Paris, La Ville des Lumières

I’ll just start from the beginning, but you should know that this is going to be really long by the time I’m done. Feel free to stop for bathroom/sustenance breaks as needed, but remember that this is from 5 of the best days of my life, so I have a lot to say...
My first flight left from Charlotte 6 on Sunday night. We drove the 2 hours to the airport and got there in plenty of time, despite earlier being convinced that it was going to be a close one. I had dinner with my parents in the baggage claim area (the only place we could eat without going through security), and somewhat reluctantly told them goodbye. As soon as I got through security and was on my own though, I was really energized by being so independent and just by traveling. The flight to Philadelphia was routine; mostly sleeping though the flight was only an hour and a half. I had the perfect amount of time in the PHL airport to get a sandwich from Au Bon Pain (whose “pain” really was “bon”) but without being bored at the gate. We did, however, sit on the runway for 30 minutes, but that meant more “bonding time” with the French guy next to me. He and I were probably about the same age, and he spoke only a little more English than I do French (i.e not a lot), so our communication mostly consisted of awkward eye contact and gestures; he was really nice though. It seemed like a little more than half of the passengers were French, and the Americans were easy to find because they were the ones speaking excessively loudly in English…we were served dinner which was actually good; I watched a movie for a few hours and then attempted sleep. Even though it was an 8-hour flight it went quickly, as did the flight to Philadelphia. We got to Charles de Gaulle airport about half an hour later than scheduled, and I thought I would miss meeting the group but wasn’t going to stress about it. Paris wins major points for 1) easiest customs EVER (I handed him my passport, he asked me a couple of simple questions, and that was it. I didn’t even realize it was customs haha) and 2) getting the bags to baggage claim faster than I’ve ever seen in America. I fumbled around the airport a little until I figured out how to get to the Terminal where we were meeting; luckily I ran into Sarah, another girl from my program (easily identifiable by the yellow piece of paper telling where to meet), and we found our way together. It was right at 12 (the meeting time) and the group was still there; I got my first experience with the French greeting of “air kissing” with Marie, our Residence Director, and I think I handled it pretty well, definitely better than expected. I had talked to a couple of the girls in the group on Facebook already, but we all clicked immediately. I have never been that comfortable with a group of strangers that quickly; it’s probably because we all obviously have a desire for travel and culture, which makes conversation and finding common ground easy. Everyone is so great too; I could rave on and on about how much I enjoy the group, but I’ll save that for another day. It has been so nice though comparing and contrasting our hometowns; we have New England well represented, along with the West Coast and Nicaragua, and both cities and small towns. I’m the only Southerner (even though 3 kids go to Texas A&M, they’re from different places), but everyone has been really interested in hearing about the South, and I’ve been more than happy to discount any stereotypes; plus they told me they wouldn’t have known I was from SC had I not told them so because I don’t have much of an accent and don’t fit any of the characteristics of a southerner. Our hotel in Paris (Hotel Minerve) was so tiny but so quaint and adorable; we took some time to shower and rest before heading back out into the cold for our boat tour on the Seine. It was so, so cold but amazing nonetheless; we saw Notre Dame, and the beautiful bridges (of which there are like 27), and the Eiffel Tower all at night. The thing about Paris is that it’s so beautiful in every direction that it’s hard to take pictures of everything, especially since they don’t do it justice anyway. After that we went to a restaurant Marie knew about because she’s a native Parisienne; we all ordered “le menu,” which is a pre-determined appetizer, main dish, and dessert. We sat around eating the most delicious food and drinking wine while talking about culture and practicing our French. I’m a little self-conscious about my French, mostly because of my pronunciation, but I think my grammar and vocabulary are as good as everyone else’s. The next morning, we took the RER (which goes from Paris to outside the city) to Versailles, which was beautiful though excessively ornate; the history of it was really interesting, though kind of hard to wrap my head around (“this is HOW old?!”). We bought sandwiches and took them on the train with us. A Japanese man approached us on the train asking for directions, and Marie helped him out, but not without him trying to teach her some Japanese; hearing a French woman pronounce “Do itashi mashite” was so funny and so adorable. After Versailles we went to the Musée d’Orsay, which was converted into a museum from a train station; we only made it through about half of the artwork with the amount of time we wanted to spend, but we enjoyed the hell out of it, bonding and laughing the whole time. We then navigated the metro sans Marie to get to L’Arc de Triomphe. We made the relatively easy climb to the top and had an amazing view of Paris; we took some pictures and then bailed because of the cold. We walked the Champs Elysees and window shopped before finding a crêperie where we ate dinner; I got a ham and cheese (jambon et fromage) crêpe, which was pretty good, though my favorite still remains the Nutella and strawberry crêpe from Montreal. The lady who owned the restaurant didn't seem particularly fond of us (probably but not definitely because we're American), but this was honestly the only hostility we encountered; for the most part, everyone seemed more friendly in Paris than in a lot of American cities. The next morning, the sun finally came out, though I was still freezing. This thin Southern blood has not prepared me for cold weather haha we saw Notre Dame though I have to say, at risk of being shot, that it’s way prettier than any other cathedral I’ve seen on the outside, the altar is not terribly impressive; I thought Notre Dame in Montreal had a much prettier altar. Unfortunately we didn’t get to climb the bell tower because of ice, but I’ll save that for next time ;) we then went to the prison where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned and Sainte Chapelle. After lunch, quiche this time, we went to the Louvre; the building is amazingly beautiful and intricate.
