Retour à Paris
Ahhh, Paris. I missed you.
Paris and I really bonded three years ago during my study abroad. Pretty much from the day I left, I was dying to go back. I used to have really realistic dreams all the time about getting to go back*, and it was always just a little depressing to wake up in Provo.
My mom came with me to France to help me with my move to Strasbourg, and she hadn't been to Paris since 2005. So it was only natural to decide to spend a few days there being tourists before heading to my new city.
The 7 hour flight didn't seem long at all compared to my Israel flights (11 hours).
And then we landed in ma ville, Paris! It felt oh so good to be back. We went straight to our cute little hotel in the Latin Quarter, and relaxed a little and I took a shower (you're not allowed to have bad hair in Paris).
We were pretty close to the Pantheon (no, not the one in Rome). Sorry, I'm using too many parentheses in this post (I'm actually not that sorry).
We walked over to the Pantheon, but sadly it had closed early that day.
We were also very close to Notre Dame, and then we tried to walk there too. Emphasis on the word try. At the most it should have been a 10 minute walk. It took us an hour. I'm ashamed that I didn't remember how to get around Paris very well...I knew the city really well during my study abroad.
You'd think it would be fun to wander through Paris for an hour, but it's really not when you just got off a plane and you didn't sleep all night or eat at all. I do not function well without food and sleep.
While we were aimlessly wandering we did come across the Pont des Arts, one of the most famous bridges that goes across the Seine. Couples put their names on padlocks and put them on the bridge, and then they stay together forever and never break up!! It's like magic!!
I don't think my mom knew the story behind the locks, because she tried to get me to put one on the bridge (would that mean that I would be alone forever?).
Eventually, we did find Notre Dame. I was NOT in a good mood during the wandering part, but I was very happy when I got inside. It seems lame and cliché for Notre Dame to be my favorite cathedral in Paris, but it totally is. It's one of the oldest (happy 850th birthday this year!), it's the biggest, and I love the history and overall iconic-ness of it.
We happened to walk in right as a mass was starting, so it was fun to hear the organ and people singing in that huge space. It felt right out of the Middle Ages (but with more Asian tourists).
After Notre Dame, we went on a quest to find some much needed food. We crossed the river again and went to my old hangout place- the church building where we had class every day during my study abroad. At least I remembered where THAT was.
So many memories there!
Right across the street is the Centre Pompidou, a modern art museum, where thankfully we came across some crepes and I finally got to eat. We sat outside by these funky fountains and I started feeling better about life.
We walked around the Marais district a little more, and came across this adorable crepe restaurant. I must eat there sometime.
After a little more wandering, it was getting dark out and we called it a night. And not very long after getting to our hotel, I was sound asleep.
So between the Pantheon being closed, getting lost, and being tired and hungry, it was kind of a lame day. But thankfully, a lame day in Paris is still a pretty excellent day compared to being anywhere else.
Paris and I really bonded three years ago during my study abroad. Pretty much from the day I left, I was dying to go back. I used to have really realistic dreams all the time about getting to go back*, and it was always just a little depressing to wake up in Provo.
My mom came with me to France to help me with my move to Strasbourg, and she hadn't been to Paris since 2005. So it was only natural to decide to spend a few days there being tourists before heading to my new city.
The 7 hour flight didn't seem long at all compared to my Israel flights (11 hours).
And then we landed in ma ville, Paris! It felt oh so good to be back. We went straight to our cute little hotel in the Latin Quarter, and relaxed a little and I took a shower (you're not allowed to have bad hair in Paris).
We were pretty close to the Pantheon (no, not the one in Rome). Sorry, I'm using too many parentheses in this post (I'm actually not that sorry).
We walked over to the Pantheon, but sadly it had closed early that day.
We were also very close to Notre Dame, and then we tried to walk there too. Emphasis on the word try. At the most it should have been a 10 minute walk. It took us an hour. I'm ashamed that I didn't remember how to get around Paris very well...I knew the city really well during my study abroad.
You'd think it would be fun to wander through Paris for an hour, but it's really not when you just got off a plane and you didn't sleep all night or eat at all. I do not function well without food and sleep.
While we were aimlessly wandering we did come across the Pont des Arts, one of the most famous bridges that goes across the Seine. Couples put their names on padlocks and put them on the bridge, and then they stay together forever and never break up!! It's like magic!!
Eventually, we did find Notre Dame. I was NOT in a good mood during the wandering part, but I was very happy when I got inside. It seems lame and cliché for Notre Dame to be my favorite cathedral in Paris, but it totally is. It's one of the oldest (happy 850th birthday this year!), it's the biggest, and I love the history and overall iconic-ness of it.
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| Incense cloud |
So many memories there!
Right across the street is the Centre Pompidou, a modern art museum, where thankfully we came across some crepes and I finally got to eat. We sat outside by these funky fountains and I started feeling better about life.
We walked around the Marais district a little more, and came across this adorable crepe restaurant. I must eat there sometime.
After a little more wandering, it was getting dark out and we called it a night. And not very long after getting to our hotel, I was sound asleep.
So between the Pantheon being closed, getting lost, and being tired and hungry, it was kind of a lame day. But thankfully, a lame day in Paris is still a pretty excellent day compared to being anywhere else.
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