7.5.14 Bonjour Paris

If you know even a little bit about me, you'd know that I am an utter, hopeless romantic. I hold these idealized conceptions of how perfectly fantasized certain places and experiences should be, so of course Paris has always been the epicenter of my biggest daydreams. Throughout the trip I kept muttering, "I can't believe this is real, I can't believe this is real," because it's interesting how one city can have the capability of entrancing you into its captivating beauty, mystery, and romance. I had an incredible weekend and whenever I am asked how my trip was, I'd answer, "You have to be there for yourself. No photos, no souvenirs, no spoken words, can ever fully describe the magic of Paris."

Friday night was quite a blur. I boarded a bus with my friends Stephanie, Crystal, Calvin, Dustin, Amy, Emily, Michelle T., Andrew, and Hiro. Discovery Tours picked us up from Falmer at around 9pm, got us to Dover port at around 12am where we boarded a ferry, and then at around 2am we were back on the tour bus on the border of France and Paris-bound. It was like falling asleep in a dark, empty abyss and waking up in a magical, sleepy dream. I woke up at 6am, a little earlier than the rest of the passengers on the tour bus, just to admire every single aspect of Paris. Of course it was raining and cloudy, but I decided to let that be part of the romanticization of any European city. 

Our Saturday was then packed with magnificent touristy activities. Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame cathedral, Love Lock Bridge, Louvre museum, and of course, free time for shopping and eating! (I purchased my fair share of Eiffel Tower items, tasted some glorious French macarons, and indulged in a delightful ham and cheese crepe). 

Stephanie, Crystal, and I had split off from the group to see the rest of the Louvre (It's HUGE! How much art can they squeeze into that spectacular glass pyramid? Lots, I tell you.) But by late afernoon, we were freaking exhausteddd. Stephanie and I managed to nap for a quick half hour at this fountain (I really wish I knew the name - I've seen pictures of it on Tumblr). Afterwards, the three of us made our way to the Champs Elysees to explore the shops and find some refreshments. After a recommendation from a kind, elegant Frenchman ("You are in Paris. There are no shy boys here.") we ended up at a bar named Dogstar. Interesting name, indeed. We watched half of the Netherlands v. Argentina match, walked around Champs Elysees some more, and then met up with our tour bus to call it a day.

It's funny how the tour booked a hotel 40 minutes away from Paris. I can see why, since it's probably super expensive, but our hotel was literally in the middle of nowhere! The tour guide told us that there were three restaurants down the street from the hotel if we wanted to get dinner, and then headed off to bed. So when our group walked around to find some grub, of course all of those restaurants were closed. Luckily, the Chinese restaurant saw how big of a group we were and decided to stay open a little later for us! Ironic how we ate Chinese food on our first night in France, but it was strangely comforting to have some familiar food that didn't cost over 20 euros. 

My roomies and I decided to have a mellow night and sleep relatively early (3am? haha) because we had to wake up early for Versailles the next morning! :)