Spring Break Part 1: Paris!

Life is a long, twisting road and you'll never know where you end up! Cliched, maybe, but true nonetheless. I never thought, even as I prepared for my venture to Ireland a mere two months ago, that I would soon find myself in Paris, and yet, here I am, recently returned from the most incredible spring break ever, and with pictures to prove it. I woke up on a sunny Wednesday morning, packed my bag, and caught a plane to Paris. Now to rely on another handy phrase, baptism by fire, which pretty much describes our first night. Despite carefully planning our every step from airport to hotel, we missed a few key points somewhere along the way (although I'm inclined to say that we were perfectly logical, it's the rest of the world that doesn't make sense), and what could go wrong did go wrong. Missed our stop, hopping on and off trains, running around in circles until completely disoriented, we finally arrived at the correct metro stop, only to find that our unbelievably simple waking directions were just that: too simple. The friendly Parisian only managed to send us in the wrong direction, the taxi drivers were no help, and all I can say is thank goodness for internet cafes! A quick trip in one, a glance at a Google map, and presto! One hotel, coming right up!

Fortunately, things could only go uphill from there, and they did! I had been prepared to be a little disappointed by Paris, after all, a city is just another city right? But day two proved all the gushy, romantic notions of Paris true. A gloriously sunny, warm day with spring blossoms everywhere, we did away with the rain jackets, put on some sun-soaking approved clothing, and wandered the street of Champs Elysees, a shopper's paradise. We wandered along, eventually making our way to the Eiffel tower, and its not long before we caught our first glimpse of the world's prettiest skyscraper. After that, we ventured on up to the Musee d'Orsay. But that night, while eating the most amazing chicken caesar salad and washing it down with a little creme brulee in the view of the Arc de Triomphe, it finally struck me: I am in Paris! In Paris and eating delicious food, seeing incredible sights, and enjoying the general splendor.

The next day's trip to Versailles didn't spoil the happy aura any. While the palace was every bit the dazzling, intimidating display of power and wealth it was designed to be (seriously, somebody must have decided no word existed to describe it and thus invented the word opulent), I absolutely fell in love with the gardens. Extensive, beautiful, an absolute maze of nature inside the city limits, I could get lost for days inside those gardens. But this didn't stop me from contemplating the justified reasons for which the Parisians stormed Versailles and rebelled as we lay sunbathing on the steps of the Temple of Love. 

Our final day in Paris, Kacie and I ventured to the Louvre, a must-see for Paris, or so they say. To be honest, the Louvre was my least favorite museum of the entire trip. Crowded, a blazing temperature, and a perfect echoing system for every little noise, we made the fastest dash through the Louvre on record, seeing a few highlights and out we went, in pursuit of lunch and fresh air. Next I wandered along the river, discovering the two "love lock" bridges (where couples had written names, love notes, etc on locks and then secured them to the bridge) and Notre Dame Cathedral. The highlight of the day, however, remains the nighttime river tour of the Seinne River, a perfect way to end a few short days in Paris.

And here we said a sad good-bye to Paris. Next stop, London!