Paris

This last weekend, Ricky, Victor, Corinne, David, and I took a trip to Paris. We had the best luck throughout the weekend, and ended up getting to see almost all of what we had planned. Friday we got in really late and just had enough time to check in to the hotel before going out to look for dinner. Paris is unlike Rome, though, and everything closes pretty early so we were stuck with having a little sandwich. Paris is also unlike Rome in their prices-- I don't know if it was just the fact that we were in a touristy part of town or what, but Paris was expensive. To me, though, it was worth it. Saturday we visited the Musee d' Orsay, the Arc du Triumphe, and the Eiffel Tower. I could write forever about each incredible thing, because they were all amazing. But, watching the sun set from the top of the Eiffel Tower was absolutely unbelievable. It was unreal to think that we were on top of one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Sunday, it was the first Sunday of the month, so most museums were free. We started with the Louvre. When we got there, the line was so long, I couldn't believe it. There must have been thousands of people in line. Luckily, Victor had bought a handy little tour guide just the day before which told us about the alternative entrances. We ended up getting into the Louvre from one of these entrances.. with no line! We were the only people going in this side entrance, and didn't have to wait for anyone. Plus, it was free! The Louvre held more amazing pieces of art than I will ever see in my life. I had the opportunity to see many of favorite pieces of art, and of course the staples of the Louvre: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc. From there, we went to the Pompidou Centre, which was also free. Later on was Notre Dame. The next morning, we visited the Basilica de Sacre Couer. It was incredibly large, and beautiful to see. However, the gardens in front of it were not maintained really well, and the water in the fountain was definitely not as clean as Rome's. The last place we visited was the area of Moulin Rouge, which was crazy to see in person. I'm so glad that I took the opportunity to visit Paris while I was so close. But, like Rome, I feel like I have only scratched the surface and I can't wait to go back sometime in my life!