Tuesday, October 6, 2009

paris!!

This is bound to be a lengthy post since our internet just started working and I have to write all about Paris! (just a fair warning)


Before I could actually leave for Paris, I had my first test in Spain. It actually wasn’t that bad considering how much procrastinating I did before the test. Once it was over, it was Paris time! Kimberly’s host mom was nice enough to take us to the airport and she even made us a Bobadilla (sandwhich) for dinner! We had to fly to Madrid and then onto Paris. It wasn’t that bad expect Iberia plays the worst music on their flights. Kimberly put it well when she said “It’s like being trapped in the back of a bad department store.” We were kept entertained by a man who decided that even though we were on a plane, and it was pitch black outside, he wanted to wear his ray-bans the ENTIRE flight. We landed in Paris. I have to admit I let out a giddy laugh when I saw the Eiffel tower from the plane. It was so real! It sounds weird but its true. I knew it existed but its totally different when you see it in person. It took us about an hour and half to get to the hostel but we finally made it! Jessica-Phillips and Lee weren’t in the room when we arrived but luckily they came back right before Kimberly sent out a search party. We talked for a bit but everyone was pretty tired so we fell asleep, excitedly awaiting the weekend ahead of us!

Friday we began our Persian adventure! Emilie arrived at the hostel and Ann met us there too! Then reunion was underway! We walked through the Latin Quarter. It was neat, we walked through a cool little market. We would our way to the Pantheon (the second one ive seen in Europe!) and then went to a bookstore called Shakespeare & Co. It was probably the coolest the bookstore I’ve ever been to. It was crammed with books from floor to ceiling. There was not an inch of free space. It was the kind of place you could get in lost in for hours just looking around at all of the works they have there. We grabbed lunch at a traditional French restaurant that does the three courses. I had real French onion soup…delicious! After lunch we walked to Notre Dame and strolled along the river. We saw the hotel that Big comes to find Carrie in Sex and City! Cool in know…We took the metro to the Eiffel tower and bought our tickets to climb it! We climbed as far as you could before you had to pay to take the elevator, so we hung out on the middle level for a while and saw the entire city! We hurried back to the hostel to freshen up and then we met up with Tyler, Susan and Courtney for dinner at Chartier. Tyler and Susan just got engaged so we surprised them and got two bottles of champagne. It was so fun to eat good food with friends (southerners at that!).
Saturday was JP’s birthday!!!!!! Ann Kirk arrived from Metz and completed our group for the weekend. We met Ann at her apartment (which is in an awesome part of town). We grabbed a coffee and then set out to go shopping and get JP her birthday present! We all decided to chip in and get her a purse shes been eyeing. We made her close her eyes until we had her in front of the display! I thought it was fun! We had lunch on the roof of Printemps (a department store). It had an incredible view as well. After we strolled around for a bit. I saw the opera house and kind of freaked out because there is where Phantom of the Opera is set (its my favorite musical). For JP’s birthday dinner we ate at Le Café Marley, the café at the Louvre. It was pretty incredible. Our table overlooked the glass pyramids. The food was great and we had a good time each toasting Jessica-Phillips for her birthday. After, we made our way to Sacre Coure - the basilica on the top of hill that overlooks the entire city (in case you havent caught on, Paris has many panoramic viewing sites). Before we made it to the basilica, we walked and saw Moulin Rouge. Definitely cool to see an iconic landmark. Not my favorite part of town because there are some sketchy characters but its all good. We made the uphill hike to the basilica. The view was incredible. I think my favorite thing was seeing the Eiffel Tower light up on the hour. It kind of spazzes out and the lights blink off and on for ten minutes. Hard to describe but cool to watch.
Sunday was bittersweet. People began to leave and return to their respective cities. Ann Kirk and Emilie had trains to catch around noon. We said goodbye to them at the hostel. Lee slept in because she was going to meet up with Ann later that day for the equivalent of the Kentucky derby in Paris. JP, kimbo and I went to the Muse d’Orsay. We saw works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and many others. There is just something about seeing art in person after you’ve learned about it your whole life. I know I keep saying it, but it was incredible. Time kind of flew by and before we knew it we were looking for a place to eat before JP’s train left. We ended up eating at a café by our hostel. We got amazing crepes, one with nutella and banana and another with tomato, mozzarella and egg. JP had a good omelet too! It was hard to say goodbye to Jessica-Phillips. Being in paris was almost like we were traveling around in August again. I was so happy that I got to celebrate her birthday with her! Kimberly and I had some time to kill so we caught the metro to the stop where the airport bus left from. When we got there we bought some candy from a street vendor and then walked to a cemetery. It sounds creepy but it was actually kind of cool. I guess being from a city near new Orleans, im used to cemeteries and people touring them etc. we walked around and then found a bench and ate our candy. It was oddly calming and very tranquil. But the time came to leave for the airport and make our way back to Bilbao. We got off at the wrong stop at the airport and had to take the tram to the opposite side but luckily we were early enough that it didn’t matter. Once again we had to go through Madrid. Once again the music was terrible, but I was kind of excited to get back and see what everyone here had done and tell my roommate about my weekend and see what she did. I missed her and everyone in the dorm and in Bilbao! We finally made it to Bilbao around 11:30. We caught a bus into the city but got off in kind of a deserted location. Eventually we found a cab. I had a headache at that point so I was just ready to get to the dorm and into my bed. And that’s exactly what I did (after I chatted with Amanda for a bit)!

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