(Except without that whole being executed for treason under the guillotine thing. I bet that kinda sucked.)
Wow. Amazing. That is all I can say to describe this past weekend in Paris. Paris is a city which affects me more than any other city that I have been to and I could never really articulate why… It is just a feeling and each time I come here (this was my 3rd visit) I have a completely new experience, regardless of whether it is my first or my third visit to the sight. This weekend was a very special weekend because I was able to meet up with one of my best friends Alison, currently studying abroad in Barcelona, and introduce her to this wonderful city. Sadly, as I write this post she is already on her way to the airport (I still have an hour wait or so before I jet back off to “reality”). As I sit here I can feel my body giving into the exhaustion of a weekend of non-stop walking, eating, gawking, and just pure glee and excitement. I hope that I can make it on and off the plane… (However, if I don’t I would be happy to eat beans and live in a cardboard box here. I am sure even their beans are doused in butter!)
Yesterday was really our only full day together to sight-see so we decided to make the most of it even if it killed us, our joints, and our shoes. Started our morning at the Louvre, made a bee-line for the Mona Lisa, wandered around a bit but decided that as guilty as we felt the Louvre, with it’s sheer gargantuan size was overwhelming and we would just have to come to Paris to do it justice! St. Chapelle and Notre Dame were just as hauntingly beautiful as I remembered with the stained glass and dark stone that takes me right back to the middle ages. (Yes, of course I remember it.) We even got to sit in on a Mass! Lunch was delectable with pumpkin soup, salmon, and ratatouille in a little café with low ceilings off of the Seine and then we started our biggest trek of the day through the Tuilleries, down the Champs-Elysée and up to the Arc de Triomphe. Apparently driving there is so dangerous that if you get in an accident your insurance is void! Our last stop of the day was the Eiffel tower, which while impressive during the day was a million times more amazing at night all lit up and sparkly.
Today, mindful of our time constraints we headed off to Musée d’Orsay, enjoyed the beautiful architecture of the former train station, the Van Gogh, Rodin, and Impressionists inside (among many others!). Our last stop was the Garnier Opera house, which I had never been inside before and it made me wish that we had had more time to actually go and experience an opera or ballet production there…Oh well! We have already started planning our next visit so it will definitely have to be on the list!
For those of you planning on visiting Paris here is a helpful article written by a traveler looking through the eyes of the 18-19th century:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/travel/22Grimod.html?pagewanted=3&sq=paris%20travel&st=cse&scp=1
I knew there was a reason I’ve studied the French Revolution four times…
p.s. We should all thank Miss Alison for commandeering my camera and providing the pictures to accompany this post!
