Bonjour

On Friday, an exchange student from France was driving back to Paris to visit his girlfriend.  Paola, Chuchu, and myself jumped at the opportunity to go along with him to spend a weekend in Paris.  We left Vallendar Friday afternoon and arrived in Paris at 8:00 PM.  He dropped us off at a major Metro stop and it was extremely busy with extremely fashionably dressed people ready for a night out.  It took a while to figure out the system and which line to take to our Hotel.  We figured it out and hopped on line 8 which took us 1 block from our hotel.

We arrived at our stop, Grand Boulevard, in the 9^th district, we stopped at a local bar to ask for directions to our hotel.  We waited at the counter to ask someone for directions to and the next thing we saw was the bartender trying to choke a man.  Then they started fighting in the street.  Needless to say, we were not expecting this, after we did a lot of research to find a safe district to stay in.  We left the bar and headed out to find the hotel.  After relaxing a moment, we adventured out again to visit the Trocadéro scene and a twilight ride up the Eiffel Tower.

The next day, we took the RER to Versailles Palace.  As we walked up the street towards the Palace, we were blown away by the sheer magnificence of the buildings.  It is so unreal that you have to see it with your own eyes to believe that something so extravagant exists.  We toured the Chapel and Opera House, the King's and Queen's State Apartments, and the Hall of Mirrors.  My favorite part was the Hall or Mirrors.  It was the ultimate hall of the day — 250 feet long, with 17 arched mirrors matching 17 windows with royal garden views, 24 gilded candelabra, eight busts of Roman emperors, and eight Classical-style statues (seven of them ancient). The ceiling is decorated with stories of Louis XIV's triumphs.  In the afternoon we toured the gardens and Domaine de Marie-Antoinette.  We took the RER back to Paris and walked around the Ile de la Cite, which houses Notre Dame, the Archaeological Crypt, and the Deportation Memorial.  At night, we took a boat tour down the Seine River. 

On Sunday, we woke up early and toured Louvre.  Since we are students, we got free admission.  It pays to be under 26 in France J  My sophomore year, I took an Art History class that focused on Ancient and Medieval Art.  At the Louvre, I got to see a lot of the art that I studied there such as the Seated Scribe, Code of Hammurabi, and Greek Ceramics.  It was incredible.  In the afternoon, we walked up Champs-Elysees, which is a prestigious avenue with cinemas, cafes, luxury specialty shops and horse-chestnut trees.  It is one of the most famous streets in the world, and it is the second most expensive strip of real estate in Europe after London’s Bond Street.  We even got in a little shopping; everyone store in Europe is having sales of 50-75% off.  We ended up at the Arc de Triomphe.  This Arc is dedicated to the glory of all French armies. Like its Roman ancestors, this arch has served as a parade gateway for triumphal armies (French or foe) and important ceremonies. From 1941 to 1944, a large swastika flew from here as Nazis goose-stepped daily down the Champs-Elysées.  Allied troops marched triumphantly under this arch in August 1944. 

On Monday, we headed back to Vallendar.  On the way home, we stopped in Champagne France.  This area is best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.  We stopped at the Hostomme vineyard for some tasting.  It was delicious.