After the very long flight, we finally found ourselves in Paris! There was nothing more exciting than first exiting the airport and catching my first glimpses of Paris. While I did not end up singing "Bonjour Paris" due to extreme tiredness, I did think it in my head.
Our drive to our apartments proved to be quite and adventure. I'm not sure our driver knew quite where we were going, and driving here is quite different than in the states. Here people aren't as cautious and whiz back and forth whenever the chance arises. Our driver was trying to keep up with the van ahead of us so we pulled into pretty tight spots. But, we arrived safely to the apartments, which are pretty nice! We're living in the financial district of Paris, so no worries about shoddy apartments. Tessa and I are sharing a room and she has been quite delightful to room with. Our apartments are pretty darn small, the main room being about 10 X 10, which is okay except for two of us are sharing it. But one of the beds folds into a couch so room can be made if needed. We also have a small kitchenette, which will serve us just fine as we will not be cooking too much here. Our bathroom is about half the size of our main room, so it's quite spacious. We are living on the 11th floor, the same as Nicole and Emma, which has proved to be very helpful!
Back to the first day's events. We met up with Desmond (who is kind of our go-to guy at the University) and Professor Reardon (the Professor I had for Global Marketing this past semester) who explained to us the events of the time here and showed us around a little bit. We learned how to use the Metro and took it to see the Arc de Triumph, which is insanely beautiful. The detail put into the carvings are unexplainable, they are so exquisite. While enjoying the Arc we also saw our first car accident! A moped hit a car, which is not surprising because that roundabout is insane. Cars go in and out and here and there with little notice of what is going on around them. It's a surprise that many more accidents do not occur around there.
Later in the evening Reardon showed us around a little more and we ended up at a restaurant. It was one with seating outside, so we all felt quite comfortable. However, I felt bad for the waitress as there were about 10 of us and none of us really speak French and she didn't really know English. It is insane being on the other side of the language barrier. But, we all ended up with food that was pretty delicious. I myself had a salad, being a vegetarian leaves little other options for me. The salad had corn in it, which I have not ever tried in a salad but it proved to be quite amazing!
After dinner we took a walk along the Siene, which was so pretty at night. All of the lights reflect off of the water and sparkle. For being such a huge city the town does not seem that crowded at all. When we walk at night cars drive by but the sidewalks are peaceful. After our walk we returned home and had a slipper party in Mindy, Jordan and Keri's room. They got the three person room, which is far larger than ours. They have an actual living room and a bedroom, so we all fit comfortably.
When we finished in their room I came upstairs to go to bed and slept harder than I have in a long time.
3 comments:
yea, it was so strange to go to paris after spending so much time in Italy, especially the thin, windy, medieval streets of Florence. Paris felt so breathy, what with their wide streets and the open cafes. You don't get the sense that it's crowded.
Oh, and are you making sure to get enough protein my little vegetarian? Parisians seem to be big on eggs, so I guess that's an option. I had some really yummy deviled eggs and a delicious omelette while I was there.
Oh and Michelle told me that the French eat EVERYTHING with a knife and fork, even salads! So you should try it!
Post a Comment