Fall Break Part II: Paris

Arriving late on Sunday afternoon into Paris Gare du Nord Station, I started the trek to my friend Virginia's apartment where I'd be meeting her after she arrived home from a trip to Barcelona. Virginia (a friend I've known since elementary school) has been studying in a full immersion program in Paris, living with a French family and taking classes in French so this was going to be another great experience.

I arrived at 8 and met her at the train station closest to her apartment. We walked home together excited to see each other after 2 months!! We arrived at her aparment which was set up awesome, especially for being right in the city. The house was in the shape of a "U" with a courtyard in the center. To the right as you walked in was the door to the main part of the house with a kitchen/living room on the first floor and bedrooms for all the family members on top (Mother, Father, three brothers aged 17, 22, 25). To the left as you entered was Virginia's little "flat". She has her own room with a little kitchenette and her own bathroom, it was an ideal set up while still keeping the "family vibe".

Her host mother, a wonderfully gracious frenchwoman had prepared a great meal for all of us and we sat down shortly after arriving. Only one son was home (one out and the other leaving for his own fall break) but dinner was awesome. Speaking a combination of english, italian, and french we had a lively discussion about everything possible, her host mother, father, and brother so kind to share their home and meal with me, it was a great first night in Paris.

Though it was great timing for me to visit (seeing as I was on break) Virginia was in the midst of mid-terms, so I had some great sightseeing days ahead of me but unfortunately Virginia had a lot of studying to do during the day. So she helped me figure out all the sites I wanted to see and set me up with a guidebook and a map and I was off.

Day one started at the Louvre. Though I had already been inside I still wanted to see the beautiful gardens and of course the glass pyramid. Walking down the road I went in search of Notre Dame. Walking along the Seine on a beautiful fall day I couldn't believe my luck as to the weather. Aside from the day in Brighton, this trip was shaping up to be full of beautiful weather, great sites, and great people. Walking along, I grabbed a traditional baguette sandwich from a local boulangerie and continued to walk in what I thought was the direction to Notre Dame. Finally realizing that I had walked slightly in the wrong direction I readjusted my path and found myself staring up at the beautiful example of Gothic Architexture known as Notre Dame.

Notre Dame was an unbelievably serene place despite the hundreds and hundreds of tourists. After Notre Dame, I went on my way to another well-known landmark in Paris, La Tour Eiffel. Taking many photos of the Tower itself and the other sites surrounding the area (all of which should be posted on my photobucket sometime this week) I just couldn't believe how beautiful everything was.

Finishing off my day before meeting up with Virginia for dinner, I made my way over to L'arc D'Triomphe and the Champs D'Elysees. Walking down the Camps D'Elysees towards the L'arc D'Triomphe as the last rays of fall sun fell, my first day in Paris was great, but not over yet. I met up with Virginia and we went and grabbed a bite to eat at a local Creperie and we ate and then went back to her apartment where she had some studying to get done so I thought I'd take advantage of the still beautiful fall weather and go see some of the sites lit up at night, most especially the light show at the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful end to a great day.

Tuesday I got to sleep a little bit later for the first time in my travels, attempted to register for classes, and the met with Virginia for lunch at Luxembourg Gardens. Despite the fall weather, the Gardens were still in full bloom, and with the warm mid-day sun we had great weather to walk and talk and eat, especially enjoying the Medici Fountain that is a famous fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens.

I then took again my trusty map and the Paris tour book Virginia had lent me I decided to do a self-guided tour of Montmartre including Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge. Virginia had just finished the last of her hard mid-terms so we met back at the apartment, cooked a nice little meal on her hot plate and then met up with some of her friends from school and two girls from my program back in Perugia who were also visitng Paris for a night out on the town Parisen style! Coming home, I packed my things up and got ready for the train ride to Frankfurt that I had to look forward to the next day.

Peace and love to you all!

xoxo aisling