Thusdays Away From Home

Today was one of the most amazing times spent in the city thus far. The weather cleared and was bright, sunny, and warm for the first time since I arrived. (So far, the sun has only peaked out for a few hours at a time). Theresa and I decided that it was the right day for an impromptu visit to Sacre Coeur. It’s on a little mountain about ten minutes away from her apartment. I had seen the church from all of the amazing heights we have climbed, but not up close. First we start walking uphill on streets, then began the stairs. As we got higher and higher, a whole new city opened up in front of me. It was unlike the city so close below. There was a completely different atmosphere… it was amazing. We toured the amazing church and the area outside of it. There was a strange sense of calm that came over me upon entering the church. It was far more intimate, even though everything inside was grand and ridiculously beautiful. There were no cameras or admission fees, just nuns and little girls praying in front of every saintly idol. (I love guessing what kids pray for, especially when they really get into it). We toured the artists’ square after leaving the church. The square is located in the mountain as well. The artwork was amazing and amazingly overpriced. Men lined the streets and began to draw portraits promising to “make you look beautiful” for the hefty fee of a few dozen euros. This little mountain town struck me as the Petoskey of Paris. It’s funny, but I’ve found a way to relate many aspects of Paris to locations and feelings I have at home. Theresa had her French final today so after leaving the mountain we jumped on a metro and headed to the school. After her final, we went into the computer lab to pull together a last minute trip to London. We managed to book a train ride there, hotel, and bus ride back to Paris. We both felt so accomplished afterwards because we were not entirely positive we were going to pull it off in such a short period of time. We were supposed to meet some other students for dinner, but missed the reservation because of our travel planning. We headed out towards the Eiffel Tower instead. As we got off of the metro in front of the Eiffel Tower, the clock struck ten and the lights started sparkling. It was amazing! It was the most perfect timing! We stopped and had dinner at a small Italian café and continued on towards the tower. Again, the tower started sparkling. After standing in front of it for a long while, we stopped at the crepe and ice cream stand. There I was again, in a moment I thought could never exist or at least would have never dreamt of… eating pistachio ice cream with my best friend, standing next to the Seine and staring at the sparkling Eiffel Tower.

Tuesday on Thursday

Oops… Because of jet lag, general fatigue, and my continued abuse of wine, I am now two days behind in updates. The past few days have been amazing (surprise surprise). On Tuesday, Theresa and I went to Notre Dame. It’s technically on an island so we were around water for most of the day. First we toured the inside of the church. It’s so beautiful that it just affects you to the core. The intricacy of the church and every single thing inside is astounding. The Crown of Thorns was displayed in the museum. They think it is the crown that Jesus wore. I’m not sure whether or not to believe that it is just because it’s odd that it would have survived so long, but who am I to say. There were also countless reliques in the museum that housed the remaining pieces of saints from very long ago. I had a very strange feeling as I stood in front of dozens of objects considered to be the holiest things imaginable by the Catholic Church. The way everything is on display didn’t seem right. I understand that the country owns the church versus the Catholic church, but it just touched me the wrong way. Still, this thought did not totally detract from my awe. We moved on to the bell tower afterwards. There are 400 stairs to the top, but after the Eiffel Tower, it was nothing. The tiny stone stairs spiral up and up. Finally, we saw sunlight and knew a door was coming. We got to the top and walked along the perimeter of the tower. The view here was more impressive than the Eiffel Tower if that’s possible. Theresa and I just stood there, at the top of Notre Dame, with gargoyles in our line of vision and the most incredible view of a city that seems as big as the world. I was concerned that seeing these indescribable places during the past week would have somehow desensitized me to the richness in the smallest of places and things, but being here has only made me more tuned in to them. After the tower, Theresa and I stopped in to a café and had a crepe. It was the most amazing thing ever (except for Notre Dame of course). After that, we walked along the Seine and came to the Conciergerie. Apparently, the Conciergerie was both a palace and prison. We went into the room where Marie Antoinette was held before she was killed. At some point in history, the same walls we were standing in held hundreds of people right before their fate was decided. There were two portraits that depicted the “waiting room”. People were just packed in this room, crying, fainting, putting their heads down, and some being completely stoic. No one was spared, men, women, and children were killed on charges that ranged from ridiculous to malicious. The portrait alone gave me chills, let alone seeing the cells. After that experience, we began walking along the Siene again in order to get back on the metro. We took a shortcut through a short alley with flower/plant shops on both sides. The smell was incredible, like every good thing put together with lilacs on top. Our bakery and wine stop on the way back to the apartment is turning into a tradition already. On a related note, everyone here carries baguettes around at all times. It’s ridiculously cute.

