My voyage to Paris was long and tiring and overall--extremely pleasant! I got off the plane, said au revoir to my new friends, an older Scottish couple from Vancouver, and made my way to the train station. I bought a ticket, hopped on RER B to Paris, and hoped for the best.
Paris is surprisingly easy to get around. I clung to my directions to my hostel and as I ascended the stairs from my last stop I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
Paris is so beautiful and ugly and new and old. It's like the movies but it's also like a history class. My hostel was in Montmartre (the red-light district!) one block away from la Sacre Coeur.
I visited la Basilique de Sacre Coeur while I waited for my check-in at the hostel. It was a beautiful day, breezy and sunny, and there were lots of people, Parisians and tourists, out and about. I walked around the church twice to get a feel for it--it's huge and very ornate.
When I checked in, I met my three other roommates, all girls--one from Brazil, one from Canada, and one from Marseille (France). Brazil and Canada invited me to visit the Eiffel Tower with them that night, so I went!
The tower was magnificently gigantic! It was funny--most everyone I eavesdropped upon spoke English while I was there. The view from it is beautiful and it lit up right as we arrived. C'etait tres jolie.
The next day I took a free walking tour of Paris, which was so wonderful. It was in English but I jsut really wanted someone to show me around to all the sights. We went to le Champs Elysees, le Jardin des Tuileries, l'Arc de Triomphe, we saw le Louvre et le Pont Neuf and le Pont des Beaux Arts. I had a great time--I hardly believed I was walking around Paris.
That night I slept like a baby and woke up early the next day to catch my train to....Avignon!
This is Henry IV holding a light saber. Yes, it's supposed to be there.
NEXT UP:
Avignon, City of cobblestones: Caitlin's Host Family and Life in Avignon
