Paris...

Ohhhh Paris, where do I begin? I think I'm going to leave out the details on why I feared for my life every minute I was there. Needless to say, it made me appreciate Spain SO much more (and I'm glad to be "home") but it also made me appreciate being American as well. Don't get me wrong, the museums and sights were absolutely breathtaking and I'm glad I went, but it's a scary city and French is an awfully annoying language...

Day 1:

Booked a hostel on the not-so-great part of town. I wasn't in charge of that because I most definitely would've read the reviews. We checked in and then immediately decided to check out (minus some ridiculously frustrating details). We then headed straight to the Eiffel Tower. Metro in Paris was pretty simple and we had that down by the second or third ride. When we got off the Metro we walked upstairs to the plaza area and kept looking all around and couldn't see it...it's 300 meters tall, you would think you could see it anywhere! Finally when we walked around a building there it was. In all it's breathtaking glory. It was a cloudy day but wow, what a sight! We all started screaming and jumping up and down like little kids on Christmas morning, definitely tourists but we didn't care. We were seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time, it was definitely an excuse! I'm trying to convey my emotion to y'all but I'm just not sure I can. It truly was breathtaking. We just stood there and stared at it for a few moments, smiling like we were in a world of our own. Then we took pictures and walked down towards it. We saw the Seine and the carousels at the bottom of the tower, and all of the street merchants trying to sell little Eiffel Tower keychains and little wooden train letters. We finally decided we were hungry and headed back up to the plaza area where the restaurants overlooked the Tower.

I ordered "pizza avec oeuf sur le plat" and it was actually pretty delish. Then I had crepes for dessert...I ended up eating crepes once every day when we were there! They somewhat reminded me of my dad's pancakes...he always flattens them with a spatula. After dinner we went to another small restaurant for after dinner drinks and that's where we booked our hotel room. Hotel Americain saved the day...along with our server at that restaurant because he told us where to stay and not to stay in Paris. For the most part the servers/concierges were nice. None of them were rude because we were Americans, and I found it fascinating that to even just be a server in Paris you have to be conversational in at least 3 languages! Our hotel room had 1 queen bed, 2 twins, 2 bathrooms, and we ended up renting a cot for the 5 of us. It was very cozy and surprisingly not that expensive (when split 5 ways). It was also located on Rue Charlot...it was meant to be.

Day 2:
We woke up fairly early and headed straight to the Louvre. I would definitely say I'm a museum person. I absolutely love wandering around a museum and admiring the art. I have a huge appreciation for art, probably because I'm a terrible artist myself. Did I mention it rained the entire time we were in Paris? People were waiting outside in the rain just to enter the Louvre so we asked a worker and he told us a faster way to get in. Even once we were in the main area under the prism, we waited in line for tickets for about 45 minutes. Student visas saved the day here (and at other museums and attractions) because EU students get free entry and we're students studying in the EU!

The Louvre was massive. By massive I mean we were there for nearly 5 hours and didn't even see a quarter of the works. We did, however, see DaVinci's Mona Lisa and Veronese's Wedding of Cana. Impressive doesn't begin to describe either one. After that, we wandered in the ancient castle area and the ancient Egyptian area. We saw pieces that dated back to 5000BC! We ended up getting lost in that wing, actually.

Mona Lisa!

Veronese's Wedding of Cana

 

Ancient Egyptian musical instruments




Saint Chapelle



After the Louvre we walked across the bridge to Notre Dame, passing Saint Chapelle along the way. We didn't go inside because the line was ridiculously long and it was pouring. But we managed to snap a few pix. After that we went over to Moulin Rouge, where we also didn't get to go inside (shows are 80 Euro at the cheapest). That night we enjoyed Italian at a place close to our hotel. I had pasta with salmon in a vodka cream sauce and 50cl of wine. I wasn't exactly aware of how much 50cl was until I kept pouring and pouring glasses and it was like the bottomless jar! I was definitely okay with that ;) Everyone's food was amazing, and we all shared creme brulee for dessert. Definitely the best I've ever had. The mother of one of the girls I was with paid for our meal that night, shout out to Eryn's mom: MUCHAS GRACIAS! We headed back to our hotel and had more wine but this time out of plastic cups and we watched a show that was basically the French version of American Idol. It was funny to hear all of these French people singing American songs.



