Paris
Life has gotten incredibly busy recently — both professionally and socially — and now it’s been more than two months since I got back from my trip, and I haven’t even touched on most of it. So here’s the next “installment”.
I took the Eurostar into Paris on a Wednesday, and then took the Metro to Montmartre. Once off the Metro, I got lost a few times, and had to test out my rudimentary French and ask someone where Rue Ramey was. Once I got to the hotel, though, I checked into my little single room with no problems, and then went out to do some exploring.
Highlights:
Sacre Couer & Montmartre: The steps up to the cathedral are not for the faint of heart; just when you think you’re at the top, there’s another flight to climb. But the view at the top is specatular — all of Paris spread out before you. There were lots of people milling around and street musicians. The inside of Sacre Couer was beautiful, too. A few days after visiting, I took part in a walking tour of Montmartre, where they talked about Van Gogh and Toulouse Lautrec and the area’s history.
Eiffel Tower: How could you go to Paris and not visit its most famous landmark? Of course, I’ve seen it in movies dozens of times before, and figured it wouldn’t be a big deal, but seeing it in person was a thrill. I got there right before it opened, and right before the lines got insane, and went to the second level. It was foggy, so the view wasn’t as great as it could have been, but it was still worth it.
Notre Dame: They were having midday mass when I visited. It was incredibly beautiful, just as you’d expect, and the 5 euro audio tour in English was well worth the price.
Versailles: Here’s the thing about Europe: when you first get there, you’re all “The architecture! The Palaces! It’s all like a movie!” And then about three days after seeing all this over and over, you’re like “Palace, Shmalace.” But Versailles is something else alltogether. The only thing I’ve been to in America that comes close is Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, and of course that’s only has a quarter of the majestic flourish that the big V has. My favorite part was the Petit Trianon, where Marie Antoinette had her house and gardens, complete with a faux tiny village so that she could pretend she was a country wife. So surreal.
The Museums: I read an article recently that said that we go to museums when we travel in part because we want to be around something familiar. Well, I had a lot of familiarity in Paris. There was The Louvre, of course, where the first thing I saw was the Mona Lisa. It’s in a huge room filled with these large, colorful paintings, yet everyone is queued to see a small portrait done in dull browns and greens. While I loved the Louvre, my favorite art museum was the Musee d’Orsay, where they have all the famous Impressionist painters — Monet, Degas, Renoir, etc.
One afternoon, I met up with my friend Aude, my magazine swap-friend who lives in Paris. She took me through the Musee des Arts Décoratifs, where we indulged our mutual love of design. Then she took me out for some lovely, thick hot chocolate called l’African at Angelique. We finished by taking a walk around the neighborhood and explored a few interior design shops. All in all it was a lovely afternoon.
I enjoyed my first time in Paris. There is definitely so much more to see, and after taking a refresher on French on my own, I’ve been inspired to take French classes next term. Five days was plenty, though, and I was ready to go on to my next destination, Amsterdam.