Friday, July 26, 2013
Today I slept in and at 12:00 tried to go to the pool with Olivia but it was closed. We went to our last lunch and it was so quiet. Saying goodbye to the cafeteria ladies was sad because we have seen them for the past 4 weeks all day, everyday. We got to the
lobby with our bags at 2:30 and boarded the bus at 3:15. We got to the airport at 3:50. Thankfully my bag wasn’t over weight
but it was close. We got to the
gate around 4:30ish. We got subway
for dinner to take on the plane. Of
course one of the workers asked me to see if my carry on luggage would fit in
the sample compartment because the plane was small.
Of course it did not fit so they had to check it. Thankfully it was free and I was able to take out my other
small backpack to take on the plane that had my valuables. On the plane I sat in the middle between
Olivia and Lauren. We pulled out
of the terminal at 6:40 and were in the air by 6:55. It was the fastest take off ever! Once we landed the group was fast through baggage claim. We boarded the bus around 9:45. It took forever to board the bus and only
a few bags fit under the bus. More
than half of the bags had to be put in the last 6 rows of the bus all stacked
on top of each other. They put my
little luggage up top and as we were driving it fell and thankfully didn’t hurt
anyone. Everyone’s bags were on
laps, under feet and on chairs next to them, it was not good.
We finally got to the hotel and checked in. After, a few of us went across the
street to grab dinner. We had
Lebanese food and Olivia and I shared chicken. It is so cool because from the street we could see the
Eiffel tower and the Arc de Triomphe.
Our hotel is Novotel Paris la Defense. La Defense is a major business
district. My roommate is
Laura! Our room is 518 and from
our window we could see the top of the Eiffel Tower! The room is nice and has weefee and AC. There is a pullout couch, a bed, a tv, safe and a really cool shower.
It is so exciting to finally be in Paris! Can't wait to explore tomorrow!
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Today I woke up at 8:10 and went to breakfast at 9:00. I had a tour at 10:00 that was part of
the package I paid for. Some of
the things we drove by were Opera, Louvre, Notre-Dame, Saint-Germain-des-Pres,
Orsay Museum, Concorde, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Torcader, Eiffel Tower
and Invalides. We got off at Jardin du Luxembourg which was a beautiful park and at the Eiffel Tower to take pictures of it from across
the way.
The Eiffel Tower was our last stop so Olivia and I decided
just to stay out and explore rather than take the bus back to the Hotel. We
took the metro to Notre-Dame. We
took pictures then went to have lunch at a cute café. After, we got on line to go inside the cathedral for
free. It was very pretty. Around 3:00 we got on a different line
to go up the Notre-Dame. We waited in line for about an hour but it went by fast.
It was 400 steps we had to climb and it was up narrow, spiral
staircases. Once at the top we had
a 360-degree view of Paris. It was
gorgeous and worth the climb.
There were also awesome gargoyles at the top. On our way down I got dizzy because of the spirals.
It started to drizzle once we got down so we hopped on the
metro and went to Arc de Triomphe.
As we came up the escalators of the metro we saw the Arc and it was huge
and beautiful. It rained for 2
minutes then stopped. It took us about 10 minutes to figure out how to get across the roundabout to go under the
arc. Finally we realized that you
had to go under ground to get to it. Once at
the Arc there was a small fire lite for the unknown solider. The Arc was so beautiful and we could
see straight down the Champs-Elysees, which was beautiful and lined with trees. We got back on the metro to meet the
gang at 6:00.
We made a game plan and left to go eat in the Latin Quarter,
which was near Notre-Dame. We had
a prefixed menu for 10 and it was delish.
We walked around by the Seine River and saw some of the beautiful bridges. We then walked to the Louvre.
Every corner was so beautiful and it didn’t even matter if
we got lost. I absolutely love it
here (besides how expensive it is).
It is breathtaking in Paris and it really feels like I am in Europe.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Today I woke up at 6:45 and went to breakfast with Olivia at
7:15. We left for Versailles at
7:43. We had to first walk to the
La Defense metro station because the one by us wasn’t working until 10:00. On our walk we passed Le Bassin de Takis which is an open air museum and
the Grande Arche.
Once in the
metro I had to use the bathroom so we had to go into the mall, which was
connected to the metro. After we
got back on track and bought our tickets to Versailles. We got on the metro around 8:48 and
took it to the last stop.
First we
walked to the Palace and it took about 10 minutes. At 9:30 I got on line to buy our tickets and Olivia got on
line to the entrance. That line
was really long! Thankfully we
split up because it just got longer and longer. We got inside around 11:30 but honestly the line was moving
the entire time that the 2 hours flew by.
