Little Cory Big Story: Paris!

I know I am a few weeks behind in my blogging, but I want to keep this chronologically organized. So you'll have to wait to hear about an amazing beach frisbee tournament I went to this weekend for a few more days/weeks.

On Thursday night (11/22), I flew to Paris! I was planning on taking a bus from the airport in Paris to meet my cousin, Christina, who I would be staying with. Christina, my cousin, is studying in Paris this semester, so we figured it would be a perfect weekend to visit especially over Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the bus driver require and a printed copy of the bus ticket, showing it to him on my ipod was not enough. I tried to call Christina from the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris but I could not get my cellphone to work. I tried calling her from a pay phone as well, but had no success. So, I was stranded. Fortunately for me, I had a paper map and her address. I decided to venture into the metro.

As most of you may know, I'm a little directionally challenged. New York City's metro is huge challenge for me, so this Paris metro, with unfamiliar locations, and everything written in French, proved to be a huge disaster. Although I asked many people about which direction I should be heading in, most people were no help. Either they didn't know where I was going, or just pointed and then shrugged, which was not helpful. I ended up sticking with a group of young Brazilians who seemed to be going in a similar direction. After figuring out I needed to head towards the Arc de Triomphe, I could somewhat figure out things on my own. It was a little scary considering it was around midnight, but I made it to the Arc eventually. Luckily for me, Christina called me just as I left the metro and told me to just stay put at the Arc and she would come meet me. Although I was never in danger, finding the Arc was a few hours of extreme anxiety, frustration, and near panic. Christina took me to her Madame's house (her home-stay) and we spent the rest of the night catching up.

Unfortunately Christina had a few classes on Friday morning, so I headed to the Louvre on my own. Following Christina's explicit instructions, I found the Louvre with no problem. As I wandered around the outside of the Louvre and surrounding area, I devoured my first chocolate croissant! It was heavenly! The artwork inside the Louvre was amazing, and there was just a multitude of works. My biggest problem with the Louvre was it's size; I found that it was just too big and I soon felt exhausted. Thus began my hunt for the Mona Lisa. I have always imagined the famed Mona Lisa painting would be stunning and I would feel some sort of awe. My childhood and The Da Vinci Code might have created these unreachable expectations. The Mona Lisa was in it's own room, but the painting was tiny! I'm probably exaggerating now, but it seemed to be the size of a regular 8x11 piece of paper. There were also barriers between the viewers and the painting so you couldn't get too close either. All in all, a little disappointing, but the rest of the museum was awesome.

Entrance to the Louvre

Outside the Louvre

The best photo I took - it's a little disappointing though, right?

Christina and I met up and had baguettes for lunch. We then headed to another art museum, the Musée de l'Orangerie; it had impressionist art by several famous painters including: Monet, Renoir, Picasso, and others whom I can't remember. The first exhibit was a series of paintings by Monet called Water Lilies (Les Nymphéas). These murals goes around the entire perimeter of a room, which results in a sort of panoramic view of water lilies (supposedly Monet's garden). These murals show the lilies in all different lighting and styles. Albeit small, I definitely preferred this museum to the Louvre. The rest of the exhibits were amazing, but the Water Lilies stole the show for me.

Monet's Water Lilies

Part of the Water Lilies collection

After the Musée de l'Orangerie we wandered around a few of Christmas. There we indulged ourselves with some amazing waffles and nutella. I also got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower! We decided to walk home along the famous Champs-Élysées. This avenue boasts some seriously expensive and luxurious looking shops and restaurants, and also contains historical sites. After a much needed nap, we headed out for dinner (we deemed this our Thanksgiving dinner), and then to a bar, where I met some of Christina's friends.

I swear those aren't both for me!

First sighting of Eiffel Tower!

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

On Saturday, we decided to visit the Palace of Versailles. Although it proved quite difficult to get to, we eventually made it to the former home of King Louis XIV. Walking up through the gates and seeing the whole palace was amazing. We toured through personal chambers, sitting rooms, the Hall of Mirrors and the gardens - all lavishly decorated. It is truly unbelievable that someone ever lived there.

Walking up to the palace

The Hall of Mirrors

Christina and me in the gardens

After eating lunch at a nearby pub, we took the metro back into the city. Christina dropped me off at the Eiffel Tower and she headed home to study for an exam. I decided to climb up the tower to the two levels accessible by foot. The views from the first level were amazing especially as the sun was setting. I took a quick bathroom break, and by the time I came back the sun had set and the view was completely different! I climbed up to the next level and spent a while taking photos and taking in the views of the city. The tower itself was also visually stunning. I am afraid of heights so I was not too excited for the descent, which proved to be a little difficult for me. As long as I focused on the stairs and didn't look anywhere else I was okay. At one point I was a little out of breathe and mentally freaking out, when I started to see flashes everywhere. I thought my brain was panicking and spazzing out! After just a few seconds I realized it wasn't my brain, but that the tower was sparkling! (I found out later that the tower sparkles every hour after sunset.) I finished my descent and walked around the park enjoying myself. I finished up my Eiffel Tower visit standing across a little stream, eating a banana chocolate crepe watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle. This last moment, was probably one of my favorites during my Paris trip.

View as soon as reached the first level

Post-bathroom view

Sunset

Looking up the tower

Sparkling tower

Walking around the park

View from the park

On Sunday, we went for a walk in the Jardines de Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens). It was a huge park in the middle of the city. We kids play with boats in a small fountain and walked through the gardens. Although it was a little chilly, we enjoyed walking around. Then ate some delicious crepes for brunch, (egg, ham and cheese, and a banana chocolate) they were so good. Although it was a touristy cafe, we got to watch the crepes being made. Then we went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The cathedral was beautiful and the stained glass reminded me of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. On our way home, we walked along the Seine and on the love-lock bridge, where couples put locks on the fence to signify their love. Unfortunately by then it was time to start my journey back to Granada.