Once inside we toured Napoleon’s apartments and then took a tour of the “highlights.” Now, I was excited to be at the Louvre, don’t get me wrong, but after little sleep on flights and 2 nights of waking up at 3, unable to sleep for the rest of the night, I was unbelievably tired and still so jet-lagged; it took every ounce of energy I had to keep going, but I did, for which I’m glad. Our tour guide was really good, and she showed us the Mona Lisa (la Joconde), the Venus de Milo, the Spinx, and a lot of other interesting things. After the Louvre, we walked around some of the stores (everything is remarkably on sale in France because of the sales, or “les soldes”) and got coffee at a café; we all loved the café environment, just talking with one another and people-watching and just being amidst it all. We navigated back to our hotel (thanks to our resident New Yorker, Cecilia) and took a breather before going to dinner. Since we were eating early by French standards (6:00 instead of 8 or 9), not many places were open, so we found another café. Lexi, Ashley, Chris, and I all got “boeuf bourgignon,” which is a traditional (and delicious) French dish while Cecilia and Shana got greek salads (since the guy who owned the restaurant was actually Greek), and Sarah got moussaka (poor Kelly was back at the hotel, sick with the flu). Afterwards, Lexi, Ashley, and I walked down the street to a wine store and bought 2 bottles of wine for just 2 euros each; we went back to Ashley and my hotel room and drank it and talked for a few hours. Then it was time for Stephanie to PTFO and finally get a good night’s sleep, which I did thanks to some Dramamine. This morning was warmer than it has been which was perfect for climbing the Eiffel Tower; we couldn’t go to the top because of either weather or construction, but the first and second vantage points (étages, if you will) had enough stairs haha the view was amazing, though I think I prefer the view from L’Arc de Triomphe because it includes the Eiffel Tower. We also went to Les Invalides, where Napoleon is entombed; it was yet another amazingly ornate, beautiful building. We stopped at the markets just outside our metro stop to get food for the train to Grenoble (le TGV), and then stopped at our hotel to get our luggage before heading to the Gare du Lyon. I totally geeked out there about being a “real traveler” because the atmosphere is amazing; despite some serious luggage difficulty (suitcases are not meant for trains, especially not 2 each), we all got settled in for the 3-hour ride to Grenoble. The French countryside is just as I pictured and so so beautiful. The ride wasn’t bad at all, and we brainstormed some ideas for trips, which is always exciting. I fell in love with Grenoble from the second I saw it from the train; the Alps are HUGE, and the city gives off such a good vibe. At the train station the rest of the group met their host families, and Ashley and I went with the other RD, Anna, to our dorm. I thought I might regret my decision not to live with a host family, but even though it will be a more conscious effort to talk to French students to learn the language than to talk to a host family, I love this dorm, and I’m glad I picked it over the host family. As of right now, I’m glad to get some internet (sorry to sound so American) and just relaxing after 4 days touring with Marie, which she herself described as “a sport.” I miss Paris, but I’m so glad to be here after months of anticipation. We went to Paris in the best way though; I only spent maybe 50 or 60 euros ($75-90) for 4 days in Paris because API paid for the hotel, all of our transportation within and from Paris, most of our meals, and all of our museum admission, plus we were there with Marie, who knows the city like the back of her hand and gave us additional information that not everyone would know. We were really lucky to get such a great experience there, and I wouldn’t have asked for my first time in Paris to be any different. For now, I’m going to finish unpacking and maybe venture out with Ashley to find something to eat. I can’t wait to see more of my new city tomorrow, and to spend more time with my new BFFs in my group haha Bon soir!