Disclaimer: This entry is making up for five days of my journey. This will be a lengthy post.
It is often said that all roads lead to Rome, and in many ways, they are correct. It can also be said that all stairs lead to Paris, and I for one can confirm this assertion.
Day Sixteen
Much like my small group’s travel to Marseille (see previous post), our large group’s journey to Paris wasn’t without its share of train problems. The original train booked went on strike, so our program director decided it would be best to end class early and get on the earlier train. There were no issues getting to the train station, no issues getting on the train. The only hiccup in our plans came from the fact that we had no assigned seats on the new train. One by one, all forty-five of us were evicted from our seats at each successive stop. Some people sat on luggage racks, some on stairs. If you were lucky, you walked to another car and found an open chair. Despite our nomadic seating arrangements, I managed to stay positive. I mean, we were travelling to Paris, after all.
Once in the city of lights, we checked into our hotel and a group of us headed out for dinner. Thirteen euros got me an appetizer of escargot, fresh bread, and the restaurant’s plat du jour: a heaping amount of veal with roasted vegetables over pasta. I had never had either escargot nor veal before, and they were both equally delicious. Dessert was not included, so I ventured out in search of, you guessed it, macarons. There was also a wonderful chocolate shop two doors down, with a knowledgeable shop owner willing to give me samples.
Following dinner, we managed to navigate the metro and bus lines to see the most iconic landmark in Paris: The Eiffel Tower. I imagined it to be larger than it was, but it was still a beautiful sight. Slowly but surely, I hiked the stairs up to the second level to get a great view of the city. The fog and mist added a mysterious feel to the scene. It was at this moment that I felt that I was in Paris.
The first night felt like a dream: I had fulfilled my goal of making it to Paris.
But, of course, there was one “small” problem. The amount of rain the city has received raised the water level of the Seine River so much that many places were flooded. Unfortunately, this included the Musée du Louvre, the world’s largest art museum and home of the famous Mona Lisa, among other works. The floods also closed the Monet Gardens in Giverny, several other museums, and a few metro lines. So, mom, I guess we’ll have to go back to Paris to see some of these things (what a pity, I know.)
Boats are normally able to get under those arches, and there are sidewalks along the sides of the bridges are underwater.
Despite this, I wasn’t about to let this break me. I wasn’t not about to let the weather ruin my visit.
Day Seventeen
Fortunately for us, our first full day in the city was booked for us through the program. In the morning, we visited the Institut Pasteur and toured the museum, crypt, and former home of Louis Pasteur. One of his most notable scientific contributions included the rabies vaccination discovery. This paved the pathway for other vaccines, immunology, and epidemiology.
After a quick lunch and some snapshots at Notre Dame, we headed off to the Institut Marie Curie. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit: a female scientist winning the Nobel Prize for her work with radium and developments of cancer treatments. She also worked with her husband and daughters, winning five Nobel Prizes in two generations. Unfortunately, her dedication led to her own demise, later passing away from aplastic anemia, likely due to the excessive radiation exposure.
We then returned to the Institut Pasteur for a tour of their research laboratories. We also listened to several scientists currently conducting research, many of which are studying protein function, metabolic pathways, and even performing work on the Zika virus. I can’t describe how incredibly intelligent these people are to have these ideas and innovations. Simply amazing.
From the end of the laboratory tour, we were on our own to explore Paris. My friends and I broke off for a quick meal and headed toward Shakespeare and Company. I’m not normally a dedicated reader, but this spot has a very romantic and inviting atmosphere. There were beds and seats for patrons to read books, a piano to play, several working typewriters and an official bookstore. We ended up visiting Shakespeare and Company twice while in Paris.
The famous bookstore, a stone’s throw from Notre Dame.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be an official Parisian visit without a crêpe from one of the local street vendors. One of the girls in my group managed to snag some photos of me eating a crêpe for the first time. Nutella and banana was the filling of choice.
I looked so happy, because I was so happy, because I had just tried a crepe.
Day Eighteen
Saturday morning, my friends and I got an early start and headed to the French Catacombs (which, although underground, was not flooded.) Originally an underground mine hundreds of years ago, it is home to millions of skeletons buried in a mass grave. Yes, you can see the skeletons. You can walk through walls lined with skulls, femurs, and various other bones. You could physically touch them, if you really wanted to do so. It’s understandable that this isn’t an ideal tourist destination for some, but I viewed it as a way to give my respects. (Caution: skeletons ahead.)
Our next metro stop took us to the Musée du Louvre…well, the exterior of the museum. We took our touristy photos, admired its beautiful architecture, and moved down the street to the Arc du Triomphe. We then sauntered down the Champs Élysées, walking through the very expensive shops along the way. I can say that I’ve made a purchase on the Champs Élysées: an eight-euro belt from H&M, because I have probably dropped one-half to one-full pant size since being in Europe. Yes, mom and dad, I am eating well, probably too well. Recall the title of the post; some days it feels like a game of Chutes and Ladders, but without the Chutes.
I also discovered my new favorite perfume: Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. My birthday is coming up, so take note. (Actually don’t, since it’s probably very expensive.)
That evening, we visited the Moulin Rouge and La Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, both on the edge of the city. This part of Paris was very nice: not very touristy, and filled with fresh produce markets. If you ever visit France, buy some fresh fruit from one of the vendors. You’ll thank me later.
Day Nineteen
Still wanting to get our fix of famous art, we again got up early to visit the Musée Marmottan-Monet on the outskirts of town. This museum was created from an old townhouse and now holds hundreds of works by Monet, Manet, Chagall, Renoir, and more. My friends and I particularly enjoyed the impressionist style of Berthe Morisot, one of the first female impressionists and a model for many other painters. For only six euros and fifty cents, we spent almost three hours in the museum. It was definitely a great place to visit.
After the art museum, we took the metro to the famous Jardin du Luxembourg. With everything we wanted to do, we were unable to visit Versailles, but this was the next best thing. The gardens aren’t far from the Pantheon, so we wandered up there to see the graves of a few famous French men and women. Some include Marie and Frederic Curie, Victor Hugo, and Voltaire.
We also took a stroll over to the Love-Lock bridge (or did we?) Because the weight of over 700,000 locks began to weigh down the bridge, the French government cut off all the locks on the original bridge. There is now an adjacent bridge with a section designed specifically to hold the locks.
One section of the new love-lock bridge. There were thousands more locks than pictured here.
Since it was our last evening in Paris, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice French meal. I’ve come to the conclusion that the restaurants that offer at set menu at a set price are by far the best value. Many restaurants will have a choice of menus (some as cheap as ten euros), and you pick your entrée (appetizer), plat (main course), and a dessert or cheese plate to finish. You can take envy in my meal with the photos below.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip. Sure, the one thing I really wanted to see was closed, but I will return to Paris again at the end of the program. Let’s hope the Seine won’t be inundated with water. *Knocks on wood*
Tomorrow, our group will be touring the Beaujolais wine region, with normal classes resuming on Wednesday morning and an organic chemistry exam on Friday. With all of this travel and exams looming in the near future, we didn’t make any plans for the upcoming weekend, so we will spend some more time exploring Vieux Lyon and all that it has to offer. Our next grand adventure will be the weekend after as we travel to Rome, Italy, so stay tuned!
Photos from the entire weekend can be viewed HERE.
Wanderlust 