FRANCE: PARIS

Now, I am on the train ride back from Paris. I had the most incredible time there. I could not get over the fact that I was meandering along the same streets that were the same source of inspiration for all of these famous artists and writers. Our hotel was right in central Paris – a five minute walk from the Seine! The first afternoon we got there and marched of directly to the Eiffel Tower along the river. Gotta start off big. We sat on the lawn in front and just appreciated its grandeur. We also met with OLGA – a ski friend from Colby. After, we tried to visit the Catacombs and then the Luxembourg Gardens but unfortunately both were closed, which was super frustrating. So, we ended up wandering the streets and finding a bar for Happy Hour. It was wonderful to just relax and chat for a couple of hours before dinner. That’s one thing I’m going to miss about France is taking the time to just relax and chat. I really hope I take the time to go get a coffee and just appreciate my friends at Bowdoin at least once every day. There is so much value in simple conversation!

After drinks, we met up for dinner at a place called Brasserie Vagenende with the rest of our group. We had a delicious, super fancy meal. I ended up accidentally ordering a liver and rabbit terrine for an entrée which was absolutely disgusting but also had yummy fish and oozing chocolate cake made up for it. It was the nicest restaurant I’ve ever been too – decorated Renaissance style. I ended up sitting near Micheline and a bunch of guest students from Swarthmore who were studying in Paris for the semester. It was really neat to be able to compare and contrast programs. Apparently, they are only in classes for the first 5 weeks and are then placed in internships – like at the Louvre, in a French school, and so on. After dinner, Elita, Molly, Greg, Elliot, Olga, and I met up with one of Elita’s friends and checked out the bar scene on this neat street called Rue de la Lappe. It was a great recommendation because it was definitely the spot to be on a Friday night in Paris!

The next morning, Elita, Molly, and I got up early and arrived at the Musée d’Orsay. We didn’t rush or anything and got there just in time to beat the crowds. I was kind of grumpy about visiting it because I wanted to explore some of the outside monuments more but it ended up being the best museum I’ve ever visited. The structure was so cool. It had this beautiful pattern on the ceiling. And check out the pic of the lobby below. We spent over 3 hours in just one section on Impressionism. I absolutely fell in love with that form of art and noted down some of my favorite paintings to research and look at more later. Seeing the work of Monet was so cool and I was a little disappointed there wasn’t enough time to see Van Gogh’s as well. I was really appreciative to be with Molly and Elita – they are just such wonderful traveling buddies. They are like me and want to fit in as much as they can but also relax and enjoy each place. It was so much fun to chat about art. None of us were particularly well educated on the artists but it was great to discuss what we thought about the paintings and see how different the things we picked up on were.

Then, we met up with Elita’s friend and got a cheap but delicious lunch and ate in the Tuileries Gardens. We wandered to the Place de la Concorde, which was the center for the guillotine executions after the Revolution. There happened to be a Ferris Wheel that was just installed temporarily this past week. So, of course we took advantage! It was great to have the beautiful view of Paris from up high without waiting in line forever! FYI the name for Ferris Wheel in French is the big wheel – aka La Grande Roule.

Then we wandered over to the Louvre and checked out the glass pyramid but decided not to go inside since we had spent the whole morning in a museum. After we went to SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY. Caps locks for emphasis on my excitement. This was my top choice of what to see. As I talked about a couple entries ago, the book A Moveable Feast got me super excited to learn more about the company that helped Hemmingway and Fitzgerald and still exists today! I bought a neat journal there made out of used books. So excited to fill it with all my thoughts! It was exactly the type of place I’d love to hang out. I could’ve chatted for hours with all the people there!

After Shakespeare & Co. we took the metro to Montmartre where the Sacre Coeur is. We made the long hike up and rewarding with the most breathtaking view of the city just as it was getting dark. Absolutely incredible. The church was beautiful and it was nice to take a moment and reflect. I lit a candle for Uncle Nou and Aunt Nancy. They’re in my thoughts constantly. We wandered around Montmartre for a while, enjoying it’s upscale beauty and checking out the art of all the local artists. We planted ourselves at a café and chatted for a couple hours and then met up with Olga for a 2ish hour dinner. Man am I going to miss the huge focus on making time for casual conversation here in France. Also, I tried escargots at the restaurant. Yummm!

That night we decided to check out the Eiffel Tower and got to see it sparkle at midnight. So beautiful! We also checked out this free techno party on a cruise ship on the Seine. So funny. I was pretty jealous of some of the dance moves. We ended up calling it a night pretty early so we could appreciate the next day as well slash we were just exhausted.

The next day, we wandered around the Luxembourg Gardens and then I planted myself down to finish my journal. Now I’m finally onto my new one! I also rushed off to go to Shakespeare & Co one more time to ask more questions. I found out that there are 3 beds open at all times. You just have to stop in and talk with the store owner. If she thinks you would get along with the people there, you can stay for free. The only requirement is that you wake up when the store opens and return when it closes. The only downside is there is no place to cook or shower. She said people usually stay for a couple weeks to a month but are welcome to stay as long as they like. I’m seriously considering trying to do this someday. Or WOOFing.