November 8-12, 2007
I have to be honest, Paris was never on the top of my list of cities to travel to while in Europe. I have always heard that the people are rude and the most that I heard about the city itself is about the Eiffel Tower. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Paris was amazing! I don’t want to sound cheesy, but it was a very romantic and dreamy place.
Our flight left right after school so we arrived early in the evening. Since our plane flew into an airport that was outside of the city we had to take a 40-minute bus ride to Paris. I did not mind the bus ride because we were able to see parts of Paris as we drove into the center of the city. It was very chilly and it definitely felt like winter. We got to experience the metro right away because we had to take it to our hostel. It was not complicated, but it was a lot different than Madrid’s metro. It was a lot dirtier and the doors can open before the metro stops completely. When Courtney and I arrived at our metro stop and went to look for our hostel it started to rain heavily and of course we did not have an umbrella. Thankfully, our hostel was very close to the metro stop and it was pretty easy to find. The first hostel we stayed at was 3 Ducks Hostel. The front desk was located in the common room/ bar area. It reminded me of a cute cozy pub on a winter day. After we checked in we walked around the neighborhood to find something to eat. We were not super close to busy streets, but there were some cute restaurants near our hostel. Our first meal was croque-madame, a delicious ham and cheese sandwich in yummy cheesy bread with an egg on top. A great way to end our first night in Paris.
I got to say the breakfast at this hostel was probably the best I have had so far. We got a baguette with butter and jelly, coffee, and juice, and if we really wanted we could have seconds (this might not sounds like a lot, but it is great for a hostel). To start off our first day in Paris we went to the Cathédrale de Norte Dame de Paris. It was really cold even though the sun was out, but I was so thankful that it did not rain. I have to say this cathedral is probably my favorite cathedral that I have been to so far. It was enormous. Norte Dame is probably one of the most famous cathedrals in the world and that is thanks to Victor Hugo. At one time Norte Dame was in poor condition, but after Victor Hugo wrote Norte Dame de Paris better known as The Hunchback of Norte Dame, the citizens in Paris took notice. It was so beautiful inside. There are huge stained-glass rose windows, towers that lead you to an amazing view of the city, a 13-ton great bell and gargoyles on the top of the cathedral. It was also cool because while we were checking out the inside of the cathedral there was a service going. This is one place that I would recommend that everyone go to.
One reason that I really wanted to go to Paris was because there was a concert that I wanted to check out. By the time that I realized that I was going to Paris the concert was sold out, but Courtney and I decided to go see if we could buy tickets from some scalpers. We went about four hours before the show started and we did end up getting some tickets, about double the price. I knew it would be worth it especially since Justice (one of the groups playing) is from Paris. We ended up waiting in line because the seats were general admission and we met a young girl in line. She was so nice. She knew a little bit of English so she was helping us learn a little bit of French and answered all our questions. It was an awesome concert. We saw Justice (djs), Klaxons (well known band in Europe), Mstrkrft and Midnight Juggernauts. I have been planning on seeing Justice and Klaxons for a while so it was awesome to see them live. DJs are always amazing to see live. I felt at home. Even though we spent most of our day at the venue, it was worth it. Music is best when you experience it live!
The next morning we had to switch hostels so we headed over to Aloha Hostel (funny name for a hostel in Paris), which was close enough to walk too. After we checked in we headed off to the Eiffel Tower. Thankfully our hostel was near the Eiffel Tower so we were able to walk to it, which was a great way to see more of the city. It was a lot more cloudy our second day in the city, but it felt very romantic. We waited in line to visit the top of the Eiffel Tower and it was well worth the wait. The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel, and at the time it was the largest structure in the world. At first the critics called the Eiffel Tower, “metal asparagus,” but after it was the centerpiece of the World’s Fair, the tower was in Paris for good. It was definitely surreal to see it in person. It was so huge. I can’t even comprehend how it was built. Even though it was freezing at the top of the tower it was an amazing sight to see. Most of our day was spent at the Eiffel Tower and at lunch, but we were able to make it over to the Musée de Louvre, where the famous pyramid is located. It was such a cool sight to see at night. We were also able to see the Eiffel Tower light up on the hour. It shimmers for about 5 minutes, which felt like forever. How can Paris at night get any more romantic…hehe…I got to have a boyfriend next I go back.
Even though we did not want to stay out really late we decided to check out the Latin Quarter. This area is known for being really lively and full of stores, restaurants and bars/ clubs. It was the place to be. We went to a bar that I had found in my travel book and it was all the book said it would be. It was a local student hangout, with a jukebox with all types of music and their famous spiced sangria (of course it did not even compare to Spain’s sangria). On our way back to our hostel we stopped for some delicious crepes, I got a chocolate crepe. I love chocolate, but it was so sweet I couldn’t even finish it. It was the perfect way to end our night.
On our third day in Paris we headed to the Musée de Louvre, to spend a few hours checking out the inside. Again I have to say this is probably one of my favorite museums I have been to. It is so huge, that it is impossible to see everything in one day. So we choose things that we really wanted to see. Probably the coolest thing to see is the Medieval Louvre and the history of the Louvre. It is remarkable to see how things once were and how things came to be. Some other awesome things at the Louvre were: Greek Antiquities (Vénus de Milo), French and Italian paintings (Mona Lisa), Napoleon Apartments, and the Crown Jewels. Everything was amazing. After we spent half the day at the Louvre we headed over to Hotel des Invalides. There are three museums in the Invalides. The main thing that stands out is the gold-leaf dome. Even though it was cloudy and it started to rain, the dome stood out as if it were glowing. Napoleon’s tomb is also located here. It is crazy how huge the tomb is. We also checked out the Musée de I’Armée. It is an awesome armor museum. It is incredible the inventions they came up with to protect themselves and to defend themselves.
Even though there is so much more to see in Paris, I am happy that I was able to take the time to enjoy each sight. It just gives me another reason to come back to this wonderful city. Since we had to get up at 4 a.m. on our last day to take a taxi to the bus stop, to take a bus to the airport, we decided to call it an early night. Overall, I loved Paris! There is without a doubt something different about this city. It really hit me that I was in another part of the world, in Europe. Au revoir Paris (goodbye) or should I say á bientot Paris (see you later).