Notre Dame



 

Moulin Rouge



French Idol

That's another thing I guess I never realized: the American influence is ALL over the world. And yeah we have a big Japanese influence on our cars and electronics but it's still nothing compared to the American influence. The popular movies here (Europe in general) are from America. The popular songs here are from America. Their stores have American designer names and American brands. Not to mention the American restaurant chains like McDonald's, Starbucks, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC...my host sister even watches Spongebob Squarepants and iCarly where their mouths move in English but you hear the Spanish translations. I can't imagine growing up in a country that has that much influence from another country's culture. God truly blessed America and I can honestly say I fully understand the song "Proud to Be an American" now that I've been elsewhere in the world for an extended period of time.
Day 3:
We went to the Rodin Museum early that morning because one of the girl's wanted to go. It was interesting, he's a pretty famous sculptor who was also buds with Claude Monet. But my favorite part of Paris was where we went after the Rodin...VERSAILLES.

{DISCLAIMER: I have a slight obsession with Versailles}
We hopped on the RER and took it out of the city limits. When we arrived, we had the same experience as we did with the Eiffel Tower...we got off the train, walked around looking for it, then finally rounded a corner and our mouths just dropped to the ground. Even from a distance, the grandiosity of Versailles was inexplicable. As we walked closer you got a feel for just how big the palace was. Student visas saved the day once again, and we walked right in. This time we didn't even have to wait in line.

Unfortunately we only got to see the Chateau and some of the gardens, as many areas were closed for the winter. We didn't get to see The Queen's Hamlet or The Trianons. The Grand Trianon was used as a place to rest, for celebrations, concerts, and light meals. It is completely surrounded by gardens and it was said in 1689 that "men and women feel ill, overwhelmed by the scents". The Petit Trianon was commissioned by Louis XV's mistress, but only lived in by Marie-Antoinette. It had a theater and separate pavillion, all nestled between gardens but set back quite a distance from the Chateau. The Queen's Hamlet consists of twelve houses, facing the artificial lake. Construction was ordered by Marie-Antoinette in 1783, who wanted to enjoy the charms of country life. It became a veritable farm, directed by a farmer, whose products supplied the kitchens of the palace. Someday when I'm no longer traumatized from Paris and it's summertime, I will return and see the rest of the Palace...

The first thing we saw was the Chapel. It was begun in 1689 and finished finally in 1710. Louis XIV only got to use it for 5 years.



Ceiling



We then crossed a few rooms into the Hercules Salon. It was the first State Apartment salon to be created.  In 1682 this room was built for the Chapel, and it was used until 1710. Another gigantic Veronese is located here, Christ at Supper with Simon. The Doge gave the painting to Louis XVI to thank him for supporting him against the Turks in 1664. The ceiling is another amazing part of this room, named The Apotheosis of Hercules. It was designed to depict the fact that "virtue elevates man above himself". The young painter painted 142 individual figures, intending to rival the great Italian fresco masterpieces. He committed suicide shortly after completing the ceiling.



Veronese



Then came the Abundance Salon. This is where refreshments were enjoyed. It was also the antechamber of Louis XVI's Cabinet of Curiosites, where the King liked to show his distinguished guests his silver vases, gemstones, and medals that were kept there.

From there we went into the Venus Salon. Here they would set out tables covered with flowers and fresh fruits on state evenings. If you haven't already noticed, each salon is named after a planet, a theme linked to the solar myth that inspired all the decor at Versailles. 

Next came the Mars Salon, most commonly referred to as the ballroom. Dominichino's David playing the harp is hung above the fireplace. It was Louis XIV's favorite painting. The center of the ceiling depicts Mars on a chariot drawn by wolves and the two pieces beside it show Victory supported by Hercules and Terror, Fury and Fear.

Then we went into the Salon of War and the Hall of Mirrors. The Hall of Mirrors was used for ceremonial purposes when the sovereigns wanted to lend as much glamour as possible to diplomatic receptions or entertainment provided for the marriages of the princes. It was here that Marie-Antoinette married King Louis XVI and here that the Treaty of Versailles was signed, bringing an end to the first world war.



War Room
Louis XIV in plaster at age 22



Hall of Mirrors



From there we went into the Bulls Eye Salon. It was an antechamber to his private bedroom and is decorated with youthfulness, and all of the things the King did as a child.



Bulls Eye Window



Next came the King's Bedchamber. It is the very center of the chateau. When the king was there, access to it was strictly governed by etiquette, but in his absence anyone could visit, which astonished contemporaries. Louis XIV slept there, but his successors had another smaller bedchamber installed that was more comfortable. I thought it was interesting that the king dressed in front of several hundred peole every day! The room retained it's original decor even after the Revolution and in particular, some of its paintings by Valentin, Carraciolo, Dominichino, and Van Dyck. There were many more rooms included in the King's Suite that we didn't see, such as Louis XV's bedchamber, the Clock Cabinet and the King's Inner Cabinet, Bathroom, Library, Porcelain Dining Room, and Louis XVI's Games Room.

