parisAfter a long transportation journey late last night (Paris metro to bus station, bus to airport, plane to taxi, taxi to home), I got back to "home" around midnight.
My trip to Paris was wonderful. It seemed like the perfect length of time, because I saw everything I wanted to see and didn't feel rushed for time. What suprised me most was how much I loved the city. Of course I thought I'd like it, but it has a reputation of being dirty and unfriendly, both of which were untrue. The French people who I met were friendly and welcoming, and I got by with some smiles, lots of pointing, and my few words of French (I attribute my French vocab to Beauty and the Beast). Also, the city was very romantic. I always thought it was a little cliche about the romance of Paris, but it is true, especially around Christmas time when everything is lit up.
I think my favorite thing about French culture, besides the patisseries where I'm sure I picked up some cavities, were the couples. French couples of all ages are always embracing and kissing. At first I found it a bit strange since no one seems to touch in Ireland, but I found myself appreciating a culture where people could show affection openly. Plus, French men seem very romantic and have a way of clutching their women like they are desperate for their affection. I guess Paris being a city of lovers is one pre-conception that came true. It was very sweet.
I got into Paris on Saturday afternoon and met my friend Nikki from CU. She has been studying in Wren for the semester. She is great at French (even though she doesn't think so), so having her around made the trip very easy. Together we negoitated the metro systems and found lots of great sites. My first stop was Notre Dame. The church was impressive because of its size, but the inside definitely wasn't the prettiest of churches I have been in - it was very dark and incredibly crowded. Maybe I have a bad impression of that church anyway because I hate the story, the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's way too sad. It's hard to list all the places Nikki and I went, but we walked all along the Seine River, went out in the Latin Quarter, saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Luxemborg Garden, which had beautiful fountains. I saw two amazing churches in addtion to Notre Dame. One was St. Sulpice, which was dominated by large pillars and lovely murals. It was off the beaten path, so I liked the emptiness of it. Also, I went into St. Chapelle church, which has chapels with walls that were entirely stained glass. It was stunning. Nikki and I went to an art exhibit by Australian artists including one of her favorites, Klimt. I really liked his work, he has a famous painting called the Kiss, and it shows lovers kissing, with a woman's head tilted back and a gold border. I'm sure most people would recognize it. We had to wait in line for about an hour and a half to even get into the exhibit. At first I thought that waiting that long was crappy, but then I though how cool it was that people were willing to wait in line to see some beautiful art. Plus, we had musicians playing the accordion and clarinet outside, so we were entertained while waiting in line.
Nikki had to leave on Sunday night so she could make it back to class on Monday. It was rather odd to stay alone in a new city, esp. since I couldn't speak the language. I had never stayed in a hotel alone before either. But, traveling by myself was a new experience, and I like the pace of doing whatever I wanted for as long as I wanted to stay. On my own, I went to the Eiffel Tower. I didn't go to the top, because the line to get up there was huge, and I'd already been to a high point of the city. Instead, I called my sister from a phone under the eiffel tower - it was great to talk to her and witness a classic monument. That day I also went to the Louvre Museum. It was awesome! The building itself was pure artwork, with murals on the ceiling and carvings all over. Of course I went and saw the famous pieces like the Mona Lisa (not much different in person than in a reprint, plus you had to wait in line to see it), and the Venus De Milo statue. My favorite piece was the large statue of the phinx. I could only handle being in the museum for a few hours, because I was in absolute sensory overload. I think I saw more religious paintings this weekend than collectively in my entire life.
Now I am home, dreading finishing those final papers, but very excited because the next time I go to the airport, it is to go home! At the moment I have a cold. It started coming before my trip, but I fought it off and now it has hit. Also, my ears haven't fully popped since my flight last night. I was in a lot of pain yesterday, and I could barely hear. So, hopefully at some point they will unclog, and I really hope I don't have an ear infection.
