paris, france: days 3 & 4

The Paris adventures continue! Hannah, Stacie and I started off Monday morning with a healthy dose of macarons! Now, apparently there is a rivalry between Pierre Herme and Laduree over the best macarons in Paris. We first went into Pierre Herme, where we were greeted with free chocolate samples (YES!). We ended up getting a box of 7 macarons for €18. *cringe* But it was actually worth it. I got the lavender and dark chocolate and sea salt macarons, and we shared the olive oil and vanilla macaron. They melted in your mouth and the flavors were just right. SO GOOD.

Pretty patties!

After crying over how fast the macarons were gone, we were able to go inside the Palais Garnier this time! Ah, being inside just made me remember the "masquerade" scene in the Phantom of the Opera. The whole opera house is lovely, and it's the most beautiful venue I've ever seen.

After the opera house, Hannah sadly had to leave us to do some work. But she directed us to a bakery called Du Pain et Des Idees, which is apparently regarded as one of the best bakeries in Paris. I didn't go into that many bakeries during my stay, but I'll vouch for that, anyway. We ordered a whole bunch of items from Hannah's recommendations, including the niflettes (mini pastries with a custard filling), the escargot (filled pastries shaped like a snail's shell), and the smoked bread. It's hard to pick a favorite because I loved everything.

Aww yeah.

After consuming too many carbs, we headed to the Arc de Triomphe. We were hoping to go up the monument, since we were told that the view from the top offers a better view than the Eiffel Tower. But since the Arc de Triomphe is right in the center of a very busy roundabout, we had no idea where to cross. So we walked along the Champs Elysees, a street full of restaurants and luxury shops that sell things no one can afford.

Along the Champs Elysees, there was also a Laduree! Obviously, we had to get more macarons and compare it to Pierre Herme's. It was a really cute shop, but I have to say, I was pretty dissapointed with their macarons. They were too sweet for my liking, and had a strange texture--definitely not "melt in your mouth." The flavors they offered also weren't that unique. So who wins the macaron battle in Paris? I give my vote Pierre Herme.

We then rushed over to the Eiffel Tower to snap some photos before the sun set, because night time photos are not enough! My heart just fluttered everytime I looked at it. I took a way too many pictures, but I'll just showcase my favorite ones.

Je t'aime!

After dinner that night, we headed to the Sacre Coeur to get a night view over the city. It's a church located on top of a hill called the Montmarte, which is the highest point in the city. For this metro exit in particular, we had to climb a spiral staircase that never seemed to end. Oh, the burn in my thighs. It was only when we got to the top that we noticed there was an elevator. Eh, it was good exercise I suppose.

Before getting on a cable car to get up to the Sacre Couer, around this area were a bunch of scammers. Which brings me to attempted scam #4 (I skipped #2 and #3 because they weren't much): a guy with a bunch of bracelets in his hand was approaching me, saying "Hello there!" but I quickly said "no" and started walking straight ahead (Stacie was walking a bit behind me). He tried to get in front of me, saying "No, no, I just want to show you something!" in which he suddenly GRABBED my wrist. I quickly pulled away and said "no" multiple times, and walked faster towards the ticket booth for the cable car. I knew about these "string men" before coming to Paris, but I wasn't aware that they're actually known to be prominent around the Sacre Couer. It was a bit scary, but thankfully nothing happened.

After that incident, we made our way up the Montemarte to the Sacre Couer. The view was beautiful, but unfortunately trees are in the way of letting you see the Eiffel Tower. It's also a bit strange that there were a bunch of people drinking outside the church?

The next morning, Hannah brought us to a bakery nearby her place. I seriously don't know how the French stay so slim and fit when there are bakeries everywhere. Is it because they go up and down the stairs all the time? I've noticed that the French metros rarely have escalators. Is that their secret?

I got a chocolate eclair and a baguette sandwich with mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and an olive tapanade. I haven't had too many eclairs in my day, but wow, this eclair was delicious. The baguette was also one of the best I've ever eaten. I'm still dreaming about them.

