Paris...[insert something witty about how it was a disaster]

Well after FULLY recovering from our Dublin trip, ie. spending three days in bed, we went to Paris. Everything that could have went wrong DID go wrong. But I will try not to harp on these aspects of my trip too much. I will only present you with a numbered list.

1. We missed our flight. Yes, we are idiots. But the train to the airport did not leave when it said it would.
2. Our hostel reservation got cancelled. Curse you Milan, the man who did not re-book our rooms for us!
3. Six of us slept in a three person bedroom. A tight squeeze!
4. Once we got back to the airport we couldn't get through the train station doors! I had to sneak in with an old couple.
5. Ellie ate a hamburger with a fried egg on top...which led to food poisoning...which led to dehydration...which led to a hospital trip after she collapsed in the airport.
6. Our train was once again delayed, making us wait for an hour or more in the cold.

Now that I got THAT out of my system.

After arriving in Paris, we took the subway to the Jardin Tuileries. Paris is beautiful at night, and I was overcome with a sense of aweinspirationemotionblahhhh. I can see how so many writers and artists choose to live in Paris. Everywhere you look is beauty. Yet there is something about Paris, something distancing and perhaps cold, that reminded me that I did not belong. Or maybe it is that Paris does not wear its heart on its sleeve as Dublin does. The city reminded me of something both beautiful and damned (pardon the Fitzgerald ref.), something that when the surface was broken seemed somehow dangerous. It is for this reason that Paris both attracted and repelled me.

Since I was the only one who spoke french, it was my duty (well, Molly did speak a little, too...) to navigate us around the city. We stopped at a place where we got a plate of cheeses. AMAZING. Then we went into the Louvre for free. It is so big and so beautiful that it actually was overwhelming. We only made it to one section of the museum. I will go back with my mother in April and spend a day there, I am sure. We saw these amazing 16th century statues that truly showed the beauty of the human form. It was incredible to see that each vein in the arm, each curve in the thigh was perfectly represented in marble. I found myself staring at certain statues for several minutes contemplating how these artists could capture such life in cold stone.

After getting back to the hostel we decided to get dressed up and go exploring in the area called Bastille (?). There were many people there, including a sup rising amount of Americans. During the cab ride home I was able to have a conversation with the cab driver...in French! It is amazing how much I could remember the language after four years.

The next day we woke up early and took a free tour which started in the Latin Quarter at Saint Michel. Our tour guide was a fiery little Australian woman named Jacq. The tour lasted three and a half hours, and covered everything from the Notre Dame to the Musee D'Orsay. Jacq shared with us many interesting historical facts about France, and warned us about the gypsies who approach tourists and ask them "speak English?" in order to cheat them of money. After the tour we walked to the Arc de Triomphe, which was HUGE and beautiful. It is located in the center of one of the most dangerous rotaries in the world. Statistically speaking, every 30 minutes an accident happens. Most car insurance companies will not cover you if you get into an accident there. We then walked to the Eiffel Tower, which was breathtaking. It made me think of how on my parent's honeymoon they visited that exact spot. Now it was my turn to see the monument. I wonder how many generations of my family will see the Eiffel Tower.

Our last day in Paris, after walking around Montmatre and eating at a restaurant across from the Moulin Rouge, we went back to the Musee D'Orsay. For FREE! WOO! I was literally moved to tears after seeing Van Gogh's work...he is one of my favorites. While looking at his paintings I wished I could see the world as Van Gogh did. I could live in the colors he uses in his paintings. I also saw several works from Monet, Degas, Matisse, and Renior. One of my favorite pieces was from Henri Toulouse Lautrec called "Le Lit."

After the museum we headed back for London. I know I have only just scraped the surface of all that should be seen in Paris. I can't wait to go back in the Spring when it is warmer and even more beautiful (is it possible?) than it was in January.

More adventures to come.