REMINDER: IF YOU CLICK ON ANY OF MY PICTURES THEY WILL OPEN LARGER IN A NEW WINDOW.
 | |
| At the Ponte Alexandre w/ Eiffel Tower From Left to Right: Caitlin, Me, Nicole, Cassie |
Ok, so those of you who look at my Facebook at all have probably already seen the literally hundreds of pictures I recently posted of my weekend trip to Paris. I had no idea how trigger happy I was with a camera; I took over 200 photos during my brief 3-day trip! Anyways, this trip was not just a great tourist experience but a great moment of personal growth for me. So here we go!
Now some of you readers who grew up in the 90s, or have children born in the 90s might recognize the title of this blog as the title of a popular Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen film. Well when I was a “tween” I LOVED Mary Kate & Ashley (I mean I’m pretty sure I played pretend games where I was their long lost triplet), and I’ve seen this film about a billion times. I even have favorite quotes from it that I’ve posted on Facebook, the best being: “Do you like your school?” “When the rain comes I am sad.” So when packing for my own Paris trip, I decided what better way to get in the mood for a Parisian adventure then to turn on “Passport to Paris”? It DEFINITELY got me into the mood to have some good old-fashioned tourist-y fun!
I went to Paris with a group of 12 people (all Americans and many from USC), but we were split up into two groups staying at different hostels. As a result, there wasn’t really much overlap between the two groups, so I really only hung out with the girls that I stayed with (Cassie from Chicago, my roommate Caitlin, and Nicole from USC) and two of the guys from USC there, Jason and Kyle. The large group had every intention of spending time together however, so when we were all arranging travel plans we booked the same flights and bus to Dublin Airport. We booked an extremely early flight (at 6:35am) on Friday, February 4th. The bus trip from Galway City Centre to Dublin Airport take about 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours flat, so we all decided to take a 1:15am bus to the airport. As a result all 12 of us gathered at a couple of the girls’ apartment in the middle of city centre to relax and hang out that evening before walking to the Coach Station (Coach = Bus) at 12:30am.Now of course as soon as my butt hit the bus seat, I was out like a light. The airport was easy enough to navigate and getting through security was a quick enough process. So soon enough we made it to our gate and had time to kill. We all were starving at this point having most of us skipped dinner, so we scattered grabbing whatever food we could find. Now being poor college students we all booked the cheapest flight available which was on an airline called Ryan Air. The tickets only cost about 20€, but there’s a reason they’re so cheap! You are only allowed 1 bag, no personal item. Any more than that and you get charged up the wazoo. There are also no seat assignments, it’s basically a mad rush to board the plane and pick the seats you want. Oh! And there really isn’t a true walkway to the airplane, no no Ryan Air does it old school. You actually have to walk out into the freezing cold and climb the stairs to the plane! It was ok though because it felt kind of like we were in an old black and white film, glamourously ascending the steps into our waiting plane (forget the fact that we all looked groggy and disheveled from lack of sleep and a long bus trip).
After a quick hour and a half plane ride we landed at Paris Beauvais Airport! I felt like I had blinked and we’d arrived, because of course as per usual I was asleep before the plane’s wheels had even left the ground! At the airport our groups separated. Nicole, Cassie, Caitlin, and I went off to fend for ourselves and determine a way into the city (this aiport is about an hour outside of the city) while the others had a private shuttle waiting to pick them up and take them to their hotel. We quickly found the queue for the coach into the city, and bought a return ticket for our flight home, hurrying into the long line. I do have to say this was well-organized, and we didn’t have to wait at all for a bus, which was spectacular. After again napping on the bus, I awoke to a view of the Eiffel Tower as we pulled into Paris. Wow…this was just the first out of many times I thought over the course of the weekend how amazing it must be to wake up and actually live in Paris. You just wake up and look out your window…there’s the Eiffel Tower.
Well, when our tired feet hit the ground in Paris the adventure truly began! Now, perhaps we should’ve done a bit more pre-planning but the only information we had about where we were staying was its address that Nicole had taken a picture of with her pretty bad camera phone, and the name of the hostel “Young and Happy Hostel”. After using my somewhat broken French to ask the bus driver where the Metro was, he pointed us in the general direction of the Metro’s entrance at Porte Maillot. After descending into the depths of Paris’ metro the confusion started. The ticket machine was broken, but before we could buy a ticket we needed to know what Metro line we should even get on and what stop to get off at! So we wandered around the walkways in the Metro, a little bit nervously and probably more than a little bit crankily at least on my part (I know, I know, but I get cranky without my sleep!). There happened to be a shopping center connected to the Metro station so we started wandering through there, where we finally found a janitor who through a combination of my broken French and his broken English we managed to get quasi-clear directions, and he even called our hostel for us! At which point we knew we were going to be going on Line 7 but were unclear as to which stop to get off at. So we decided to wing it! This all took about an hour and a half. Then we went further into the Metro where we found an Information booth and clarified with them that we had to ride the Line 1 and then change at the Palais Royal stop and then switch to the Line 7 and get off at Place Monge.
