Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Paris Revisited

This being my second time in Paris but in a completely new part of town, feels nearly the same as the first. Arriving, my friend Christine and I actually missed the train we were supposed to get on and got super stressed out about that but luckily we found a friend whose host-mom really did us a huge favor and took us to the train station and got us situated. However, once we got to Paris, we encountered our second problem - finding the hotel. Unlucky for me, I was overwhelmed with luggage and otherwise I would have taken a metro to our stop but I was exhausted and stressed out so I suggested we just take a taxi and well the taxi seemed to figure out where the hotel was located. I think he sort of took advantage of us too because he charged us for our luggage which had never occurred before but oh well. I was just glad we got to our hotel safely and could relax at last.

The second day of Paris was a little more relaxing but the weather was cold and windy with 50% chance of rain (thankfully we didn't feel any rain while wandering around). This time we walked to Le Sacred Couer church nearby and visited Edgar Degas' grave as well as Emile Zolas' at the Montmarte Cemetary and on the way back we grabbed some sandwiches to drink. Then chilled at my friend's room for a bit before deciding to head out to watch Water for Elephants at a nearby theater (in English). Then we came back and chilled out in our rooms.

Tomorrow I am hitting up the Louvre for most of the day. Then going to look for a cheap duffel bag to better pack my stuff so I won't be struggling anymore carrying my stuff to and from. On the way there, I am going to hit some recommended restaurants and pastry shops thanks to Clotilde's Paris guide from her blog Chocolate and Zucchini (http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/09/twelve_hours_in_paris.php ).

It is interesting to be reading up on Paris while I am in Paris and I am excited about the possiblity to check these places out but also scared about my French speaking skills. On the bright side, I have already found a park where I can sit down and read in peace and the sun does not set here until like 9.5 pm and with all the tourists abound, I feel more safe than if I were in New York City.

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