Bonjour mes amis!!!
I'm so glad to see you back!
Hmm so where did we leave off on our last literary adventure?
Oh yes... I remember now...the crazy red light district bartender. Let's pick up from Satuday March 2nd.
Day 3: I was feeling a little under the weather that morning so the girl's went out and about while I stayed and slept in a little. Around lunch time they came to get me and we went to the Notre Dame. There was a line to get into the church but it moved really fast. We spent about 20-30 minutes in what lindsey called "Quasimodo-land" taking pictures and walking around, then we went outside into the cold to wait in line for the tour of the Towers of Notre Dame…another Paris Pass freebie! This line took FOREVER...and it was extremely cold out...but we waited anyhow. We finally got through the line…and had to climb SOOOO many stairs...my booty definitely got a good workout. When we finally got to the top we saw the most magnificent view of paris. I am so jealous of the gargoyles...they always get that view! We eventually made our way back down the windy staircase to get a bite to eat!
We then went to the Crypts of Notre Dame. We thought they were the catacombs under Paris, but apparently those were something different and not included in the Paris Pass. But, it was a warm down there and the guards were nice so we decided to hang out for a bit and decide what to do next. We eventually decided we would goto the Latin Quarter. We were cold and hungry but it was only 5pm, so we walked around and shopped for a bit. We went into several incredible shops. They were all right up my alley. Mostly fashion boutiques, formal dress stores, and yes....book stores. If you know me at all you'd know that a book store is like a candy store to me-- book stores are better because there are no calories involved! They are my absolute favorite place to be! There were so many antique book shops in Paris. I was in heaven! However...most of the books were in French...and even though I speak it a little, it would be a great task to read a novel in French. But I didn't fret! Eventually, I found a really old lesson book of French phrases from the 1800's! Of course I had to buy it...I mean... it was only 5 euro! And the coolest part was there are bits of scrap paper with calligraphy handwriting stating a parisian address! Crazy, huh? I wanted to go all Nancy Drew and seek out this mysterious address, but I don't think the girls were as up for it as I was. Eventually we decided to grab some food. We found a place that sold sushi AND hot plates of Chinese food…..c’est delicieux! We sat at dinner chatting and recuperating for around three hours (when in France, right?). I was geeking out about my new book so I decided to pick really random phrases out of my book to try and teach each of the girls. Although...I didn't have to try that hard to pick random phrases because the book was so old most of the phrases don't apply to life in Paris now.
On our way back to the hotel we found a grocery store that had REALLY cheap wine. We bought a bottle of sparkling wine for €1.99 and a bottle of red wine for €3, along with some French cheese, baguettes and madelines. We then had the BEST girls’-night-in in Paris…how lovely and relaxing it was! We just drank and ate and talked and laughed and had heart to hearts. Oh how blessed I am that I've had the chance to connect with such beautiful and wonderful women! We stayed up really late that night...because....well...because we're girls and that's what we do. haha.
Day 4: Sunday, March 3rd
We slept in that morning, which was absolutely lovely. I'm a girl who loves my sleep. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel we decided to head to the Opéra. We sat on the steps of the Opéra for a bit because it was beautifully SUNNY and warm. Sitting on the opera steps in the sunshine looking out at Paris I felt abundantly blessed. I always feel this when I'm traveling...but I felt especially blessed at this moment because we were watching several women trying to pickpocket people on the streets. This made me angry that they were doing this to people. But more than angry...it made me sad because these women haven't had the opportunities that I've had in life. I really need to count my blessings. I really wanted to go up and just offer them some money instead of them having to steal it off me.
After sitting on the steps, we went to the perfume museum which was well....smelly. Then we went to a place called the Paris Story (a Paris Pass freebie) which was an hour long video about the history of Paris…that Lauren, Lindsey and Sarah promptly fell asleep in. Apparently I was the only one who absolutely loved learning about the history of Paris! But because they were sleeping, I got to spout off the knowledge I learned from the film, and they just thought I was a historical genius...until they realized I didn't sleep in the film. Oops. We tried to go into the Opéra, but alas it was fashion week and they were using the space for that. We then decided to head to the Aquarium and make our way out to the Chateau des Vincennes. When we got to the Chateau it was closed, but we got some pictures of the outside and the courtyard inside that we were still allowed to walk through. It was magnifique!
After the Chateau we decided we missed American food a little bit so we went to Chipotle. It was delicious!! And it was a nice break from my French skills because they spoke English there. Just what we needed, complete with a trip next door to the Haagen-Dazs. Then we trekked back out to a place called Tour Montparnasse (Montparnasse Tower), which is essentially a really tall sky scraper. It was also part of the Paris Pass, and allowed you to go up to the 56th floor of the building and the roof-top for breathtaking views of Paris. Plus, every night, every hour on the hour from when it gets dark to midnight, the Eiffel Tower shimmers with thousands of sparkling lights.
I had never seen a sight as beautiful as this. I was with some of my best friends, under the vast blue sky, breathing in the crisp parisian air experiencing this marvelous world that my God created. I can't even fathom that I experienced that. At that moment I realized there's a difference between living and being alive. I was alive.
Also, whilst on top of the tower I remembered that this was the day I got saved 8
years ago. Not only did I get to spend my actual birthday in Paris, but I got to spend my spiritual birthday there too! I wasn't just alive. I was alive with the Lord.
Day 5: Monday, our last day in Paris, we packed up all of our stuff and left it in the luggage room, had our last Parisian breakfast, and went to a special bridge in Paris. Rumor is that lovers and friends lock their love or friendship to the bridge in the form of a padlock and then throw the keys into the Seine together to symbolize undying love that can never be broken. How romantic, right? So we bought 2 small padlocks, each with 2 keys. Lauren and Sarah wrote their names and the abbreviations for their states on theirs and Lindsey and myself did the same on the other lock. Then we locked the two locks together and locked them onto the bridge. This was another favorite moment in Paris. I realized that I would never forget this experience or what each of my new friends has taught me. Lauren has taught me to be strong and always go after what I want. Sarah has taught me that with good friends you can get through anything life throws your way. And Lindsey has taught me to count my blessings and to smile whenever I can. I love these girls, and I don't know what I'd do without them.
After that, we walked to the Eiffel Tower and paid to climb the stairs to the second level, then take the lift to the top. It was an absolutely GORGEOUS day. 55 degrees and sunny. Nothing could have been more perfect...except for the fact that I got pooped on by a bird. But I guess now I can say I was pooped on in Paris. How many people can say that?! haha.
After that we walked to the “other” statue of liberty that is three bridges down from the Tower, took pictures and then took the metro back to Montmartre so that I could see it since I missed out the morning the girls went. It got to see the Sacre Couer and the bohemian artists in this part of Paris. It was absolutely quaint and lovely. We then went back to the hotel, collected our things, headed to the train station, and boarded our train back to Canterbury.
I am so glad you could come along on this journey with me! Au revoir!
If you want to see a short video from our trip... Click Here!
If you want to see a short video from our trip... Click Here!