Paris

On November 16th my amazing french roommates took me to their home town. Where might that be you ask? That's right! Paris France.

We had a great adventure and I have to say I got to see the true Paris this time. As many of you know I traveled to Europe in high school with the Oregon Ambassadress of Music and we stayed three days in Paris. However, I didn't get to see the real Pairs but only the tourist highlights and the things that the outside world thinks Paris all about.

Not this time.
So let me start from the start. My roommates and I, lets name them H and E for the purposes of names on this site which I've never understood but hey, whatever. We boarded a plane from Dublin Airport at 6am Friday November 16th. This was the first time I used Ryan Air which is by far the BEST flight system in Europe. Not only are their flights cheap but their flights are CHEAP! I spent 70 euros on a ticket there and back. The flight was 2 hours and we landed about an hour outside of Pairs around 9am.

1 Hour spent on the bus  left us at the north end of Paris and for our fun to begin. Though I was with my roommates who speak french I felt strangely lost in the big city. The signs were in french, the people spoke french (as they should) and everything was just grander in size.

After we settled in to A (E's boyfriends) flat we took a walk to one of the most breath taking parks I have ever seen. The fall colors lit up the greying sky and brought out the green of the grass. It was a beautiful park and we climbed to the very top where a small building sat over looking the city.

Next we left the park and took the "underground." Now in America as we all know, there are Metro systems but in Oregon...there is none. So this was my first Metro experience. It wasn't unpleasant but it wasn't by any means pleasant.   There was just a lot of people, pushing and shoving and when you don't speak the language at all, it is hard to understand when someone starts asking you a question.

Soon we left the Metro and arrived at the Arc de Triomphe. Now I saw this on my last trip to Pairs but not like this. It was bloody amazing to see it up close, the last time we just drove past it. I was like a kid at Christmas, jumping up and down with joy. I couldn't believe the sheer size of this structure and the amount of detail put into creating it. It truly was a marvel to stand and look up at the names of fallen men and to see the forever flame burning for the unknown solider.


We for the flat soon after than and spent the night listening to the delightful sounds of the city. Cars racing by, police chases...it was grand really...I missed Ireland a lot that night.

Day Two: We rented three bikes and decided to see the city this way. It was easier than using a car in traffic but nicer to see the city instead of the metro.
With E as our guide we rode into the streets of Paris like we belonged there. There were a few scary moments but if you just act bigger than the car they tend to leave you alone. It was amazing to see the city this way, though still dirty and creepy in some places it was just beautiful!

Does this even need explaining. No I think not. That's it ladies and gents! The real Moulin Rouge in the flesh. Though as I stood there looking at the glorious building I was informed that Moulin Rouge means "Red Windmill" not so sexy anymore is it. :P

Back on the bikes we go to see E's old flat where she used to go to classes. We climbed all the way to the top of a huge hill, window shopping buy chocolates and just laughing and enjoying our time together.

And at the top we looked upon a glorious sight of The Sacré-Cœur. Made in an effort to rid the people of Pairs of their sins. It was the churches way of keeping control of this part of Pairs which is supposedly said to be rough many years ago. 

Inside was beautiful as well but camera's were not allowed.  

So many beautiful buildings, the one to the right is the opera house that the Phantom of the Opera was based. Yes, it's just as beautiful as it is in the movie and in the musical production. :) 




We kept riding through the city, seeing buildings of the rich, of the poor and the strange just random buildings no one knows what to do with. 

As we road along the riverside we stopped by one of the my favorite buildings to see. Last time in Paris I went inside the Louvre. But we didn't get much time to go outside it. This time I did! 

I got to take my "famous pose" picture in front of the Louvre and then we were off again. This day became a little over whelming as much as it was amazing. 

 The Lovers bridge is located near the Louvre. As you can see this beautiful bridge was made for lovers all over the world to buy a lock, scratch or write their names into the metal and forever lock their love in Pairs. It might be cheesy but I think it is really cute and sweet!

I took some time away from the girls to really look at some of the locks and it was really great to see people from all over the world. A coupe had traveled from Hawaii who just married and was spending their honeymoon in Paris.
Another couple was from Australia spending their 40th anniversary in Pairs and locked their love around this bridge. It was a moving a sweet experience.

 Near the end of our long day we stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral and we got to into one of my favorite buildings in all of Paris. Because one of the most inspiring saint is inside. Joan of Arc, a woman who followed her faith and saved all of France.

This is my second time seeing and being inside the Cathedral and I have to say this time was just as breath taking as the last. The stain glass windows in each side of the cathedral is a circle of color and really brings the entire church together.

To finish off our epic day around Paris the girls and I stood below the Eiffel tower, some would say as the pimple of Paris. What made this time before the tower even more amazing was by the time we got there the sun was going down and we go to see as the lights ran up the sides of the tower being lit.

We did not climb the tower mainly because it was really cloudy that day and we wouldn't have seen anything. So we enjoyed walking around and watching the city light up around us.

 The Irish Bear

The American Bear

Another very cool thing about the Eiffel tower was around the tower were bears that represented each and every country in the world. Each bear's hand was wrapped in the others next to it giving the allusion of each country living in peace and what we strive for.

 The end our amazing trip H took me home with her to Normandy and I got see the French countryside. Beautiful and green, not like Ireland but a lot like Oregon in the since the trees were similar. H's family was so welcoming and took such good care of me even though we struggled language wise to even communicate. 

H's mother, knowing that this I was going to be unable to spend my 21st birthday away from family and friends so she took on the challenge of baking me the most amazing french style cake! The cake was amazing!!! The entire time with her family was amazing and the trip as a whole turned out to be a success. 

We boarded a plane the next day from Paris and flew back to Dublin airport. It felt great to be back in Ireland and as soon as I landed I prepared for another moment in my life. My 21st birthday!