Spring Break Part 2: Paris

After our 4 days in Madrid, and my 14-hour naush fest on the train, we arrived in Paris around 9am Monday. It's funny, you fall asleep in Spain, wake up in France, hop on the metro to go to the hotel, and when you come up to the surface, there's a giant hunk of rounded metal staring you in the face. And you say to yourself, "well there it is," and you put a huge mental checkmark next to EIFFEL TOWER on your list of things to see before death. Mission accomplished.


















Paris was cold. Cold of temperature, but cold because I didn't speak the language. And because of that, I felt like a huge walking cliche, and I HATE cliches. Like that American who's just going around, taking pictures of "that big tunnel thing" and ordering things from restaurants that he vocally BUTCHERS. What a jerk. I guess we all have to fill that role sometimes, but I prefer to be in the linguistic know.

Karen's friend Sara showed us around all week, as she is staying in Paris for the semester. Monday, we toured many of Paris's little neighborhoods, the Moulin Rouge, the Opera house, where all my Phantom of the Opera fantasies came true, and the coolest subway station I've ever seen.


















Monday night we went to a sangria bar (wrong country, I know), and then got our innaugural street crepes. I wished Justin and Yo were with me to enjoy the authentic crepes, sine it's "our thing that we do" back in Boston, but they weren't, so I dedicated the crepe to them long distance.




























Tuesday was a full day that began at Notre Dame and ended on top of the tower. I have really come to appreciate churches and their construction. They are just amazingly massive and intricate. And so old! After Notre Dame, we hopped a train to Versailles, which was another monstrosity of gold and lustre. I just don't understand how something this size gets built, with all the rooms and murals on every ceiling and the grounds that go on literally for ever. I feel as though it's a good rough draft for my own home. But we'll see.


























For dinner, Sara made reservations at this tiny fondue restaurant in Montmartre where you have to step over the tables to get into some of the seats. The gimmick of the place is that every person gets a bottle of wine. A baby bottle, with a rubber nipple and everything. And this was how we dined. While eating, these Italian girls were seated next to us who were apparantly in a local singing group. When they found out we spoke English, they burst out into The Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," along with the ENTIRE restaurant. Baby bottles of wine and an entire restaurant singing The Beatles. That's nuts. Honestly.














The Italian choir came with us to the Eiffel Tower, where it began to snow. On our ride up, Karen remarked that she felt like we were inside a snow globe. I guess that's an appropriate observation. The view from the top was, well, not very good, since it was a blizzard, but that made the evening more memorable. The snow was blowing sideways, and it was so beautiful, because it reflected the lights on the tower and lit up the whole atmosphere.


























We started every morning with a crepe, and it was splendid. I didn't like the metro system as much as London's or Madrid's, because the tickets were really stupid. When you purchased a 10-trip ticket, you got 10 little tickets. I feel bad for monthly pass holders. Our hotel was a little strange, though, as I think we were the only people staying in it. We did have a view of the tower, but the bed slid a few inches every time we got in it, and the shower head was pointed towards the entire bathroom. So, needless to say, it was very wet. All the time.















Wednesday, Karen and I went to the Louvre, hung out with Venus and Mona. She is certainly a manly looking thing, but it felt cool to be in her presence. I particularly enjoyed the excavated crypt beneath the museum, containing the posts of the castle and drawbridge that originally sat on the site. After the museum, we did some shopping at Lafayette, and then toured this area that's known for its gay and Jewish population. I wonder what always brings these 2 groups together. We then met my friend Liz from BU for dinner in St. Germain.

Wednesday night we hung out with Sara's friends who took us to this nightclub called Duplex. We got in for free, and the drinks were free also. I haven't figured how that all works, but I didn't ask questions. The music, was, AWFUL! In 2 rooms I couldn't find a single good song. But I kept dancing as usual. When your choices are reggae or trance, you're pretty much screwed.

























SPRING BREAK! WHOOO! By Thursday, we were exausted. Taking over the world in just 8 days is tiring. Now I know how Helen Keller felt. And we did it in 1/10 the time. Beat that! Spring Break was unforgettable, but by the end we were eager to return to Dublin, which in a not so unexpected turn of events, has become quite like home. The city is losing is novelty as a tourist attraction (which, if my tone doesn't reflect correctly, is a GOOD thing), and everything has become so familiar, like Jersey, New York, Boston......

2 months. Where did they go? First set of classes are done. Internship starts now, parents visit next week. Got some plans for summer. Already planning housing and classes for next year. Senior Year. Ohhhhh man.

Back in a few with internship news. Peace out.