Sunday, May 8, 2011

Adventures in France

The girls and I decided to take a weekend trip out to Paris, France to see the Eiffel Tower and the culture that France has to offer.

We took a VERY early train into Paris, which was nice because we were able to catch up on a lot of sleep on the train ride over.  Upon arrival we were shocked by how actually uninviting the French people were to us.  I thought that this was a myth, but it was true what they say, the French do not seem to be very fond of Americans.

We walked into a cafe to eat and were shocked to find a very large, very unfriendly German Shepherd sitting behind the counter with the food.  The women that owned the place seemed to also own the dog and kept it there with her even though the dog did not seem to be too fond of the people that were coming into the cafe.  It was here that we got the first taste of how expensive everything in Paris was going to be.  From the cafe we continued on to our hotel, where we were finally able to put down our heavy bags so that we could explore the town around us.

The first stop that we made was to Notre Dame, which is a beautiful cathedral in Paris.  I was overwhelmed by how ornate the outside of the cathedral was.  The inside is even more overwhelming, with gargolyes and angels everywhere, looking over the people that are walking into the cathedral.  The stained glass windows inside took my breath away.  They are massive and very detailed and and bring attention to the altar that is placed in the center of the cathedral.  All of the stained glass pieces represent stories from the Bible and although I could not get close enough pictures that you are able to tell what the stories are, in real life they will take your breath away.  The time and detail that has gone into the making of these windows is absolutely incredible.  Inside of the cathedral there are also many statues and a large chandelier that is on display.




After Notre Dame we moved on to see other parts of Paris before settling down for the night.  We saw Paris' political hub, another very beautiful building surrounded by fountains.  All of the buildings in Paris  have wonderful statues surrounding them and seem to be famous people in the history of Paris.  Some seem to be angels or gargoyles and others seem to be saints or religious figures.  On a bus trip through Paris to see other sites, we happened to pass the statue that marked the storming of the Bastille.  I was excited to see these monuments to points in history that I thought I would only be able to imagine while talking about them in history class.

The most amazing part of Paris for me in first impressions was the waterways and how they are used to the advantage of the city.  It becomes clear that in previous parts of history water was very important and that is why all of the important places in the cities are built on the water.  I also loved the fountain of St. Michael that was found upon getting out of the metro on our first stop in Paris, the Notre Dame.

After going to Notre Dame we took the bus to the Louvre.  We were all very excited to be able to see the glass pyramids that are so famous in this city.  They were beautiful and did not disappoint.  There was also the beautiful fountains that surround the glass pyramids and add to the beautiful ambience of the museum.  The inside of the Louvre might have been even more impressive than the outside.  A huge, imposing building that seemed to never end.  The amount of history in this art was incredible and there were so many pieces of art that I could never have imagined being able to see.  I was most excited to be able to see in real life the Mona Lisa by Da Vinci and the Captive sculptures by Michelangelo.  There was also Aphrodite, Hammurabi's Code, Winged Victory, Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss and many other statues that I loved to have the opportunity to look at.  Although I am not an art person, this was a wonderful experience and I am so glad I took the time to be able to see all of these things.





It was raining about the we left the Louvre and we were all starving so we stopped at a cafe to eat dinner, it was a delicious meal and we were all quite satisfied at the end.  We collapsed into our beds after a whirlwind of a day and we prepared ourselves for our next long day at Versailles.

We arrived at Versailles on a train and walked to the Golden Gates.  They were everything I wanted them to be and more, beautiful, extravagant and holding in a history that I could not wait to explore.  We spent a good hour or so outside of the building itself just taking pictures and taking it everything that there was to see on the inside.  Finally, we decided to go inside and what we found was more extravangence waiting for our arrival.  The inside of the building was beautiful and although I didn't want to rush the experience, I could not wait to see the Hall of Mirrors.  It is even bigger and more gorgeous when you get to see it in person than when you see it in pictures in history books.  Everything about it was wonderful and I couldn't get enough of the Hall of Mirrors.  I took plenty of pictures in it, and while it was a wonderful place to be I was even more taken aback by the paintings on the ceilings of the rooms and their significance.  All of the rooms had these painted ceilings with images of Mars and other Gods that meant peace or prosperity, thus making it the perfect place to house the signing of the Peace Treaty.






