From the banana and nutella crepes at the Eiffel Tower to sitting on the steps of the Sacre Coeur with wine and cheese this weekend was more than I could have hoped for! I left last thursday on a train to Paris where Neely, Will, Callie, Danielle, and I went to Giverny to explore Monet's gardens and the water lilies. Walking through his house was such an experience! I was literally standing on the famous green bridge and looking out into the pond with the boats and water lilies. This was the same place where Monet was inspired to create his famous masterpieces!
That night I met up with Heather and Lauren to go to our apartment, which faced the Notre Dame. Don't even worry about it. The apartment was just a small room up a narrow staircase, but it was perfect! Andrew, Lauren's friend, was so nice to let us stay there and show us around. We walked around the art district where we sat at a cafe and drank Cote De Rhone and I got this unbelievable Gelato! MMMM......
We woke up bright and early to grab a croissant (i'm trying to get my fix for all of the french food), went to the Notre Dame, and then went straight to Versailles! After a small ordeal with the ticket counter, we finally got in and spent the next few hours roaming around what was once the center of the cultural and intellectual world (18th Century). Louis XIV's palace was magnificent and so unbelievably ornate. Every room was more impressive than the next. I finally was able to see the famous hall of mirrors, which didn't disappoint at all!
When we got back from Versailles, we went to the Louvre! Despite what I heard, the Louvre was fantastic! Although I loved it all, my favorite was the room filled with ancient artifacts such as the Code of Hammurabi and art from the Sumerian and Assyrian time periods. It was unbelievable looking at creations from the beginning of time (thousands of years old)! PS the Louvre is huge. I got lost in it for about 45 minutes, and was freaking out just a little bit. haha. After pulling my jaw up from the ground, we walked to the Eiffel Tower to get the Oh so famous Crepe we had heard Lauren talking about for weeks. IT WAS AWESOME. (The Tower of course). Every time I saw it, it was just as cool! Watching it light up at night and sparkle around 11 blew my mind. It was so gorgeous and romantic.
Speaking of romance, Paris really is a lovely city. The architecture is breathtaking and their are adorable markets and flowers everywhere! Love is definitely all around....
Over the next couple of days, we went to the Musee o'Dorsay, which holds a lot of Impressionistic art such as Degas, Van Gogh, and Monet, went by the Arc De Triomphe, had a picnic at the Eiffel tower, and sat at multiple cafes and just took it all in. I was amazed at how much we were able to accomplish in a weekend. We successfully completed everything we set out to do! (Including a musical rendition in front of the Moulin Rouge and buying French Lingerie!). SO HAPPY.
I'm glad to be safe and sound and back home in the Nederlands! I'm even happier to have finished 6 hours of class today! Oh the joys of studying abroad! Off to read a novel by tomorrow.....
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