After that, we saw the Council Cabinet where the King held council daily from 11am-1pm. For more than a century, all major political decisions were made in this room, including France's involvement in the American Revolution in 1775.

We didn't have time to go back down and see Marie-Antoinette's Private Cabinets, the Apartments of the Dauphin and Dauphine, and the Apartments of Madame Victoire (originally Louis XIV's bathroom cabinet) and Madame Adelaide (apartment for the mistress of Louis XV). Instead we went directly to the Queen's Suite.

The bechamber is the suite's principle room, where the queen would most often be found. She slept there, often joined by the king. Royal births also took place there in public! Nineteen "Children of France" were born in this very room. The decor preserves the memory of the three queens who occupied the room.

In the queen's antechamber, lavish public meals were eaten. Only the royal family was allowed to take their seats at the table. Louis XIV forced himself to attend this event almost every evening, Louis XV preferred a more intimate dinner with firneds, and Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette woul eat there with their backs to the fireplace..."The King ate heartily, but the Queen did not remove her gloves and did not use her napkin". Marie-Antoinette was bored easilty so she requested that there always be music there, and for this purpose a platform was then installed for musicians.

We then went into the Queen's Guardroom. My pictures just don't do the ceilings justice, you can't even imagine them! The Queen's Guards Room was where her twelve bodyguards could be found. It is the only room in the suite to have retained the 17th century decor, as the queen never had occasion to be there. The marble wall panels and the paintings placed there in 1680 can still be seen. You will notice the ceiling is looking pretty rough :(

Then came the Coronation Room. This room was completely transformed in the 19th century when King Louis-Philippe turned Versailles into a museum recounting the history of France up to his own reign. The paintings refer to the Napoleonic era. Under the Ancien Regime, it was the large guardroom which was used for a variety of occasions: washing of the feet ceremony, "beds of justice" through which the king imposed his will on Parliament, and even wedding feasts.

Then we went outside to the gardens. Unfortunately they took a devastating hit from the winter storm of  1999 and are still be reconstructed. I would love to go back and see them in the spring or summer, because it was just too cold and dreary to get the real feel of them.

 



The Latona Basin with Versailles in the background.



When we left Versailles, we headed to the Opera district. This most reminded me of NYC, except that it was Sunday and EVERYTHING was still closed! When we got off the metro, we turned around and saw a gigantic beautiful building that said Academie Nationale de Musique and there was a small band of students playing at the bottom. We listened for a while then decided we better find the Opera House. After walking 15 minutes, we finally asked someone for directions. Turns out that WAS the Opera House! When we went back we noticed all of the adornments and detailed decorations on the facade.

From there we all went to the Eiffel Tower to eat dinner and to take pictures of it at night. Every hour on the hour it sparkles. And it was AMAZING to see! I posted the video at the very bottom. Oh and I'm pretty sure there was a club on the first level of the Tower, we heard American club music and saw flashing lights from the bottom! We didn't go unfortunately, but I have a feeling it wouldn't have been in our budget anyways.

Day 4:
We visited the Sacred Heart Basilica, Arc de Triomphe, and Louvre ROUND 2 (I just couldn't get enough). Sacred Heart or Sacre Coeur was pretty cool but it has nothing on our Catedral :) The Arc was neat, I didn't realize what it was for exactly until we went. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 and it honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. From there, we took the metro to the Louvre. I went with 2 other friends who didn't get the chance to come with us Saturday.

I'll tell you one scary story that happened to me on that metro ride, but you don't get to hear anymore! I was standing in line waiting to get on the met and felt someone tugging on my backpack. I turned around and a young British guy said "Excuse me miss, your bag is open. You need to close that because people will steal your stuff." I took it off and lo and behold my second pocket was COMPLETELY unzipped. There's no way that could've just happened while I was walking. I looked in it and thank goodness my glasses were still in there, as they were the only valuable thing in my backpack but I did notice an open space. It wasn't unti I got home that I realized my liquids baggie was gone. My shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face wash were pickpocketed, hah bastard didn't have time to take anything else I guess. It's just scary to know that I was in a group of friends and no one noticed a thing...

Meanwhile back at the Louvre.......
This time I rented a multimedia guide and saw works by Donatello, Michelangelo, Monet, and Renoir, and also saw the Crown Jewels of France and Napoleon's Apartments. Many rooms in Napoleon's apartments were decorated after those of Versailles, if you couldn't tell.

Crown Jewels



Monet



Renoir



Louis XIV...yeah I'm kind of obsessed.

Why wasn't I born royal in the 17th century?

 That's about it for Paris. I'm still a little traumatized and though I want to return someday, it's going to be a while.
Bonsoir! (did I mention I hate French?)

Eiffel Tower Sparkling