We didn't have much time to do anything else in Paris, since we had to get the the train station around 3:00 PM. So Stacie and I decided to spend our morning at the Palace of Versailles, once home to Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. What can I say about the Palace Versailles other than how ridiculously massive and glorious it is? Gold was everywhere at the front gates! Jeez, can you just imagine the lives of French royalty before? It's insane. I want that lavish life.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go inside because the line to get in was literally a mile long. We definitely weren't expecting such a huge crowd that morning. I was really upset because I wanted to go inside and also see the gardens. Oh well, one day I'll be back! One day... (sorry, I just had to.)

So instead of going inside the château, we ended up just walking around the streets of Versailles and shopping at Monoprix, which is a French retail store similar to Target. I loaded up on a lot of pate, some Dijon mustard, and French sweets. I really don't know how I'm going to fit all of my stuff into my luggage when I go back home.

Before we knew it, our French travels were over, and we headed back to Hannah's to get ready to leave.

Bye bye cute and shy French kitty!

It was sad to say goodbye, and I am missing Hannah so much right now. But I'll be seeing her in the next couple of weeks when she comes to visit the U.K.! I want to thank Hannah and Pallavi so much for letting us stay in their home and helping us around! I couldn't have done this trip without them.

Paris, overall, was great. Was it what I dreamed it would be? Not exactly--it had its good and bad moments. It was certainly nothing like Jenny's trip to Paris from the movie An Education (which I love). But I think that the city is absolutely beautiful, and I'm so glad I got to experience a bit of it all. From eating the delicious pastries to visiting some of the prettiest monuments and museums in the world, Paris has a lot to offer, and I want to come back one day to visit other areas in France. But maybe when I sharpen my French skills. Someone please make learning French as enjoyable as Flight of the Conchords.

I have a lot more thoughts about Paris that I'll probably save for another day, but now I have so many essays to get going on. *sigh*

paris, france: days 1 & 2

Warning: my Paris posts may contain lots of delicious looking foods. Do not read on an empty stomach.

Sorry for the late post, but I'm back from Paris! It was an exhausting, yet overall wonderful trip. It feels a little weird coming back from another country, and then not going back home afterwards. If you're wondering: no, I did not skip my classes. This week is "reading week" for students, which means we get the entire week off to catch up on all of our readings and class work. (Though in reality it's "traveling week" shhh).

I knew that when I was going to study abroad, Paris was first on my "must-see" list of cities to visit. Not only because I've always dreamed about going, but I also wanted to visit my BFF Hannah, whom I've known nearly all my life and is studying abroad for the semester as well. We stayed at her place in the suburbs of Paris, along with her roommate Pallavi and her adorable cat!

Stacie and I left very early Saturday morning. It would have been a lot faster to fly to Paris, but flights were ridiculously expensive for this past weekend. So instead, we took a train from Manchester to London, then took the Eurostar from London to Paris. It took about 4 hours total, so it wasn't too bad. But on the Eurostar there were a bunch of rowdy, teenage French students that made it a rather uncomfortable ride. Thankfully, it wasn't as uncomfortable as that scene in Eurotrip.

Hannah and Pallavi were at the station upon our arrival. I was so thrilled to see them! Let me just say now that I probably wouldn't have survived this trip without them. Even though I took French in high school, I'm definitely not fluent and my French skills only helped in reading things here and there. Thankfully, we had Hannah and Pallavi to either guide us around, give us helpful tips, and communicate for us. It's not that you can't speak English to the Parisians--I've just noticed that some do get a bit rude and impatient when you don't speak the language. But nothing too horrible.

After having some delicious Indian food for lunch, we dropped off our bags at their house and headed out. It was already late in the afternoon, and since most of Paris's main attractions close around 5 PM and 6 PM, we wouldn't have enough time to visit them. Additionally, Stacie and I were super tired from lack of sleep anyway, so we decided to take it relatively easy our first night. But we did go to Art Ludique, which currently has a Studio Ghibli exhibit going on. It was really interesting to see all of the drawings and the creative process behind Miyazaki's films. Photos weren't allowed to be taken inside the exhibit, which was really lame. But we did take a free picture in which we were "animated" into a Spirited Away scene. I love the picture so much.