 |
| The Farmer's Market |
Well, all that was easy enough once we got going. I found that I was really remembering my French and I was easily able to read the signs around the Metro to find the necessary stops and such. Soon enough we were climbing out of the depths of Paris’ underground network back into the daylight at Place Monge, and we didn’t just climb out onto a city street…no! We walked out right into the middle of a farmer’s market! And as we walked around in a bit of awe, an Asian grocer greeted us singing “Mademoiselles! Mademoiselles! Welcome! Welcome!” It was definitely the most unique welcome committee I think any of us had ever seen! After asking one more person for clarifying directions we found our way to our hostel on Rue du Mouffetard, and realized that the Young and Happy Hostel was smack dab in the middle of the Latin Quarter of Paris, quite a fun and busy neighborhood!
Well after finding our hostel and checking in we were informed that we wouldn’t be let into our room until 4:30 so we decided to go explore. The four of us walked next door to a crepe restaurant and enjoyed a real Parisian meal, two of the girls getting Nutella and banana crepes while the other two of us satisfied ourselves with savory cheese and ham crepes (crepe du jambon fromage). After enjoying our quick lunch I grabbed the map I had gotten from our hostel and figured out which Metro line to take in order to get us to the Louvre to do some exploring. We got off at the Palais Royal Metro stop and wandered around. We saw a statue of Charles de Gaulle, the famous French general who led the French Free Forces during WWII and we wandered past the Palais Royal and crossed the famous Pont Alexandre, the most sumptuous of all Parisian bridges.
 | ||||
| The "Triumphal Battery" |
Now, I will admit, we got lost right about this time. Or rather, I just didn’t know where to go from here, so we simply kept walking straight until we stumbled upon the Hôtel des Invalides which houses the Musée de l'Armée or the Military Museum. Now, none of us want to go into the military (although Cassie does want to be a cop), nor do any of us really have a huge passion for military history so none of us really wanted to spend the money to partake in the museum’s exhibits. However, we did walk around the exterior of the grounds and the inner courtyard, which was free, and not only was the architecture incredible, but the actual military aspects were fascinating. For instance, the building had stone statues of armor around the entirety of the façade, and at the front of the museum there was a collection of “triumphal battery” or cannons from former French enemies. This collection even had a Chinese cannon!
 |
| The Merry-Go-Round |
After our brief immersion into French military culture, I once again assumed the position of tour guide and grabbed my handy dandy map (I really should’ve started singing the Dora Explorer Map Song in Paris because I used this thing until it fell apart!). This time we walked towards the Louvre. Again, none of us were particularly anxious to submerge ourselves in art, so we stayed in the park. However, before entering the park we saw a large Ferris Wheel and a lot of tourist gift tents, one of them being a candy store. Now I have a massive sweet tooth and immediately wanted to try strange French candy, so I bought a big bag and we all chewed strange gummies, and pulled apart a long neon turquoise candy rope that had a soft filling. I think the sugar may have triggered something in our brains and we all immediately went into child mode, because the next thing I knew we had found the famous Louvre merry go round in the park and had paid for a ride. I think the operator was so amused by our antics that he just gave us a free extra ride!
 |
| At Dinner Left to Right: Nicole, Me, Caitlin |
After such high energy antics we decided we were all still pretty knackered from our trip and we decided to head back to our hostel, where the other girls napped while I read. We also met our roommates (we were in a 6 person room, so were sharing it with 2 Brazilian boys...slightly awkward, but they were really sweet). After our rest time we were starving and ventured across the street to a cute little café for what we assumed would be a quick dinner. Silly us! I forgot that French people take FOREVER to eat! We were literally there for 2 hours!! But the food was fantastic; I had piece de boeuf avec sauce poivre and crème brulee for dessert. Basically, I just had beef with a pepper sauce and a vanilla cream custard dessert. This was definitely a confidence booster though, because I ordered everyone’s meals in French and was the one who conversed with the waitress. Although there was one awkward moment when Caitlin attempted to order her crème brulee and I guess our American accents saying it just completely confused our poor waitress and even after repeating ourselves 5 times she still didn’t understand us!
