Bonjour, Paris

I’m honestly still in shock that we went to Paris. It was so surreal and it all happened so fast that I feel like it all might have been a dream.

This trip was a trip that was built into our program, meaning it was organized by our program director, and it was already planned and paid for. Our whole group met up at Plaza GG (our usual meeting spot) in Salamanca, and took the bus to the Madrid airport.

It was a bit hectic getting our entire group (11 of us including our program director, Jesús) through the airport, but we made it to our gate with plenty of time to spare. We landed in Paris at around 9pm, and took a bus to our hotel. I saw the Eiffel tower for the first time on that bus ride, and it was so magical.

Our hotel was so cute, it was right next to the famous Opera house (where Phantom of the Opera was filmed!) which is a really nice, central location. We woke up bright and early for breakfast the next morning, which consisted of crepes and fruit, and then took the metro to the Sainte-Chappelle. THE SAINTE-CHAPPELLE WAS AMAZING. I’ve never experienced anything like it. We learned about it in my Art History class the week before, so I had some idea going in what it was going to be like, but it is surreal standing in it, surrounded by all the stained glass. It is crazy to think that humans created something so beautiful. It was cloudy the day we went, but I can imagine it would be even more amazing with sunlight streaming through the glass.

After the Sainte-Chappelle we went to the Notre Dame, and spent awhile learning about the history of the architecture on the inside. It was also absolutely spectacular to look at, from both the inside and outside.

Once we took some pictures outside, we had free time to get lunch, so being the typical Americans that we are, we made a beeline for the nearest Chipotle. It had been MONTHS since I had last had Chipotle and it was the number one thing that I missed about the States. Chipotle is a regular part of my life at home, so I had been feeling particularly deprived. We convinced Jesús to come with us, because he had never even heard of it, and we wanted him to experience the magic that is a Chipotle burrito bowl. It was just as yummy as I remembered, and fulfilled everything I had been missing about the US. 10/10 experience.

After Chipotle, Jesús gave us a tour of the Museé d’Orsay. This was such an incredible museum!! We saw Degas, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, and so many other famous artists. It was some of my favorite art that I have seen this entire trip.

After the Orsay, we got some coffee and then wandered down to the Seine River and bought some beautiful prints from a street vendor. The sun was setting and the lights were reflecting in the river, and the Eiffel Tower was sparkling from the distance. It was gorgeous.

For dinner, we found a place called Mamie Burger that was only about two minutes away from our hotel. We had all been craving a burger all semester, so when we found this place we figured we would just continue with our American food theme of the day. We definitely should’ve tried harder to find affordable and authentic French food, but that was much harder said than done. No regrets though, because the burgers were AMAZING. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that has never felt more accurate. Obviously the food in Spain is to die for, but it was amazing to indulge in a bacon cheeseburger with actual Heinz ketchup. Needless to say, we left Mamie Burger extremely full and satisfied.

That night we went to a club that Maddie’s friend who is living in Paris for the semester recommended. It was funny because it only played Spanish music, so we didn’t feel like we were in Paris at all, but it was still a good time!

The next morning, we woke up (way too) early and Jesús took us to the Louvre. We took the metro, so the area where we came out was kind of like an underground shopping area, similar to coming out of the subway in Rockefeller Center in NYC. We passed a Pandora, which was a very strange blast from home. We got to skip the line (as usual, because somehow Jesús always has special tickets that allow us to pass every other tour group waiting) and entered the museum under the glass pyramid. I had no idea that you could go under the glass pyramid part, I thought that was just sitting on top of the ground outside, but it was absolutely incredible to be underneath!

Jesús is a wealth of knowledge about art and history, so he gave us a two-hour tour of some of the most important works in museum. It was all in Spanish, as usual, but I think I understood everything for the most part. The Louvre is really surreal, because practically every corner you turn, there is an incredibly famous and recognizable painting or statue. It was a lot to take in, but it was amazing. Seeing the Mona Lisa was a little anticlimactic, just as everyone says it is. I had to shove my way through a massive crowd to get close to it, and you really have to get close if you want a picture because it is so small. It wasn’t the prettiest painting I have ever seen, but at least now I can say that I saw it.

After our tour ended, we spent some time taking pictures outside, but it was freezing so that didn’t last very long.

We had the rest of the afternoon off, so we began walking in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower to find some lunch. As we were walking we stumbled across the bridge with all of the love locks on it, which was so cute! We found this really cute (kind of pricy) restaurant and got some amazing lasagna, and then spent some time figuring out how to get to the Eiffel Tower by bus. The bus was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to get there eventually.

Being up close to the Eiffel Tower is surreal. I don’t really have words to describe it, it’s just something you have to experience. Unfortunately, the grassy part in front of it was fenced off, so we couldn’t get perfect pictures, but it didn’t really matter. We spent a while there, taking pictures and admiring how beautiful and tall it is. I wish we could’ve spent more time in that area, but since all ten of us were doing everything together, it was hard to make and execute a lot of plans. Nonetheless, it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed.

It was freezing outside, so naturally we were craving coffee. We stopped at a Starbucks on our way back to the hotel, as a special treat, since Salamanca doesn’t have Starbucks. As in any major city it was way overpriced, but nothing beats a Mocha Latte when it’s 30 degrees out. After our coffee stop we went back to the hotel and napped, because we were absolutely wiped out. For dinner that night we ended up getting pizza from Pizza Hut and bringing it back to the hotel, just to fully round out our American food/restaurant experience. We would’ve loved to go to a restaurant or get something French, but we honestly couldn’t afford it at that point. No complaints though, just a reason to come back someday!

The next morning was my favorite part of the trip. We went to a sweet little neighborhood of Paris called Montmartre. It is situated up on a hill, so it has spectacular overlooks of the city. In Spanish, it is known as el barrio de los pintores, or “the neighborhood of the painters.” This is where famous artists such as Picasso and Dalí lived back in the day. It was much quieter than the rest of the city, sort of equivalent to Georgetown in DC. It was all cobblestone streets, which made it feel even more quaint.

 

We went to the Sacré-Cœur, a huge basilica that had insane views over the city. We spent some time inside, and then had half an hour of free time to take pictures of the views and explore the city.

A few of us went and got Macaroons (I got a passion fruit one and it was the best macaroon I’ve ever had), and then explored this little plaza where a bunch of artists had their work on display. If I had more money and room in my suitcases, I definitely would’ve bought something, it was all so beautiful.

 

After Montmartre, Jesús took us to see the outside of the famous Moulin Rouge in the red-light district. We took a couple pictures, and then rushed back to the hotel to grab our bags, and sadly had to say goodbye to Paris. We caught a flight later that afternoon, and returned to Salamanca that night.

 

Like I said, Paris felt like a dream, partly because of the short amount of time we were there, and partly because we saw some of the most incredible art, architecture and scenery in the world. Paris was everything I hoped it would be, and I am already looking forward to my next trip there.