Monday Monday Monday

Once again, I found myself with a buzz and a full stomach last night. I’m writing this on Tuesday morning at 8, with Theresa sleeping next to me and an Evian bottle at my side. The wine here is fantastic, maybe that’s why I can’t resist. It could never hold its own against the housemade Italian wine I had in Pofi, but I’m not sure anything could.

Monday was just as epic of a day as I could hope. Theresa and I went to the school where her classes are held to stop in the library. It’s actually a business building downtown. Paris was mainly built out instead of up, so even the big time business buildings are shorter than what you’d find in the U.S. After that visit, we began working our way back to the more touristy part of Paris (versus the business part where the school building is) near the Opera. The Opera is such a beautiful and grand building. You can totally just get lost looking at it. The busy streets and constant push of traffic all around the area stops that lure as soon as you realize you have to be on guard for pedestrian unfriendly motorized vehicles. The sidewalks are extremely crowded most everywhere so that has been one of the major challenges of getting around the area. After a short walk through the streets and some window-shopping, we stopped at a Starbucks. I know that seems like a cop out, going to Starbucks in France, but we had our reasons behind it. We were headed to the Gardens outside of the Louvre and wanted to get a drink to go. The Cafes are not drink to go kinds of people so we went with big American business. The Starbucks was set up identically to the ones at home… same drinks, color scheme, cups, and furniture. It was oddly comforting to be somewhere that hit so close to home. With our drinks to go we headed to the Louvre. I really can’t even begin to describe the place as a whole… I think the only way is to describe it in parts. We sat in the Gardens and ate a lunch we had packed earlier. The Gardens are these huge flat plains of grass with rows of carved square trees, massive round fountains, and white marble statues. We just sat admiring everything for quite some time. We moved on to the inside of the Louvre next. Simply entering the building is an experience on its own. In order to get inside, you have to go inside this massive glass triangular structure and take an escalator a few fights down to the main level. Once we were on the main level we found some maps and started out in search of the Mona Lisa. The amount of artwork they have is incredible. All of the descriptions and titles are in French so we just walked from room to room looking at everything and wondering what the stories were behind each piece. Once again, I got that strong fly on the wall feeling. Just being connected to the artwork, instead of being concerned with its historical connection. This gave my mind the freedom to wander around while I stood in front of these major pieces. We found the Mona Lisa and just stood I front of it for a while. I was told by a handful of people that the painting did not personally impress them. I think the historical impact of the painting hits home for me more so than the actual picture. It’s not shiny or huge like most of the other pieces, but it is iconic and represents a culture, a time, and an artist. Maybe it wasn’t his greatest work, but it opens the door for people to look into history and discover a little more about life. I hope that makes sense. I just think that if you really examine the impact of the painting on top of what it actually looks like, then there is no way you could remain unimpressed.

We stayed in the museum for about four hours, until it closed at 6. We began walking back towards the Arc de Triumph and stopped at George V for dinner. We were eating outside when suddenly it started pouring. We were covered, but as the rain got worse the seam in the tent began letting water out next to our table. We moved to a different table about 30 seconds before a gush of water dropped down on our previous table. It was kind of funny. We were planning on seeing the Eiffel Tower at night, but the weather just stayed rainy. We headed back to the apartment on the metro and decided to grab another dessert at the bakery and some wine. Both were amazing of course. When do I start believing that I’m actually here?

