Yes, that's right: Paris.
Eeeeee! Words can't describe how excited I was to actually visit the Paris for the first time. I mean, it's Paris! Like the real one! The actual city! The one you see featured in photographs, movies, and books! That Paris! So naturally, since I had only two days to explore all of Paris, I had to do as much as I could!
The first night as fancy dinner night. Right after meeting my friends at the train station (they'd arrived in Paris before me) I dropped my backpack off at the hotel, tossed on a dress, and ate creamy, cheesy pasta at a restaurant they'd found at Champs-Élysées. At one moment during dinner, the waiter told me I had good French... in English. I wasn't sure what to make of this specific instance of being Englished.
After dinner, we rushed to the Seine (the real Seine!) and caught the last boat tour, which took us up and down the river. The boat ride was fantastic - not only was exhilarating to see so many of Paris's attractions lit up at nighttime, but we could see many Parisians as well! Apparently that night was a holiday of sorts in France, so many Parisians young and old were out to party! Many of them were in groups next to the Seine (these were mainly the younger ones) and they waved and shouted greetings as we went by. They were all in such a celebratory mood, and I was so happy to be in Paris, that it was impossible not to be happy then.
The next morning, before we met the rest of the group, I was able to see a couple of buildings that made me happy, since they were very close to our youth hostel. One was Le café des 2 Moulins, which is famous for being the cafe in which Amelie was filmed. The other was the Moulin Rouge, from the film which shares its name.
Once we met up with the rest of the group, we went to the one place that absolutely everyone has to go: the Eiffel Tower. Even though I knew it was tall, I was taken aback by just how large the structure was. Of course, I got an even better appreciation of its size when I was climbing its stairs. I only made it to the second level, but I can now officially say I've seen the Eiffel Tower (the real one!) with my own eyes.
After the Eiffel Tower came the Louvre, another place which was much bigger than I'd expected. There was so much to see inside, that I didn't get to see it all even though I admired most of them only for a few seconds. I did get to see the Mona Lisa (the real one!), but I think my favorite pieces inside were this statue:
...and Napoleon's apartment.
After resting for a couple hours in a nearby park (we were pretty pooped by that point), we decided to get Vietnamese food for dinner. This led us to Paris's Chinatown, where we explored for a while before finally deciding which phở looked the best. The main difference I noticed between Paris's Chinatown and the Chinatowns I've visited in the States is that Paris's is much cleaner. I didn't take a picture here, I'm afraid, although I did see a drink I recognized and was amused to see French writing on it.
The next morning, we tried to see the Paris catacombs. Unfortunately they were closed, so we visited a nearby cemetery instead. I didn't know most of the people, but I did see a couple names I recognized - perhaps they will sound familiar to you as well.
Jean Paul Sartre
Simone de Beauvoir
In short, Paris was marvelous and wonderful and now that I have visited, I wish to return at least once (twice? three times?) in my life. Though I was only there for two short days, I feel I know enough to be able to say "Paris, je t'aime."
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