Instead of just listing off the places I saw, I want to try and explain my reaction to each. I have 600 pictures to document my time there, and a picture is worth a thousand words, so I don't want to simply explain "This is the Notre Dame....blah blah blah." So here's my best shot at being creative with my memories!
When arriving in Paris, I was immediately overwhelmed with the thought of transportation. What even IS a metro?! I just took my first train in Ireland, and now I need to figure out the metro system?! There's a system?! Yes, I am that naive. Luckily I was with other girls who knew what they were doing, being from New York. So I happily followed along and didn't really pay attention to where we were going as long as they knew the way. Take the 12, transfer to the 6, and then transfer to the 2 for only two stops...it was like a different language. Picture adults talking in Charlie Brown....blah blah blah. So I just smiled and nodded. For some reason I thought I would be walking everywhere, like I do in Dublin. Paris is a huge city though, so there's my naive moment #2....
We really didn't have a set plan, so we began by wandering the Latin Quarter, since that was on my list of things I wanted to see. At least I had a list! We came upon the Saint Suplice Cathedral, and it was one of my many God moments in Paris. Everytime I see a cathedral my heart rejoices in praise for Him! In Paris, I discovered I'm not an art person. Looking at paintings and sculptures is fun for a few minutes...then I'm on to the next adventure. But what I am fond of is architecture, decorative art, and stained glass. Especially anything that has to do with a church. Walking into the Saint Suplice I imediately began praying and started a conversation with my Savior. I'm always in awe to see His beauty displayed in cathedrals, and to see a body of his people praying infront of an altar. Religious imagery is one of my favorite parts about traveling in Europe, and the different crosses and crucifixes are always fascinating for me. Saint Suplice set the tone for my entire trip, reminding me who this is really about. It's never about me, and it's ALWAYS about Him. I was so thankful to have that reminder and the beginning of the trip, and spending some quality quiet time with him in such a grand setting was the perfect beginning.
Walk, walk, and more walking. We kept walking in circles, which can be really frustrating when you know you absolutely NEED to see every tourist attraction you possibly can. Finally stumbling upon the Luxembourg Gardens. Another thing on my list, check! Nature is definitely a place where I find God, and I loved the bare trees and the bitter cold biting my skin. Did I mention it was absolutely freezing? I'm talking like -4 degrees Celsius. SO whatever that is in Fahrenheit, it's below freezing! But we walked through the gorgeous gardens anyways, and I soaked up Gods amazing creation, smiling the whole time. I even saw someone feeding the birds AND singing the feed the birds song. I felt like I was in a French romantic film...minus the romance part? The cold really was a damper on the activities I wanted to do, because after about 30 minutes outside it became unbearable for my toes to stay alive. If I ever go back to Paris, it will be in the summer just so I can wander different parks. These are some of my favorite pictures of the gardens and the estate...
We then began to look at our map and decide what we wanted to see in the area. Next stop: the Pantheon. This art museum was amazing, but there is where I started to realize I'm not that into art. It was beautiful, but without taking a tour and all the signs being in French, I didn't even know what I was looking at. I spent some time reading Ephesians in there, and that was my favorite part! (Gotta love having a Kindle!)
Let me tell you what sums up my Paris experience...CREPES. I'm obsessed with food, I love it I love it I LOVE CREPES. I was literally singing a song about crepes until everyone agreed we would go get some, and that just began the amazing french food experience. I will now include a compilation of the amazing french food experience my stomach enjoyed oh so much...
MMM makes me hungry just looking at the pictures!
That night we went on a boat night tour of Paris on the River Seine, it was heated but still cold, and it was hard to take pictures through the glass :( But seeing Paris at night is definitely a necessity for anyone visiting, it was spectacular to see everything lit up. And the Eiffel Tower sparkles at night!
Well, that was the end of day one and this is the longest blog post EVER...I hope I appreciate this in 30 years!
I am now going to be the lazy blogger :)
Day Two!
One of my top three parts of Paris - the Notre Dame! Literally one of the most beautiful cathedrals known to man, I was in awe of God's beauty and spend a lot of time praying in here. The stained glass caught my eye everywhere I turned, and I was awestruck. I kept repeating "Man, if this exits on earth, heaven really is unimaginable.." He is beautiful, and I was reminded of that constantly.
Hit up another tourist spot after that, and of course I risked my life for a good photo op ;) But seriously, I ventured out into traffic to get pictures of the Arc de Triomphe, laughing the entire time and having so much fun! Surprisingly I wasn't honked at, they're probably used to it. All we did at the Arc was take pictures, but it was a lovely sight to be seen!
We went to the Louvre that night, pretty much because you have to go to the Louvre when in Paris. However, I found it extremely overwhelming and confusing. I looked for a bathroom for a good 30 minutes, almost peeing my pants while searching. And the Mona Lisa? Uhhh...she's kind of ugly. I'm not sure what's so special about her, but I took a picture because she's famous. If she's famous I want to be famous! She really didn't impress me much. I guess I don't appreciate fine art, so the Louvre probably isn't the best place for me to spend a lot of time. However, I did enjoy the decorative arts section! Napoleon III's apartment was gorgeous, and the religious artifacts were beautiful, as well. But after seeing that, I was ready to sleep! Because we were going to wake up early in the morning to go to the Eiffel Tower, and THAT was something I was excited for!
Ah, the classic Eiffel Tower! Such a grand sight, towering over Paris. We took the elevator all the way to the top, where I thought I was going to have frostbite but luckily survived. The views were gorgeous, and you could see all of Paris! It reminded me of how the Lord is in control of the entire world, and looking around it was a reminder of how BIG He is and how small I am! I have literally dozens of pictures, but I'll just include a few of the best(:
We then hopped on the Metro and went to Versailles, another one of my favorite places! Unfortunately the gardens were closed, probably because of the weather, but it was still worth the trip. I loved everything about the palace, and wandered around for hours until my feet literally said no more walking and I was forced to return back to the metro station..
My friends then went back to Dublin and I stayed another day alone in Paris! While nervous at first, I thoroughly enjoyed the alone time, especially having quiet time to have the Lord as my companion. Sunday ended up being my favorite day as I went up to Montremarte...i literally walked 42 flights of stairs. Yeah, I counted. The Sacre Coeur was yet another favorite, and the view was breathtaking. I spent an hour just reading in a cafe with an awesome view of the Sacre Coeur, it was such a relaxing hour. I then decided to live a little, and I bought a ticket to see a show at the infamous Moulin Rouge that night! While I knew it was a burlesque show, I did NOT realize it was a topless show. I was put in the front row, or rather front table, (probably because I was alone..) and saw more boobs than the average man does in his entire life. & I can appreciate beauty; these were the most beautiful women I had ever seen, but I wish I didn't always have to see their boobs...it was plain distracting! Sometimes they were diamonds or a little bikini top, and I appreciated the classiness. The show was brilliant, and I'm so glad I went. Moulin Rouge is my ultimate favorite movie, and while the show has nothing to do with the movie I knew I'd regret it if I didn't go. Being extremely close isn't ideal, because you see the reality of the show that's supposed to be masked. Make up lines, dancers whispering in the back, and fake smiles. But over-all, the show was so much fun and I had a blast, even though I was by myself! So I enjoyed my very own bottle of champagne, the obvious lip-syncing, and the boobs for two hours on a Sunday night as it snowed outside. Sounds like the perfect end to my trip to Paris, am I right or am I right?!
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