After our leisurely meal we headed back to the hostel to change and get ready for a night out on the town. Here we met up with our roommates and some of their Brazilian friends and we all decided to go to a local bar called Cap Rouge. However once we got there we realized how exhausted we all truly were, and the language barrier while manageable during the day is absolutely impossible at night in a club scene. Now, my French was MUCH better than I had expected, and I could understand most things people said to me, but when it was said to me in a slurred manner…now that was a whole other story! So the four of us decided to call it an early night and go hit the hay!
The next morning we woke up for our free breakfast at the hostel and then hurried to the Metro station to meet the two boys at the Palais Royal Metro stop. But…as seems to be the case with men, they were late, so we waited in the station for a while. But when they finally did show up we jumped on the train they were on and we all headed for the Place Denfert-Rochereau stop; we were going to the Paris Catacombs!
The next morning we woke up for our free breakfast at the hostel and then hurried to the Metro station to meet the two boys at the Palais Royal Metro stop. But…as seems to be the case with men, they were late, so we waited in the station for a while. But when they finally did show up we jumped on the train they were on and we all headed for the Place Denfert-Rochereau stop; we were going to the Paris Catacombs!
Time for some background. The Paris Catacombs is a huge underground burial site underneath the city of Paris that is home to the remains of about 6 MILLION PEOPLE. Now the bones aren’t just tossed into some hole in the ground, the catacombs are the result of moving massive amounts of bones from Paris’ many underground cemeteries (it was common practice for the French to bury their dead in this fashion) into old and unused mine tunnels. The result is that tourists can now descend 84 stairs into the old mines and wander a confusing spiraled circuit of tunnels until reaching the main network of Catacomb Tunnels.
 |
| The bones are taller than me! |
When we entered the Catacombs from the plain mining tunnels there was a carved sign above the entrance reading “"Arrête, c'est ici l'empire de la Mort" ('Stop, this is the empire of Death'). Definitely a fitting quote and it pretty much hushed us all up. This sight was just too incredible to put into words. The bones aren’t just thrown into heaps, they are beautifully aligned in order to make walls that can reach past your head. Arm and leg bones are stacked together and skulls are scattered throughout. Now obviously this haunting beauty is also quite creepy. I mean some of these skulls even have teeth! So, the boys were definitely enjoying scaring all of the girls and there were plenty of echoing squeals through the tunnels as Jason and Kyle proceeded to jump out at all the wrong moments!
After scaring ourselves silly in the underground tunnels, we stopped off at an Italian restaurant where I once again ordered for most people in French and earned my nickname, “Mom”. Everyone decided to dub me Mom because I was leading everyone everywhere, ordering for people, speaking to everyone in French, and just generally taking charge. Now, not that I really want to have a group of 5 20 and 21 year olds as my children, but it was kind of sweet that they all trusted me so much (good thing I knew what I was doing!). Others also got their nicknames that day during lunch; Cassie was given the nickname Snooki, as in the reality television star from MTV’s Jersey Shore because she sports a “pouf”. Nicole was named “hood rat” and “Casper” because she is really pale and perhaps the least intimidating or “gangster” person there is. Kyle was nicknamed Bigalo from Deuce Bigalo the Male Gigalo movie because he is so popular with the ladies here, and finally Jason was nicknamed Cheesyberg because he always tells such cheesy jokes and his last name is EllenBERG. Caitlin sadly left Paris without a nickname, because we didn’t want to force one and nothing seemed to fit.
After a delicious lunch of veal saltimbocca and pasta, the boys insisted that we walk all the way to the Arc de Triomphe from the Catacombs, because it would be more fun than taking the Metro. Now, we all did really enjoy ourselves at first, but this walk ended up being basically an hour and a half almost 2 hour walk and over 4 miles…kind of excessive. The boys did entertain us though by jumping over sidewalk barriers and suddenly darting into the street to cross. In fact, Jason and Caitlin decided to sprint across an entire roundabout instead of using the crosswalk and Caitlin ran so fast that when she reached the other sidewalk her foot slipped on a piece of wet cardboard and she ate it right in front of a crowded café…definitely one of the funnier moments of the day!
