We arrived in Paris at about midnight Thursday night- all tired and ready to crash. We were lucky enough to stay the weekend at a Baylor friend's apartment who would be gone for the weekend, so we wouldn't have to pay for hostels. When we arrived at the apartment, however, we were surprised to find a strange boy inside. This came as quite a shock, since the apartment was supposed to be all ours for the weekend while Cole (the owner) was away. We came to discover that there had been a slight miscommunication regarding our arrival date, and Cole had told his friend Lionel he could stay Thursday night while Lionel's Parisian apartment was being worked on. It was a little awkward initially, but Lionel turned out to be a serious gem. Despite the fact that he had work the next day, he took us "out on the town" to find a late night snack. Of course he took us to an "American" hamburger stand, which turned out to be Turkish, but was actually quite good. (Either that, or I was a lot hungrier and more tired than I thought.) We scarfed our food, and for some reason, took pictures with the Turkish man working there. I think he found us quite amusing because we literally used all of his ketchup (Americans only do this of course). As we were leaving, I turned around to find Carissa- something I always do- just for you Mom, and what did I find? The Turkish man, grabbing Carissa's head and literally trying to force her to kiss him! I grabbed her, and took off down the street laughing at the odd moment. Carissa's first night in Paris, and she's already found the love.
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| Note from our new Parisian friend Lionel! |
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| View from our apartment window |
The next morning, we awoke to find a sweet note from Lionel, our one-night roommate, again welcoming us to Paris and wishing us a great weekend! Along with the note, was an assortment of breakfast foods- juices, croissants, and pastries for us to eat! It was the sweetest gesture, and Lionel definitely was a part of making our weekend magical.
That day, we did a lot of the "touristy stuff." It was absolutely perfect though, because it was bright and sunny and about 65 degrees fehrenheit, and come to find out- it was the first nice day in months!
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| After running in to Luci in Paris! |
We went to Eiffel tour, the Arc de Triumphe, and the Champs de Elysees. While at the Champs de Elysees, we LITERALLY RAN INTO Luci Meredith, a fellow Kappa from Baylor! We had been trying to get a hold of her all day, but our Dutch phones were acting up, and we had just about given up hope when she came walkng down the street in our direction! It was so crazy- and SUCH a God thing. How often do you just run into friends in Paris???
After we freaked our for a little bit, Luci took us to the sweetest little Parisian cafe where I had my very first crepe! It was seriously unbelievable- I will never go back to American, puny little crepes now.
Then we went to Notre dame. WOW. It was amazing! The pictures don't do it justice. We went inside and just marveled at the beauty of the cathedral. You have to go if you never have. That's the only way to fully understand its majesty.
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| Notre dame at night! |
That evening, we went to dinner with Luci and then did a night stroll by the Louvre. At night, the Louvre is all lit up and there was a jazz band playing inside an echoing corridor, which resonated throughout the entire area. Me, Luci, Carissa, and about six other Baylor friends just walked and talked and admired the general splendor. It was one of those nights that brings you so close to the people you are around, simply because you are sharing the memory with friends. We didn't do anything spectacular. We didn't go clubbing or out looking for night life. We just co-existed in a place where good conversation and the beauty of Paris were all we needed, and it was perfect.
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| At the Palace of Versailles |
The next day (Saturday), me, Carissa, Kristen, Marley, Rebecca, Jake and Michael, all went to the palace of Versailles for the day. Versailles was gorgeous, of course. Carissa, Kristen and I went on a tour of the palace and basically had a photoshoot inside, no big deal. How can you not take pictures like crazy in a building that's basically made of gold??
When we finished there, we went to the Louvre, and that's about all I have to say about that. It was sort of stressful, the size and massive amount of artwork. I felt bad not being more excited to be there, because it truly was amazing, but I think I was just on information overload. We saw the Mona Lisa, "The Wedding Feast," The Venus de Milo, and so many other famous works. After about two hours, my brain couldn't take it anymore and we left for dinner, famished.
We met up again with Luci in front of the city hall and she took us to an AMAZING Parisian restaurant right by the Eiffel tour. It was seriously the best meal I have had while in Europe thus far. We had steak and potatoes and veggies, and delicious French eclaires for dessert! I was in food heaven.
After dinner, we went to the Eiffel tour for the last time. Carissa, Kristen and I decided to go up to the top while the others hung out at the bottom. All I can say- BREATH-TAKING!!
We went up at just the right time, when the tower was sparkling on the hour! You could see every part of the city from way up there. A perfect 360 degree shot of Paris, and at night! I could have stayed up there in all my happiness and contentment forever.
As an added treat, we met a very sweet Brazilian family at the top! They reminded me of my favorite Brazilian foreign exchange family that visits us in the U.S.A, so it was really cool getting to chat with them. They talked to us about their family and their faith-- they were evangelical Christians. I told them we were too, and they lit up with excitement! It was awesome to see people so excited about their faith in Jesus, especially at the top of the Eiffel tour, in Europe, where Christianity doesn't seem as prevalent. As we were all standing up there, seemingly on top of the world, they asked us to pray with them. We circled up, held hands like family, and thanked God for the amazing encounter, and for all of the beauty we were witnessing there. It's amazing how God puts people in your life to encourage you in your faith, and to share precious moments like that with!
As soon as we got down, we still felt on cloud nine. And when we thought the night couldn't get any better, we saw a French man drop on one knee, right underneath the Eiffel tower, and propose to his girlfriend! Ahhh, and that's when we all got teary-eyed and emotional. The perfect ending to our last night in Paris.
The next day, we went to the Latin quarter and walked around a bit, and went to the famous cemetery in Paris where Oscar Wilde's tombstone lies. It was a really unique cemetery because there are beautiful headstones that basically look like small churches. I don't think there any any restrictions on tombstones, so there is a ton of variety and beauty among the different graves and tombstones.
After we left the cemetery, we went to a famous library, called Shakespeare and Company. It has lots of old collections and compilations of stories, and it's famous because Ernest Hemingway used to go and spend hours there. We sat and read for a bit, and then reluctantly made our way back to the apartment and packed up and headed back to Maastricht.
It was the perfect weekend in the city of Love.
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