11 11 / 2009
PARIS!
The city of loooove! and a city that smells of cigarettes and urine. haha. Seriously… I had a wonderful weekend in Paris, but it smells pretty funky.
We took a Eurostar train bright and early on Friday morning (great transport experience. it pwns Amtrak in every way) with our guide and a group of people. Immediately after arriving at Gard du Nord, we went on a bus tour to see all the major sites and attractions (Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe, etc…)
That night, after a long nap and lunch of croque madames, we headed to the Louvre museum. I’ve never enjoyed any art museum as much as the Louvre. The building itself is gorgeous and I fell in love with its decorated ceilings. After a certain point it became difficult to focus on the artwork, as the building itself was a work of art. I was able to see some of the pieces I’ve studied in person, which was awesome.
On Saturday we did a walking tour by Notre Dame, boat tour, and then had a free day to shop/sightsee. Galeries Lafayette is an absolutely gorgeous but expensive department store with a massive array of.. um.. everything. Shopping itself was a bit unsuccessful, since everything is pricey and time was limited. Hopefully I can make up for that in Geneva this weekend ;] After the unsuccessful shopping trip, we went to the Opéra national de Paris, which was glorious. Later, we checked out a cute residential neighborhood, ate a glorious French dinner, and then saw the Eiffel tower sparkle at night.
Phew. Finally, on Sunday we took a trip to the Palace of Versailles, which again, was incredibly beautiful and extravagant. The weekend came to an end with a walking tour of Monmarte. That’s the most I’ve ever done in any weekend. We all had a fabulous time.
That’s it for now. I’m off to Geneva, Switzerland in two days…
