Paris Day 4 (Last day in the City)

Yes, yes, it is my 4th and final day in the beautiful city of Paris. I'm genuinely going to miss everything from the tiny, yet efficient apartment, to using the metro to get around to the cafe's where it's expected to have long meals where you talk to your friends/family and sit in crowded spaces. It is quite dirty, and at times smelly, here, however after the first day or so you don't even always notice it (you still do sometimes not gonna lie, just not as often). I really love how there's a different cafe every ten feet and they all have outdoor seating, with heating lamps if it's cold, and most often they's also small tables that face the street so when you're eating or drinking you can watch the passerby's. Going back to how this is the last day, we started off early by taking the metro to the catacombs and after getting in line we ran across the street to a bakery and I got pain a chocolat (my favorite!), then back in line. It took around 2 hours probably to finally make it in because it has a max capacity of 200 but it's worth it because it's so amazing and creepy at the same time to see with your own eyes. There are just all of these walls underground lined with real, human skulls and bones from centuries ago stacked on top of each other and it takes around 45 minutes to walk through. Next we headed off to the Pantheon in Luxembourg. This is where many famous people, most notably Victor Hugo (wrote Les Mis) and Marie & Pierre Curie are buried. It also has beautiful architecture all around it, no surprise. Luxembourg is so beautiful to walk around because it is filled with trees and pretty flowers so we stopped at Le Creperie after to have a [very] late lunch and dessert. The senate and Luxembourg gardens were the next stop, where we also ran into my friends old au pair again because she is a guard there! It has an amazing view so it is great to take pictures at or just sit and chill (there's many tables and benches to sit at around the flowers and garden area). After a short time here we had to race off to the site where Napoleon is buried to make it in time before it closed. There is also a mini museum there with tons of ancient armour there. Napoleon is not alone buried there, because many others have joined him since, but the building, again, is magnificent from the inside with the high ceilings and ornate wall designs. After spending some time here, we were on our way to the *drumroll* Eiffel Tower!! The grounds weren't as beautiful as I imagined and pictured it, with grass all around, it was actually just dirt and gravel sadly, however the eiffel tower itself was so grandiose. We weren't allowed to go to the very top for some reason it was temporarily closed and since we had already seen the skyline of Paris from a few different places around town already we decided to move on and took a boat tour. Sounds cheesy but honestly if you ever find yourself in Paris this is a must do because you don't even necessarily have to pay attention to the "popular" sites (unless you don't have time to go to them individually). Since we had already seen all these things many times in passing and going there, I just focused on the architecture of the city and the people. It was around 8 o'clock there and the walls surrounding the water were just brimming with people everywhere, with family, friends, and lovers talking, drinking, or having picnics. To me it all just seemed so perfect and beautiful. I know I must've used that word so many times by now, but all of this honestly is. We finally hopped back on the metro after the tour docked and made our long way back to around the apartment to have dinner finally (10 pm!). We finally found a good place, but me and Megan headed back right after eating to pack and get ready to move on to Normandy tomorrow. Plus I have had very little sleep so far and I've mostly ignored it, but today I couldn't anymore. So head back here tomorrow for my next update! I'm assuming our hotel near there will have wifi, if not, just keep checking because I might just have to post it a day or two late. As always, thanks!

The Catacombs

The Catacombs

Wall of skulls/bones in the Catacombs

Where Napoleon is buried

Marie Curie and Pierre Curies entrance to their tomb

Armour from the museum 

Ceiling detail at Napoleon

Eiffel Tower!!

Romper/Necklace- Forever 21
Bag- Marc by Marc Jacbos
Windbreaker- Columbia
Ring- Mexico area in Epcot at Disneyworld

Paris Day 3

Yay so I made it to day #3 in Paris! We only have one more day in the city, and even though driving through the country to Normandy, then Versailles will be cool, I'm already sad thinking about having to leave here. I really love the culture and people here, I'm sure it's similar in most of Europe which makes me just wanna travel around here even more (possible next trips: Ireland or Spain??) We've become somewhat of pros (only kidding!) at using the metro and navigating our way around it by now and I've grown to like it even if it occasionally smells and can be overcrowded at times. The architecture here is just breathtaking. We went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and just took in all the panoramic views of the city from up there. I think that was my favorite thing of the trip so far to be honest. The many, many stairs needed to get to the top is worth it, trust me. This, along with visiting the Musee d'Orsay. We grabbed breakfast after getting off the metro at a local bakery and then promptly got in line, luckily since we lined up before opening we didn't wait too long, although it was delayed 15 minutes, sadly. Then, once getting in I had a mini freak out because I legitimately thought someone had stolen my phone, even though theres no way that could've happened; I was just in panic mode and not thinking (it ended up having slid down farther than I thought the pocket in my new purse could go). I really enjoyed this museum much more than the Louvre just because it was less crowded, easier to navigate, and had the time period of painting styles I enjoy more. My favorites were the Monet's, Van Gogh, and Alfred Sisley. Excuse my lack of painting terms, but I love it when they paint with dots instead of smooth brush strokes. After touring around there for a couple hours and the arc, we headed to Le Friedland for a late lunch, a little ways off from the arc area. Next was Pere Lachaise Cemetery, where Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and many others are buried. It really is a cool place to visit because of how stunningly beautiful the graves and mausoleums lining the cobblestone streets. It is a little ways off, but the metro has a line that goes there. Finishing up there, we raced back to Odeon station to meet with my friends old au pair and from there we went to dinner at Bullion Racine, a really cool old building. Dinner lasted nearly 4 hours but it passed so quickly talking to her and eating amazing duck, and cake/sorbet. Tomorrow has a lot in store, so till then!