Another Day

Today has been an adventure, as everyday will probably be. I am writing this with a buzz and on a full stomach so I can’t guarantee any kind of fluidity. Theresa and I went to church today, St. Joseph’s. It’s a Catholic church with English mass. It was incredible looking down from the balcony and seeing American families, wondering what their situations are and how they are adjusting to a new life. Then, we sat in a park and looked at the Arc de Triumph. It was surreal… just sitting in a park with my best friend since the tender age of five and looking at this colossal monument that was meant for soldiers returning after a victory. We moved on to the Sunday horse races at Longchamp. It was an amazing place, oddly geared toward children. I got a free scarf. I didn’t know they did free here, but it’s nice to know even the Frenchies enjoy a good giveaway. There is almost a carnival atmosphere on the racing grounds. Stands with the quintessential French treats line the circular perimeter in front of the actual racetrack. Theresa and I stopped and got a nutella crepe and sat near the circular gardens to see the horses parade pre-race. Then we moved to the bleachers above the track. Even though the races were short, they were epic. By the third race, the stakes had tripled and so did the shouting. The crowd consisted mainly of old men and children. An interesting combination and optimum people watching. After the third race we left the grounds and began to walk back to a bus stop. We were so close to a gigantic park area that we just walked past the stop and through the grass. It was beautiful. We even found this mini waterfall above some rocks tucked away in a corner. It was too early to head back to the apartment so we made a stop at the Eiffel Tower. It is so massive… as most monuments and government buildings are here. We paid our dues and started climbing the stairs to the top. We didn’t count the number, but there were many… more than many. Finally we climbed all of the stairs and made it to the second level. At that point you either have the choice of going back downstairs and leaving or paying another 3.5 euros per person and taking an elevator to the top. We were exhausted from the climb but decided it was all or nothing. We paid again and got in the huge line (consisting mainly of young couples making out) in front of the elevator. The ride up was frightening. It was insanely high up. After what felt like a few minutes we were at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I thought the view was amazing from the second floor but this view blew me away. Theresa pointed out all of the important structures and we made a list of what we were going to see next. After a long elevator ride to the ground, we made our way back to the metro. We stopped at a small grocery store for wine and drinks, a bakery for bread, and another small baker for dessert. We made dinner and drank, while celebrating being off of our feet for the first time in a long time. It’s been amazing in the least.

Sign of the Times

I'm finally here. Every step of the way has been nothing short of a journey in itself. I've been taking pictures of random things just to document my being there and experiences. I have a picture of the grocery store check out for example. So many new ideas have been rushing into my head throughout the day and night. I finally faced my fear of flying. I made it through a foreign airport. I rode the metro and buses. It's been such a long day discovering a whole new world that I've never known to be my own. This is an exhausting but rewarding process with two weeks remaining. I have the challenge of being the one who doesn't understand, who can get lost in a blink of an eye, but who sees both things as beautiful and rare. I'm uncomfortable in the best way.

Wowie Zowie

It's been a while. I can't believe how much can happen in a matter of weeks. I should know time flies by now, but that whole concept has never sunk in. In less than a week I'll be far far away. I'm so excited and grateful for the opportunities that have come up recently. Everyday is such a gift. The thought of traveling on my own seemed so daunting a month ago. I just wanted to fast forward to next Fall so I could restart my life back at school. It just ht me though that the time in between now and August will be so important and necessary. I don't want to fast forward anymore. I want to see where everyday leads. I have that feeling back. I feel like myself, only much more fine tuned. Things seem much clearer. I feel free again. I see who I'm becoming and why. I'm terrified in the best way. I'm so nervous. I want to be better everyday. I want to work harder.