Submitted by Carolyn Jones on the 2013 fall semester exchange program with the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality…
It is no wonder why Paris is the city of love…after being there for less than two hours, I was completely captured by the beautiful cobblestone streets, iron gates, and the dainty cafés with their sweet and sugary aromas. It has always been a distant dream of mine to graduate college and continue my education at cooking school in Paris, but it is safe to say that after this weekend my dream has been set in stone. We arrived in the early afternoon on Thursday and met up with two girls studying in London who know my friend Giuliana. We quickly felt like we had known each other forever and bonded over our mutual desire to see as much of Paris as possible. We spent our first lunch at the café next to our hostel, where I had my first croque monsieur and espresso. Both were to die for. Our hostel ended up being clean and impeccably decorated, so we spent the next hour finding out the best places to go and how to get to as many Parisian destinations as possible. The rest of our evening was spent getting to know the area, and eventually we ventured up to Sacré Coeur which was only ten minutes away. I was completely taken by the architecture, but most of all by the steep steps that overlooked all of Paris. The city was lit up by the sparkling Eiffel Tour and by the local musicians singing and dancing to the most lighthearted tunes. We sat and enjoyed the beauty around us, trying as hard as possible to take all of it in. We continued roaming the streets, shopping and picking up macaroons and souvenirs along the way. Eventually we made it back to the hostel and went to sleep dreaming of french onion soup and fresh pastries.
Our next day was dedicated to the Champs Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. We pleasantly surprised ourselves by successfully navigating the métro and walked along browsing through shops and unsuccessfully trying to be very French. After spending some time taking pictures and embarrassingly trying to figure out the historical significance of the Arc, we headed back down to the métro and made our way to Nôtre Dame. I was able to cross off another religious check mark at Nôtre Dame because Stef and I repeated our now two-time tradition of lighting a candle in a famous church. It was actually very fulfilling and even more beautiful than I could have imagined. We left Nôtre Dame and made our way to the Eiffel Tour, but not before stopping for a much needed nutella crêpe.
I truthfully do not know how to describe seeing the Eiffel Tour because it was too incredible to put into words. We took enough photos to fill an entire album, but none of them fully capture the magic of the Eiffel Tour in person. We were even there on the hour to watch it sparkle, and all we could do was stop and awe at how beautiful it was.
We had another great meal that evening at a deceivingly delicious organic restaurant, and the next morning we had an itinerary dedicated to Versailles and a return trip to the Eiffel Tour to make the infamous climb to the top. As it turns out, there are two locations in Paris with the name “Versailles,” and unfortunately we made it the the one that was not the Château de Versailles. We eventually made it to the correct Versailles and did not feel too bad because it was our first métro mix-up of the trip. The Château de Versailles is one of the most luxurious and opulent places I have ever visited. The castle alone is enormous with artfully carved stone and walls filled with over-sized paintings and furniture. The gardens however, are what I found to be especially amazing. They seem to stretch endlessly and are landscaped to perfection. That afternoon I also tried my first savory crêpe which consisted of bacon and cheese with a fried egg on top…it was as divine as it sounds. Afterwards, we headed back to the Eiffel Tour and after waiting in line for only an hour, we made it to the top. I had imagined it to be beautiful and peaceful, but what entailed was completely unexpected. We hurried out of the elevator (after deciding the stairs were a poor choice) and learned that the top of the Eiffel Tour is as thrilling as riding a roller coaster. The wind was so strong I felt like I would be blown off without the barriers surrounding me. The best part however, was being above what I had found to be the most amazing city in the world. It was beautiful and exciting, but above all, it was magical. I could have stayed up there forever…but it started raining – a true downpour. It was honestly one of the funniest and best moments of our trip, and I am sure it is one I will never forget. I loved every second of it. We eventually returned back down to reality, but not before catching the tail end of a proposal on the top of the Eiffel Tour.
