At the end of my Mom's trip to France and as one of my last trips, I convinced her to take a weekend in Paris with me. Let me say that many travelers, including myself, have had many preconceived notions about Parisians and while I've learned to be less judgmental, I'll admit all the rumors about Paris were running through my head. While the serious Francophones claim to love Paris as if it was their homeland, here in the south they love to criticize Parisians and most of France likes to pretend that the Ile de France (region around Paris) is it's own separate country. My Mom was also a victim to these negative opinions and it took a great deal of persuasion to agree to the this trip. However, after spending three days in Paris, I think it's safe to say that my Mom and I both fell completely in love with the city...
We took an incredibly early 6:30 am flight which brought us in the city in perfect time for a French breakfast at a cafe. Our hotel was in the 7th arrondissement right near the Eiffel Tour and filled with dozens of cute restaurants, bakeries and cafes (very much the theme of Paris, go figure...). During breakfast we mapped out our day and first set off to the Rodin Museum. It's situated in a beautiful old maison that used to be a center for the arts back in the 1800's. His sculptures are scattered around the house and throughout this huge impeccable garden- it was like no other museum I'd ever been to.
We were amazing tourists that day despite our early morning and also managed to go to the Musee d'Orsay, see the Eiffel Tour at sunset and take a night cruise on a Bateau Mouche. The Musee d'Orsay is the second largest museum in Paris next to the Louvre (and many would say it holds a much better collection...) and it has numerous works by my favorite painter Renoir so I loved it. A Bateau Mouche is a large open top boat that goes alone the Seine and gives you spectacular views of all the major sights of Paris- it is the "city of light" so it was great to get a view of everything at night and not have to walk...
Paris in the springtime is beautiful- everywhere you look there is beautiful architecture, luscious gardens with colorful flowers and trees overflowing with rich green leaves. The next morning we strolled along the Champs Elysees and saw the Jardin de Tuileries and outside of the Louvre.
The lines were way too long and we're not much for the super touristy spots, so we opted to go to the L'Orangerie museum instead. It houses Monet's waterlilies and a small collection of other pieces by Cezanne, Renoir and other impressionists. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a museum without crowds and we both loved seeing the expansive waterlilies in person- they're quite remarkable.
That night we got the most delicious dinner from this Italian catering/take-out place and brought it to the grassy park under the Tour Eiffel to eat. The weather was beautiful and summery and it was the perfect cap to another perfect day.
The next day was Sunday and therefore church day...we saw St. Chappel, Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur. Each was different with it's own unique history that it's impossible to not be moved and tranquil when inside churches like these.
For the remainder of the last day we just wandered around and soaked up the last few blissful moments of Paris. What the photos don't show are all the great people who we came across and of course the delicious food and wine we ate and drank. I can't even count how many Americans have told me that the Parisians they met were so rude, unhelpful, etc. etc. but everyone we encountered were completely the opposite. The French in general are more closed off than Americans so obviously you aren't going to receive the same customer service as you get in say, a grocery store (checkers will definitely not strike up a conversation here like they would at Trader Joe's) but if you're prepared/used to that then you know that they're just being who they are. When they hear that someone can speak French they are delighted and are so much more willing to help even though we're obviously tourists. They were so much friendlier than I expected, however I know that if my French was were it was when I first arrived here I might not have received the same treatment. Even when I would translate to my mom after someone told me something they still remained speaking French with me, it was a breath of fresh air because I had been told and expected exactly the opposite, I was quite flattered.
All in all I really loved Paris so much that I could even see myself living there someday...it has everything I look for in a city...History, a great sense of culture and pride, infinite activities to do both outdoor and indoor, great food/drinks (including a great array of different cuisines), easy public transportation, and the best...TONS of people exercising everywhere! What is there not to love...I already can't wait to go back...
Now I only have two weeks left in Aix and am soaking up every minute. I am loving life and so happy for every opportunity I've been given. Tomorrow we're headed back to St. Remy where we first had lunch at Lolo's house in the very beginning of the program (100+ yr old chateau in the middle of an olive grove). It's crazy how quickly time has passed...I'll be seeing most of you very soon! I'll keep you updated on the last adventures, there are bound to be some fun things happening (besides finals...).
Bisous!
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