Pere Lachaise Cemetery 

Jim Morrison's Grave

Me with Van Gogh's Self Portrait 

In the middle of the Orsay Museum

Inside an exhibit in the Orsay

A crepe I bought on the street (best i've ever had, no joke)

The Arc de Triomphe 

Views from the Arc

Me n the eiffel tower

Paris Day #2

So here we are, I wake up this Monday morning and it's another day in Paris. I think I love this city even more at night, however there's so much to see during the day. First off we went to the famous Louvre. It took forever to get into the museum and it started raining pretty hard while we were standing there, but all is good because it was worth it once we got inside. (Tip: get there RIGHT when it opens to avoid lines that most likely take hours to get through; by 2 pm they went all the way out the museum and through the mall from that entrance). Of course we went and saw winged victory, venus de milo (my favorite!) and the mona lisa. I personally loved the ancient Egyptian and sculpture exhibits. The islamic art exhibit was really neat, although rather small, and in a cool part of the building. The museum itself is huge and after being there for several hours we were ready to go. The beginning halls and rooms were very crowded with people everywhere, but the deeper you went, the less people you would find so it ended up being not too bad to get around. Afterwards we stopped to get drinks at The Ruc not too far away, then we took the metro to the Opera house and afterwards to Galeries Lafayette. It is a very nice mall with many levels, the first being mainly fragrances and makeup, then as you make your way up there is a floor with only high end brands such as Chanel, Chloe, Louis Vuitton, Prada, etc. Those were nice to look around for a minute, but of course I wouldn't even think of going in since I couldn't buy anything and most doors were roped off, only allowing a few customers in at a time which was intimidating. They also had a floor with women's clothing brands, prices were still pretty high, but that's just Paris. For the more popular and well known stores there was Zara, Topshop, Urban Outfitters, and then there were more that I of course didn't really recognize but I assume were possibly well known in Europe or France. After buying a few things from there, we hopped on the metro again to go to the Montmartre area which is artsy and has some very interesting streets to walk around and many, many places to eat. We stopped for dinner and I tried snail (!!!) very interesting texture which I'm not sure I enjoyed, but overall it wasn't bad and I'm glad I forced myself to try it. We also saw Moulin Rouge afterward, then made our way back to the apartment before walking around a little more tonight. Overall, the people so far have been pretty nice and patient with us considering there have been a few language barriers along the way. Here's some pictures from today and I'll check in with you again tomorrow!

Little Overlook of Paris (at Montmartre) 

At the Louvre

The Opera House 

            

Winged Victory

Mona Lisa (of course)

Islamic Art Exhibit at the Louvre

 

                                                            So very photogenic (top of Galeries Lafayette) 

Paris Day #1

Finally, after 4 years of waiting, me and my friend Megan, along with her dad, were off to Paris! It is so exciting and still surreal to me as I sit in this tiny, yet quite maximized space of ours for the next 4 days that we are here. After driving up to O'Hare Airport in Chicago and waiting for our plane to take off (it was delayed because it arrived late), we worried that we would not make it onto our next flight from Dublin to Paris because of the exceedingly short layover plus that mess. Luckily, we boarded the 7 hour flight and, after fast walking through Dublin's airport, made it onto our next plane with success. This flight was much shorter, only around and hour and 20 minutes (thank GOD) and then we stepped into the Paris airport, filled with wonder. I've personally never been out of the country before and having to base my expectations off of what I see on TV, movies, and vlogs on youtube (don't do this guys, perception is not reality) I had no idea exactly what to expect. After stumbling around trying to find the exit from there, we hopped in a cab and it was a little bit of a drive to actual downtown Paris from the airport, but definitely made me have a different perspective. One of the first things I noticed when driving on the interstate was a cornfield (I was trying to escape those in Indiana) and also that the walls were covered in graffiti practically the whole way that there were walls. I kinda liked the graffiti though because the walls before were so plain and boring. Then, once you start to enter the city, it looks like most other cities outskirts and all, with some newer, and some older, unkept buildings. Once you got into the central part of Paris however, it all changed and I was in love. After dropping our stuff off in the apartment, we headed out. Side note: to make use of my time while we waited for a guy named Louis to come let us in, I sat in the empty staircase and did my makeup, it definitely saved me time even if I looked insane when he walked up to us and I had all my makeup spread around me. I highly recommend trying this. Anyway, we decided to just walk around and scope out Paris today and also check out the Tour de France finale. They pretty much just were doing victory type laps today since the race technically ended I think (?) yesterday. After they went around a lap and were coming back, one biker fell over causing a ripple effect and bringing down tons of other bikers, still pretty exciting to witness that though (the finale, not the accident). We also visited the beautiful Notre Dame which is just, completely on its own level, I mean it was built in 1163. How many buildings were built that long ago and are still around today?! Pretty awesome. So yeah we saw a lot of different sites today but didn't do too much actually going in places because we wanted to get ourselves used to the city and just take it all in. I'll check back in with you guys tomorrow but for now you can take a look at some of my pics below!

Louvre Entrance

Notre Dame

What is left of the lock bridge 

Shirt dress and flannel from Forever 21, Necklace from Go Fish (one of a kind), Purse is Steve Madden from DSW,  Map Watch from Urban Outfitters and shoes are Nike

Tour de France (pre-crash)