PARIS!!!

March 19, 2010

8:52 a.m.

BONJOUR! The past week has been a crazy one. From, going to the Opera "Don Giovanni," to ice-skating, to hiking the Bastille, to being sick. And now as I am getting over my cold, I am in Paris, France.

Yesterday, I got here at around 1:15 p.m. with the rest of my group by train. We got to our hotel, which is near the Gare de Lyon/Bastille. Miranda, our Resident Director, took us on a mini-walking tour by the Bastille (or where it stood before the French Revolution) and around the Marais quarter. We saw the Chapelle St. Louis, the Place des Vosagês (which is where Victor Hugo lived in addition to be a gorgeous little park), and walked into the courtyard of the Musée Carnavalet, which has a lot of fun history behind it. After, strolling around for supper and looking at all the fun shops, we met back at the hotel to go to the musical "Zorro." The dancing and singing were amazing. It was, of course, in French, but I understood what was going on the majority of the time! Sometimes, certain songs were in Spanish. At this point, I had NO idea what they were singing about, but it was a good time regardless.

Being in Paris didn't really sink in until after the musical. A couple of us ,who had not been to Paris before, decided to go see the Eiffel Tower at night. I can't even put into words how pretty it was. We sat and stared for about 40 minutes until it did the sparkle show. Absolutely amazing! J'aime Paris!

March 20, 2010

10:05 p.m.

Wow. My feet are so swollen from walking, walking, and more walking. But, I am in Paris, so I really can’t complain. Yesterday, Miranda took us to Palais Garnier, the famous opera house of Paris. This is where the story of the “Phantom of the Opera” originated. The Palais Garnier was decorated with ornate decorations, huge mirrors, and twelve different colors of marble. The intricate chandeliers and lighting made the receiving rooms breathtakingly beautiful.

From the opera house, we walked to Place Vendôme. The Ritz Hotel was in this square. The very same Ritz Hotel that Princess Diana left before her tragic car accident. It was at Place Vendôme that we found the first “meter.”

The Jardin des Tuileries was near the Place de la Concorde. Miranda took us through the gardens to Concorde, and we had a nice view of the Eiffel Tower in the day near another famous square.

The Tour Montparnasse has 56 floors. The skyscraper of Paris offered an exceptional view of all of Paris. It reminded me a lot of the Empire State Building in New York, or the Sears Tower in Chicago.

The Louvre is free for students on Friday nights after 6 p.m. (incase anyone was every planning a trip to Paris!) We went to the museum in search of the Mona Lisa. I was actually impressed with the size of her. Everyone complains she is so small, but I thought she was a normal portrait size. What I was disappointed with was the huge crowd around her. I couldn’t even appreciate the painting, just a glance, and then I had to get out of the way for the next tourist to get a picture of the subtle smile behind the thick glass protecting her. I saw a few other famous works by popular artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Canova, Véronèse, and ancient Greek and Roman statues, like Vénus de Milo. I was really impressed with the pyramids that were recently built in front of the Louvre.

Our last stop of our night: Harry’s New York Bar. This bar was where the “Bloody Mary” was invented. For 13 euros, one could buy an original Bloody Mary while being surrounded with British and American people. The piano player and guitarist in the corner created an ambiance that one could only experience in an English-speaking bar. Classy with a twist of down-to-earth style. An excellent choice for something a little different and un-Parisian. The story is that Ernest Hemingway frequented this bar, against his wife’s wishes. The bartender would make Hemingway a drink with tomato juice and spices and/or tabasco-hiding the scent of vodka. I wonder if Hemingway’s wife, Mary, ever figured it out.

Today, the day started with The Sorbonne-the Université de Paris. We sauntered over to the courtyard of the Musée du Moyan Âge and then saw the Pantheon…amongst other things I cannot remember.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame was enormous. We toured the interior of the church. Next time, I hope to up to the towers. Miranda pointed us in the direction of the most interesting bookstore I have ever been to. “Shakespeare & Co.” I bought a few of the classics like “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “Phantom of the Opera.”

The Luxembourg Gardens were beautiful. The weather was nice, but I wish that I my feet weren’t so swollen. Around when we got to the gardens, my feet were in so much pain that I wasn’t enjoying myself.

The Musée D’Orsay, in my opinion, was way better than the Louvre because there was Vincent Van Gough, Monet, and Renoir. (A few of my favorite artists).

The Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe were a picture stop. My feet hurt WAY too much to continue. Tonight is a chill night at the hotel, just trying to recuperate from the past few days.