J’adore Paris

Originally posted June 1, 2011.
I have just returned from a fantastic trip to Paris, France. This trip was to commemorate the end of finals. Myself, two other Americans, and three friends from the University of Stirling spent 4 days exploring the sights of this amazing (and large) city. I can honestly say that I have never walked so much, but it was totally worth it.

Our first night was simply spent checking into our bed and breakfast, at McDonald’s using the wifi to alert parents that we made it all right, and at pub near our accommodation for a late night pint.

The next day we were all excited to see the Eiffel Tower. It was truly a sight to see. We traveled to the top where it was windy, but the view was beautiful. We then went to the Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame, and had a typical French lunch of baguettes with a tart. By the end of the day, we were exhausted and I had  never slept so well in my life.

The third day was spent in Château de Versailles, a large palace and gardens outside of Paris. We had to take a double decker train to get there. It is the former hunting lodge of Louis XIII and was converted and enlarged by his son Louis XIV, who installed the court and government of France in 1682. Until the French Revolution, the Kings have followed one another, take turns embellishing the castle. It was a work of art. There was so much gold!

Later that night, we met up with two other FYSAE students that had arrived in Paris that day under the Eiffel Tower. We had chocolate and champagne and watched the Eiffel Tower glitter in the moonlight. It was a perfect night.

The fourth day was spent just exploring the city once more. Night was the real highlight. We got all dressed up and went for a fancy dinner. After looking at several places, we stopped at one that looked genuinely French. Maybe a little too French. We quickly discovered that no one there spoke English, so instead of trying to order something that we didn’t know, we simply had dessert and went to another restaurant. The second restaurant was more of a success. One thing that was surprising was the hours of operation of the restaurants. We didn’t get to the restaurant until 11pm, but business definitely picked up at 12pm, when most restaurants in the UK or US would be closed. Oh, and I tried escargot.. and liked it!

Our last day was spent in the Louvre. I never thought I could spend six hours in a museum, let alone spend that much time and still not see everything. After the Louvre we took one last trip to the Eiffel Tower before getting on our flight back to the UK.