A Weekend of Reunions: Paris

After arriving in Paris for the first time and being stranded there, I was a little nervous to go back. Obviously, I wasn't supposed to be stranded in Paris the last time I was there; actually, I was never supposed to be in Paris at all, but things happen, and plans must change. After having a not so pleasant time, I was a bit hesitant to go back. Of course, I had to go back to Paris at some point, but I wasn't sure I was ready. But, after much convincing from my two friends Bess and Jacqui, I obliged, and was off to Paris for the weekend.

I was actually pretty excited to go to Paris afterall. My friend from home, Diana (who is studying abroad in Florence this semester), was in Paris that weekend too and I couldn't wait to see her. Another good friend of mine, Katie (from PSU, same major) is studying abroad in Paris and she and I had planned to, of course, meet up and explore Paris together. I'd be reuniting with some of my favorite people, and I really couldn't wait to see their shining faces. Hopefully.

We arrived in Paris around 11 Friday morning and headed to our hostel. It was our first time really using the metro, so it was interesting to say the least. By the end of our trip, we were complete pros at the Paris metro system, and when I return with Mom in a few weeks she'll be shocked at my skills. Holler. Once dropping our stuff off at the hostel, we explored the area, got some lunch, and headed to Gallaries Lafyette to do some shopping (though none of us bought anything) and meet Katie. From there: exploration Paris.

First stop: Trocadero--a spot to get great views of La Tour Eiffel

La Tour Eiffel et Moi: I'm really cheesing in this one. hah

Katie and I: We felt that we needed a romatic shot, in one of the most romatic cities, in front of one of the most popular sites. Here's what we came up with.

This took about 200 tries, but we finally got it! It was funny actually, a group of teens were laughing at us, and only later did we see them doing the exact same thing...HAH

And of course I needed a solo shot.

Sacre Coeur: beautiful views of the entire city from here.

Yes, I went to Moulin Rouge, or saw it anyway. And what's surrounding this? Sex shops. AND, of course, Starbucks. Go figure.

Scandalous Moulin Rouge pose. We are hams.

So, we got off the metro at the Louvre, and before even being amazing by the Louvre, we were completely infatuated with this bubble man! It was so cool! Of all the people I've seen doing something on the street, I really thought he deserved some coins. But, of course, I didn't have any to give...

Louvre et la Pyramide: sadly we didn't not have time to actually go in the Louvre. The line was extremely long and there's only so many hours in the day. But, I'll be back...

Above Top: Jardin des Tuileries Above Bottom: Champs-Elysees

L'Arc de Triomphe: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Very important to the French people. It's guarded 24/7 by top-notch armed guards in case of a terrorist attack. Why do I know this? Well you find out a lot at 2:30 in the morning when you're about to be arrested for being in a place you didn't know you weren't allowed to be...yep that's me.

(more pics below)

We decided to climb up to the top of the arc and see some great views of Paris. Little did I know they'd be the best views I'd see...

Just beautiful.

We then went over to Montparnasse, and climbed the huge tower to get panoramic views of Paris at night. Now, it's very hard to get good shots on a camera, but the scene was breathtaking. So many lights! Here's the best picture I got...but the sight really cannot be captured on camera.

Tada!

Paris, was everything I thought it would be: fun, beautiful, and full of history. I can't wait to go back with Mom and explore even more. Only 17 more days!