By Natalie
So, our trip to Paris has come and gone. I've been sitting here for about twenty minutes trying to come up with the words to describe the experience. Throwing around words like amazing, breathtaking, and stunning can be fun and all, but they don't seem to do the city justice. Paris is unlike any place I have ever experienced, and it all comes down to this: if you haven't been there, YOU MUST GO. Now.
Before climbing the plane and crossing the Atlantic, my cousin recommended I buy a Paris Moleskin notebook, which turned out to be an indispensable tool. Packed with city maps, subway maps, metric conversions, and a cute little pocket for keepsakes, the book is also stuffed with a number of blank pages for your own personal notes and hints. Each night, after spending hours walking (and eating) our way through the city, we spent time writing a brief entry of the day's events in the book. It turned out to be a great way to remember the little moments. We got back two days ago, and I've already read through the entries at least seven times. Sigh.
I'd like to share the entries with you, as I think they give a great sense of what our trip was like. I am still a bit jet-lagged, so this blog entry will cover a day or two. Next week, I'll do a few more! So, without further ado...
Day One, May 23, 2010
Big day! Our flight got in around noon. I received my first ever stamp in my passport and stared at it for a good minute.
We took the RER train to the Les Halles stop and decided to walk the rest of the way to our apartment rental rather than transfer to a different subway line. We got totally lost in a shopping complex and parking garage immediately upon exiting the subway. Had to use "beaucoup de francais" to get directions out. Settled in at the apartment and went right back out to Les Halles. Ryan was exhausted from the plane ride and fell so deeply asleep in the park outside St. Eustache church that we had to go back to the apartment and pass our for four hours! We awoke feeling a bit more refreshed, and hungry of course, so we grabbed baguette sandwiches for dinner and ate them in the grass lawn outside the Louvre. The Eiffel Tower was sparkling in the sky in the distance; coming around the corner and seeing it for the first time in my life literally made me gasp. Groups of French kids were smoking and drinking in groups all around us. Lots of laughter and relaxation.
We took the RER train to the Les Halles stop and decided to walk the rest of the way to our apartment rental rather than transfer to a different subway line. We got totally lost in a shopping complex and parking garage immediately upon exiting the subway. Had to use "beaucoup de francais" to get directions out. Settled in at the apartment and went right back out to Les Halles. Ryan was exhausted from the plane ride and fell so deeply asleep in the park outside St. Eustache church that we had to go back to the apartment and pass our for four hours! We awoke feeling a bit more refreshed, and hungry of course, so we grabbed baguette sandwiches for dinner and ate them in the grass lawn outside the Louvre. The Eiffel Tower was sparkling in the sky in the distance; coming around the corner and seeing it for the first time in my life literally made me gasp. Groups of French kids were smoking and drinking in groups all around us. Lots of laughter and relaxation.
After dinner, we walked miles along the Champs Elysees. A "young agriculture market" was taking place not far from the obelisk square where Marie Antoinette once lost her head. Lots of rowdy young farmers filled the block with drunken songs and dancing. Dust kicked up in the air, and every other person we passed was munching on an awesome baguette and sipping wine. There were actual living, breathing cows in a pen next to all the goings on - they couldn't be less interested in the party. Had a funny interaction with a French man selling glasses of wine for 2 Euros a piece...my French was really rusty. It took me about ten minutes to bumble through the ordering of two glasses, at the end of which the man handed me my change with the perfect English phrase, "4 euros for me, and 1 for you!" I'm glad he let me try to speak French, even though it was probably so he could make fun of me for it later!
Made our way up to rest of the Champs Elysees and looked at the Arc de Triomphe from across the busy street. Headed home, and rested up for another marathon day.
Lunch: Beef stew with pasta
Dinner: Baguettes with chicken, lettuce and tomato, french fries (with mayo!) and ice cold coke
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