After a delicious lunch of veal saltimbocca and pasta, the boys insisted that we walk all the way to the Arc de Triomphe from the Catacombs, because it would be more fun than taking the Metro. Now, we all did really enjoy ourselves at first, but this walk ended up being basically an hour and a half almost 2 hour walk and over 4 miles…kind of excessive. The boys did entertain us though by jumping over sidewalk barriers and suddenly darting into the street to cross. In fact, Jason and Caitlin decided to sprint across an entire roundabout instead of using the crosswalk and Caitlin ran so fast that when she reached the other sidewalk her foot slipped on a piece of wet cardboard and she ate it right in front of a crowded café…definitely one of the funnier moments of the day!
 |
| Paris Louis Vuitton Storefront 2005 |
 |
| Paris Louis Vuitton Storefront 2011 |
We walked a LONG ways when we finally got to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées where all of the fashionable shopping and such is. The last time I was in Paris back when I was a freshman in high school (6 years ago) Louis Vuitton was just building a large store there, and had made it look like one giant suitcase. Now I got to see the actual store! On our way to the Arch we saw a group of street performing dancers who got shut down by the police as soon as they were about to start dancing..that was kind of a bummer! But they were funny! We walked up the long street to the Arch where we relaxed for a bit and just looked at it (I wanted to climb to the top but no one else would go), until we all decided to take a break at a nearby café. We sat and snacked for a bit until it got dark and we decided to put our big plan into action.
 | ||
| Arc de Triomphe Left to Right: Caitlin, Cassie, Nicole, Jason, Kyle, Me |
 |
| From Left to Right: Caitlin, Cassie, Nicole, Me, Jason, Kyle |
After eating we all decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower because I mean how could we not? Now all of us were ready for this, but my roommate Caitlin is petrified of heights. I am as well, but it almost helped me to have her fear so prominent because I got to worry about helping her instead of thinking of my own fear! There were definitely some tricky moments for her, and we had to help her do some deep breathing, but with some coaching and pep talks, she made it to the top! Definitely a triumph in my book!
 |
| Notre Dame Cathedral |
Saturday’s nightlife was pretty much a bust after the Eiffel Tower, although we did try to hit some clubs or bars. We went to Cap Rouge again and attempted to dance in the underground Discotheque, but it was too hot! The camera even fogged up there was so much sweat in the air! The boys were also distressed by the lack of girls, so they wanted to leave.
Now Sunday was the most personally rewarding day for me. In the morning the four of us got up at about 11am. Nicole and I bought crepes for breakfast at the stand next door and I devoured my chocolate banana crepe! Caitlin and Cassie wanted something a little different, so we leisurely walked over to the farmer’s market near the Metro station. They bought some fruit and marble cake, while I bought fresh French bread and the creamiest brie I have ever tasted! Then we all hopped on the metro to go to Notre Dame Cathedral for 12:45 mass. Now, I’m not a baptized Catholic, but the rest of the girls were, and I myself have a historical interest in the church, while simultaneously finding mass an incredibly centering experience. So, I witnessed mass in probably the single most gorgeous Cathedral that there is. It was wonderful, but the best part? I actually understood most of it, even though it was in French! When all of the other girls were receiving Communion though, I snuck away and toured the rest of the building, joining the throngs of mostly Asian tourists cheerfully snapping photos of the priests distributing the host (yeah…they didn’t like that…).
Now Sunday was the most personally rewarding day for me. In the morning the four of us got up at about 11am. Nicole and I bought crepes for breakfast at the stand next door and I devoured my chocolate banana crepe! Caitlin and Cassie wanted something a little different, so we leisurely walked over to the farmer’s market near the Metro station. They bought some fruit and marble cake, while I bought fresh French bread and the creamiest brie I have ever tasted! Then we all hopped on the metro to go to Notre Dame Cathedral for 12:45 mass. Now, I’m not a baptized Catholic, but the rest of the girls were, and I myself have a historical interest in the church, while simultaneously finding mass an incredibly centering experience. So, I witnessed mass in probably the single most gorgeous Cathedral that there is. It was wonderful, but the best part? I actually understood most of it, even though it was in French! When all of the other girls were receiving Communion though, I snuck away and toured the rest of the building, joining the throngs of mostly Asian tourists cheerfully snapping photos of the priests distributing the host (yeah…they didn’t like that…).
 |
| Gates of Versailles |
After Mass, I had a defining moment of my trip. One of the main sights I really wanted to see while in Paris was the Chateau de Versailles, the extravagant palace built by the so-called Sun King Louis XIV. Now, the other group of people we had come with to Paris had forgotten that I wanted to go to Versailles and had gone the day before without telling me, and no one in my group wanted to make the trek out to Versailles, particularly to pay the entrance fee. At first I began to resign myself to just stay with the group and go to the art museums, but then I realized something. Why did I have to stick with the group? I REALLY wanted to do this, and heck I’m the one that knows French! So, I decided to go to Versailles alone. So I hopped on the Metro and rode one stop over to the main station at Châtelet and then bought a railroad ticket to ride the RER out to Versailles. I navigated my way through the crowded Metro staying very aware of my surroundings and asking any questions that I had in French. And only an hour and a half later, I was in Versailles. The immense pride that I felt when that train chugged up to the Versailles station is something that I don’t think that I can adequately portray through words.
