Paris part one!

6/8/12 

Currently writing from a Paris apartment where I’m staying with my roommates. I haven’t really seen any of Paris yet because we got in late last night but I have a really good feeling about this city. One of my roommates Sarah’s parents are here which is nice because her dad knows what he’s doing and we are right by the metro system which can take you all over the city easily. Getting into our apartment was the most stressful part of the trip. The guy who checked us in gave us like 10 different keys on one hook but of course forgot to give us the key that got us into our area of the building. The place is absolutely adorable but walking back and forth between our apartment and the office where he was at two in the morning was terrifying and I felt like we were in the movie Taken. All these creepy guys were trying to talk to us and I was legitimately about to freak out.

6/9/12 

Our first day in Paris was amazing! We slept in late but we finally woke up and started the process of getting ready. Aside from the stress of getting into our apartment the night before our shower was also not draining forcing Hayley Bop and I to wash each others hair in the sink. When we were finally ready we all met up with Sarah’s parents and got crepes (nutella and coco-so delicious!) and then walked to Notre Dame. Notre Dame is beautiful!!!! I nearly cried when walking in the sanctuary. There is something about gothic cathedrals that are just so solemn but for that reason they are so powerful. I love the height that comes with them and the idea of going up forever towards the heavens. I got a zillion pictures of the church. Afterwards we went to the Arc de Triomph, which is also a great spot in the city. We climbed to the top of it and got the most amazing view of Paris. I’m so impressed by this city and it surprised me how much certain things reminded me of Washington, Dc. I feel like if I could come back and study in Europe again somewhere other than Florence it would definitely be Paris. It’s gorgeous and everyone we have talked to has been so friendly towards us and it was not what I expected at all because lots of people have told me that the French don’t particular like Americans. I loved walking around the city and seeing all the beautiful buildings. It’s really great having Sarah’s parents here especially her dad because he has been here so many times and tells us everywhere we have to go so we don’t have to be stressed with planning. The French Open is going on right now so while we were walking in the city there were tons of people watching the matches on these big screens outside and my roommates want to try and scalp tickets to the finals. For dinner we went to this little hole in the wall place by the Pantheon where I had the most delicious steak and potatoes and brioche with ice cream for dessert.