Also it was cold so it was nice not standing in the beating sun.
The Palace was gorgeous (except for all of the people
pushing and shoving). The Palace
was started by Louis XIII and was transformed by his son Louis XIV. Some room we saw included the state
apartments, the hall of mirrors and the king’s chambers. The Palace was huge and every room was so grand and beautiful.
After we had lunch on the steps of the Palace. We had taken food from breakfast and
ate that. After, we got on a small
tram that took us to the Grand Trianon.
Louis XIV had it built. It
was really pretty inside and I loved the pink marble on the outside.
Next we walked to Petit Trianon where Marie-Antoinette would
go for as a haven of tranquility. This was one of her favorite places to stay.
After, we got back on the tram and took it to the
gardens. We walked around the
gardens and they were so beautiful.
We ate oranges in the chestnut room (inside the gardens), which
was an open-air drawing room while listening to opera music playing in the
background. It was so lovely. Next we followed the music and saw a
water fountain show that was timed to the music. After, we continued through the gardens and went back to the Palace
to leave.
At this point it was getting really hot so it was a good
time to leave. We got on the metro
at 4:04 and arrived back at La Defense at 4:25. The metros here go really fast so the ride was quick.
After I hung out in the hotel and rested my feet until we
met the group at 6:00. I updated
my blog and started to pack and get ready to leave tomorrow.
At 7:00 we took the metro and headed to the Eiffel
Tower. We had our last family
dinner in the area. At 8:30 Laura
(HamHam), Olivia and I headed for the Eiffel Tower. We got on line to walk up to the second level of the
tower. We only waited on line for
about 30 minutes. We began our
journey up the 668 steps! How
crazy, I know. I was so scared
because it was windy and as you go higher and higher and you look down it gets
more and more terrifying. I have
never flew up stairs so fast in my life even though my calves were
burning! We made it to the second
level where we watched the sun set.
As we were waiting online for the elevator the light show began! It was so cool actually being on the tower
as the show was happening. From
there we got on the elevator that went up the side to the peak. Once at the top it was both exhilarating
and terrifying. It was so windy
and rainy that I was so scared to get close to the edge. After taking a few pictures we headed back down to the second
floor where we then walked down the stairs. We finally reached the ground around 11:00. It was one of the coolest and craziest
things I have even done!
At 11:00 we stood in the grass and watched the light show. It made the tower sparkle and it was
just beautiful. On our way back to
the metro we walked through a small street with local vendors. We got a few souvenirs and a crepe with
nutella and banana.
We got back to the hotel and some of us hung out in our room
and just laughed and reminisced.
It was so hard saying goodbye to the girls whom I have been with for 6
weeks and who have made my experiences abroad amazing.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Today I woke up at 8:00 and went to breakfast at 9:00. For some of us who had a later flight
we wanted to do a few things in the morning before we left. We also weren’t allowed back in our
rooms after 12:00 so we had to leave our stuff with the hotel even though we
weren’t boarding the bus until 3:00.
First we went to Pont Des Arts love lock bridge. This was one of the coolest things I
went to. Since we went early it
was so beautiful with the sun shining on all of the locks. I read a few locks and they were so
beautiful. I put a lock on for the
Zak Family and threw the key in the water!
Then we walked to Angelina, which is a tearoom but also
sells some amazing macaroons, hot chocolate, tea and other treats.
After, we took the metro back to the Eiffiel Tower to see it
during the day one last time :(. We took some pictures,
enjoyed the sun and then headed back.
We got back and had lunch around 12:40. We then sat in the lobby until we
boarded the bus at 3:00.
We got to the airport, checked in and waited at the
gate. I sat in the middle next to
two women. I watched three movies and the flight wasn’t bad at all.
We departed at 7:10 pm and arrived at 9:10 pm. The flight was about 8 hours long but it was so weird going
back in time and only having 2 hours elapse. Customs was fast and when we walked through to the exit I
saw mom and dad with a big sign!
It was so exciting to see them and to see the cool sign!! I felt so special :)
I can’t believe that 6 weeks has come to an end. I have visited some beautiful cities in 2 amazing countries and I am so blessed. This experience has taught me a lot about the world and
about myself. I have definitely grown
as a person and I can’t wait to see what my future travels have to offer. This experience will forever be in my
heart and in my soul. This by far
has been one of the best decisions I have ever made!
XOXO
