Alright...since its been about three weeks since I went to Paris, I think its time to make another post about it. Also maybe one about London (not this past weekend but the weekend before that). I mean what else do I have to do right now...other then laundry...i think i just went four weeks...not sure how. I also have a paper due this week...so I have been hanging at the library for a few hours each day...going back later today, once laundry is done. Other then these two things I really need to catch up on this blog...because at the end of this week I will be done with term one here and so will be getting ready to head to EUROPE for a big tour. Hopefully I will see everything I want to see. But we will see.
Right. Paris.
Well Kristin and I flew out on Friday morning after taking the 830 train to Leeds (830 train means waking up around 650 to get to the bus by 720 so we can get to the train station with time to spare). We had booked seats on a Jet2 flight to Charles De Gaul. The plane itself was not what I was expecting...it was a real airplane. I guess when I hear cheap flight I think ooold plane looks like it's about to fall apart with uncomfortable seats etc...but the flight was fine. I had the window seat with a younger couple sitting next to me. I tried to read the whole way, but definitely fell asleep for a little bit. It was weird though looking down and seeing FRANCE!!!! I was soo excited. When we landed there was a full rainbow right next to the runway which was neat and as we towed into the terminal I even saw the Concord which they have mounted in a way between the terminals. But anyway so we got from the airport to the city and then from one metro stop we caught another metro to where we were going to be staying. The hostel was called ABsolute Paris, and it was really interesting. On the outside it looked like the rest of the surrounding buildings, but once inside it was completely different. The rooms had very unique wall paper and there was a huge stairway winding its way up to all of the six or seven floors. The kitchen was in the basement which was very cellar like. All in all it was an interesting place. We were supposed to meet up with two of Kristin's friends, but sadly both of them ended up not being able to get flights, after their flights were cancelled. So instead of having a room to just us we shared it with one other person, who was a very nice girl from Brazil.
After dropping stuff of Kristin and I decided to go for a walk and basically wandered our way down through Paris over to Norte Dame and then around the island it is located on. We got ice cream from this little shop that Kristin's mother had recommended and just wandered around eating ice cream and exploring the little shops and alley ways that wound their way around. After a while we headed back towards the hostel trying to figure out what we were going to do for dinner and what we wanted to do that night. Kristin had a connection in Paris and we wanted to try to get together with him. So in the end we got a call from Valentin and met up with him and a friend for dinner. Then drinks with a few more of his friends. It ended up being a really fun night and Valentin agreed to meet up with us the next day to help us around Paris.
The next morning Kristin and I went back to Notre Dame to look around inside, and we also went to
Sainte Chapelle which is the most beautiful place I have ever been. After these two churches we went to a cafe got some cafe and a water and then met Valentin. All three of us then wandered toward Champs-Elysees where the Arc de Triomphe is located. As we walked we also passed through the gardens surrounding the Lovre. After seeing the Arc de Triomphe (and almost getting hit by a car....hey its not my fault that its in the middle of a street) we went towards the Eiffel Tower and walked around it. We were thinking of climbing the stairs and looking around, but the line was really long and you had to pay for it as well. And who really wants to pay to climb stairs. So after wandering around the gardens surrounding this monument as well, we went in search of food. But of course all of the bakeries were closed, so we finally stumbled upon a crepe place called Crepe King, and it was delicious. I had a crepe with ham, cheese, and egg in it. I am not sure if I will be able to eat crepes with peanut butter and chocolate again...this was too good. Once we were all filled up we went to the Lovre, because none of us had really gone before and found out that THE LOVRE IS FREE TO STUDENTS IF YOU CAN PROVE YOU ARE A STUDENT! Twenty minutes into the Italian Renaissance exhibit though a voice came over the loudspeaker stating that all visitors should start heading towards their closest exits it was closing... so we saw the Mona Lisa....and left. After that we went in search of the best hot chocolate in the world...but ended up in the wrong place. So instead we found a pub and just hung out for while. Dinner was served up by Valentin and his friend Nicolas at Nicolas' flat.
The next morning we had decided to play it by the weather, and since it was rainy and windy we decided to go to the Musee d'orsay which is located in an old railway station. We wandered around looking at the art for a few hours at least and then decided to try to find the worlds best hot chocolate again. This time we were successful...and it was soo worth it. The place is called
Angelina's and you will never taste true hot chocolate till you have this. It's the best. After Kristin and I had our chocolate fill we hopped a metro to the catacombs. Before going in though we bought sanwhiches at a bakery and went in search for Valentin and his friends Nicolas and Thomas in line. They had said that they would meet us to go to the catacombs and lucky for us they were about fifteen people from the front of the line, so we got into line with them and headed into the catacombs.
Now. The
catacombs of Paris are not for the faint of heart...or the clausterphobic. They are located under the city within some of the shortest tunnels you have ever seen (well in some places). After you go through some winding tunnels of just rock on all sides you finally get to where the famous part begins...now this is where it gets creepy. For from floor to ceiling its bones...all lined up with skulls making funny patterns between them. Yes they are all real bones, no they are not labeled who they are any more...so for all you know you are touching some famous person's bone, or skull. There are supposedly some down there...but they are not labeled at all.
This was probably where I had the most fun, because instead of really thinking hard about where we were and all that, we just had fun, goofing off, and taking random pictures. It was a fun final thing for my trip.
After these we went for a cafe and then I headed back to the hostel to grab my bag and head out. I finally made it back to the terminal after taking a train to a train...then that train to a bus...then the bus to the airport. Once I was through security and finally at the gates...I relaxed. Finally time to board...and then plane away from Paris and back to Leeds. There I had to grab a taxi with two other people to get to the train station to catch the second to last train out of Leeds to York.
This was my trip to Paris...I want to go back, because there is so much more I could see and do and because it is a city unlike anything I have ever seen.
Now...I need to go back to working on the paper, because I got my laundry done and I told myself that I was just going to write this while doing laundry. Oh...and its raining outside...its a true English Day.
