Paris with Grace: Day 1 (24/5)

Welcome to Paris!

Grace and I were staying at the Caulaincourt Square Hostel which was in the Montmarte area of Paris, one of my favorite places there. After dropping all our luggage (they starting to get very cumbersome considering I was literally carrying all my possessions from Ireland) at the hostel, which was very nice, we went out to explore a very hot Paris. We had the whole day in front of us because it was only 10:15 am when we arrived.

Since we were already in the Montmarte area I thought it was best to start there. Also, this is one of the best places in Paris to really get the Parisian feel so it is the perfect place to start. We walked up by Sacre-Couer and on the way Grace also stopped in a bakery and tried her first authentic French baking.

Grace made a habit of trying as many French baked goods as possible.

One of my other favorite places in Paris is Notre Dame so I decided to make that our second stop. One of my goals for my second trip to Paris was to got up in the towers of Notre Dame but the line was outrageous that day and we did not feel like waiting in the heat wearing the clothes that we traveled in (I had to wear abut four layers so my bags weren't overweight); passing out was not on our to do list. Instead we sat in the shade of Notre Dame and Grace took a little nap while I wrote in my journal.

Grace taking a little nap outside Notre Dame. It was a long day.

Notre Dame is so beautiful

After walking around Notre Dame we had to indulge in one of Paris's greatest treasures- crepes. After we both enjoyed a nutella and banana crepe, which was a little too hot for a very hot day, Grace and I took the metro back to our hostel.

When we got back we tried to check into the hostel and the man at the front desk would only speak French. Apparently he thought we could speak French but the truth is that neither Grace or I have ever taken any French, so we were completely lost, unless he by chance said a word that sounds like an English or Spanish word we knew. In other words, basically everything was lost in translation. When everything seemed to be in order, I say seemed because I had no idea what he was saying, we walked towards our room and the front desk clerk called after us, in an American accent, "By the way, I speak perfect English." Turns out he was from Washington DC and apparently just likes to frustrate American tourists.

The big gift that Grace and I wanted to get our parents while on our European vacation was a sketch of us drawn in Paris. After freshening up at the hostel and arranging to meet our cousin later on in the night we headed over to Montmarte and investigated the sketching scene. There are a lot of artists there and they all have samples of their work out so that you can choose your favorite. We choose the stereotypical French man in a red and white striped shirt. Stereotypes never lead you wrong.

One funny thing he said while drawing Grace was "You have a special eye." He didn't speak very good English and we still don't know what he meant by it but I'm guessing it was because she was wearing eye shadow. After drawing it he also said, "I make miracle for you." He is so modest, but I have to give him credit because he did give me a nose job in the sketch.

Our artist, Grace, me, and our sketched selves.

Our second cousin Andy just happened to be in Paris too so, in order to be as dramatic as possible, we decided to meet under the Eiffel Tower. He was climbing in Europe this summer and was with his other two friends so the first order of business was finding a restaurant to feed the hungry masses. We had a pleasant dinner and then went back to the Eiffel Tower to take the quintessential Eiffel Tower picture with our cousin. It was a once in a lifetime photo opportunity.

Grace and Andy just had to climb a French lamppost too.

Paris- Day 2: Dinner and Mass

Does it get better than this? On my left a rainbow, on my right Notre Dame.

After getting a little snack at the Louvre food court (Laura needs to take her pain meds with food) we took the Metro (we bought a three day pass) to the Notre Dame area. Notre Dame has been the one thing that I really wanted to see while in Paris and when it came into view I gave a short high-pitched squeal. I'm sure none of you find this surprising.

We decided that our one splurge item would be a dinner cruise down the Seine so once we got to the Notre Dame area we bought those tickets, which I think were reasonably priced at 30 euro. Brittany and Stacy went to go get the tickets at the stand by the river while Laura and I made friends with a Moroccan man who was promoting the tour. We seem to make friends wherever we go. After reserving our spots on the 8 o’clock tour we headed over to a souvenir shop that was selling various posters so we browsed those. Each of us got about four posters and I was sent to do what I do best- haggle. Unfortunately my haggling got them to drop the price a whopping 50 cents off of 22 euro. I guess I wasn’t on my A-game.

After getting our lovely posters that I cannot wait to put in my new apartment we headed over to Notre Dame and it was amazing. Unfortunately it was closed for a church service but the outside was so ornate that I could look at it for hours (and I did the next day). As we walked across the Seine a rainbow came out so we had to stop and take a ton of pictures. How can you beat a rainbow over the Seine next to Notre Dame?

Lovely Ladies

After taking our fill of pictures we walked around the church, getting it from all angles. We even sat on the walls next to the Seine and chatted for a while taking in the Paris sunlight. Before we knew it is was time to gather for our dinner cruise, which Stevie and her friends were joining us for. Although the food was not the best I’ve ever had it was good. I had chicken, rice, rolls, some sort of coffee flavoured mousse and chocolate cake. I also sat between Laura and Stevie, and I always enjoy spending time with Stevie because she is so funny and we laugh a lot together (not that I don’t love everyone in the Wolf Pack for their own reasons). Stevie even encouraged me to take a handful of green olives from the bar as we were leaving; I’m keeping it pretty classy in Paris.

Eiffel Tower from the Seine

After dinner Stacy and Brittany decided to go to the Eiffel Tower to see the light show on the hour (they ended up going up in it as well) and Laura and I decided we wanted some crepes and then to go back to the hostel. We never ended up getting the crepes but we did walk by Notre Dame and the doors were open so I asked Laura if we could go in and check it out. As we stepped over the threshold a choir started singing and we realized we were walking into a candlelight mass. Breathtaking.

Going into a candlelight mass at 10 pm on Easter Saturday at Notre Dame was a very moving and beautiful experience. The whole sanctuary was lit by candles that each person was holding giving it a completely different feel that I can’t even put into words. It had a soft glow that didn’t travel all the way up to the ceilings almost like you were under the sky. It was all in French and everyone was so enthralled in the service that it was emotional even for me who had no idea what they were saying. The choir sounded beautiful. After I got out I called my father immediately and he said that I was seeing the church as it was 200, 300, 400, 500 years ago. I told him to not even tell me that or I might start crying. He said it sounded like I already was.