Paris

Rebecca and I left on Thursday the 20^th from Luton airport (in London) to Charles de Gaulle, an hour long flight, which was half the time it took to get to the airport. When we landed Rebecca’s three friends, Jerry, Kate and Amanda were waiting for us just outside the gate. We got on the train into the city and they took us to our hostel - the Young and Happy - in the Latin Quarter so we could check in and drop off our bags. The hostel was nice and seemed clean, safe, and comfortable. Our room had four beds one of which was occupied and the other which was taken on our second night there. The hostel also provided a breakfast in the morning of a croissant, a roll, juice, coffee, and tea.

Then Rebecca’s friends took us to a small Italian restaurant that was delicious. I had lasagna and we got some wine for the table. I actually liked the rose we got, and I usually hate wine. After dinner we went to the Eiffel Tower. It was so cool to get off the metro and see the bright blue lights of the Eiffel tower shining over everything. Currently the tower is blue because France is the president of the European Union and it is decorated like the EU flag. It has the stars in a circle and everything. Jerry went with Rebecca and I to the top. It was an amazing view of the city but it was freezing and windy. I was scared to death but it was worth it. While we were up there Jerry did his best tried to point out all of the landmarks to us. Afterwards we met up with the a lot of students that Rebecca’s friends have met since studying in France and headed to the bars. Rebecca and her friends stayed out really late club hopping but I only went to one of the clubs and then Jerry walked me back to the hostel for the night.

The next day we woke up and had breakfast at the hostel and then Amanda picked up Rebecca and I and we headed off to Notre Dame. The first thing we did there was step on the center of Paris (indicated by a round stone in the pavement with a star in the middle. They say if you step there you will return to Paris someday. We met Kate and Jerry there and toured inside. It was beautiful. After Notre Dame we went to the courtyard of a local teaching hospital. There is a statue of the hospital's founder in the courtyard and every year the seniors paint the statue. This year they painted it as Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Night. They did an amazing job, and it was really cool. Next, we got crepes at a ittle stand on the street. I had banana and nutella, which was absolutely amazing. Then we headed across the street to Shakespeare & Co., a famous bookstore that used to be frequented by such authors as Hemingway.

After the bookshop, we walked down along the Seine to the Musee d'Orsay. We looked at a lot of impressionist work because that is precisely the topic which Rebecca is studying in one of her tutorials. We also went through a mask exhibit that is currently there. After Musee d'Orsay, we got baguettes for lunch and then walked through the Tuleries. This was highly unimpressive due to the winter weather however it’s obvious that this is a beautiful place most of the year. Then we waked to the Place de Concorde where you can see the Obelisk Napoleon, the Eiffel Tower, and down the Champs Elysee to L'Arch de Triomphe. We did not take the walk down the Champs Elysee because we wanted to head to the Opera. We walked down passed Madaleine, the cathedral where you get married in France if you're famous, and then on to the opera house. We only admired the outside and the lobby of the opera, because you had to pay to go inside any further than that. We then took about a two-hour break at Jerry house so Rebecca could nap and everyone could have a rest before our planned trip to the Louvre. We had to wait until later (past six) to go because on Friday’s students at the schools in Paris can bring in a friend for free so Jerry and Kate took Rebecca and I in for free. It was amazing. I’m not much of an art person but you can’t look at all of the wonderful artwork and not be impressed. We walked through all of the renaissance work because that is Rebecca’s favorite artwork. I don’t mean to sound like all of our museum trips were to mae Rebecca happy because I thoroughly enjoyed them, however as an art history minor she was the best qualified to narrow our explorations of these huge museums. It would take an entire day to even attempt to see everything in the Louvre. I loved seeing the Mona Lisa in person. I have always been fascinated by it regardless of the criticisms people have for it. After the Louvre we had dinner and went back to the Latin Quarter. I walked back to the hostel with Rebecca and Vikki so Rebecca could change and while I went to bed they went out to the student bars.

The next day, Saturday, was our last in Paris. We woke up early and caught the metro to the famous cemetery, the Pere Lachaise. We saw the graves of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, and Oscar Wilde. After the cemetery, Jerry and Rebecca went back to the Louvre so she could get a book on Mantegna while I went with the girls to get lunch. We bought baguettes and cheese then sat behind Notre Dame and had lunch. Then we walked through some tourist shops and I got one last nutella crepe in Paris. Then we got onto the train to head back to the airport.

The weekend was short and very busy but it was amazing. I love Paris and I cannot wait to go back sometime!