 |
| The Fascinating Door! |
When I got to the Versailles station, all I had to do was follow the crowds over to the Chateau and I was set! And a happy surprise awaited me at the gilded gold gates of Versailles; because it was the first Sunday of the month, entrance to any Parisian museum was free, and this extended to Versailles! So I happily roamed the hallways and rooms of my historical fantasies for free. I later told my friends that I just completely “nerded out” at Versailles. I didn’t bother with the Audio Tour that would’ve led me through each individual painting in a room. That didn’t interest me. I just wanted to breathe the air, see the beds, walk the Hall of Mirrors, roam the gardens that Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, and all of the people I have studied for years once inhabited. Perhaps the climax of my historical heaven was when I walked through the Queen’s apartments, and I noticed an ajar door to the left of the bed. Now most people were focused on the extravagant trappings of the room, but the door is what instantly captivated me. This is the door through which Marie Antoinette escaped to her husband’s apartments from the Parisian mob’s grasp during the 1789 bread shortage riot. I can’t believe I actually saw that, and that I had such an opportunity.
 |
| A View of Palace from Gardens |
After walking through the Chateau to my heart’s content I headed towards the gardens and I walked through that huge expanse of land. I even walked through the orange grove, where I stopped to eat my makeshift lunch of my previously purchased bread and brie in between sculptured busts of Alexander the Great and Apollo. It was here that I thought about the sheer beauty of the day. The solitude was something new to me, usually I am someone always in a group; I don’t like to be alone. But it was here that I came to an important realization. Very few times in our lives are we honestly ever just focused on ourselves. It’s not often that you get to relinquish responsibility or simply concern for others. When you do have that opportunity it should not be wasted, it should be cherished.
My Moral of the Day:
Sometimes you have to wander from the group to find your own happiness.
Sometimes you have to wander from the group to find your own happiness.
 |
| Watching the Super Bowl in Paris From Left to Right: Jason, Nicole, Me |
After all of my quiet contemplation I left Versailles and rejoined my friends at our hostel where we got dinner and hung out for a while before Caitlin and Cassie headed off to bed for the evening. We had an early flight the next morning at 9:30am, so we had arranged to take a 6:30am bus. Now, the Super Bowl was Sunday evening so Nicole, Jason, and I decided that instead of going to sleep for a few hours, we would go watch the big game! So, we took a cab over to where some of our friends were supposed to be watching the game, but there was a huge entrance fee, so instead we wandered around until we came upon the Polly Magoo bar right near Notre Dame Cathedral. There was a HUGE projector screen set up with the game playing, drinks and food were inexpensive, and it was free to get in. It was also EMPTY with only a few groups. The Americans were definitely hitting up more of the widely well-known American bars, but that suited us just fine. So we relaxed and watched the Packers win (heck yeah! Take that Steelers!!! No dynasty for you!) before walking back to the hostel where Nicole grabbed a quick 45 mintues of shut-eye and I just packed up my stuff and began the process of getting us ready to go.
From here all that was left was a very chaotic trip back to Ireland. I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer, nor do I want to spend too much time dwelling on the travel aspect of the trip but to summarize:
1. Our taxi was late picking us up from our hostel.
2. The buses had no organization to get on, people just mobbed them and as a result we didn’t get on the one we were supposed to.
3. The line to get our Visa stamp at the airport was around the entire lobby area and the automatic door wouldn’t close, blowing us with cold air.
4. The security line took forever.
5. Our flight was supposed to board at 8:55, and we didn’t board until 9:45.
But hey, we made it home all in one peace and with a new life experience in our back pockets, so no matter what the trouble I think it evened out in the end!
À Bientôt!
Translation: See you soon!
1. Our taxi was late picking us up from our hostel.
2. The buses had no organization to get on, people just mobbed them and as a result we didn’t get on the one we were supposed to.
3. The line to get our Visa stamp at the airport was around the entire lobby area and the automatic door wouldn’t close, blowing us with cold air.
4. The security line took forever.
5. Our flight was supposed to board at 8:55, and we didn’t board until 9:45.
But hey, we made it home all in one peace and with a new life experience in our back pockets, so no matter what the trouble I think it evened out in the end!
À Bientôt!
Translation: See you soon!
LUCKYYYY. You use so many exclamation marks. It's cute. And when I was in Paris this summer, I stayed only like one or two metro stops away from Place Monge! :))) I'm so glad you had fun there and go to do history things :P Nerd.
ReplyDelete