I still can't get over this.

After the exhibit, we walked around the city for a while to get a glimpse of Paris by night. I love how different the vibe is from day to night. For dinner, we were hoping to get some fondue, but we couldn't get into either of the two restaurants we had in mind. So we went settled on a cafe that sold crepes instead. All of us ended up choosing dessert crepes, of course. Sadly, my first and only French crepe experience did not go well. Our crepes took more than 30 minutes to come out--I mean, how long does it really take to make a crepe? I ordered the "St. Michel," which had caramelized apples, roasted almonds, some sort of liquor, and vanilla ice cream. When the crepes were finally brought out, the lady who burned the liquor for my crepe at our table failed to do so correctly, so I could taste the alcohol quite a lot, which I did not like at all. It also needed more ice cream. But it's okay, we grabbed a Doner kebab and french fries later that night, which made up for it. And yes, the french fries in France are amazing!

It looked cool, though!

The next morning, Stacie and I first headed to the Palais Garnier. This opera house served as a setting for The Phantom of the Opera, which is one my my favorite musicals. I can't tell you how much I enjoy the architecture of the buildings in Paris. The buildings are beautiful nearly everywhere you go. Sadly, we didn't get to go inside the Palais Garnier that day because they closed early for a matinee performance.

Outside the Palais Garnier, I also experienced my attempted scam #1. A seemingly friendly guy came up to us with an orange balloon and asked us to have it. We said no, but he kept insisting. So we just walked away and he stopped. I'm not even sure if it was a scam or not, but I assumed anyone who tried to give me something was some sort of con-artist. Which brings me to this point: I suggest reading up on tourist scams if you're thinking about visiting Europe. I was approached a total of 4 times by scammers during my stay in Paris. I don't mean to scare you, but just be cautious, keep your belongings close, and don't take anything!

Next, we headed to the Musee du Louvre. I knew that this museum was big, but boy, I really underestimated the size of it. The place is HUGE. Once I got through the entrance, my jaw literally dropped. The museum is ridiculously gorgeous, and I love the pyramids in the center of it all. It was funny that they actually had small blocks for you to stand on to take a picture of you pinching the top of the pyramid. It was no easy task, but we just had to do it!

There is SO MUCH to see in the Louvre. You really need to plan out which pieces of artwork you want to see beforehand. We ended up seeing the more famous works including the Winged Victory of Samothrace, The Wedding at Cana, the Venus de Milo, and of course, the Mona Lisa. It's hilarious to see so many people crowding around to take pictures of such a small art piece. I managed to get a shot of the Mona Lisa at the back of the crowd. Good enough.

Madness!

For lunch, Stacie and I headed to a cafe nearby. I'll confirm the fact that Paris has a lot of cafes. While you look outside of their menus, the waiters try to lure you in to take a seat. I guess you've gotta do what you've gotta do when you have tough competition and nearly identical menus. Also: the food in Paris is pretty darn expensive. The average price for dishes are around €12-€15. I know I should have had the "treat yo self" mindset in my head, but as a poor college student, it's hard not to think about money. But the cafe we ate at had descent prices. I ordered the classic Croque Madame, which is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top. There's also the Croque Monsieur, which is the same thing except it doesn't have the egg. But seriously, why is that even an option?

After lunch, we crossed the Seine river to get the the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Also gorgeous. No surprise there.

At night, we met up with Hannah for dinner. We ended up passing by the Eiffel Tower (finally), which is truly is breathtaking to see it up close. It was lovely to see it light up at night!

We ended our night eating escargot and gelato at Amorino. I actually really liked the escargot--it tasted similar to squid, and it was in a garlic and parsley butter sauce, which made it even better. And the gelato was heaven. I got to choose probably 5 different flavors, in which the lady working there shaped the gelato into a rose. Pretty!

Get ready for days 3 & 4!