Paris holds the key to my heart

Sitting here with a cup of hot green tea mixed with honey on this gloomy, rainy day in the South of France, I can only reflect on what a great weekend I had in Paris. Besides getting sick (which the tea helps to show how scratchy my throat is this morning), this weekend reminded me how much I love Paris, I would say that it is my favorite big city that I have ever visited. 

Thursday went slowly yet rushed on by. I had six classes to teach, along with some last minute packing and calling a business for an opportunity to teach casual English to it’s employees.* After my final class, and literally running to get my bags from the apartment, I caught the last bus out of Apt and the TGV to Paris. Getting in at 10:30pm, I walked onto the platform and realized Katie and I hadn’t discussed where we would meet in the station. As Gare de Lyon is a massive station, I got a little worried when I saw all the other passengers finding their friends and family that were meeting them there. Then, as I walked further, I saw Katie and her friend Andrea and was relieved! That night, we stayed up chatting while they made spaghetti and garlic bread. It was such a nice reunion for Katie and I, quickly catching up on anything and everything going on in each of our lives. And even more wonderful was meeting her friends Andrea and Yaya, who are studying with her in Spain as well and go to WMU too – good to be around people from home for the first time in a long while! 

Friday morning, we woke up early to some French toast expertly made by Andrea.** After breakfast, we set out on the metro to have a nice walk along the Seine, including seeing sights like the Assemblée Nationale and the lock bridge.

Then we continued on to the Musée d’Orsay. I had read online that if you were a long stay resident in an EU country, you could get in for free. As I was not entirely sure about this, I asked when we got there and after a little bit of explication and coaxing, was able to get all four of us in for free. Score! Being the only that spoke French, this whole weekend did a lot for my confidence with speaking the language. Maybe it was because I was being relied on to communicate but I found it easy to speak and be understood.*** Anyway, as this is my favorite museum, I thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon there.

After that, we did some souvie shopping and got some traditional lunch from a boulangerie. The spain girls loved the quiches and croque-monsieurs, we even made a small stop in a cheese shop because they had to take a look at the classic French cheeses. After, we made our way over to the Eiffel tower for  pictures underneath, but decided to go up on Sunday morning before I left, as we wanted to get to the Louvre by 6.

Best friends at Eiffel Tower!

After the photo session, we made our way over to the Louvre. As I had never been there at night, I had never seen the beauty of its glass pyramid lit up. It truly was breathtaking, I am so glad that we decided to go when we did. Also a great thing about the time we went: it was free! When looking online that morning about Musée d’Orsay, I had also found that the Louvre is free on Fridays for 18-26 year olds from 6-9:45. So I got us into two museums for free, pretty good I’d say! We made it a quick trip, seeing the necessary Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, as we were tired from walking around in the cold all day. Back at the apartment, we enjoyed some vin rosé du Luberon (since they didn’t get to visit the South, had to have them experience something from Provence) with Spanish tortilla and mashed potatoes that Andrea made.

Saturday morning, I decided to make everyone a classic French recipe: crepes. Except there was one problem, there was no nonstick pan. So, they did not look pretty.. but they tasted great! Then we set off to tour Notre Dame. I am always awestruck by the sheer beauty of this cathedral, especially its massive rose window. After, we had some lunch and did some more shopping, which included a necessary purchase of warm headgear as they weather had gotten even brisker overnight.

After, we headed to Montmartre and looked in Sacre Coeur. I had only seen the outside of the church before, so the walk around inside was a first for me as well! Though I prefer Notre Dame’s architecture, Sacre Couer is beautiful in it’s own way. Plus, it has an incredible view over Paris and, while we were there, street musicians playing to earn their keep. Quite an artsy part of town.

Later in the afternoon, I took the ladies for pictures at l’Arc de Triomphe and a quick walk down the Champs Elysées. As it was getting colder by the minute, we headed over to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night, and watch it sparkle once it struck the hour. Although I think I still can feel myself shivering from that night, seeing la Tour Eiffel sparkle and shimmer is one of those things that I never tire of seeing.

That night, we all huddled for warmth at the apartment and enjoyed some chips and salsa, pizza and even some decadent French pastries. As they don’t have pastries like this in Spain, we couldn’t help but get a little carried away – when in Paris!

I mean, how can you resist?

Awaking on the last morning in Paris, we made a very quick trip to go up the Eiffel Tower. With how cold it was, I am not sure if we would have wanted to stay longer anyway. Although I had to run back to the apartment to grab my things and run from metro to metro to catch my train, it was completely worth it to see the city from the top of its best sight. Getting into Apt late, I realized I was getting sick and tucked in early, still dreaming of the sparkling Eiffel Tower I had seen only a day earlier.

Wonderful ladies at the top of the Eiffel Tower!

As for today, I awoke early and taught two classes with my incredibly sore throat, which kind of matches the dreary weather outside. These kinds of days are far and few between so to enjoy the most of it, I have decided to have a day cuddling in bed, catnapping while watching movies. Tomorrow, I have to go to Avignon for a second day of formation pédagogique, which means I have to get up at 5:30 am to catch the bus. Ick. Not entirely sure what to expect tomorrow, but knowing that I don’t have to prepare my classes means that I can take a lazy day today, and recuperate from this sickness.

*NOTE: this was actually written Monday, but due to wifi difficulties with uploading, is posted Wednesday. Post about this week will come soon!

*Not a done deal yet, and as typical in France, our meeting to discuss my terms isn’t until next Tuesday. Nothing ever gets done fast here.

** Although I had to explain to the ladies that it is not known as French toast here.

***Most of the time. But hey, can’t win them all!