Family Visits Paris (Part 2)

Gardens of Versaille

Monday I had class in the morning and evening so I couldn’t hang out with the family very much during the day. After my French class I met them at the Eiffel Tower and we were able to go out up to the second floor. Before they met me there, they were able to go up on the towers of Notre Dame, something I still have not done yet! Unfortunately though we couldn’t go any higher on the Eiffel Tower because the wait to the top was probably an hour so we just called it quits… still an amazing view though with nothing to complain about! After the Eiffel Tower I had class again and a presentation for my Global Marketing Class, but they were able to go to the Louvre and do some more exploring. One of my good friends Doug Mullins from high school was in Paris on spring break with his family so we met up at a really authentic French restaurant called Roger la Grenouille that I found online. It was the best meal that I have had in Paris so far and my family agreed! I had foie gras and this amazing steak…The first time I have ever had foie gras and although it was rich, I enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it, and it was nice to catch up with one of my old swimming friends.



Hall of Mirrors

Tuesday I had class in the morning and then we were off the Versailles! I had never been before so I was really excited! We took to RER there, which took about 40 minutes. When we got off the station at Versailles we were starving so we decided to eat some McDonald's. My family actually enjoyed it and got to use their automatic order machines which was awesome. We then walked to the front of Versailles and it was huge! I can't believe how amazing and intricate everything was. We were able to have free audioguides which was great and I got to see most of the main chateau and the gardens. My favorite part was definitely the Hall of Mirrors and the King's Bedchamber. It is just ridiculous to think of how important the King was to France and how life literally "revolved around him." We didn't get there until a little later in the afternoon so we weren't able to see Marie Antoinette's chateau and a couple other minor things, however I was quite impressed with everything that I saw. It was a beautiful day outside and I took some amzing pictures of the gardens and the chateau. After a long day at Versailles, I decided to take my family for their last meal to Leon de Bruxelles, a Belgium restaurant in Paris. The Belgium national dish is mussels and fries so of course that is what I had. They had about 20 different styles of Mussels along with other traditional dishes. We had a great last meal in Paris with lots of food and wine, and I couldn't believe a week had gone by that fast!

Wednesday was the day my family left so after class that day I was able to get some sleep. I love having people visit, but sometimes it sure is exhausting having to be a student and a tour guide at the same time. I feel so blessed that they were able to come and it really was amazing to have them here in France.

Thursday was the day after my family left so it was a little sad. At the same time however, it was nice to relax and actually get some sleep and not walk all through Paris! I hung out with my friend Evi and Nelson and made some authentic breakfast burritos with sausage, avocado, salsa, cheese, and eggs.  It was so delicious. J Then following hanging out with them I went over to Valentina’s family apartment (her family moved to Paris a couple of months ago) to make our spring break plans. I ate dinner with their family and had some home cooked food for the first time since I have been home. We booked our flights and hostels to Barcelona, Brussels, Stockholm and Copenhagen so we were really excited! It was Saint Patrick’s Day so we wanted to go out and see how Paris celebrated the traditional Irish holiday. We met up with some of her friends and went to Rue Moufftard, which is a popular bar district in the 5^th arrondisement. It was packed with people and there were so many people in the street drinking and celebrating. There were French people, Americans, British and some occasional Irish.It was a good night afterall and I met some really cool people, ended by eating some really good Greek food!

St Pauls Cathedrale

Friday after sleeping and napping for a good part of the day was spent doing some more exploring around the Bastille area. I went to “The Red Wheelbarrow” which is an English bookstore (amazing selection of books and nice just to be able to speak in English.) I got a European Guidebook to prepare for my spring break adventures and a French phrasebook to carry with me just to help out when I get confused on some words. I went to see the St.Pauls church, built in the 1500’s and it was nice just to get away for a while. After going to a neat vintage shop with designer labels such as Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vitton I met with some friends to try a new barbeque place.  The owner was born and raised in Texas and served some authentic barbeque. There was also 1 free refill on soft drinks which doesn’t exist in Paris. I am so used to just getting unlimited refills on drinks so that’s one thing I’m not so fond of. I was really impressed with the food and excited to go there again. That night I spent the night at my friend Valentina’s apartment, which was really huge compared to normal apartments! We drank wine, ate chocolate and watched “The  Next Three Days.” It was really suspenseful and actually one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time.

Saturday I was feeling pretty tired so I decided to hang out most of the day and just relax. I wanted to go see a new museum after having a good lunch at Indiana’s with my friend Valentina which is a tex/Mex steakhouse type restaurant. I had an enchilada which wasn’t as good as in the US but it was still delicious. I went to the Musee Carnavalet, which is a museum about the history of Paris. It was really interesting because they had artifacts, paintings and information about Paris until recent. It was free which made it even better and it was nice just to walk around and learn more about French History. I wasn’t in the mood to really go out so I just decided to be lazy and watch True Grit. I was surprised about how good the movie was!

Sunday I spent most of the day packing and getting ready for my spring break week, which included packing for 3 different climates! As I was flying Ryanair and other discount airlines, I had to pack extremely light because you are only allowed a small carryon bag. Before leaving however I decided to do a little more exploring around Paris since it was a beautiful day outside. I visited Eglise Saint Sulpice, made famous by the movie the Da Vinci Code. It was an amazing church that used to conduct science experiments and funny enough had a sign posted about “the absurdity of the claims made by Dan Brown about the church hosting the Priory of Scion. Then I walked to Luxembourg Gardens and was able to have a little picnic in the amazing weather. Surprisingly enough I have never been to Luxembourg Gardens even though it is seen as one of the top 10 sights of Paris. It was really beautiful with sculptures, fountains,flowers and trees. I will definitely be having some picnics there for the rest of the semester.

View from the Eiffel Tower