I was carefully studying my Western European phrasebook on the flight so that I could be somewhat prepared when we landed and the communication barrier was going to be obviously present. In fact, it definitely was! No matter how hard I tried to psyche myself out that I would be able to talk to locals smoothly, I was still a bit intimidated to try out my very vague French tongue. We had a bit of trouble figuring out the ticket system for the train and also had to keep a close ear for each stop to make sure we could figure out where we were going.
We eventually stopped at the Notre Dame/Saint Michel exit finally made it to civilization. That was an amazing and surreal moment. Multi-languages were echoing in the air and busy streets surrounded us. There were so many delicious looking eateries and boutiques everywhere we looked!
We had absolutely no idea where our hotel was in relation to the stop we chose to get off on and the phrase, "parlez-vous anglais?" (do you speak English?) was repeating out of my mouth. After looking at several maps and still not knowing what we were looking at, we stopped and asked two police officers on bicycles if they knew the address we were looking for. One of them said he spoke a little bit of English and helped us get to the right direction. The French we actually very nice people. They were especially helpful and friendly and despite what we were told, they will speak English to you if they know how.
We entered the hotel and it was right down the street from the center of Paris in a quaint little building. Finally, Ryan and I were going to have our own room instead of sharing one with three other people as we had been doing in hostels thus far. A community shower and one toilet for the whole floor to use, but our own Paris experience to share among ourselves.
We made it onto the streets of this city and started out our venture. There were magnificent buildings all around, meat and cheese markets everywhere along with windows crowded with pastries and every corner not without an opportunity to get an espresso. It was everything I thought Paris would be and more. I was also not surprised by the cigarette smoke lingering in the air. Everyone in Paris smokes. They smoke on the streets, waiting in lines and sitting in restaurants. This, I’d have to say, was the only bad thing about this wonderful city. That and the awful body odor (yes, it’s true) and the fact that I obtained a horrible cold the moment we arrived.
We started our sightseeing at the Notre Dame. This cathedral was so powerful and exhilarating. There was a poor man sitting by a monument feeding birds from his hand. He gave some bread to me and showed me how to do the same. I held my hand out and a crowd of little sparrows came swooping in and pecked at my fingers until all the food was gone. There was also a crazy boy, who was as it turns out, from California, standing on top of a cement block ranting and raving about God knows what. He was obviously on some kind of drug, but entertaining nonetheless. After the Notre Dame, we then ate.
We stopped by the fountain of Saint Michel and walked over a bridge which separates Paris from North and South where boats were cruising by quite frequently in the water below. We crossed through some romantic tunnels and widened our eyes in bewilderment to all that was around us. Then we ate.
Again, the train system here was the most efficient and affordable way to get around, as it is in most of Europe, so we decided to ride it to the famous Eiffel Tower. When we arrived at our stop, we looked up and saw the amazing structure. This was a very astonishing moment. We walked, yes walked, to the second floor of the tower where we could see all of Paris below. Since we were already half way up we figured we should go big or go home, so we took the elevator, or “lift” as they call it, to the very tippity top. It was so high up! It was amazing to see all the lights surrounding us and all the buildings and landmarks down below. Ryan and I had a little moment up there where we looked at each other and said, “We did it. We’re here. Just like we said we would be”. We then named this trip our “pre-honeymoon”. Not the norm to have I suppose, but it sounds perfect to us.
The next day we went to the Louvre which was probably the most gigantic museum I have yet to see in my lifetime. We strolled around to all the old and historical buildings and monuments and took photos of nearly everything we saw. We saw a couple who were dressed in their wedding attire getting their professional photos taken. How awesome and romantic is that? Getting married in Paris and having your pictures taken against some of the most gorgeous buildings in the world? Yes please! After that, then we ate.
We took the train to the Moulin Rouge and the Arc de Triomphe to look at the famous sights. We of course, then ate. We had an incredible picnic in which we went to the nearby markets and collected various types of food and had ourselves a French feast. We had fresh salami and goat cheese, a chicken crepe, baguettes, pastries, real crème brulee and rice pudding (delicious!), and of course French wine made right there in Paris. I cannot say enough about the food in this city. I’m pretty sure that if I stayed any longer, I would have had to be rolled back to the States.
Our night ended with an evening stroll one more time around Paris. As we were walking, Ryan bought a single white rose from an old lady selling them on the street. He handed it to me and said the white symbolized our friendship. We headed back to our tiny, yet perfect room in the center of town.
As we left Paris, my heart already yearned to go back. I love Paris. Much more than I ever expected and I expected a lot. Before we walked to our departing train, I took my wilting white rose and tossed it out our hotel window as I sighed, “Goodbye Paris, until we meet again”, as if I were in an old French film from the early 1900’s. It landed right on top of the window awning where I hope a little piece of me stays there for a while.
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