 brands). We spent our afternoon napping in Parc Monceau before packing for the airport. We certainly needed the rest after the past few days we’ve had.

Getting to the airport was a huge ordeal. We left early but our bus broke down and we arrived after the gate had closed, which resulted in us begging to be checked in and shoving our way through crowds at security to make the flight. We were the last to board, but thank goodness we made it! All in all, I absolutely loved Paris! It’s the most stereotypically beautiful city I have ever seen. They do such an amazing job keeping it clean for having so many people! A lot of my experience definitely had to do with having such an amazing tour guide and a local place to stay. I can’t complain about the weather either. Everything worked out so perfectly, and I couldn’t have asked for a better trip!

Sarah and I are in Pisa now and leave for Morocco soon. We are so excited to go to Africa that we can hardly sit down. We are definitely going from one extreme to another. I hope it is as amazing as people say! Can’t wait to fill you in!
HOME IN about 3 DAYS!!!
Au revoir!