Paris: Day Three

Hello again!

So today was a very VERY relaxing day for my parents and I. My mom didn't even wake me up this morning (which is usually how the day goes). I woke up naturally at 11 a.m. and walked out of my room to find my dad still asleep in his room and my mom drinking coffee on the couch. I was all "hey" and she was like "hey" and I was like "... it's 11" and she was like "yeah... it is..." so apparently it wasn't some sort of mistake. We just decided to take it easy today. Its always nice to get a full night's sleep. So we had a big breakfast meal at like noon and then we headed off to the Louvre museum. I can't even begin to describe to you how big it is. Its like really freaking humungous. And it is soooo easy to get lost. Which we did. Many times. The sad part about it was that all of the exhibits were in French so we didn't really learn a whole bunch about what the museum had to offer. However we did get to see some beautiful exhibits that we were familiar with such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

   

The Mona Lisa is not as small as it looks. It was in a glass case and there was a huge crowd around it (which was to be expected since it is the museum's most popular exhibit) so sadly the picture did not turn out so well. I actually got to learn quite a bit about the Venus de Milo though which is the second picture if you are not familiar. My mom had a Paris guide book that talked about it and it said it is a Greek statue that was built to represent Aphrodite, the goddess of love. However the statue was not of one particular women but was made up of all of the qualities that embodied a perfect woman of their society. One interesting fact about this statue is that her dress size measures to be a size 14! Boy how times have changed. I wish beauty were still viewed in that aspect today and that people could just love their bodies and that a full body just represented the fact that you weren't starving. Oh well. 

Then we left the Louvre and got a snack in a local cafe and headed back to the flat. I took a nap. Officially 3 for 3 on taking a nap everyday on vacation so far. But surely its good to relax because this is the only break from school I get for the rest of the semester. Then we cleaned up and went to another Italian restaurant for dinner. I got the spaghetti. It was delicious as expected. I have noticed that the pasta here is so rich. It is definitely way better than anything I've ever had in the States. I hope to go to Italy someday and see if theirs is any better because this seems pretty hard to beat. 

Sadly, today's entry is just a short one since we spent most of the day relaxing. I've gotta head to bed now because tomorrow we are getting up early to go to the Palace of Versailles! How exciting!

Paris: Day Two

Whew! What a day today! My first full day in Paris was definitely action packed to say the least. I'll work chronologically to recount all of the details.

First off, I woke up at 5 a.m. because my sleep schedule is way out of whack. Some of my friends from home were still awake though because they are night owls however, so I gave them a call using the phone in our flat because it is free apparently! Imagine that! So after I talked to them for 20 minutes, I decided to work out. Then I showered and got ready for the day.

At 9:30, we headed out for Notre Dame. The architecture of that building is so exquisite, it was astounding. Well really, all of the Parisian architecture is breathtaking but this was just magnificent.

   

After touring the first level of Notre Dame, we stopped and had a snack in a little cafe across the street. I had my second helping of chocolate croissant that day. It boggles my mind how delicious those little pastries are. Then we wandered over to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore where I picked up a copy of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It seemed fitting considering it is about the French Revolution and well... we are in France... But its really the cutest bookstore I have ever been to in my life. There was even a sweet little kitty on the top floor. I bet he gets all the love.

 

Next we went back over to Notre Dame and climbed the 389 steps to the top of the tower where we got the most beautiful view of the city. 389 steps is way too many. I was pretty much dying by the time we got to the top considering I had already done squats and lunges earlier that morning. We also saw "The Bored Gargoyle" who is supposedly the most photographed gargoyle on Notre Dame. Its too bad it was foggy outside otherwise you would be able to see the Eiffel Tower in the background a little better. Its maybe sorta visible...

   

After Notre Dame, we made our way to another cafe and had some lunch. My mom and I shared a plate of lasagna that was quite tasty. My dad had a bowl of French onion soup that is even more delicious over here in its native land. However, that was to be expected of course. Once we finished lunch we went over to The Conciergerie which served as a prison during the French Revolution. We saw the cell of Marie Antoinette and we may have even run into a medieval knight...

 

Okay clearly the knight was me in a children's costume. These are the kinds of stupid things my parents and I do. I wouldn't have it any other way though. Next we made it over to Saint Chappelle which was really quite beautiful. Many stained glass windows and wooden figurines. By the time we finished there, our energy started running on fumes so we made our way back to the flat to hang out for the rest of the day. This evening for dinner we had some real French cuisine. I'm pretty sure my meal was the best out of everyone's. I started with some escargot in pesto sauce, followed by rack of lamb with potatoes, and finished up with nutella crepes! I was so thrilled when I saw this on the menu because nutella is pretty much the most delicious thing ever. However, the crepes still did not compare to the nutella waffle I had last summer in London. That was really the best ever. 

Well now we are back in our flat and it is about time for bed. I will be sure to write tomorrow about more of my adventures. 

Bonsoirre!

Paris: Day One

Bonjour!

Well it is officially spring break at University of Kentucky. This year I am spending it in the City of Love with my parents (aka Paris, France). Today is our first day and might I say, it has definitely been an exhausting one. Our flight left from Cincinnati at 5:30 p.m. and then we arrived in Paris at 8 a.m. local time. So our dilemma was if you don't sleep on the plane, you really don't get any sleep at all. Well we didn't sleep on the plane. Planes are just not very comfortable. So the flight was a solid 8 hours and then we had a nauseating taxi ride into the city for another 50 minutes. Then our flat wasn't ready for us yet so we waited with all of our luggage in a cafe nearby for an hourish. So putting all that on top of the lack of sleep, its safe to say we were pretty exhausted. After unpacking, my parents and I decided it was nap time. Although my nap was more of a slumber (6 hours...). My parents went exploring while I was asleep. I must have been very tired because I didn't hear them leave or come back. They woke me up when they returned though and I got ready for dinner and we headed out into the city. Our neighborhood is nice because there are a lot of shops and restaurants close by. The restaurant we decided on ended up being Italian, which is odd considering we're in France. You would think we would get French food at least the first night. Its kind of funny though because when we first got to London last summer, we walked around the neighborhood and settled on a French restaurant and now that we're here, we went to an Italian restaurant. We are the strangest people. The food was quite delicious though. I had French onion soup for an appetizer, fettuccine alfredo for a meal, and creme brulee for dessert. And of course champagne all throughout the meal. It is so fun being able to order alcohol. It makes me feel so grown up and sophisticated. So now that I am a little buzzed and very full from dinner, I feel it should be bedtime. We have a big day tomorrow; I just have two words for you: Notre Dame! So excited! I'll fill you in tomorrow about more of my adventures.

Much love,
Jordan