bonjour, paris.

I am so awfully behind on blogging that I've just putting it off...and off...and off. But now it's time to man up and face the music. It's time to tackle Paris.

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Honestly, I didn't have my hopes up too high for Paris. I'd heard that people were very unfriendly, that the city was smelly and dirty. That it was overrated and too tourist-y.

BUT, contrary to expectation, I absolutely loved Paris. A lot of it probably had to do with the fact that I was with Katelyn, who can speak French--which of course, the French people like. My contribution? I just smiled, nodded, and was generally useless, although I made sure to enjoy myself thoroughly.

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DAY 1:

We got into Paris a little after 9:00 in the morning. I can't even tell you how gross I felt. First of all, I was tired, because I had been freezing the entire night in my little train couchette (for some reason, the bottom bunks didn't get blankets...). I also couldn't brush my teeth, which bothered me lots. And finally, I still had yesterday's makeup caked on, and it was just all together not such a pleasant feeling. 


We made our way to the metro station, bought metro passes for Paris (unlimited metro for five days--BEST decision we've ever made--saved us so much money), and tried to find our hotel. It took a long time...our hotel was on the outskirts of Paris. But living there was another good decision. It was just wonderful living in a hotel instead of a hostel, and also, we just loved our neighborhood. There were hardly any tourists, it was so very clean, and it had lots of good bakeries and stores. It was like a real French neighborhood--and one of the biggest pros was the fact that the prices weren't all jacked up.


We got to our hotel, slept, rested, caught up with life on the internet, and basically did nothing all afternoon. We really needed that though...just saying.


We then found a laundromat and did our laundry. We ate Chinese take-out for dinner. SO good.


And that was basically the end of our exciting first day in Paris


DAY 2:


There was a fantastic bakery only a few blocks from our house. We went there for breakfast on our first real day in Paris, and returned every day after that--we were regulars. 


This particular day, we had a nutella [please insert French word here]. Basically, it was a nutella-filled, sugar-covered doughnut. 

um, yum?
yes, yum.

We then took the metro to Ile St-Louis, an island in Paris. It was earlier in the morning so the city was just beginning to stir. Everything was still very peaceful and it was just beautiful. We wandered along the River Seine and through the little city streets.

After we'd seen what the island was all about, we headed for the Shoah Museum--a museum on the holocaust, and especially on how it affected France. I'm really glad we went. The experience was sobering, but we have the duty and responsibility to remember. I was shocked by the monstrosity that humankind is capable of enacting, equally amazed by the strength and vitality of the resistance and the victims.

This picture is just off the internet, but this is one of the many exhibits.
A mere fraction of the faces of the victims.

We had an appointment to go up to the Eiffel Tower at 1:00, so that's where we headed after the museum. We still had to wait in line for quite a while, despite having a reservation, but it was definitely worth it. It was kind of weird going up in the elevator--a little freaky. It's so high. Obviously, we had a wonderful birds-eye view of Paris. It's such an icon of Paris--I think it was here when I really felt that yeah, I was in Paris. 

1: inside the tower, only 343 km from London.
2. view of Paris from one of the lower landings.
3) outside the tower.

We then got back on the metro, headed for the basilique du Sacré-Coeur. I think we spent a lot of our time in Paris on the metro...it's just such a big city. We ate lunch once we got off the train, at a little French bakery. I had a piece of pizza and a little loaf of bread, for just a little less than four euros. That is one dirt-cheap meal in Paris. As we were walking to the basilica, we passed through Place du Tertre, a square filled with artists who are waiting to paint your portrait--it was really fun just walking around and seeing the artists at work. There were also a lot of landscape artists--a lot of their work was quite striking.

the very edge of the place du tertre.

The church was beautiful, strikingly white and lots of cupolas. The inside is stunning, but we couldn't take any pictures, so you'll just have to take my word on it.

We then went home to rest for a little bit. I tried Orangina for the first time--it is absolutely fantastic. Possibly my favorite drink in Europe.

We decided to go to Montparnasse for dinner, which, according to our little guide, was the "retreat of bohemian artists and the working class." Big shots like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Picasso, and Louis Armstrong all came here, in their good times and their broke times.There are lots of famous cafes. Unfortunately, they realize that and now NOBODY in the working class can afford them now. Kind of ironic, huh. As much as I would love to eat in the same restaurant that James Joyce did, I refuse to pay 40 euros a plate.


Therefore, we went to a cheap sandwich shop. The food was good. As soon as we stepped out of the restaurant, it started to rain, so we decided to just go back home instead of walking around the area. We grabbed a nutella crepe on the way back to the metro. Of course, it was amazing.


And close the curtains on day two in the grand city of Paris.