The first thing we did after changing tickets was to head to the Louvre museum. We didn't want to go in (too much art) but we wanted to see the famous glass pyramid and all the fountains. It was a cloudy day, but they say that Paris is most beautiful in the rain (I've heard that somewhere) and it didn't disappoint! Of course, I love cloudy days and rainy days as much as I love sunny days, so that could've been a factor as well, but overall I think the colors of Paris work very well with grey skies.
After that, we took the metro to the Centre Pompidou, the museum that I really did want to visit. It's a really awesome modern art museum--it's one of the three major art museums in Paris (along with the Louvre and le Musee d'Orsay) but I think the Centre Pompidou is the least-frequented, which is a shame. I've wanted to visit Pompidou for the past seven years, ever since I began learning French in middle school. It was an amazing feeling to actually finally visit it, and it was made even better since students were given free admission! We spent a good chunk of time in the museum as well, which I was happy about. Also, before entering the museum, it must be mentioned that I had the most amazing crêpe of my life--generously filled with nutella and a fresh banana--and it was worth every centime I spent on it. And funnily enough, the French guy who made my crêpe thought I was German, which really amused me (perhaps my French has taken on an Alsatian accent?).
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| Best. Crepe. Ever. |
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| Centre Pompidou! |
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| Sacre-Coeur in the distance! |
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| Women praying--made entirely of tin foil! |
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| This artwork was full of spices, and it smelled wonderful |
After the Centre-Pompidou, Kat and I took a trip over to the famous Arc de Triumphe, which gave us gorgeous views across the city. Again, admission was free for students, which was extremely nice! Especially since food in Paris costs so much (goodness, all meals were so expensive, and Kat and I didn't even eat at fancy restaurants! But the tourist attractions are so cheap! The Catacombs only cost 4 euro, and everything else was free admission for college students).
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| Tomb of the Unknown Solider |
The Arc de Triumphe was followed by a casual stroll down the Champs-Elysee, where everything was out of our price range (nope, not splurging on Coach or Chanel or even on 3 euro macaroons the size of bottle caps). However, it was fun to people watch and window shop. Also, the street itself was wonderfully perfumed. I know that is an odd thing to notice, but it really did smell nice.
By this time, Kat and I were quite hungry, and craving a little Mexican food, we went to what I think is the only Chipotle in France. Yes, I know we were in PARIS and it might seem silly to go to Chipotle, but in our defense, we've been eating French food for the past two months (freshly made each night by my host parents!) and it's the only Chipotle in France! I don't regret it at all.
It started raining a few minutes after we finished eating. The two of us shopped for a bit in these cool little antique shops that were nearby. We also took the metro to the Garnier Opera house that I did a project on years ago for a French class. It's really something to be actually visiting all these monuments and buildings and places that I've researched for projects and presented years before, never imagining that I would one day be standing RIGHT THERE and seeing them in the flesh!
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| Busy, rainy Paris |
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| The Opera! |
The Opera house ended being our last sight in Paris. We headed back to Gare de l'Est and caught our train back to Strasbourg, arriving home just before midnight. This weekend in Paris ended up being an amazing trip. I was a little worried that all the movies featuring Paris, and that all the pictures I have seen in my life of this beautiful city, and that all the stories I have heard romanticizing Paris would have left me jaded and disappointed with the city. Luckily, it hasn't. Paris is a gorgeous place, and I simply can't wait to return in a few months!
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