Finally we got to the gardens which were even more immense than the inside of Versailles.  It could take a person all day to explore the entirety of the Gardens, but we tried to get in as much as we can.  After wandering around there for a while we decided that we wanted to be able to see Marie Antionette's house.  Although we got lost and ended up walking around for a good hour and a half before coming across her house, it was well worth the wait.  The cottage and the surrounding area was just stunning and we took our time exploring the area where this very famous lady once stayed.  She was obviously a very private person because of how far out her house was and she also obviously cared for animals because of how much useable farm land she surrounded herself with.  She did not want visitors apparently either, as there is a large mote the surrounds her abode to this day.









After the tour of Marie Antionette's house we were all very tired.  It was getting towards dinner time so we decided to head back towards our hotel.  Our feet hurt and we just wanted to be able to sit down for a bit.  We ate at a small cafe that was by our hotel and the food was even better than the food that we had the day before.  Then, Kate, Kate, Lena and I decided that we wanted to go and see the Eiffel Tower at night and what an experience that turned out to be!!  Upon arriving at the Eiffel Tower, tears filled our eyes as at night the place becomes magical.  It has such a romantic feel to it and the tower lit up is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life.  We just stood in the same spot and stared at the Tower for as long as we wanted.  Then, to our shock and amazment a light show began at the Tower and led us all to sit where we were originally standing and just take in the sight.  It was AMAZING.  I can not describe how wonderful it felt to be able to say that I was enjoying a light show at the Eiffel Tower.  The only thing that ruined the experience was a creepy vendor who kept touching me and kept asking me questions about myself.  But I was determined not to let that ruin my experience and put his presence out of my mind.  We decided that the Eiffel Tower was something that we would want to explore the next day and went back to our hotel room happy that we had that experience.  To top it all off, we later learned that the beautiful moon we saw peaking through the Eiffel Tower's legs was a moon that is only seen every couple of decades, making it an even more special experience.



The next morning began early again.  Kate, Kate, Lena, Catalina and I again decided that we wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in the daylight.  We trekked over and got in line to get to the top of the Tower.  We didn't have to wait long before we were on our way up in an elevator.  You have to change elevators 3 times before you get to the top and each seems to get progressively smaller.  There is not a chance for any individuals to get to the top of the tower by climbing, all progress past a certain point has to be in an elevator.  We finally made it to the top and the sight we saw was to die for.  It was amazing and we got to see all of Paris from where we were standing.  We took in the sights from the top of the Eiffel Tower and reveled in our ability to say that we had been to the top of the Eiffel Tower!  We then began our descent with huge smiles on our faces and an idea of where to go next thanks to the fact that we got to see a birds eye view of the entirety of Paris.

We continued our trek on to see the Arc de Triomphe and took in the sights that there were to see in that area.  Although we couldn't stay long I was glad that we were able to enjoy this sight.  We then just explored the town of Paris and got a couple souvenirs for our friends and families. We then made a quick stop over to see the Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge! Both of which were amazing sights to be able to see, for very different reasons.  The Sacre Coeur is a beautiful religious place that sits on top of a hill and is very commanding.  It was a wonderful, beautiful day and it was topped off by the view of a beautiful building.  Two minutes away was the redlight district of Paris where Moulin Rouge is situated.  It sits among a very eclectic gathering of sex shops and strip clubs in a very busy part of town.  I was glad we were able to see the other side to Paris before we left. We took in as many sights as we could before we had to go and collect our bags from our hotel. It was time to go back to the train station and catch the train back to London.  Although Paris was a wonderful city, I could not wait to get on that train back to London.  London is a place that feels more like home than anything to me now and I could not wait to be able to sleep in my own bed and speak the native language in the country.  I also couldn't wait to be able to eat something other than pastries, because although they are delicious they are not as filling or as healthy as I would like.






We arrived safely back into London and we all collapsed into our beds because although it was a very successful weekend, it was a weekend that was very trying on the nerves and a killer on the feet.  My feet still hurt thinking about all the walking that I did in Paris on a pair of heels that broke 30 minutes into the trip on the first day.


Cheers!

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