One of the saddest days thus far, in my study abroad experience, has got to be waving goodbye to my mama at the curb of her hotel, while Megan and I drove away to head back to our apartment; however, with that goodbye meant that Paris was just in a few more days. I had a Spanish midterm {which was CRAZY hard} and a Journalism News Report which were both due leading up to my trip, which made leaving the country even more necessary. I packed my bags on Thursday night, and then headed to the train station, that would then take me to the airport. On the train it was just Devan, Alexis {Devan’s roomie}, and me, and we when we got to the airport we then had to take a bus to our correct terminal which was about a twenty minute drive.
When the plane landed, we were on our way to the AirBNB… We LEGIT followed a trail of dog poop leading to the door of where we were staying {which I guess I should've expected, considering we only paid $32 each}, and when I looked to my right, there was just a stash of junk in a dark hallway. There was a massive monkey stuffed animal that you could tell had seen better days roped up to the fence, and everything was just an absolute mess. If you hadn't suspected it already… Devan and I did NOT spend the night there… Thank goodness for booking.com though because I was able to book a stay at a hotel in the city {granted a lot of the good ones were booked due to Fashion Week}.
Day one, we made it so that the Eiffel Tower was our FIRST stop. Although it was not as big as I imagined it to be, it was absolutely beautiful on the gloomy day. Because the weather forecast had rain in it for the time we were going to be in Paris, and it was not raining at the time, we decided to get our “basic” pictures out of the way. The four of us managed to stumble across three more “American girls,” who had taken bottles of wine and bread rolls to the Eiffel Tower, just to use as props for the photo opportunity. We sat on their plastic grocery bags and continuously laughed as we took the photos because we learned that we had abnormal ties with the girls {one knew my cousin, one was roommates with one of the girl’s best friends who I was with, etc…}. Once we had taken all of our photos, we decided it was wine time, so we went to a little terrace and ordered drinks, later splitting up to go our separate ways. Because it was still pretty early, Devan and I wanted to explore and get food {rather than just having drinks}, and it was AMAZING because our hotel was RIGHT NEXT DOOR to a Chipotle. We had our little taste of America and then were going to look for a market in order to get snacks to last throughout the weekend; however, we stumbled across an arcade and got carried away in there instead. Lemme tell you, I finally understand the hype of arcades. When I was younger, I would always go to one on Balboa Island with my Nanie and Papa, and as I got older I was so confused to as why I thought that was fun… I felt like a kid again though and we had the time of our lives, maybe even a little too much fun cause I pulled a muscle in my arm trying to play a Kung Fu Panda game. By one o'clock in the morning, we figured it would be a good time to head back to our hotel, as we were planning on waking up early.
We woke up pretty early on the rainy, Saturday morning, and Devan and I headed out into the city. Attempting to share a small black umbrella, and me slipping everywhere because the bottom of my booties were so sleek. About an hour later, we made it to a cute brunch place, Paperboy Cafe, and met the rest of the girls where {almost} all of us proceeded to get avocado toast or an acai bowl. Once we had finished brunch, we to the metro and made our way to Le Louvre, were we had high hopes of running into Mona {Mona Lisa that is}. We ventured throughout the museum, looking at all the magnificent sculptures, intricate ceilings, some beautiful jewels, and ultimately the Mona Lisa {which was a LOT smaller than one would suspect}. The crowd around the tiny painting was absolutely INSANE!! Honestly, Mona is probably laughing her butt off from above.
Later, we then started heading to where Google sent us for the infamous lock bridge… it wasn't there. I remember reading {I think a couple years ago} that they had to remove the iron which made it capable of putting a lock on the bridge because the city was so worried that the weight of the locks would ultimately break the bridge at any given time. Because we knew there was a second option, considering people are constantly posting pictures in front of locks somewhere in Paris, we continued our search and managed to stumble upon it, pretty close to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Dev and I locked our friendship onto the fence and then threw our keys into the water that was just below.
We continued to the cathedral in which the infrastructure was absolutely stunning and so aesthetically pleasing. Although I am not one for history, I could definitely say that I was a fan of the view. We treated ourselves to crepes after the view {yay for spring break bods} and then headed our separate ways once more to rejuvenate after the long day. At around a half past nine, we all met up and went to see the Arc de Triomf. At the time we went, traffic was buzzing and there was some sort of ceremony that was being held under the arc {with fire, flowers, and music}, but the grand structure was so pretty when it was lit up at night. We ended the night at another bumpin bar, where we indulged on the yummiest strawberry drinks {sorry dad for using the credit card and treating myself to three… I just couldn't help it}, and then after, Devan and I went to see the Eiffel Tower once more, as we knew it would be out last chance to see it that trip. We walked around the tower during the brisk night, staring as the lights twinkled and lit up as the clock hit the hour. Once we had gotten our dose of the view, we had one more stop that was pretty close, that my brothers girlfriend recommended. We went to a quaint bar where we ordered a Pornstar {it’s a drink, I promise}, waited as the bartender gave us a couple free shots {including a shot of champagne which I have never had}, and watched as he lit our drinks on fire. The drink was absolutely delicious!! Probably could've just chugged a whole pitcher, but thank goodness I am a college student, ballin on a budget, and needing to save money.
When we got home, we INSTANTLY fell asleep and were out cold until the morning. When we woke up, the two girls in the AirBNB were going to meet up with us after working on some homework, so Dev and I decided to go on another adventure, the two of us. We walked all around the city, in search of the perfect Sunday brunch; however, every place was booked until later in the afternoon. After walking about a mile, in torrential downpour, we managed to find a place that looked decently crowded, yet we were unable to look at a menu until we sat down… Lemme tell you, Europeans REALLY like their ham and poached egg… I could not get a scrambled egg, and even the daily special consisted of ham and poached egg with something else.To say the very least, I did not eat anything… I stuck to drinking my water that cost me two euros. After our very sub par breakfast, we hopped into the most wretched smelling taxi I think I have ever been in. The driver did not speak any English, but it was so bad that I had to whip out my mini perfume and wrap my scarf around my nose. I don't know if the driver realized we were wrapping our senses in spite of the smell or what, but he kept asking why we were wrapping our faces. Because I felt bad and didn't want to break the news to him, I just told him we were trying to start a new trend. Who knows if he believed me or not though.
I had him drop us off kind of near the Notre Dame Cathedral again, because after twenty minutes in his taxi, I could NOT take the smell any longer. We walked to where we treated ourselves to yummy crepes, and then later walked to meet the other girls Ladurée. We all indulged on more macaroons than our stomachs could handle {me sticking to solely caramel cause its my FAVORITE} and then we proceeded to adventure a little bit more and search for a look out that Alexis had been to in the prior years. After walking up a HUGE hill and a multitude of steps, we made it. We had the view of the ENTIRE city right before our eyes. It was absolutely beautiful, even in the mist. Atop some more stairs was another cathedral which we walked through pretty quickly and then we split up for our last time in order to pack up for the airport.
Now, that I am back at home in madrid, I am so excited because next weekend I will be traveling to Seville, and have the opportunity to see my friends who are studying abroad there. Because we are going with our program, my time will be pretty crunch, in regards to friend time, but it will make the moments with them worth so much more. I can’t wait what the rest of my journey has in store for me and I can’t wait to come back to Paris this summer!! Until next time Paris!! See you for Lollapalooza!! Vous êtes beau Paris.
xoxo v
