J'adore Paris

This past weekend I went to Paris! It was more amazing that I could have ever imagined! I left Thursday night, with six other girls, for what was going to be a long journey. We took a six hour bus ride to Madrid, from there a 2 hour flight to Paris-Beauvais, from there a one hour bus ride to Paris, and then a metro to our hostel in Montmarte ( a neighborhood in Paris). We arrived in Paris at about 11am on Friday. An example of the loose concept of time the Spanish have; our bus to Madrid was 50mins late, so we had to run through the Madrid airport, well worth it though.
We jumped right in and explored the surrounding neighborhood of our hostel. The Sacre Cour is a Basilica set on the highest point of the city. The views were truely unbelievable and we managed to catch our first glimpse of the Eiffel tower from there! After the hike up the hill and around the Basilica, we went out for lunch to a small cafe. I had authentic onion soup, that was obviously delish! After we took a small rest in the hostel. The hostel was more like a hotel complete with towel service, maid service, and breakfast every day. Also the staff was knowledgable and helpful! I would recommend it to anyone, Le Regent Montmarte, conveniently located 20 meters from a metro stop. On Saturday night we went to dinner at a restaurant called Le Refuge Fondue. Although we had to wait 2 hours, we occupied ourselves in the surrouding shops and bars by partaking in our first bottle of Bordeaux. The restaurant is a very unique experience. It has only to two long tables lining either wall, with one side of bench seats and the other with chairs. You are seated directly next to the next customer (not uncommon at all in Paris) and to get into the side with the bench seat you have to step on the table...that alone was interesting, but we were in for a surprise! We had fantastic cheese fondue and beef fondue and the best part....wine served in baby bottles. I had heard that this was to avoid some type of corkage tax, regardless it was fun! After the dinner, we hit the hay early because of the long journey, but not before I got to eat some authentic kadayif!
Saturday was full day of meandering the Champs de Elysse, posing in front of the Arc de Triomphe and tasting our first french macaroon from a well known bakery/restaurant called "La Duree." We wandered the streets of Paris trying to find Rue Mouffetard, a very quaint and precious French Market. The plaza is full of French artists selling their work, and we were approached several times by artists wanting to sketch our portrait. The market is one of a kind! Full of stores that specialize in cheese, wine, meat, fish, etc. We bought some brie cheese and a couple of baguettes. After we wanted to buy a bottle of wine. We went to the wine shop, and the owner asked to see our cheese, he said that is where the secret lies in selecting a wine, and he recommended us two types, naturally we purchased them both! We took our picnic to the Eiffel Tower. The six of us grabbed a bench and enjoyed our picnic and the fabulous views of the tower, despite the strong winds! As we walked under the tower there was a band jamming to Pink Floyd and people from all over the world there, it was amazing, I don't know how else to put it. Saturday night we fell into our Spanish habits and ate a late dinner, thinking the French go out late also, we found ourselves in the Latin Quarter at 12:20am and no bars that would let us in!
Sunday we marched directly to Notre Dame, we were able to catch a bit of the mass, again an amazing experience. The wind on this day was unreal, almost hard to walk! After Notre Dame, we made our way to The Louvre, finally! We spent over 3 hours there, which still wasn't enough. This museum is a monstrocity! Luckily we got free admission because we had international student ids. I loved the sculptures with all the intricate details down to the veins that run through a man's bicep, they were extraordinay! I was moved by the Venus de Milo. I stood there listening to over 5 different languages being spoken in front of one of the most famous statues in the world, and felt like the world is a beautiful place, I felt content and happy. Of course I saw the Mona Lisa, I had heard many times that it is small and no big deal, so naturally I had low expectations...not true! Still magnificent! I think part of the awe comes from the fact that it is the MONA LISA! Nonetheless, I was in awe. The louvre is such an overwhelming museum that we found it necessary to delight in a chocolate croissant, also magnificent! Sunday evening we ate in a nearby cafe, and afterwards ventured to a famous cafe to have, what is rumored to be the world's best hot chocolate! The restaurant is called "Angelinas," at one time frequented by the likes of Coco Chanel. The hot chocolate was fantastic, as it should be for seven euro! By the time we finished it was dark , and we wanted to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. We found a perfect viewing point right by the Seine River. By this time, the winds were crazy, and it was downpouring, but so worth it. We got great photos of the tower at night and the lights! We tried the Latin Quarter again on Sunday night with more sucess. It is really fun, we went to a few different bars, all of which were themed, and very fun! After my three day love affair with Paris, we had mastered the metro, the food, a few key French phrases, "Je ne parles pa francais." ( I don't speak french) and discovered one of the most outstanding cities in the world!