I was lucky enough to be in the Paris project.
Last Thursday I hopped on a bus and then a plane and then a train and then a subway, with about thirty other students to see the sights of Paris and to practice our french.
It was an awesome trip!
And although my feet my never forgive me for all of the walking I did, I saw so much of the city and made some great memories.
Here is Anette (Norway) and I on the first day looking very excited!
A normal street in Paris. It was amazing to me how beautiful even the 'normal' buildings were.
Some church.
On the first day we walked to Gallery Lafayette and climbed up to the roof where there was a beautiful view of the city
The Eiffel tower!
Anette and I
The roof of the gallery Lafayette
One of the angels on the roof of the opera house
Anette and Kami were excited to be in Paris
Printemps had Alice in wonderland stuff in all of their display windows.
We went into this crazy car showroom/building called Citroën on the champs-elysees. I personally thought that the cars on display that week were sort of boring (albeit very comfortable) but the building was pretty cool.
The arc de triomphe.
The sun was setting as we walked back to our hostel
Moulin Rouge!
Our hostel was about two blocks away.
The wall in the hostel we stayed at was signed by people who stayed there.
Our hostel was right at the foot of the sacre coeur. Out the window of my room we had a beautiful view of it:
The climb up the steps to the sacre coeur was worth the view of the city
Viktor (Norway), Anette and Tim (malaysia)
We saw a marching band!
Anette eating a crepe outside a restaurant in montmartre
We walked past this beautiful house in search of a market
One of the beautiful roads we strolled down
Some cool graffiti
We went to the pere lachaise cemetery to see Oscar Wilde's grave
We figured sad faces were more appropriate for the setting
The cemetery was absolutely humongous. We had to get a map just to find out where we were going. And we spoke to a man who worked there (in french might I add) and he said that because there were family graves that there could be up to 13 people buried under one tombstone... It was a bit mind boggling 
On the way we visited Marcel Proust
In the middle of the cemetery there was this big, freaky crematorium. The walls were covered in these plaques
Eventually we made it to Oscar Wilde's resting place... and were not the first...
...his grave was covered in kiss marks (and is apparently cleaned every two weeks)
We then walked to this monument looking for a museum... which didn't exist... oops
Viktor capturing the city through his lens
Finally we made it to Notre Dame!
We were excited to get there
But were sooo tired from walking all day
The wall in the hostel we stayed at was signed by people who stayed there.
Our hostel was right at the foot of the sacre coeur. Out the window of my room we had a beautiful view of it:
The climb up the steps to the sacre coeur was worth the view of the city
Viktor (Norway), Anette and Tim (malaysia)
We saw a marching band!
Anette eating a crepe outside a restaurant in montmartre
We walked past this beautiful house in search of a market
One of the beautiful roads we strolled down
Some cool graffiti
We went to the pere lachaise cemetery to see Oscar Wilde's grave
We figured sad faces were more appropriate for the setting
The cemetery was absolutely humongous. We had to get a map just to find out where we were going. And we spoke to a man who worked there (in french might I add) and he said that because there were family graves that there could be up to 13 people buried under one tombstone... It was a bit mind boggling 
On the way we visited Marcel Proust
In the middle of the cemetery there was this big, freaky crematorium. The walls were covered in these plaques
Eventually we made it to Oscar Wilde's resting place... and were not the first...
...his grave was covered in kiss marks (and is apparently cleaned every two weeks)
We then walked to this monument looking for a museum... which didn't exist... oops
Viktor capturing the city through his lens
Finally we made it to Notre Dame!
We were excited to get there
But were sooo tired from walking all day
The fat pigeons
Viktor was a fan of the star jumps
And then I dragged them all to Shakespeare and company!
Viktor was a fan of the star jumps
And then I dragged them all to Shakespeare and company!
I was soo excited. So, while they all collapsed into chairs I wove my way through the book shelves, feasting my eyes on all the beautiful spines, inhaling the wonderful smell and trying to absorb all of the knowledge by diffusion.
All the quotes and messages left by others who had visited this wonderful book store
Much later, we manged to make it to the Eiffel tower!
All the quotes and messages left by others who had visited this wonderful book store
Much later, we manged to make it to the Eiffel tower!
Unfortunately the stairs were closed, and because we didn't want to pay/wait to go up the elevator, we didn't go up. But it was amazing to look at.
The next day we had our dose of cultural and art.
This is probably my favourite thing in the whole building.
The next day we had our dose of cultural and art.
We started at the Louvre.
My favourite part is the Egyptian stuff.
This is probably my favourite thing in the whole building.
It is a carving of the constellations made by the epytians
And of course we had to go and see the Mona Lisa.
And of course we had to go and see the Mona Lisa.
But I couldn't get very close because there were sooo many people
A re-do of a photo of me from a year and a half ago
Viktor, Mia (Bahamas), Kami (Nigeria) and Anette
Outside the louvre
The controversial pyramid
For lunch, Anette, Viktor and I ate sandwichs and sat beside a fountain to enjoy the sun
Next we went to the museum d'orsay to see some more paintings:
After that, Viktor, Anette and I walked along the river past notre Dame in search of an ice cream place that my teacher told us about
We walked across this bridge covered in locks.
A re-do of a photo of me from a year and a half ago
Viktor, Mia (Bahamas), Kami (Nigeria) and Anette
Outside the louvre
The controversial pyramid
For lunch, Anette, Viktor and I ate sandwichs and sat beside a fountain to enjoy the sun
Next we went to the museum d'orsay to see some more paintings:
After that, Viktor, Anette and I walked along the river past notre Dame in search of an ice cream place that my teacher told us aboutWe walked across this bridge covered in locks.One each lock a couple has engraved their initials, and then after locking it they are supposed to throw the key into the river.
The trees along the river were covered in initials and drawings
The island where Notre Dame is
Some of the stairs near Sacre Coeur
Goodbye Paris.
The trees along the river were covered in initials and drawings
The island where Notre Dame is
Some of the stairs near Sacre Coeur
Goodbye Paris.Maybe one day I will once again walk your streets, breathe in your polluted and cigarette laced air, eat your bagettes and love it all.
wow...what a cool spring break! looks like you had a great time.
ReplyDeletegreat pics :)
Jessie So many of those sights are memory-laden for me. You've captured some truly spectacular buildings and art in your photos.Did you get inside Notre Dame? So glad you had a 'crepe'. Did you manage a grilled ham and cheese? Croque monsieur is what they are called. Yes, smoke-laced air ... even the metro has a special smell!
ReplyDeleteNo, we didn't go into Notre Dame because: 1) we were too tired to wait in line and 2) we had all seen it before.
ReplyDeleteand no, I did not have a ham and cheese crepe becuase I don't eat ham, but my friend did and she like it :)