The City of Lights

As previously mentioned, I spent this past weekend in Paris. On Friday, a bus picked my program peers and I up at our apartment and we were transported to Shannon airport. After an uneventful check-in and security proceeding, we still had over an hour and a half to kill before our plane was scheduled to take off. So the majority of us sat in the airport pub having a bit of lunch and discussing our plans for the upcoming two days. When all 40 of us located to our gate, we were casually told by an Aer Lingus representative that our flight had been delayed coming out of Amsterdam and would consequentially delay our departure. I was annoyed, but not surprised, because remember - the word "punctual" does not exist in Ireland. Finally, at 5:15, we boarded our flight.

Oddly enough, the plane was not even half full and nearly every person got an entire row to themselves, giving us a prime opportunity to nap. And nap I did for the entire flight; before I knew it, we were landing at Charles de Gaulle airport in the outer city limits of Paris. France is one hour ahead of Ireland, so it was around 8PM when we arrived, almost 8 hours after having left our apartments. We boarded a coach bus that took us to our hotel, called Novotel, located in the Gare Montnaparnasse area of the city. The hotel was really swank, furnished with modern decor and cool artwork. There was two of us assigned to each room and I shared with Caitrin, one of my roommates back in Galway. Our room was pretty big, with both a king and queen bed. However, we weren't as excited about the beds as we were about the unlimited hot water for showering at our disposal. 

There was no time for showering though; we quickly changed and headed downstairs to the hotel restaurant for dinner. We were served a pre-determined menu consisting of bread, salad, pasta bolognese, and a fruit parfait - I am beginning to find it comical that no matter where I travel to, I am always, and I mean always, eating Italian food. Regardless, it was decent and I was hungry, so no complaints were made. By the time we all finished with dinner, it was past ten. Having been a long day, we decided to keep it low key and just make our way down to see the Eiffel Tower lit up. Seven of us bundled up and headed out to brave the Metro. There was a stop within walking distance of our hotel, so we went down the steps and reached our first obstacle: buying tickets. Now I've been on a train or two and I feel confident about my ability to buy a ticket, locate my destination on a map, find the platform for the train heading to said destination, and arriving there. However, I'm not so confident at carrying out that task in French. Somehow, through a series of hand gestures and "merci's," we all ended up with tickets heading for the train. We made it to the Eiffel stop in about 10 minutes, and walked out of the station towards the tower. I was really excited - it's so cool to see something in real life that you've known/read/heard/imagined for so long. It was beautiful and huge and exactly what I had anticipated. The tower lit up with sparkling lights on the hour, so we at crepes and waited for the show. I know, how French of us to be eating crepes along the Seine River watching the lights show on the Eiffel Tower! It really was something else. After watching the sparkling lights for a bit, we all headed back to the hotel so we could rest up for lots of sightseeing in the morning.

The next morning, we woke up at 7 to seize the day and take advantage of as much of Paris as possible. We had a fabulous breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the Metro station, where we managed to get a full day pass for only 3.40 Euro and navigate our way to the our first destination. Not bad for only being 8:30 in the morning, huh? We arrived at the Catacombs, an underground ossuary that holds the remains of over 6 million people who died from plague in the eighteenth century. We had been told by hotel reception that the Catacombs open at 9, however, the man in charge told us through hand signals and broken English that they were not open until 9:30 and we would have to wait outside...in the rain. I had been hoping for beautiful weather, but I wasn't going to let a little rain ruin my day. So a bunch of people from my program and I waited outside for half an hour until they let us in. Prior to visiting Paris, I had no knowledge of what a catacomb was, so I didn't really know what to expect, but I assumed it would be some sort of museum-like situation with a guide and class encasements. Well, you know what happens when you assume. After paying, we were sent down a sketchy spiral staircase that brought us to the beginning of our 2KM underground walk. There was dim lighting and no one to guide us, so I was getting more apprehensive by the second. We walked through an intricate series of stone corridors, with drippy ceilings and puddles everywhere, until we turned a corner and a man was waiting for us. Excuse my language, but he scared the shit out of me. He brought us to the archway leading into the actual catacomb and wished us luck. Unlike what I had expected, there was no glass encasements to be found. Instead, there were rooms and rooms filled with bones, skulls, and plaques commemorating the dead. It was really creepy and hard to believe that all that remained of 6 million people were piles of bone. We walked through the rooms quickly until we finally reached the staircase back up to ground level. When we got outside, I was relieved because although it was definitely a cool experience, going to the catacombs is not something I would plan on doing again.

