Bonjour de Paris! Sunday 5/18/14

Bonjour de Paris! Today is our first full day of fun in Paris, France. We started out the day with a complementary breakfast at the hotel. We had cappuccinos, boiled eggs, assorted meats and cheeses, fruit, and of course, bread! After the best night sleep we got so far in the much more comfortable beds we were ready for a full day out in Paris.

            We took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe to begin our sightseeing there. Sadly, the top right corner was under construction so it was not as pretty as it could have been. We then hopped back on the Metro, which is very smelly by the way, to the Eifel Tower. We spent a lot of time here soaking in the breathtaking view and snapping thousands of pictures. This made me think of my parents who got engaged under the Eifel Tower 15 years ago on May 22, Happy early Anniversary! We then walked along the river to the famous Lock Key Bridge, where Jake and Hannah put a lock on as well as Alex and Kyle! It was incredible to see how many locks are there.  We continued our walk to the center of the city where we got lunch from small vendors on the side cobblestoned streets. After lunch, we made our way to the famous Notre Dame. My favorite part was the gargoyles. After the Notre Dame we walked to the WWII French Jewish memorial. We then got lost finding the metro on the way back, but soon we were back at the hotel. Once back at the hotel we had a nice two hour break to nap or shower before our first group dinner in Paris.

We went to this great little French place Professor Ryan knew about from previous years. If there is one thing Professor Ryan always gets right, it is the food. And if there is good food, I’m a very happy girl as he has come to realize.  This was the first restaurant that I had been to that there was a real language barrier because everything was in French. It was a good thing Hannah’s sister, Emma, was there to translate and give us suggestions on what was good. We started with escargots, assorted cheeses, assorted meats, and potato, cheese, and ham. I am allergic to shellfish so I did not try the escargot even though it looked amazing because there is a 50/50 chance I could also be allergic to snails and I did not think an allergic reaction would brighten anyone’s night. After the amazing appetizers, we all ordered some French delicacies that included Duck, Veal, omelets, and there was even one chicken dish. I was so full from the appetizers though that I gave my meal to Bryson, who is a human garbage disposal and eats everyone’s leftovers. For dessert we had chocolate mouse and I had a cappuccino. We were all very satisfied with the little French restaurant.

After dinner we walked back to the hotel and got ready to go to the Eifel tower again so we could see it at night! It does not get dark until 10:00 pm in France so we always think it is earlier than it is. The Metro closes at 12:30 on Sunday, so we had to make sure we left before then so we could get back to the hotel. When we got to the Eifel Tower it was undoubtedly an amazing site to see. Being able to see the Tower transform at night time after just seeing it in the day time only hours earlier was truly magical. We all went to the lawn, including Emma, but sadly not Professor Ryan who was sleeping. Once the clock hit 11:00 pm our jaws dropped with fascination as the Tower came to a sparkling life. We stayed there for another hour and even met students from UCLA and USC! We had to leave so we could make the Metro, but we all had an incredible night and first full day in Paris, France. 

Talk to you in Switzerland! 

Jess <3