6 other students and I had the opportunity to visit Paris with 2 study abroad advisors and a group of 100 other CIEE students from other locations. I have been to Paris once before, when I was about ten years old. The only thing I really remember about it was my dad pointing out all the people on motorcycles and telling me if I ever rode one that I would fall and my skin would burn off onto the asphalt. That morbid thought seemed to consume my mind for the rest of the trip (and my life.. still haven't been on a motorcycle).
My friends and I walked around Paris for literally 7 hours on Friday. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the military school, the love lock bridge, bridges in general, and countless other monuments. Everything in Paris is so grand - all the buildings have black iron terraces and flowers overflowing everywhere. The architecture is incredible - I was in awe looking at Notre Dame. It's definitely one of the most impressive Gothic structures I've ever seen. It looks so different from other churches I've seen which I thought was interesting. When I see such intricate and insane churches it just blows my mind thinking about the work that went into creating the building and the details and the fact that people did it for the sake of religion. I've been thinking a lot about people's motives lately and to think that religion was so significant that it led to some of the most amazing art and architecture is so crazy and to me.
We ate dinner at a fancy french cafe, scarfing down lentil salad, chicken, potatoes, loads of bread, and apple tarts. This was the first opportunity I had to get to know some of the people who came with me to Paris from Amsterdam. Our group in Amsterdam is about 40 students, so I had yet to really talk with some of them. It was really nice to step out of my comfort zone and get to know some people I wouldn't have had a chance to talk to otherwise. After dinner, we were all exhausted (and broke) so we went back to the hostel instead of going out.
The next day we visited the Louvre - I've seen the Mona Lisa before but that was ten years ago. Turns out it's still a let down. My favorite part was the new Egyptian exhibit and the Code of Hammurabi. It took us about 30 minutes to find the latter, but I was adamant about seeing it. By the time we finally stumbled upon it, I had about a minute to snap a picture before we had to leave. It was my favorite thing I saw and everyone was making fun of me since it literally just looked like a slab of rock and we spent forever looking for it. Oh well - it's the first law ever and that's pretty freakin cool. And I have a pic.
We ate lunch outside on the steps and I almost go attacked by a demented white pigeon. This pigeon, I kid you not, was determined to get close to me. It wasn't afraid of humans and when my friends tried to shoo it away it just stepped closer to us. It backed me into a corner and then finally flew up onto a ledge and stared at us. We got up and sat on another section of steps. 20 minutes later, the bird showed up on a new ledge and came within a foot of my head. My new friends learned of my paralyzing bird fear rather quickly.
That night, after attending a comedy show focused on Parisian versus American stereotypes, we went out for wine and crepes and then to a bar to watch Italy and England play in the World Cup. I met this (hammered) British guy who claimed that Philadelphia was the best city in the world and that he was going to move there in a year. "Fuck New York," he said, "It's all about Philadelphia. That place is the best. It's always sunny, cheesesteaks, south street". I thought he was messing with me and I asked him where he got a cheese steak, the which he responded with Jim's on South. I was ready to marry this dude on the spot. What the hell are the chances that someone from London thinks that Philly is the greatest city in the world????
On our final day in Paris we had free time. I had been planning to go to the Catacombs since the day I learned I'd be going to Paris. I wasn't sure if anyone would want to go with me so I was planning on going alone, but luckily I was able to convince my friend Tavia that seeing piles of bones would be a great way to spend a Sunday. To my surprise, a ton of other people seemed to have the same idea and the line was 2.5 hours long. We had a tight schedule to follow and had to be back at the hostel by 2:15 to catch a train to the airport, and we ended up being 15 minutes late, but it was totally worth it. Tavia and I met these two guys from Atlanta who were studying abroad in France - one in Paris and one in the south. They were super cool and we ended up hanging out with them throughout the whole line and into the Catacombs. The kid in Paris wants us to come back for Bastille Day LOL.
But back to the 6 million people buried beneath the city - it was INSANE. You descend on this narrow spiral staircase, 19 meters underground, and you're just faced with a labyrinth. Before you know it, you're staring at piles of artfully stacked bones and skulls, and you can TOUCH them. Hell, I could have taken one if I wanted. You wander around for 2 kilometers, and there are just more and more and more bones, along with creepy latin phrases carved into the stone, such as "To me, death is gain". The catacombs were creepy, though-provoking, and strangely beautiful. We had fun meeting new people and navigating the city on our own. It was by far my favorite thing we did in Paris.
And now I'm back for one last week in Amsterdam. I really want to go back to Paris sometime - there's so much to take in and see and taste and we just didn't have enough time. However, I am glad to be back. Paris is a beautiful and romantic place to visit. The building are grand, the art is famous, the food is delicate and delicious, but it's all a little overwhelming. In Amsterdam, I feel more at peace. From the canals, to the boats and the smaller scale, Amsterdam feels more like home to me than a city like Paris. And I need to make the most of it in our last week! I'm sad to be leaving, happy to be getting to London, but grateful that I have these next few days to really immerse myself in Amsterdam!
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