Paris: This is a really long blog entry

Last Friday Allie and I went chunnel surfing to Paris. Our train left London at 5:30, so just getting ourselves to the international train station was an adventure at four in the morning.

We slept the entire way on the train - about 2 and a half hours. It was so nice traveling under the English Channel via train instead of flying. So convenient!

We arrived in Paris, and it took us about an hour just to figure out how to leave the train station, get on the Metro (their subway) and get to our first stop, the Musee de Louvre.

After traveling through the metro (and wanting to cry because it smelled like someone was holding a dirty diaper in front of my face saying, "Smell me! Smell me!") we made it to the Louvre and stopped for a quick coffee at Starbucks. This was our first mistake, as the coffee tasted terrible. No amount of splenda could have saved it.

Finally we were in the Louvre, the oldest and biggest museum in the world. Our first room was FULL of naked statues, and we turned into 10 year-old, giggling girls. When I could get a break from my uncontrollable laughter I said, "Allie! I can't take this anymore! We need to get out of here!" How grown-up of us. (We then saw a class of elementary students sitting around a bunch of naked statues... and they were not giggling.)

We saw our girl, Mona... Mona Lisa, that is. She was in a glass case but still looked great.

Our next stop: Notre Dame. This church was amazing! The details on the outside were unbelievable, and the inside was just as impressive. I have seen a couple of cathedrals or two since being here, but this one steals the show.

After Notre Dame, we stopped at a cute little restaurant for an omelet and a crepe. I don't know why I have waited so long to eat a crepe. I would describe them as delicious thin pancakes. I had chocolate in mine. (Are you surprised?)

We then walked from Notre Dame all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. The walk there was great! I love the architecture in Paris. It is all very similar in style, and the view along the river is so... French... so Paris. (What great description, huh?)

The Arc was amazing, I thought. You see it in pictures, and think, "Oh, that's cute to have a neat statue/arc looking thing in the middle of a busy street..." but it is so grand in person. The setting is what makes it: staring up at the large arc that was commissioned by Napolean while modern day cars are whizzing by you!

Our last stop: The Eiffel Tower

I thought I would be disappointed when I saw it in person, but I was amazed.

There is something so special about seeing pictures of a place throughout your entire life, and then actually experiencing it. It leaves you feeling speechless and giddy all at the same time. I had this feeling the entire time in Paris - Mona Lisa, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower... everything! I snapped so many pictures in such a short amount of time...

We waited in line at the tower, and took the elevator to the top - 900 feet! It was COLD up there. The wind was very strong, but the view was amazing! I will always remember being on top of the Eiffel Tower, shaking from the cold, trying to control my flying scarf in the wind and taking as many pictures as my freezing fingers would allow.

After our tower experience, we thought we deserved a treat: hot chocolate and another crepe (which was even better than the first!).

Once we were full of chocolate, we thought we could function again. We headed back to the Tower, and it was lit up beautifully in the night sky. We snapped MORE photos, and then decided we should figure out how to get back to the train station.

It's amazing what you learn while you are studying abroad. I am fairly certain I will never run (literally run) around Paris - the Eiffel Tower as my backdrop - asking people where to find the nearest Metro station. (French is so hard to understand... and even harder when you are trying to read it on a metro map...)

Finally, after much panic (seriously), we got the right directions to the station.

We even had first class tickets on the way back (they were cheaper than the standard for some reason). We were so excited when we got a full can of pop! And then bread... and then a full meal! What a way to top off our day out in Paris.

This outing was another great reminder of how blessed I really am. Shame on me for the days I take this experience for granted!

After I got back from Paris, I was skyping with my parents, and they asked what I did that day.

"Today? Today I went to Paris."

I can guarantee I will never get to say that again.