Paris

Caption: Eiffel Tower at night on the hour. No idea who's in the picture.

"Paris holds the key to your heart..." - Anastasia. A week in Paris for Easter break sounds phenomenal to many, including me! It was full of adventure and fun; as well as further heartbreak and healing. The days were packed full, but were heartfelt and true. The general feeling of love and relaxation never strayed...even in the smelly, dirty metro stations.

We arrived as a group on Sunday to an Ibis Hotel. My roommate and I were set in a smaller than most room in the back corner of a hallway. We had been warned that most Paris rooms were small, but our room was barely manageable and we often tripped over each other when entering and exiting the room. However, it was Paris, and we didn't mind.

Paris is an hour ahead of Ireland and thus six hours ahead of the United States' east coast, specifically home in Pennsylvania. I didn't take my computer with me for a fear of something happening to it, so I never talked to anybody at home all week. This helped a bit in starting to get over my recent heartache, but sucked at the same time (complicated things, I know). However, I was in Paris and was perfectly okay without technology, something new to my generation. Just on Sunday, we visited the Eiffel Tower, ate amazing chocolate and banana crepes, walked the Seine River, and visited the outside of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was a fantastic night to start off the week in Paris.

The Louvre Museum was on Monday. The pyramid in the movie, The DiVinci Code, was the first thing I noticed, but everything inside the Museum was amazing. The Mona Lisa painting was packed with tourists but a few pictures were taken as I stood on my tippy-toes and hoped I was pointing the camera the right direction over the mass crowd. Afterwards, a couple of my friends and I walked to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was over 280 steps and definitely winded us! It was an amazing view from the top and I could see in every direction of Paris...or so it seemed. That same day, we toured the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was breathtaking, and sat at a street cafe and drank Bailey's Hot Chocolate as we "people-watched." It was a great day, however, that night beat it!

As a giant group, we paraded to a traditional French dinner in the Latin Quarter. The food and was amazing, but the atmosphere, entertainment and our group as company was incredible! The restaurant hires two musicians and they were fantastic and hilarious! As they sang, danced, and played their instruments, we attempted to eat. They were so entertaining; we stayed well over an hour after finishing our meals. The man who sang and played the guitar would make some of us randomly sing and dance with him. It was an amazing night in Paris!

On Tuesday, we visited the D'Orsay Museum. It was very nice and I appreciated all of the artwork. Breaking away from the group for lunch, a few friends and I ate sandwiches in a park. The whole group eventually found its way to Montmartre and saw Moulin Rouge and Sacre Coeur. The Montmartre area was gorgeous and I enjoyed going very much! That night, a few friends and I enjoyed going out for a nice dinner and then some amazing ice cream!

My plans on Wednesday were messed up, but my friends and I easily recovered. We had meant to visit Versailles that day; but due to the RER workers being on strike, we had to leave it for Thursday. The Opera, the bell of Notre Dame, and a Vietnamese dinner occupied my Wednesday and it was a great day with some of my friends. At the bell tower of Notre Dame, my friends and I took "Quasimodo" pictures as we laughed hysterically.

Versailles on Friday was beautiful and its gardens can't be expressed in words. They were amazing and huge! The Queen's Hamlet was my favorite part of the palace grounds. It was no wonder why Marie Antoinette was hated so much! "The people have no food." "Then let them eat cake." This being one of her most infamous quotes is an example of her lifestyle and connection to her people. It was ridiculous how much she had and did not need. On the plus side, it was amazing to tour and easy to appreciate the beauty and wonders of Versailles.

Friday morning brought most of us back to our home in Ireland, and it truly felt like being home again! We flew back with only around 15 students, considering some went on weekend adventures. However, the few that were going home felt that instant home welcoming as we were bused around the bend that opened up upon the bay. It was beautiful and I feel even more grateful to be in Ireland and from Ireland.

So Paris was amazing and intense. It was everything that people had said and more. The Parisians were even nice, contrary to what many had warned me. The Eiffel Tower was immaculate at night and the Mona Lisa's smile was as odd as ever. It was a wonderful experience to be in Paris for a week and I was very lucky to have had the opportunity.