escargot, crepes, and gyspsies oh my!!!!

What an amazing weekend I had!!!!! Friday was just a normal day at work where I hung out with the kids, lead large group activity (I taught them barrel ball…. It went ok), and even got off a little bit early. Right after work it really set in that I was going to Paris that night!!! We got all packed up and by 8 pm we were on our first train to Paris. In Stuttgart Germany we had about an hour lay over at 12:30 in the morning and it was really interesting to see the night life there. All the different people going to and from the clubs, different bachelor and bachelorette parties, and all the places to eat in the train station still open. From Stuttgart to Paris we had a City night line train which was supposed to be our sleeper train. Yeah, if you ever saw Harry Potter or Eurotrip… it was not as comfy or cool as that. It was small and stuffy, and you had to try to sleep in an upright position, super close to someone you didn’t even know. Needless to say, we barely slept at all that night but still had to be ready to start our day when we got into Paris at 9:30 the next morning.

Right as we got off the train in Paris, we had to figure out the Metro in order to get over to the Eiffel tower. Like most things, it was quite a challenge and a major adventure. We first got on the wrong line, then we got off on the wrong stop and everyone made it back on except for one person. Then we had to figure out how to get across the tracks to go back and get Belkis, then figure out how to get on the right Metro trains, take the right transfers, and not get a deadly disease while sitting or standing on the train. A ride on the Metro that maybe needed to take 10-15 minutes took like an hour for us. I swear by the end of the trip I will be a master at reading subway maps and figure out my way around train stations (not that I will need that knowledge in Chico). But finally we arrived and literally right around the corner from the station was the Eiffel Tower. It was the most amazing view I have ever seen. We may have all be frustrated at the start of the day and super tired, but we all got so happy we almost cried. I couldn’t believe I was in Paris. It felt so surreal. After taking pictures of the theater (I think that’s what the building was with the fountains and stuff) and the Eiffel tower every five feet, we finally reached the base of the Tower. It was incredible! And so began our journey to the top of the Eiffel Tower! It was only 700 steps the the top and to be honest it wasn’t too hard of a climb. Climbing the Cologne cathedral felt worse because there it was a small spiral staircase for both up and down. It was incredible to see the views from the first level and the second level. And on the first level they have little display windows to learn about the tower, a restaurant, a lounge and bar, a buffet, a boutique, and a movie area. It was crazy! You could literally hang out on the Eiffel Tower and have a great time! When we finally got to the top we just couldn’t believe it. The view was breath taking and you could literally see everything. The weather was perfect and the skies were clear. It was nice and warm and we could see all the sights we wanted to see for the day. We even got a funny video doing a “we made it to the top” dance on Miranda’s video camera (hopefully that never ends up on Facebook haha).

