Paris definitely had its pros and cons. The biggest con, I think, was that Paris is dirty. There's trash everywhere and I saw a guy peeing in a tunnel…gross. And the hostel I stayed in was probably the worst I've been in, but, as I kept reminding myself, I got what I paid for…and I didn't pay very much ;)
BUT…I met some amazing people in my hostel. The girls in my dorm were gems, well, at least two of them were. The 4th was a little psycho. I spent most of my time in Paris with these girls, Suzie (from England), Bree (from California), and Bree's friend, Jordan. Not to mention my friend from Utah/California, Cameron. The food was also amazing…although my waistline doesn't agree.
I got in Thursday afternoon, met Bree, Jordan, and Matthias, and we set out to explore the city. We walked along the Seine and saw Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, a lot of bridges, and finally, the Eiffel Tower. We were starving, so we found a restaurant with a view of the tower, and I didn't have to give up my first-born to eat there. I think I got lucky the entire time I was in Paris, because not once did I come across a snooty waiter. All the people who served me were very friendly! After dinner, we walked back to the hostel…we didn't realize the metro was available for so cheap…and we were exhausted.
Friday morning, Bree, Jordan and I met up with Cameron at the Louvre. We took the same route we had the night before, but we would occasionally stop and relax. We ran into Matthias in McDonalds (crazy, right?) and we saw the Arc de Triumphe. While walking back down the Champs-Elysee, I saw a gated area leading to Abercrombie and Fitch and I had to check it out. There was an amazingly chiseled man outside the store (I'm pretty sure he was photoshopped) and the store itself was like stepping into a 5-star hotel. We found a crepe place for dinner and it was amazing. We had a lot of fun talking to the man making the crepes. He speaks 8 languages! We met up with Susie and found a spot on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower to watch the sunset and watch the lights go on. It was a perfect night :)
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| Inside of Abercrombie and Fitch! |
We decided to go to Versailles on Saturday. Cameron was feeling sick, so he didn't join us. We picked up some food on the way to eat in the gardens. Versailles was beautiful, but it was a little hard to enjoy while imagining the peasants that were starving while it was being built. Not to mention, I also did not feel very well. It took 4 weeks to really hit, but my body was starting to feel the exhaustion of living on the road. We took a nap in Marie Antoinette's village.
Sunday I met Cameron at church, although I did get lost and somehow end up under the Louvre on the way. But I eventually made it! After church, Cameron and I grabbed lunch at a Turkish restaurant and then wandered around. We found Victor Hugo's house! Unfortunately it was closed :( I still wasn't feeling great, so I spent the rest of the day resting.
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| The LDS church in Paris |
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| Victor Hugo's house |
For my last day in Paris, I visited Notre Dame, the Sainte Chappelle, and the Sacre Coeur. All were very beautiful! I walked back to the hostel (such a long walk!) and had dinner with Susie at another crepe place. I caught a bus to London that night. It was a mistake taking a sleeping pill before we left, though. They made us get off the bus for customs, and then again for the ferry.
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