First Date with Paris

“We did talk about cheese on our first date.” Jane Kaczmarek

No caption needed on this one either.

No caption needed.

Somebody described Paris as a first date you regretted going on. A date that starts out awkward and makes you question why you agreed to go on the date in the first place. Halfway through the salad course, things start to turn around and you start thinking that it’s not that bad. You even think, hey, your date is actually kind of cute. You get ready to order dessert and find out that you are actually having a really great time and you might even order a second glass of wine. This is a very good description of Paris. It definitely started off like a blind date I wish I hadn't agreed to go on. Upon arrival at the Paris train station, I was greeted with signs EVERYWHERE warning me of pickpockets. Apparently that is a big problem in Paris. There were also guards (military? Police? I still haven't figured out which yet) strolling through the station in fatigues holding large automatic rifles. Needless to say that was *slightly* off putting. We ventured down to the Paris subway, or Metro, to catch our train to the Louvre. I am pretty sure that hell is a Paris subway and purgatory is the Louvre on a Friday (and probably every other day of the week). The Louvre is an amazing place that somehow manages to be both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. There are some impressive pieces, and I especially loved the Greek and Roman sculptures. The detail is incredible. We were not able to spend a lot of time at the Louvre and I'm sure one could spend whole days there. After the museum, it was time to see the iconic landmark of Paris, the Eiffel Tower (where more of my friends with the large guns were strolling around. Yikes.) It is definitely worth going up the lift to take in the view. Paris is a HUGE city, much larger than expected. We then ventured to Notre Dame. What a beautiful building. The architecture is unlike anything I've ever seen. We were able to take a boat cruise on the Seine, which was relaxing, though hot, as Paris is also experiencing a heat wave. The evening was capped off at a hole in the wall French restaurant that served the most amazing beef burgundy and featured a guitar and accordion player as entertainment. I have a few videos featuring a few of my classmates singing. Miguel, Lauren, and Melissa: I don’t know what I’m going to do with them, but I’m willing to be bribed.

Notre Dame. Beautiful.

Diana the Huntress.

This was a really nice ending to a fast paced, overwhelming, and honestly pretty stressful day. By this point, I was really on the fence as to whether or not I wanted to stay in Paris for the weekend. Knowing that it would be close to $200 to change my train ticket was a good motivator to stay. I have also been trying to step outside of my comfort zone during this trip, and Paris certainly qualified. I am actually glad I stayed. I met a group of my classmates at a wonderful little café Saturday morning before heading off to visit a museum and do some shopping. On Sunday morning, we waited for close to 2.5 hours (mostly in the sun where I received yet another sun burn. Sigh.) for a tour of the Catacombs. Even though the wait was long and I think we were all sun-drunk by the time we got down the stairs, it was well worth it. What a chilling and awe-inspiring place. I’ve seen documentaries on the catacombs and seen pictures, but it just doesn’t compare to walking through those tunnels and seeing skulls and femurs lining the walls on both sides. Photography was allowed, but somehow it just didn’t seem right to take pictures down there. It felt disrespectful somehow. I did feel privileged that I was able to have that experience.

I experienced a kind of epiphany when I stepped off the train in London. It had become familiar to me, and it had become comfortable. Even the smell in the Tube station was familiar. I can’t believe that after only two weeks I have come to feel at home in London. As happy as I was to be back, I do not regret for a second staying in Paris. I was able to spend quality time with some of my classmates that I haven’t really had a chance to talk to very much and I learned a lot from them. I also laughed a lot with them. It was nice to have that down time to enjoy each other’s company. Paris was an experience that I will never forget, not for the city, but for the people who made it such a great time.