After we came down from the Eiffel tower, we all got French fries and crepes and had a picnic on the grass near the Eiffel tower. It was amazing. I could have laid there all day. But after resting a while and taking it all in (as well as getting a million more pictures) we headed over to the river for a boat tour. Now it wasn’t an actually tour with someone telling you facts about what you were seeing, it was just a boat that took you to all the major attractions and you got a pass for the day so you could get on and off at each location. The first place we got off was Notre Dame. Now I have seen the Disney movie, and let me tell you, it does not do this building justice! It was so incredible! And there were just soooo many people. We didn’t get a chance to go inside, but it was still amazing to see the wonderful place! After that, we hit up a few shops and then started our trek to our hostel to drop off all our clothes and just take our valuables with us (in case for some crazy reason our stuff got stolen). We thought it was a lot closer to our hostel than it was…. But we got really good at reading a map and after about an hour or so we made it to our hostel. After quickly freshening up, we took a taxi back to hotel de ville to get back on to the boat tour. Our cab went past the Bastille and the driver tried telling us about it but it was very hard to understand him. Once we got back on the boat, we got off at the Louvre. It was definitely bigger than I expected! I had no idea there was a whole area of buildings and museums around. It was amazing to see. Once again we didn’t end up going inside because of the line, cost, and time constraint (because it was already close to 8 pm) but it was still very pretty to see the outside of it all. I just loved taking it all in. it was still so surreal and I could not believe the beauty I was seeing. The sunlight hit everything just right and everything was so perfect there. After the Louvre was the Champs- Elyses stop. This is where all the major shops and cafés are as well as the very famous arch seen in all the movies. This area was once again just so amazing. The buildings and roads were so pretty and everything just went amazingly. We went over to the arch (after dodging a million cars in the round about) and saw the tomb of the unknown soldier. I will be honest, I did not know France had something like that, I thought it was only something we had in the states. We were seeing this area right around sunset and it was just the most gorgeous view I have ever seen the and best sunset I have ever seen. We walked around a few more shops (and of course I still didn’t buy any souvenirs because I just couldn’t believe the prices for these little tiny things… a tiny Eiffel tower was 7 Euro!) and then we realized it was getting late and we were getting hungry! We ate at this restaurant called Chez Clement and it was the best food I have had since I have been here! Everyone has always told us that we better know what we want when we sit down at a restaurant in France and that we better have money and everything ready right away, but this place was different. Our waiter was super nice, and although he was making fun of us for being American, he was still joking around and so helpful and nice. He thought it was funny that we only wanted to get 1 order of escargot to share instead of one order each (apparently they are his favorite food) and he was trying to tell me how dry the Chardonnay was that I was getting (and yes, it was dry but… like Germany… it was cheaper than the water and I didn’t want to pay double the price for a good red wine). Now this may sound surprising, but I actually liked the taste of the escargot. I mean they do drown it in garlic and butter, but nonetheless, it really wasn’t bad. I didn’t like the texture (because it was just like mussels and way to gummy for my taste) but it really was pretty good tasting. And then came our food. It seems super American, but I had pan fried chicken and fries. And omg they were the best fries I have ever had. They didn’t taste hollow, crunchy, or like they were from a bag. You could tell that they were real potatoes and they were squishy just like I like them. They come in unlimited amounts but the food was so filling that I only needed what was on my plate. Also their wine is really strong. I mean I was good but I felt super dumb when I was starting to feel it a little bit even after I ate my full plate of dinner haha.

Next stop: the Eiffel Tower at night. Honestly took my breathe away. I almost started crying. This place had been so gorgeous and we had honestly had the best day ever. We learned before we came not to talk to anyone that asks if you speak English or wants you to sign something (they are pick pocketers) and we had some amazing street food (I had the Croque which is like the best sandwich ever!!!). No one had been rude to us like we expected them too, and we had seen so many things today even if we didn’t get to go inside or really tour the area. So coming to the Eiffel Tower at night was just the most perfect way to end the most perfect day. It was a clear and cool night but not too cold. We went back to the lawn and waited for the tower to sparkle. And when the top of the hour hit and the tower began to sparkle, I was literally speechless and breathless. It was so pretty the way the lights shimmered and the tower glowed. The lawn was packed with people and the tower still full and yet I felt like I was the only one there and that the light show was just for me. The five minutes felt like an eternity and I loved every second of it. I can honestly say I fell in love with Paris. Finally we headed to our hostel ( a very expensive taxi that took 30 minutes to get got us there) and got a few hours of sleep.

The next day was when our image of France started changing. The people at the Metro were incredibly rude when we asked how to get to the Main train station, there wasn’t a crepe place to get one last breakfast crepe for miles, and the lady on the train from Paris to Frankfurt charged us 10 Euro each because we didn’t write our date on our Eurail before we got on the train. It was super annoying, and may have tainted our view on France a little bit, but by far it was the best weekend ever. In Frankfurt I was daring enough to try some Asian food for lunch and it was actually pretty good.

We were going to stop in Wurzberg for Volksfest (basically the fair) but we were all too tired to and we just came home.

I know for sure I will be remembering and telling stories of my weekend in Paris for a long time. There were so many amazing little thigns that happened and funny stories with my new friends. Like one time when some gypsies children came up with things for us to sign and asked if we spoke English, we all said no in weird accents and Belkis ruined it by saying “I’m Sorry” and as we tried to walk away, they followed us and we walked around in these weird circles around each other holding our stuff trying to not get pick pocketed by these crazy kids! It was so funny we almost died of laughter. Also our adventure of being lost around Paris trying to find our hostel is something I will always remember. It was an amazing weekend and I wish I could have had more time there to actually go inside everything, tour everything, try frog legs, and learn more about the culture. These weekend trips are a way to get a nice little taste of a country, but not nearly enough time to see or do anything. I hope one day I can come back and actually find out what I am taking pictures of, actually learn about the history and the place I am in and take tours inside museums like the Louvre. I loved Paris =)