One of my favorite places that we visited in France was The Louvre. It was absolutely incredible. We got to see the Mona Lisa as well as Leonardo da Vinci's work, and many others. We got lost for hours in the history, roaming from room to room and marveling at all the paintings we had learned, read, and heard about but never saw. Unfortunately we did not get around to seeing all of The Louvre, there was too much to see and we only had half a day.
We did however, see a McDonalds in the museum. Our teacher told us that we were not allowed to have American food while in France, but we couldn't resist the temptation. Not because we missed the fast, fried, greasy, American food, but because we were curious how an American food chain would taste in another country. Not surprisingly, it tasted a lot healthier in France. It just tasted lighter, if that makes sense. Not like the heavy food that sits in your stomach that I am used to. The French had their own spin on it.
The Eiffel Tower was even more majestic and heart wrenching than I have imagined. It truly is a masterpiece. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity of taking a boat into the canals and seeing the Eiffel Tower at night. It lit up, and sparkled everywhere. I was not expecting that at all so it was a pleasant surprise. Way better than the fireworks at Disneyland. After the boat ride we walked to a stand and got these huge homemade crepes. They were the most delicious crepes I have ever had.
We also got to tour the Palace of Versailles.. which was amazing! I tried to imagine living in those bedrooms, walking through the hall of mirrors which was insane- giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and mirrors everywhere- or sitting at the long table while the maids served me breakfast. They lived in such luxury its crazy. The huge winding gardens went on for miles and miles. The ponds were the length of football fields with fountains everywhere. The yard was outlined with trees that go on as far as you could see. If that garden was mine, I would be in in everyday, hiding in secluded places. I especially loved visiting this palace because Marie Antoinette lived there, and I had some odd obsession with her and I'm not sure why. I began to get very intrigued with her in high school when I started to read numerous books about her life. It was awesome to walk the very hallways she did, to see the views she did. After I imagined myself living there, I imagined her, and tried to bring everything I read about her to life.
Notre Dame de Paris was huge and powerful. The inside blew me away even more, it was dark with candles everywhere, music playing and people whispering while some prayed. It was a great experience, and the art inside was beautiful.
We saw multiple "love locks" all around Paris. They are padlocks that people who are in love lock to a rail, a bridge, gate or fence to publicly show their love. The inititals of the people were on the locks as well, which all the girls on the trip thought was sweet. After they lock it, they will throw the key into a river nearby in order to show that their love is forever, or so the legend goes.
We stopped at a bakery and I got a French quiche pizza and a calzone. This was the first time I have had these, and ever since then I have been searching for them, trying to find some back home that would reproduce the happiness I felt when I tasted them, and sadly there is none like it.
The group stopped here to enjoy our lunch.
We walked around the The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. This was super cool, and also way bigger than I thought it would be. The arch is there to honor and remember the people who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleon Wars. Right below the arch lies The Tomb of The Unknown Solider from World War I. They had soldiers under it the day we went, for a service that we guessed was honoring the fallen.
The overnight train provided some great bonding time. I felt like we were in a Harry Potter scene and it was awesome. We were wild and rambunctious that night, running from room to room causing havoc. In the room next to us we met two Swedish women who were very friendly and outgoing. They soon left us to talk to our teachers however, lounging in their room and drinking wine while we were confined to the other side of the cab. This is where we got really close to the Canadian students we traveled with. Towards the end of the trip we had all settled our differences and sorted through the stereotypes. I am still really good friends with my fellow Canadian travelers, we keep in touch on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment