Paris, France
Hotel Modern with Reka
Eiffel Tower
With every picture I snapped and mental note I took down, I quickly became aware that I would never be able to capture Paris through my camera lenses or through words alone. When browsing through my memory to think of words to describe the gigantic city, I think of ornate, lavish, rich, delicious, grandiose, historical, romantic, and absolutely breathtaking. Although I’ll try my best to recreate my weekend through words, Paris is really one of those places you are just going to have to venture to yourself. And trust me, it will be well worth it.
We (being myself, Bri, Reka, Noah, Josh, and Michelle) headed out of Preston bright and early Friday morning, and after a train, plane, bus, and terrifying taxi, we were finally in Paris! Considering it was relatively late and none of us had the energy to navigate the labyrinth of a metro system, we stayed in the area surrounding our hotel and enjoyed some delicious pizza and a cheesy magic show, compliments of our waiter. After dinner we enjoyed some overpriced beer at a local bar and then headed back to our hotel with a few bottles of cheap champagne to finish off the night and celebrate our arrival.
The next day began bright and early, for most of us that is. Noah, Josh, and Michelle opted to sleep in while Reka, Bri, and I headed off into the Latin Quarter (the intellectual’s quarter) for a four hour walking tour of France’s finest. During the tour our charismatic guide took us all around the city pointing out major landmarks, and keeping us entertained with some of the not so well facts about Paris’s rich history. When the tour finally came to a close and we bid au revior, the three of us girls headed down every girls shopping dream… Champs Elysees. Champs Elysees is the Rodeo Drive, the Fifth Avenue of Paris. It is lined with the most expensive designer shops, overpriced restaurants, and window-shopping galore. The street seemed to go on forever, not that any of us were complaining, and finally ended at the Arc de Triumph, which was absolutely gorgeous. You would never guess how enormous it really is until you see in person, engraved in the finest detail. Again, this is really just one of the things that words don’t do justice to.
Now the Eiffel Tower looked relatively close, so we thought we would mosey on over…easy as that. What we soon discovered was that however close we thought we were, we were really quite far. Even when it was in eyesight, we could never manage to find our way through the twists and turns of the many streets. After what seemed like hours and a nice panini pit stop, we finally made it… and was it ever worth the trek. Since it was dark by that time the tower was all lit up and it was such an amazing sight to see. We bit the bullet and paid the twelve Euros to go all the way to the tippy top. The line was worse than the Matterhorn, but the view completely made up for it. Overlooking all of Paris from every direction, all lit up at night, was again indescribable and an experience to last a lifetime. The night finally came to an end with the group coming together over a few crepes, drinks, and a view of the Eiffel tower sparkling through the trees.
The next day we got another early start and headed off to the Louvre. Just as everything else described was gigantic, the Louvre tops them all: an enormous horse shoe museum stretching floors high and underground with the most detailed sculptures and designs carved into the entire thing. If you were to take thirty seconds looking at every piece of work in the Louvre, it would take you three weeks to get through it all. We on the other hand, opted for three hours of key works including the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and the Code of Hammurabi. From there we all ventured over the bridge covered in lover’s locks, down the river lined with the best vendors, and finally to the Notre Dame Cathedral, home to our beloved Quasimoto haha just kidding J. Anyways, just like everything else, words just will not do it justice: the endless panes of stain glass, the statues, the high ceilings… I could go on and on. I lit a candle in memory of Nay and thought he would think that was pretty sik to be recognized all the way in Paris… pretty legit if I don’t say so myself. By that time it was getting dark so we made our way over to Sacre Coeur, the artist district.
At first we just wandered the streets, strolling past vendors, creperies, and plenty of little shops. We eventually found ourselves climbing endless stairs to this Arabian looking church at the top of the district that overlooks all of Paris. We sat for a while enjoying the musicians, and made our way down to France’s version of the red light district. It was nothing compared to Amsterdam’s, more like an abundance of neon lights offering porn and peep shows; however, it is home the infamous Moulin Rouge. We found the Moulin Rouge and had a nice photo shoot in front, although I must warn you, it is nothing compared to how the movie portrays it. With the church overlooking Paris in mind, we grabbed a baguette and a bottle of wine and made our way to the top, indulging and thoroughly enjoying our last night in Paris.
Sadly the trip came to an end on Monday, but we were sure to snag a few chocolate filled croissants and snacks for the journey. The trip back seemed to take ages, but we finally arrived back safe and sound in Preston after a long day of travel. Rereading this I know there is so much that I left out, and thinking about my trip and all that there is to see, I know that there is so much that I missed and wished I could have seen. This only means that one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, I will be lucky enough to travel back and say Bonjour to Paris once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment