Hi all! So it's been a few days, but I have certainly been busy. Friday I had class and then rested up for my voyage to Paris! I was extremely excited to go to Paris. I had been nearly 6 years ago with my parents. I can't believe it's been that long! Crazy.
Saturday morning we all woke up. Although I had slept the whole night through, I was still exhausted. Is it still okay to blame jet lag? We grabbed our backpacks and ran out the door because the boys were getting impatient. Twelve of us walked to the train station, then waited for our train. Wantagh to Penn Station much? It certainly felt that way; slightly different scenery, of course. When we got into Paris, I was certainly not in Kansas anymore. The Gare du Nord is about 5 or 6 times the six of Penn Station, no exaggeration. With 12 people, it certainly wasn't easy to move around. Everything moved slower. I actually found myself getting quite frustrated at various times throughout the weekend, being as I was raised in one of the busiest areas in the world where fast paced life is the norm, and anything else is just ridiculous. People were walking at a glacial pace and I found myself yearning for the New Yorkers that push you out of their way.
That all went away when we broke out of the train station and I was able to see the quaint streets of Paris. Although it was extremely crowded, there is really nothing like it. We first went to the church of Sacré Coeur, which is located in the neighborhood of Montmartre. The church is located on a hill and overlooks the entire city. It wasn't too nice of a day, but I was able to see a lot. I definitely want to return on a nicer day. After that, we all grabbed a sandwich from a stand and contemplated the next move of the day. That little break was probably about an hour long. So slow. We then decided to go to Notre Dame. Everyone was in agreement with that plan. Such a beautiful church. Outside, it was so interesting to see all of the people that the church attracted; people taking wedding photos, the bulk of tourists, people offering free hugs, etc. Such a hub of diversity. Truly interesting. After seeing the inside of the church, a few of us ducked into a café to get out of the cold and rain, and soon everyone joined. We then decided that we would do some shopping and browsing to be inside for longer periods of time. With plans made, we left the café and began walking. About fifteen minutes later, we realized that we were missing a person, Bruno! We immediately went back to the café and looked for him. After an hour without success, we decided to split up. Some went to the shops, some looked around Notre Dame, some went to the Gare du Nord to see if he was going to try to go back to Compiègne. NOTHING. We all just then went to the hostel, although Bruno didn't know the address, but we were tired and were not accomplishing anything.
After checking in and recuperating for some time, we decided to get a bottle of wine and chill out for a few. We walked out onto the street and guess who we saw walking towards us? BRUNO! Thank goodness. No one knows how he found it, but I'm not asking questions. Apparently he didn't think to go back to the café or anything, so he just went around Paris by himself and saw some more things. How nice...
After another head count, we decided to go to La Tour Eiffel! Totally my idea. It was already nighttime, so what could be more beautiful at night? I was also extremely hungry and wanted to get moving. We took our wine and our tickets for the metro and got moving. We got out at the Trocadéro, which is right across the river from the tower (great photo op). I walked up the stairs of the metro and I saw the light in the sky that radiates from the tower in circles to alert. I was SO excited. I then hustled to get in front of the buildings that were blocking the view. I turned the corner, and there it was, twinkling for me! I jumped up and down like a 5 year old, but I don't regret it for a second. After taking it all in for a few minutes, I got a sandwich, and enjoyed my favorite moment in France thus far. That was probably one of the best moments of my life as well. Words can't really describe. All I can say is that was way more than just looking at a monument.
After staying at the tower for about an hour, we decided to get going. The plan was to go to a boat club on the river, so we tried to find where it left from. Upon arriving there, I found out that it was 25 euro to go, and the boat didn't move. Sooooo, yeah I opted out and went back to the hostel with a few people and got some shuteye. The next day, we had our 2 euro breakfast of bread and coffee at the hostel. Très bon. We then checked out of the hostel and went to a Louis Vuitton exhibit in a museum nearby. It was extremely cool to see all of the old trunks and such that expanded into an empire. After that we went to the Champs Élysées and l'Arc du Triomphe. Classic. We then realized that our bodies couldn't take any more, so we trekked back to good 'ol Compiègne. It was really nice to return, which made me realize that I have made something for myself here in just this short amount of time. Plus, it's a lot more mellow than Paris, which I actually appreciate.
After a hot shower and a little bit of homework, I went to bed. This morning I woke up early to go sign my contract for my apartment. I have to pay for the month of July, which is extremely frustrating, but other than that, all looks good. This week I don't have class Tuesday or Friday, but I do have class Saturday morning. Totally cramping my style. BUT, we are going to the Château Pierrefonds on Wednesday, which makes it all better. Hope everyone at home is doing well, and happy first day of school to all of the ZTA/URI buds. Miss you all!
Love,
Amanda
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