Mocha Chocalata ya-ya (Paris 2013)

Before you read this, listen to THIS and THIS

Ok, that’s better.

This weekend was spent in Paris! The best flights we could get were Thursday night to Sunday morning, so that meant that we only had two days to see as much of the entire city as we possibly could. We decided to take the challenge and I think we did fairly well.

First off, the four of us (Me, Bonnie, Jonathan and Kara) decided to buy a Paris pass. For 100 Euro, a Paris pass grants you free entry into most museums (you get to skip the line as well), unlimited metro and hop on hop off bus rides, and a few other special offers. The first day we decided we wanted to see the Arc Du Triomphe first. I wish I knew more about it, but I know it has something to do with Napoleon…. We climbed to the top and looked out over the entire city. That’s when I saw the Eiffel Tower.

It was so incredibly breath taking. The Eiffel Tower is one of those landmarks you hear about your whole life but don’t actually know if you’re ever going to see. It was kind of emotional for all of us, and Kara even teared up. That’s when it really settled in for all of us that we were in Paris. We just stood there for probably 20 minutes staring out at it thinking about how fortunate we were that we even got this opportunity. So many people see this iconic structure only in pictures or on TV but never get to experience it the way we were getting to; up close and in person. I knew I had to get a picture of me licking it.

Next stop: THE LOUVRE!

The Louvre is the biggest museum in the world, and by far the most beautiful one I’ve seen. It has over 35,000 pieces of art ranging from prehistory to the 21st century. I think the oldest thing I saw was an Egyptian piece dating back 3,000 years B.C. I could probably spend a year in there and not run out of things to look at. This was the first time I got to see a Da Vinci painting in real life. We were strolling through the Italian art section when we came upon the Virgin of the Rocks, the original version. It was just as stunning as everything I’ve read about it. Da Vinci has such a unique style because he’s somehow able to paint things so soft and angelic. Parts of the background fade into each other and you cant really tell where one part starts and the other ends. The Mona Lisa was just around the corner as well. I’ve only ever heard negative things about the Mona Lisa; about how small the painting is, or how overrated it is. What are you expecting? Why would someone paint a giant portrait of only one person? It was the perfect size and her smile really is as majestic as they say it is. One second she’s smiling and the next she looks almost bored. The point is that it doesn’t matter if you like the Mona Lisa or not. The painting is one of the most famous of all time and basically represents humanity in a way. It’s really incredible to see in person.

Then we popped in to Notre Dame, but we were so tired. I snapped a few quick pictures but there was Mass going on and we didn’t really want to interrupt.

At night we headed back to the Eiffel Tower. If you think it’s beautiful during the day, hold onto your freaking hat because at night it transforms into the most romantic, majestic man-made creations of probably all time.

Every hour on the hour the tower lights up with twinkling white lights making it look like a giant diamond. We stared in awe friday night when we saw it for the first time, and then immediately after the silhouette of a man 20 yards in front of us got down on one knee to perform the most perfect proposal EVER. The woman he asked put her hands to her face and started crying and we were cheering and I may or may not have teared up the slightest bit. Then the four of us agreed that our lives our forever ruined now because nothing we do will ever be that romantic.

Saturday started off a little slower. We went to the Luxembourg gardens and then met up with my french exchange student Celia from last summer! It was so good to see her again, and really nice to have someone to help us order in the restaurant. The rest of the day was spent traveling around on the Hop On Hop Off bus trying to see all that we could. Then in the evening we went to this little Macaroon store called Laudree and bought the cutest macaroons in the whole world! They were ridiculously expensive but we just had to try them. We couldn’t eat them just yet though, so we went next door and had dinner first.

That’s me with the snail I ate! That’s also me with the couple that was literally eating each other behind me the whole time… I love that I’m trying so many new things here! In America I would never EVER eat a snail, but why not? It’s a cultural thing to do and I don’t want to miss out because I’d rather stay in my comfort zone. I had to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths first, but I got it down and it wasn’t even that horrible. It tasted kind of like a mushroom and it was covered in pesto.

We decided to end our time in Paris at the top of this 59 story building with a panoramic view of the city. We watched the Eiffel tower and at our Macaroons (holy crap, so good). At one point Bonnie reached out her arms and made us all get in for a group hug. Just as she started getting sentimental about how amazing our time in Paris had been, the Eiffel tower lit up like a thousand twinkling stars. We all stood there, arms around each other, and watched until it went out. A perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Our flight the next morning was at 8:30, so we left the house at 5:30. I already miss the city but I know I’ll be back one day. After getting a little taste of the culture and romance of the city I don’t think I could live without going back at least once more. Paris, J’adore!