J'adore Paris

I went to Paris this past weekend with a bunch of my flatmates plus a few others. I traveled in on the Eurostar train Friday night with Katie (my friend from Clark studying at LSE who speaks French wonderfully,) and got in just in time to meet up with Lilly, who had arrived earlier that day. We walked around Montmarte, where our hostel was, and then found a cute and amazing restaurant where we were even able to eat outside because it wasn’t even that cold. I ate an open-faced sandwich with goat cheese, honey, and almonds. I can’t stop thinking about it! It was so good! The second day we woke up and made our way towards the center of the city where we were meeting a few more friends at a different hotel that was right near the Eiffel Tower. This hotel was about a 2 minute walk from it. It was such a good location. We spent the day site seeing at the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, we walked down the Champs Elysees, and then we went to the Louvre, which I really enjoyed. We also got in free with our UK visa, which was awesome, and seeing the Mona Lisa was kind of unreal.
That night Katie and I met Blanche and Bernard (my Grandma’s first cousins, and only relatives) for dinner. They don’t really speak English, so I was really glad I had Katie there to translate most of what they were saying. The last time I saw them I was probably 10 years old, so I didn’t really remember them at all. It was strange meeting up with family in another country, but it was so nice. Blanche even resembles my Grandma a little. They made reservations at a nice authentic French restaurant, and even reserved a special table by the window that looked out on the city and insisted that Katie and I sit in the window seats. They also insisted that we order an appetizer, main course, drinks, and dessert. They were very nice to us. I just felt bad because while I could somewhat understand what they were saying at some points, I had no way of responding. The extent of my knowledge of French is “bonjour,” “comment allez vous,” “merci,” “wi,” and “au revoir.” So, I used what I knew when appropriate, shook my head a lot, and read from Katie’s French Phrasebook that we brought along. It was really fun having dinner with Blanche and Bernard, but it was stressful because our conversations were obviously very limited. After dinner Blanche and Bernard took Katie and I for a drive around Paris. They showed us all the sites, and it just so nice being able to spend time with them.
They next day we took a day trip to Versailles. It was absolutely incredible. Giant, absolutely giant and so extravagant. We also took a long walk down to Marie Antoinette’s house, which was very pink and girly. It was all very interesting.
Being in Paris was absolutely magical. The best site was the Eiffel Tower at night. It was all lit up, with lights blinking, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It was also massive! It was a very good weekend, with the baguettes, crepes, cheese, crème brulee, beautiful sites, and good company. I had an amazing time. It is definitely a place that I will have to go back to in my lifetime.