After leaving the catacombs, we broke up into smaller groups as everyone had their own agenda. I went with my roommates Caitrin, Alyssa, and Shannah, as well as our friends Kristen, Elyssa, Mel, and Katie. We went in search of a bus stop along the route of the hop-on, hop-off bus tour that we'd been giving passes to. We ended up getting lost, as the streets are not clearly labeled and maps in French tend to be confusing when you don't speak the language. Luckily, a nice man must have noticed the group of American girls in brightly colored raincoats looking lost on a street corner and came to offer us help. He directed us toward the nearest bus stop and we made it just in time to get on. The bus was a double-decker and we braved the top even though it was cold and rainy just so we could get some good pictures. First, we stopped at Les Invalides, which is a series of museums and memorials including the military museum of the French army and the burial place of Napoleon Bonaparte. Because we had so many other things we wanted to see in so little time, the girls and I decided to forgo going inside the museums and head to the Lourve. Along the way there, the bus drove around and we got to see some famous sights such as the four columns with Barbedienne horses on top, the Eiffel tower, and the Rue de Paris ferris wheel. In that drive, I realized how beautiful Paris really is. There is art everywhere you look, the entire city is like one giant museum with sights to see for days and days.

After our little tour through the streets of Paris, we arrived at Musée du Louvre, which looked more like a castle than a museum. From the outside, I was able to see views of the tower, the Seine River, and the Arc de Triomphe. We waited in a small line outside before heading in to purchase tickets. To our surprise, we were all able to get in free by showing our student ID's from NUI, because that technically makes us European residents and the museum is free for Europeans under 26. We grabbed a few maps and realized there was no way that we could cover the entire museum in the hour we had alotted to spend there, so we prioritized and split up to see what was most important. Unfortunately, I do not have the appreciation for art that I should have, and I didn't have anything special I really wanted to see except Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. So I went in search of that with Caitrin and Katie and along the way we saw some beautiful pieces of Italian art. The room that housed the Mona Lisa was crowded but we elbowed our way through and there it was. It was smaller than I anticipated, but still beautiful and something I have been lucky enough to be able to see in person. After seeing Mona, we had some time to kill so we walked over to another of the museum's three wings to see their exhibit of Egyptian art. Inside, they had sculptures, paintings, carvings, jewelry, and other pieces that dated back farther than you can imagine. I really wish I had gotten to spend more time inside, but the rest of Paris was calling and I had lots more things to see. But I'm not worried, I'll be back. 

Next on the schedule was a visit to Notre Dame, which ranked second on my list of must-see's after the Eiffel Tower. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the size - the cathedral is huge. Even though it doesn't look big from the front, once I walked around the side, I realized it goes back for nearly two blocks. There were lots of tourists around and a long line to get inside, so the girls and I grabbed sandwiches from a cafe and took them to eat while we waited in line. While we waited, I was awed by how beautiful the cathedral was. There is such intricate detail in the stone, doors, and windows that makes it a work of art in its own right. After a ten minute or so wait, we entered the dimly lit cathedral where hundreds of other people were looking around. Ironically, the first thing we saw was a gift kiosk, which I couldn't help but find both funny and ridiculous. But hey, anything to make a buck/Euro, right? The inside of the cathedral was giant, with beautiful stain glass, well over a hundred rows of pews, and several places in which to light candles, go to confession, or say a prayer. I lit a candle and said a quick prayer, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get to mass there the next morning. We stayed for about half an hour, wandering around and reading about the history cathedral until we decided it was time to carry on.

When we left Notre Dame, the sun was shining and we sprinted to hop on the bus that would take us to our next destination: the Arc de Triomphe. The arc is located at the top of Champs de Elysses, the Parisian street that hosts Louis, Prada, Versace...the places I'm going to be shopping at once I become a housewife on Bravo TV. Before we became distracted with shopping, Caitrin, Katie, and I decided to head over to the arc, walking through the underground tunnel built so that tourists don't have to cross the eight-lane rotary surrounding the monument. We went inside to purchase tickets to go to the top so we could see a panoramic view of the city. After buying the tickets however, we noticed the sign that said the only way up was to climb the 284 stairs to the top. Well, I'd already paid and not knowing realistically the next time I'd be in Paris, I decided to put on my big girl pants and get to it. Plus, I reasoned with myself that it was okay to eat a crepe later if I climbed all those steps earlier in the afternoon. So up we went along the spiral staircase to the top and the view was worth it. All I could see for miles and miles was the city, which is the biggest I've ever been in. We had a view of Champs de Elysses, the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, and the beauty of common Parisian buildings in one picture - definitely worth walking up 284 stairs.

After so much sightseeing, we decided to end our daytime activities with a little shopping on Champs de Elysses. We stopped into Louis Vuitton just to see what it was like and I nearly died looking at the price tags - 25,000 Euro for a trunk! Can you imagine? Or 495 Euro for a plain white silk scarf? Lesson learned from Louis: Marry Rich. 

