Let's try this again.
After adoring the Notre Dame and taking lots of pictures, we walked. I'm not sure if we had an exact destination in mind, but we ended up walking across an adorable bridge over the Seine. Something strange about our time in Paris: one of us would mention something we wanted to see or needed to find and less than five minutes later, that very thing we had just discussed appears! For example, my little sister Becca LOVES postcards. I sent the girl two from Spain and vowed to find "antique" postcards for her while on my trip. I told my friends to be on the lookout, and the next street vendor we passed had hundreds of antique postcards! I grabbed a card for Becca and a card for myself, complete with stamps, postmarks, and handwritten notes on the back. They are precious, and the old man that sold them to me was so typically Parisian I couldn't stop looking at him!
Walk, walk, walk. War Eagle moment with some other students from Auburn, spending their free weekend from Rome in Paris. Walk, walk, McDonald's. I don't think you people understand how very viciously cold it was in Paris this day. We needed coffee and sustenance and free WiFi. McDonald's it is.
When I say McDonald's, I really mean McCafe. These restaurants are legit in Europe. They. Are. So. NICE. Sara ordered Earl Grey and they served it to her in a mug with a teapot of steaming water. Olivia's coffee had a design in the foam and came in a glass, not a disposable cup. There were macaroons, muffins, and tons of other pastries I've never even seen before.
Walk, walk, walk again. Stumble upon a plaza with art all over the walls of the buildings and modern art sculptures in the fountain. There was a strange looking modern art museum and a few men creating beautiful art on the sidewalk with chalk. Then, we found Etam. Etam is a clothing store with really cute, fashionable clothing and lingerie for ridiculously reasonable prices. I hunted for a loong time and finally found some things for the other sister who gets married in two weeks :]
Next item on the check list: the Louvre. Of course, we didn't have nearly enough time to even consider entering the museum, so we took pictures outside by the glass structures. Thank you, Tennessee Vols fan for snapping our photo. Check.
I mentioned how frigid Paris was weather wise. Did I mention the wind? Did I mention how difficult it is to control a dress in the wind and avoid showing the world your unmentionables? Well, it's hard. And funny. And such a funny memory. Olivia, Sara, and I had quite a time controlling our skirts.
Walk, walk, statue, walk, couple making out, walk, walk, pink limo, walk, big fountain, walk, walk, man blowing the biggest bubbles I've ever seen in my life, walk, walk, zoo, walk, walk, CHAMPS FREAKING ELYSEES. I knew this avenue was a big deal, but I was not prepared. Louis Vuitton. Cartier. Hugo Boss. People everywhere. And, at the end, the Arc de Triomphe. It is still so surreal to me to think that these monuments exist and that I saw them in real life.
Next, we hopped on a Metro and found the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre. The basilica itself is beautiful, but it's set on top of a hill and the view is gorgeous. You can see so much of the city. This is a major tourist spot, so the hill and basilica were swarming with people. Walking up to the basilica was the only time I felt unsafe my entire time in Europe. There were these men from Africa that walked up to each of us individually and grabbed our wrists, weaving some sort of bracelet on our arms. My man spoke English, but he said "Hakuna Matata." My train of thought: Lion King? Has he seen it? Or is he from Tanzania and knows Swahili? Do other African countries speak Swahili? Why is he tying this thing on my arm? I finally told him I wasn't willing to pay him for some string on my arm, and he said, "...Just a small contribution." I said no more than enough times and tried to pull my wrist from his grasp. He wouldn't let go. All four of us had this problem at the same time, so no one could help anyone else! Cynthia got caught by a man twice. As soon as my guy let me go, I ran. Flat-out RAN. We tried to enjoy the basilica, but I was kind of freaked out and really worried about having to go back down the mountain towards those men. God was watching out for us and nothing else happened.
As if that wasn't sketchy enough, we left the Sacre Coeur and went straight to see the Moulin Rouge. I felt like I needed to take a shower after walking past the stores and cabarets on that street. Worth it to see the building, I suppose. And worth it to find crepes for dinner!
We walked the city again after dinner. I am a firm believer (and so is Paloma!) that the best way to befriend a city is to walk and get slightly lost in it. We saw the Concorde Opera Paris, lots of cathedrals, beautiful buildings, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Dior, and finally, the Eiffel Tower.
We could see it from a bridge over the Seine and we stopped to snap a few photos. Then, of course, we found a cute little food shop and picked up some snacks (aka the BEST cappuccino muffin I've ever tasted) to eat on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. It was beautiful at dusk, even though random Frenchmen walked around trying to sell alcohol to everyone, but it was even more beautiful at night. Right as the sun was setting, we joined the line to buy tickets to go to the top. Of course, only one side of elevators were functioning, so the line was incredible. We waited for an hour and a half and just barely made the 11pm cut off.
It was horribly cold. My cardigan, thin dress, and scarf were just not cutting it in that Paris weather. We waited for forever, but luckily we had some great people in line around us. One lady and her daughter were (white) South Africans, but the daughter now lives in London. Evidently, it's difficult for white South Africans to get jobs because of racial issues. Companies are forced to hire black employees, so most young people leave South Africa and move to other parts of Europe in search of a job. Interesting. The two ladies were wonderful though. So funny and so willing to tell us stories and listen to ours in return. I really enjoyed meeting them.
By the time we were able to ride the elevator up, we could only go to the first level of the Tower. (I'm a chicken, and I hate heights...so I didn't complain.) Cynthia had left to go meet her mom and Olivia, Sara, and I were about to freeze to death. We took pictures and enjoyed our time up there, but made it quick! We had to wait in another line to go down and made friends with some ladies from San Fran. They were so interested in our study abroad program. Even though we were in a line to get on the elevator, someone behind me thought she was entitled to push and shove her way past me and Sara to get on the elevator. Olivia made it...and the lady and her husband who pushed were the last two allowed on that load. I couldn't believe that woman did that! Everyone in line behind us was shocked (in English and Spanish, at least) and even her husband looked remorseful when Sara and I were separated from Olivia. It all turned out fine. Just frustrating!
It took us a while to find a Metro stop and when the metro finally arrived, it was really crowded. I tried to go in one door, but there were too many people. I tried to go in another door, and it slammed in my face, shooting off with my two friends inside it, leaving me standing on the platform by myself. I was so tired and so cold and irrationally upset by that point. A lady that stepped off the Metro came over to me and asked if I was okay or if I needed help. She made sure I knew how to get to my stop alone and then left. I'll forever be grateful for her, whatever her name is. She soothed my nerves without even realizing it. She didn't have to stop and ask about my well-being. But she did.
We all three finally made it back to the hotel where I tried to blog but crashed almost immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment