All right, I'll just get it out of the way: Paris was not my favorite place. I just feel that London is a safer, cleaner, and has more charm. Of course, that's just personal preference. A lot of our group really loved it. But though Paris had some nice things, I think I prefer the charms of London more.
So anyway. The whirlwind that was three days in Paris! I'm really not even sure everything that happened. We left London at 4 am, taking a Eurostar train under the "Chunnel" (the tunnel that goes under the English Channel), in which most of us were dead out asleep. And then, I opened my eyes and everything outside was written in French. So, we come across my problem #1: I speak no French. I never realized how much I depend on reading signs around me until I found I had no idea what they were saying.
That first day, we ended up wandering around Paris with a friend of one of the students here. She was from France, and she was so kind. She took us to some of her favorite places in the city, and it was fun to see the city in a way that wasn't the typical tourist way. It also poured that day, more I think than it's rained in London so far.
A typical Paris street; all the buildings pretty much look the same, with the same limestone walls.
That first day, we hiked about a million stairs to Sacre Couer. It was a beautiful cathedral, and had some great views of the city.
We also stopped by some gardens...I couldn't read anything though, so I had no idea where we were or what the significance was. But they had a cool map, so I tried to be artsy.
To round off the day, we went to see the Louvre lit up. The moon was absolutely perfect above it, and I was obsessed with the pictures I got. I wish I had had a better camera to capture the moment.
After that exhausting day, we went back to the hotel and crashed for a few hours. The next day, we were up again, trying to hit all the major sites. I also ate more for breakfast than I think I ever have. The food there is absolutely delightful, and we stuffed ourselves with bread, gelato, chocolate, macarons, crepes, and more.
And then the Eiffel! We stopped by in the morning just to look around, and took a few pictures.
Our next stop was the Lourve. It was incredible but...I also wasn't too impressed with it. Maybe I just don't know enough about painting; maybe there were just too many people; maybe I was just tired. We did see the Mona Lisa, though, after fighting through an absolute mob to get even remotely close to it. I definitely took a couple pictures and got out of there as fast as I could, before I got to anxious being around that many people.
And then, back to the Eiffel, this time to go up!
The views were incredible. Paris seems to stretch forever from the Eiffel. And somehow, it all looked the same to me.
That night, we took a group river cruise on the Seine. Finally, I felt like I was learning something, as they had information in English! It was definitely a highlight for me.
My other highlight was the Musee D'Orsay and the Van Gogh's we saw there. They had a special exhibit based on a essay that was trying to prove that Van Gogh committed suicide because society could not accept his genius. It was fascinating, and I got to see some really cool paintings. No monsters in the churches, though (Doctor Who joke, again).
We finished that night with dessert (such good chocolate mousse) and fell into bed once again. One of my roommates and I were talking as we went home, though, and we both agreed we were ready to go home...and by home, we both meant London.
The next day, we made our way to Notre Dame (No-tra Dahm is the cathedral; No-ter Daym is a university, as I bit back many times to people.)
And here, I realized something I've thought about for a long time: I'm a little uneasy about cathedrals and other places of worship as tourist attractions. I mean, I love to go see them, I think they are absolutely beautiful. One of my favorite memories is my high school choir singing in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The Spirit really is there. But as we walked around Notre Dame (which was gorgeous), I thought about what it would be like to try and pray there when hundreds of tourists are walking around taking pictures and talking. It just didn't seem very peaceful, or much like a place of rest. It made me a little sad to think that this beautiful building built to be a place to worship God couldn't hold peace at that moment.
And then we ran to the Arc de Triumph, which...was under construction. Which ruined the awe a bit, I think. Honestly, by this time I was so tired, I just wanted to crash and be back in London, which feels so much like home. And so, our Paris adventure ended...but not before I had eaten fifteen macaroons! (they were seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life).
So Paris wasn't really my cup of tea (no pun intended). It was a nice adventure, a nice little holiday, but it's not somewhere I think I would stay very long. It was great to step off the train and smell air that didn't reek of urine and choking cigarette smoke. It was nice to be able to read signs and talk to people. It was good to be "home".
And what a home it is! We have finally moved into the renovated BYU London Centre, and it is gorgeous. But that is for another blog post!
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