A little demoralized from seeing handbags worth more than we were planning to spend during our entire time abroad, we relocated to a shop that was more on our level...Sephora. But not just any Sephora, the world headquarters of Sephora. It was a wonderful place, and I was beyond excited when I discovered that they carried my favorite bronzer, a Sephora brand palette that works wonders, that I haven't been able to find in the United States stores in over a year. I stocked up, raving to the cashiers about how happy I was to be making my purchase. My enthusiasm earned me free samples of perfume, illuminator, and mascara, so all in all, I was very satisfied with my experience there. After Sephora, we stopped in at a couple other clothing stores to try to find some sort of fabulous item of clothing so when we received compliments on it we'd be able to say: "Thanks, I got it in Paris."

Shopped out and realizing that the day was getting away from us, Katie, Caitrin, and I left Champs de Elysses so we could get back to the hotel and prepare for a night out on the town. I was exhausted but knew my trip wouldn't be complete without a little taste of Parisian nightlife. We quickly changed and met up with my roommates Alyssa and Shannah so that we could hop on the metro and take it to the Seine River for a little night cruise. After a failed attempt to meet up with some other people from our program on the boat they had found to do a cruise on, we chose a random other one because it was 9:50 and the last cruises head out around 10. Our cruise turned out to be great, with a warm inside for if it started to rain and an open back for optimum picture taking. There were only about 5 or 6 other people on the cruise, so we had the run of the ship. We sailed along the  river, seeing why Paris is commonly referred to as "The City of Lights." Nearly every building, bridge, and street was illuminated to show the beauty of the city even after the sun had gone down. The boat took us in a big circle, returning after about an hour and dropping us off right by the Eiffel Tower and numerable crepe stands. So, like the night before, we ate crepes while watching the light show on the tower. When it was over, we took a taxi over to the Notre Dame area because it has streets nearby lined with bars and cafes. We found a little cafe that looked like a hot spot and ordered drinks which we drank sitting among other Parisians enjoying a typical night out in the city. After one drink, we decided that it was late and time to head back because we still had one more thing to do before we left Paris: climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

On Sunday, we were told to be packed and ready to check out by 11:30 AM, as we had to drive the hour to the airport and get through security in time for our 2:00PM departure. While many other people decided that they'd had enough and were going to sleep in, Katie, Caitrin, and I decided to get up at 7:30 and head down to the Eiffel Tower in hopes of being the first in line to go up. And first in line we were at 8:30 in the morning for the alleged 9:00 opening of the tower. Of course, it really opened at 9:30 so we stood outside in the cold for an hour. But the events following the wait were definitely worth it. After purchasing our tickets, we made our way onto the gondola with some other early risers and headed to the top. The sun was shining and the view was beautiful, I couldn't believe that I was on top of this structure that is perhaps one of the most recognizable in the world. Short on time, we took a few pictures and marveled at the sights before heading back to the gondola for the ride down. This is where my weekend goes from fabulous to something beyond that. In the elevator, there was a couple and another woman with two younger children. When we got in, I noticed that the woman looked familiar but couldn't place here and when she spoke to her children in a British accent, I knew that I must be making a mistake. Katie and Caitrin had noticed her as well, and Katie commented that she looked an awful lot like Kate Winslet, the star from Titanic for anyone who doesn't know who she is. Well, the resemblance was no joke...the woman WAS Kate Winslet. She had on big sunglasses and held her children close, but spoke to us about the beauty of the tower and the skating rink inside of it before we got to the bottom, as well as before we realized it was really her. Getting off the elevator, she removed her sunglasses for a moment, confirming our suspicions. She then put on a hate, obviously disguising herself in attempts not to be recognized while trying to enjoy the day with her children. We felt bad making a scene and asking for her autograph, so I creepily took pictures from afar - I had to! No one would believe this story if I didn't have optic proof. 

There she is!

Barely believing what had just happened, we navigated our way to some tourist shops to pick up some last minute souvenirs before heading back to the hotel. We just made the 11:30 deadline and quickly grabbed our bags, checked out, and got on the bus. With tales of celebrities, beautiful sights, and delicious food, I was exhausted but elated after my fleeting weekend in Paris. However, I feel the need to state that although the city was beautiful and more than I had ever expected it to be, what Paris had in sights, it really lacked in hospitality. I went to France knowing that the French people are stereotyped as being rude and pretentious, but I arrived with an open mind, hoping that stereotype was as accurate as the one that all young Americans are like the cast of Jersey Shore. I wish I could say the French proved me wrong, but I can't. Despite our attempts to use the language and be polite, we were often waved off, ignored, or sneered at when asking for directions, even at hotel reception whose job it is to make their guests feel welcome. While I loved the cuisine, the shopping, the sights, and the history that Paris had to offer, I have to admit that I was really disappointed by the people. But I can look past that and appreciate my trip just the same, it was a great experience that I am so glad to have had the opportunity to enjoy.

Love and beautiful cities,

Haley