Parlez-vous anglais?

The birthday fun continued (Bobber Bash never ends, people!) with my first out-of-England trip...to Paris!  After work Thursday, I rushed home to pack everything in my backpack, which ended up being quite a tight fit.  I printed out all my tickets and hotel receipts and ran to the post office to get me some Euro.  BAM!  This chick was all good to go!

About 12 Notre Dame kids took the same train that night, so when we successfully arrived in Paris we could be helpless together.  We looked around at the signage and it suddenly hit us: they don't speak English here.  Uh oh.  Somehow we managed to take the Metro to our stop (perhaps it's because all the lines are colored, and we can do colors).  When we emerged from the underground, we were immersed in a postcard: Notre Dame stood before us, and the sidewalks dazzled in the rain, reflecting the streetlights.  Wow.

My roommate was arriving in Paris the next day, so I did not have a hotel booked for Thursday night.  So I mooched off of two sweethearts in our program who let me have the foot of the bed for 20 euro.  Winning!  But before going to bed, we had to explore the fine French cuisine…meaning crepes and wine.  Yum:)  It actually ended up being quite fun, although we only stayed out for an hour or so.  My closest friends weren't there, so it was a great chance to branch out and hang out with other ND kids.  Everyone here is so cool; I can't stand it!

French wine, great conversation and a cute café...I could get used to this!

The next morning I woke up early to meet my boyfriend for a casual walk around Paris-- it's whatever.  We spent nearly two hours in the National Army Museum because I was fixated by the medieval armor.  I seriously could stare at those knights for HOURS!  The exhibits were extremely thought-provoking, and for the most part they were also captioned in English, so we could truly appreciate what we were gazing at. The museum also houses Napoleon's tomb, so that was pretty cool to see.  The rest of the day flew by.  We then picked up sandwiches from a street vendor and ate them inside the Museé de le'Orangerie so we could stare at some panoramic Monets.  Later, we reconnected with a number of ND kids to climb 669 steps to the second level of the Eiffel Tower. 

The outside of the National Army Museum, which housed the super cool armor AND Napoleon's Tomb.  Also check the Eiffel tour on the right...artsy juxtaposition. 

Notre Dame kids taking on the Eiffel Tower! 

Hey! In this pic I look almost as tall as the Eiffel!

The most suspenseful part of our trip came when I met my roommate at our hotel that night.  I had seen a wide variety of Paris hostels over the past 24 hours, and the one thing they had in common was that they were all straight up janky.  Yet, we were pleasantly surprised to see our room actually resembled somewhat of a hotel room!  There was a huge hole in the bathroom ceiling (so taking showers meant constantly checking for peeping Toms!), but that was probably the only negative.  Plusses included the private bathroom, warm water, and a safe within the room.  

Now that we were content with our accommodations, the next goal was to MAXIMIZE.  The next day we took an early train to Versailles and explored the palace and gardens.  Near noon we jetted back to Paris and first hit up Notre Dame for an afternoon service and a tour through the treasury.  Afterwards we spedwalk (like SERIOUS speed walking, people) past all the famed Parisian monuments-- the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and even the Eiffel Tower, since my roommate had not seen it the previous day.  Boy, both my photos and my quads were on fire after that expedited tour!

Versailles Gardens.  Some say Marie Antoinette lived the life, but she didn't get to spend a semester touring Europe with some of her best friends, so I care to differ.

With one of my favorite people at one of my favorite places.

Notre Dame(r) takes Notre Dame!

Roommates on the Seine. 

I managed to take this picture and NOT have my passport stolen by gypsies.  I call that a success!

The night ended with a beautiful dinner in a quaint river on the Seine and a quick trip to Shakespeare and Co, one of the most famous bookstores in the world; Ernest Hemingway even used to hang out here!  After picking up a free book (I'll always remember my super random copy of Elizabeth and her German Garden), the boys in our group escorted us back to our hotel, and we had a quick sleep before an early flight the next morning.

Shakespeare & Company: probably the coolest bookstore I will ever see.

Nutella Crepes right before giving up chocolate for Lent...Heaven.

Couldn't believe what a success our first trip was!  Of utmost importance, we made it through unharmed, without ever feeling in danger or losing any valuables.  Also important was the fact that we devoured an insane amount of crepes and croissants!  Très magnifique!

Stay tuned for my next blog, detailing my latest adventures in Ireland.

Cheers,
C