Coming back from Italy on Monday, we had a quick turn around
before our weekend trip to Paris, France this last weekend. Although tired and
with only a little time, I was able to check a couple things off of my London
checklist before making our way to the amazing Paris.
One was watching the first game of the World Cup at a local
pub called The Thirsty Bear. I have loved seeing the differences in the
following of the World Cup here comparing to America. I feel so lucky when I am
at a local place that all these people share the love of soccer just as much as
I do. One example of this is a huge Brazil-themed festival they have on the
first day set up in the middle of London in Trafalgar Square.
On Thursday, I fulfilled one of my ultimate goals for my
time in London and went to the Warners Bros. Studio for the Harry Potter film
tour. The tour was absolutely amazing, with a full immersion experience into
the whole world of Harry Potter.
We got to walk around the actual sets and props from the
filming of the movie, and learn all about how they made the magical books come
to life. We also got to personally taste the infamous Butterbeer (SO GOOD) and
the chocolate frogs that the films and books both highlight!
Friday night, Lauren and I decided to go to a musical, as
London has become a center in the theatre world. We decided upon Jersey Boys,
and I think we both didn’t know what to expect going in. By the end of the
show, we were both singing the songs with the cast, and I can honestly say it
was one of the best shows I have been to. The music was awesome, and we did not
leave disappointed in the least bit.
Waking up very early on Saturday morning, Lauren, Meg,
Andrew, and I jetted off on the infamous Chunnel to get to our destination,
Paris, France. After a smooth ride where we all fell asleep, we got into Paris
around 9:45 a.m. We quickly dropped our stuff off at the hostel by the train
station, and we ventured into the center of Paris to start off our adventure.
We received some suggestions from people who had previously
been in Paris on places to go, so we made our way to one café called Le Petit
Cler, where we got our first taste of French cuisine. The other three all got
omelets, while I got a grilled bread and prosciutto dish with balsamic
vinaigrette. It was so good, and I quickly came to see why France is known for
its bread…
Next, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower and waited the
hour and a half long wait in order to take the lift to the very top. The wait
was well worth it as the views were absolutely amazing.
After taking our time and enjoying the Eiffel Tower views,
we ventured off to go to the street named after me, the Champs Elysees. I loved
seeing signs everywhere with my name on it (with just a couple extra letters),
and seeing the awesome street that has become synonymous with Paris. Lauren and
I also crossed a couple of things off our bucket list by picking up French
Baguettes and Macaroons for our stroll along the famous street.
We walked down the whole length of the street, starting from
the Arch de Triomphe all the way to the Egyptian obelisk located at the
opposite end. For anyone, like myself, that loves the Da Vinci Code, I
personally enjoyed getting to see the different sites, like the obelisk that
the books are centered around.
Next we determined that we wanted to go to the other Notre
Dame, the more famous of the two, to check out all the hype over this place
that stole our university’s name. We stumbled across a couple of things a long
the way though.
First of those being the Pont des Arts, which is known
around the world for being the love lock bridge. Earlier this week, part of the
bridge collapsed due to the weight of the locks, and the mayor determined that
all the locks were to be taken down and no new locks could be added. Well, that
didn’t stop that mass of people putting locks on the bridge while we were
there…
On our way to Notre Dame, I noticed something peculiar that
you don’t commonly see in other countries. The street vendor’s items for sale
were a lot more cultural than your average city street vendor. Although there
was the customary souvenir vendors, along the Seine River, mostly all of the
vendors were selling art and books, a much more cultural alternative than
anything I had ever seen.
We finally made it to Notre Dame, and we realized why it had
so much hype. It was a gorgeous Cathedral with beautiful stain glass windows
and awe-inspiring architecture. The whole place just felt so special.
While gazing around Notre Dame, I noticed that right across
the street was one of the places in Paris I had been dying to go to:
Shakespeare and Company bookstore. This bookstore is famous for being the
gathering place of some of the best writers of all time such as Hemingway,
Fitzgerald, Stein, Whitman, and Wright. So cool to see for a book buff like
myself.
After building up an appetite, we found another little café
to sit down and enjoy some more Parisian grub. Meg and I decided to be
adventurous and both try escargot for the first time. Although we had to be
taught how to get it out of the shell by our very courteous waiter, we both
succeeded in getting our taste. We were both pleasantly surprised by how much
we both liked it! Definitely something I would eat again. Along with the
escargot, I got the traditional French meal of a croque monsieur, which was
also delicious.
Following dinner, we were all exhausted so we made our way
back to the hostel, where we crashed for the night in order to get an early
start the next morning.
After waking up early and getting in a free breakfast of
French baguettes and yogurt and cereal from the hostel, we made it to the
Louvre right when it opened in order to avoid the long lines and crowds.
Luckily, we were able to prove that we were studying in London, so we also got
to go into the museum for free under the European student discount.
We immediately made our way to the most famous painting in
the world, the Mona Lisa, to get to see it before the room it is in became
completely packed. Luckily, we got there when only about 20 other people were
in the room and we were able to get right to the front immediately. Andrew and
I found inspiration in our poses from the painting, obviously, and coined the
new posing phrase ‘Mona Lisa-ing’!
We also were determined to see some of the other amazing
works that the Louvre has to offer, and quickly came to see just the sheer size
of the place. It was a workout in itself winding up and down all the stairs
just to get from one side of the building to the other, even when you were
staying on the same floor. After some first unsuccessful, then successful,
navigating, we got to see a ton of famous pieces, like the Venus de Milo, the
Code of Hammurabi, and two of the Vermeer paintings (so cool especially since
there are only 35 in existence).
After spending all morning in the Louvre, we ventured off to
the Jardin du Luxemborg, which was another gorgeous park that Paris has to
offer. Here people were relaxing and sailing little sailboats across the
fountain they have in the middle of the park. We grabbed a quick lunch of
crepes, and then ventured off to another location.
One of the places that I kept seeing pop up as a must-do in
Paris was this neighborhood not far from Notre Dame called La Marais. The
neighborhood is known for being the most well-preserved historical part of
town, and is also the center of Jewish life in Paris. The streets are lined
with the cutest stores and restaurants, which a person could literally spend
days going into. One awesome thing we stumbled upon was a vintage clothing market,
where I could have easily spent my life-savings at. I restrained myself to only
getting one sweatshirt from the 70s, and left the market with pride of my
restraint.
After walking and doing so much, we were all pretty tired,
so we decided to find a pretty fountain by the train station and just hang out
for the short remaining time we had in Paris. We then all grabbed a French
baguette sandwich, which was also soooo good, and then got back on the Chunnel
to head back to our London home.
We only have a week and a half left here, so we are going to
be trying to pack in as many sites and adventures as we possibly can. But until
next time, as the French say, ‘Au Revoir’!
Cheers,
Elyse
