Paris

Yes, again.

I arrived to Charles de Gaulle on a Friday in March and took the RER train to Jacque’s stop with my post-it directions to her apartment.  It was a crisp morning, maybe 50 degrees Farenheit. I think if I went to Paris in the summer when the weather was perfect, the beauty would be too overwhelming and I might go crazy, so I prefer the colder temperatures in order to stay sane. Jacque’s apartment is a former maid´s quarters, so it isn´t big, but it does not matter at all because it is across from the Luxembourg Gardens in the 6^th arrondisment. Holy location. Jacque had to go to class, so I dropped off my bag, we got a crepe in the Luxembourg gardens, and she set me free to roam the 6^th arrondisment while she was in class.

Jackie's Apartment!

Lovely host

I went to the Luxembourg palace and did some people watching, then went to the Pantheon to do some dead-people watching. The Pantheon is where people like Voltaire, Marie Curie, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and a bunch of other famous people are buried. I was very pleased to get in for free with my Spanish residency card (after all the hassle of getting the thing, THIS was the first time I have gotten anything from it). I walked to Notre Dame after that and met Jacque and her friends there. We walked around inside, glanced at the incredibly long line to get to the top, and decided to go to the Paris crypt of Notre Dame, which dates back to Pre-roman times. It was pretty cheesy (with lights you can change yourself by pressing a button), but free to get in. I was lucky to have Jacque and her knowledgeable friends with me, since the explanations left a lot to be desired, but if you go to Paris alone, I would skip this place.

Luxembourg Gardens

Pantheon

Rousseau's grave. Kind of a big deal

Also a big deal

The woman we all aspired to be when we first learned what science was.

For lunch, we went to L’aus de Falafel in the Jewish Quarter, which happened to be the exact place my friend Lara had recommended to me the last time I was in Paris. I unfortunately wasn’t able to go because the line was about an hour long. This time, the area was relatively empty and we only had to wait about 45 seconds to enjoy some falafel-y goodness. I have to admit it wasn’t the best falafel I have ever had (I have been to Israel), but it was pretty delicious. After we finished our falafel, an Austrian girl with a camera crew came up to us and asked if we could answer some questions on camera about prison. Being hams, we obliged, but we didn’t know she was going to ask us about men getting raped and the new construction of a transsexual prison in Italy. We laughed nervously and made complete fools of ourselves, creating yet another video to prove that Americans are a bunch of hooligans. Sorry.

After that, Jacque and I had our first French macaroon; it was more delicious than I expected.

Jackie, me and Notre Dame 

First macaroon. No words.

I don’t think I could go to Paris without stopping by the Eiffel Tower, so we headed there for some jumping pictures then to L’Hotel national des Invalides (where Napoleon Bonaparte is buried). We capped off our sight-seeing day with the Louvre (a famous art museum where this painting called The Mona Lisa is held), which was having what I can only describe as a contemporary dance exhibit all throughout the museum. It was basically like So You Think You Can Dance next to Winged Victory of Samothrace, so I was pleased.

Post jump

In front of Invalides

Random performances in the Louvre

Jacque and I enjoyed a lovely pre-fixe 16Euro dinner in the Latin Quarter, then drank the wine I brought from Spain, and met up with her friend from school. Jacque’s friend coincidentally had someone visiting from home, goes to UNH and knew most of my friends there (I think it is a rule that every other trip I go on I have to meet someone connected to me in some way). On the metro, we met some lovely French people who accompanied us to club Rex and taught us some French swears (Shelagh fact: I love learning foreign-swears words).

Here is how French clubs work: People who want to walk by you do not walk AROUND YOU, they walk INTO you, taking the most direct A to B route. While I respect the efficiency of this method, I didn’t enjoy feeling like a rag doll for 4 hours. Also, the men in clubs pretty much never EVER, throughout the whole night, understand when a piece of prey is not interested in submitting to “dancing” (quotes are necessary) with them. While I respect the tenacity, I don’t enjoy when said persistence is directed at my friends and myself. Another thing clubs in Paris like to do is charge 4 Euros for a smaller-than-normal shot. If you think I bought a shot, you know absolutely nothing about me. You might think this annoying club culture might have lessened my love for Paris slightly, but my feelings toward this guy Paris are pretty much unshakeable.

Snails!

Apprehensive about escargot even though its delicious

Jacque had never been up the Arc de Triomphe so we headed there the next morning. It may not be as popular as the Eiffel Tower because you have to walk up to the top, but the view and the serenity are totally worth it. We didn’t have to wait at all and there were only about 15 other people on top, two things that are probably never true about the Eiffel Tower. We walked down the Champs Elysees to get some macaroons at the famous La Duree and they were absolutely worth the 15-minute long line. The best part of the wait was I got to translate for a Spanish family that could not speak any English or French! Yay for my foreign language being necessary and useful!

Breakfast. Thank god I am not studying in Paris. Literally would come back obese.

I will never love anything like I love Paris

MACAROONS ALL UP IN MY MOUTH

As if we had not had enough crap to eat, we went to Angelina (famous for its visitors like Audrey Hepburn) for some well-known super thick hot chocolate. Honestly, I would have appreciated it with some churros al lado.

We went to the Tuileries Gardens next, a bit of a tease, it being just before blooming season, but l’Orangerie, made everything better. This museum, Monet’s last project before his death, is now one of my most favorite art museums (nothing could beat the Musée d´Orsay).

l'Orangerie, courtesy of Claude Monet

We went to Cosi for dinner, which, if you have heard of the chain in America (I hadn’t, but Jacque was pretty obsessed with it), is the original Sandwich cafe that inspired the concept. The food and the bread were so delicious and fresh and the guy who worked at the counter was so sweet and nice. I kept waiting for him to get creepy, but he never did. Go Cosi!

We went to Montmarte and Sacre Coeur, since last time I was there, I was incredibly rushed and I couldn’t get my camera to focus. We got to see the inside of the church (where we couldn’t take photos), and walk around the charming area. We went to the not-so-charming sex shop area to check out the Moulin Rouge then headed back to Jacque’s apartment to regroup.

Back of Sacré Coeur

*Song plays in your head*

It was at this point when I realized the earliest RER train left at 6am, not at 5am like I had thought. My flight was at 7am. You can see the problem. The only option for the morning was a 45euro taxi. Not only would I never pay for a cab ride that expensive, but my roundtrip plane ticket was 55euro and I am imprisoned by own fiscal principles. Jacque and I had just enough time at that point to walk through the Latin Quarter, get a ham and cheese crepe, head to Gare du Nord station, and get me on the last train to Charles de Gaulle Airport. I successfully arrived to the almost deserted airport at midnight, ready to spend the next 7 hours attempting to sleep. Efforts were unsuccessful, but it didn’t matter because my second trip to Paris had just ended and nothing could make me unhappy.

The city of love and light is still my absolute favorite in the whole world. Even one month later, I’m already craving Paris again.