J'aime Paris

Paris is AMAZING!! I may never leave! I'm officially jealous that my friend, Kaylen, gets to live here for a semester! Our taxi drive was a great introduction to the city (strange I know), but he gave us a guided tour as we passed monuments. He also tried to teach us a few much needed French phrases! We arrived in the afternoon, and headed straight to the Arc de Triomphe de Paris and walked the Champs-elysse! The city is just so beautiful and interesting in every detail. We were sitting on a bench looking at the Arc and a man from Paris started talking to us and giving us dinner recommendations. We walked around and found a great place for dinner! Literally I haven’t had a bad meal or even a mediocre meal here - everything has been so flavorful and delicious! The view from our balcony is unbelievable as well. We have a great view of the Eiffel tower from both of our balconies!

Yesterday was a marathon of experiencing Paris! We went to the Louvre Museum in the morning and saw the Mona Lisa, the statue of Aphrodite, and all the other amazing pieces of art there. After, we went to grab a bite to eat. As we were walking we bought some cool paintings of Paris from a man on a bridge! Then we went to a cute cafe and people watched. I had my first crepe in Paris (grand marnier), by recommendation of my stepmom, Kathie - - delicious!! We ventured to Notre Dame and I was astounded by the architecture and stained glass windows. Its right by the Latin area of Paris, which had a really cool feel to it. It was very busy and full of life! We went home to take a quick break before heading to the Musee de Orsay because it was open late last night! We saw many more impressionist pieces, including "water lilies" by Monet and many more! We came back to our side of town for dinner, which again was great. I don’t think bad food exists in Paris. And we’ve sat outside for every meal and people-watched!!! After dinner, Ali and I brought a bottle of wine to a walking bridge. We sat, talked, and drank on the bridge, looking over the river & Paris. Lots of people were on the bridge or below on the seawall. Eventually we started talking to five rising seniors from Tufts! They were just finishing up there semester abroad in Paris, so they offered us lots of advice and tips! We hung out with them for the rest of the night then headed back home.

This morning we had chocolate croissants and coffee on our way to the Eiffel tower. Then we waited in lots of lines and finally made it to the top!! The skies were so clear that we were able to see all of Paris (the rivers, the bridges, ect). We meet some cool Aussie guys in line, and the CUTEST French 3 and 4 year old girls with their mom! I definitely love the people here, as well as the fashion, the food, and the architecture. After the Eiffel Tower, we had lunch and headed out shopping! One of the girls from Tufts told us about a cool area to find French boutiques that weren’t outrageous in price. We all ended up buying something there and had so much fun looking around! We stumbled upon the cutest park that was pretty crowded with people. French children (like 3 year olds) were stripping down into their underwear to play in the fountain! Now we’re back in the hotel, planning out our last night in Paris! Au Revoir!