As promised, here’s a little more detail about the places I
have been so far. I won’t go into excessive detail about every experience of my
travels, only share with you the most wonderful places I’ve seen and the most
important and significant lessons and discoveries. Because I am writing about
two weeks of travel and four countries, I will break it up into shorter
installments to avoid a ten-page long blog that no one wants to read in one
sitting anyway. :)
…
Paris was the beginning of my adventure here in Europe and I
have since been there four more times– mostly as a stop on my way to somewhere
else. As I mentioned before, my first few hours there were not ideal but it got
better after a little sleep and less luggage to carry around.
After finding our hostel and dropping off our luggage, we
went up the street to the Sacré-Coeur. We bought a chicken baguette-sandwich at
a small street-corner vendor and sat on a bench at the base of the hill of the
Sacré-Coeur to enjoy our first, simple but delicious meal in the sun. Though it
was freezing, the sunshine, swarming pigeons, and children playing on the stunning
little merry-go-round and yelling “regardez-moi, papa” made
the whole scene a perfect French movie cliché. As we made our way up the stairs
to the cathedral, I had a breath-taking panoramic view of the city. Though
cityscapes aren’t this country-girl’s favorite sight, it was still amazing to
see the huge span of the city and how completely perfect the location of this
cathedral is. From the steps, we also caught our first glimpse of the Eiffel
Tower off in the distance. 
The interior of the cathedral, marked by ancient architecture and
masterfully crafted stained glass windows, created an overwhelmingly sacred
atmosphere. After a slow walk around the inside, we made our way around the outside
and to the back where the sunshine was hidden behind the massive domes of the
building. The cold was unbearable in the shadows so we wandered back to the
steps in front to listen to the calming sounds of a man playing the harp. After
about 45 minutes we decided to keep moving before we either fell asleep or
froze. As we made our way up the street toward Moulin Rouge…well, let’s just
say that it was very obvious we were heading in the right direction. The kind
of shops you find in this neighborhood are definitely nothing like any store
you would (easily) find in America- and certainly not with such shockingly
indiscrete and risqué window displays. After a few pictures of the building we
decided that we would go to Starbucks for a warm drink and to wait until we
could check-in to our hostel at 4. It was almost painful trying to stay awake
after being up since 6:00 am the morning before, experiencing an eight-hour
time change, and only sleeping for about two hours on the plane. Needless to
say, when we finally checked-in at the hostel, sleep was priority and came
effortlessly as my head hit the pillow. 
The next day was spent walking from the Notre Dame to the Louvre,
through the Tuileries Gardens, up the Champs-Elysée, climbing the stairs to the
top of l’Arc de Triomphe and finally making our way to the Eiffel Tower. While
trying to find our way across the massive roundabout to l’Arc de Triomphe we
met another gentleman who was also searching for the underground tunnel. Long
story short, he was incredibly generous and gave us a free pass to the top and €10
so that all three of us (Whitney, myself and a Casey, a girl we met at our
hostel) could go to the top of the Arc. The city sparkled with millions of
lights and it was a fantastic 360º view. We had originally planned not to go to
the top and to just move on to the Eiffel Tower but we were so glad we didn’t
pass up the opportunity. Being at the right place at the right time and helping
out a nice stranger definitely worked out in our favor.
After about an hour or so at the Arc we then found our way over to the
Eiffel Tower in hopes of getting another great view of the city from the top. Unfortunately,
it was closed for visitors that day due to what we gathered to be a private
party taking place on the first level– complete with multi-colored lights and
loud party music. After enjoying some hazelnut white chocolate while planning
ways to obtain an invitation to this party and finally admitting defeat, we
decided to go back to the hostel.
The next day we got up early and took the train to Vichy, the small
town where I am studying this semester. We were happy to be able to leave our
luggage in my apartment in order to make the next week and a half of traveling
much easier and cheaper. Whitney and I joined Alex, my roommate, and one of his
friends, Samuel, for dinner at a nice French restaurant where we all shared a
meal of several typically French entrées: soupe à l’oingon, salmon in a regional
plume wine sauce, a beef plate, a ham plate, and fois gras. It was all tasty
but nothing that made my taste buds dance in gastronomic pleasure. In all
honesty, I will probably not be having fois gras again. However, the night was
wonderful, complete with a delicious wine and walking around the town in good
company. It is with slight embarrassment that I have to admit that my sense of
direction is completely shot here without the help of my familiar Rocky
Mountains. Clever me decided to attempt to lead us home from the restaurant but
instead, completely unaware, ended up leading us in a wide circle. In amusement
and a little disbelief, Alex took pity on me and led the rest of the way. In my
defense, there is absolutely no organization or logic to the way the streets
are set up here and street names are not clearly market like I am used to. I’m
happy to inform you, however, that after a month here I can now find my way
around quite well.
Whitney and I headed back to Paris the following day, Thursday, and
spent the night at the same hostel we had stayed at Monday and Tuesday. We were
thrilled to find ourselves in a room of just the two of us with a magnificent
view of the Sacré-Coeur illuminated atop its hill.
No comments:
Post a Comment