Excusing the forced alliterative title, I decided to take advantage of our two-day Halbjahresferien (the midpoint in the German school calendar) and had an awesome long weekend in Paris. Right after finishing classes Thursday afternoon, I ran to the train station and made my way to Paris via several action-packed transfers including a frantic sprint to my TGV at the Frankfurt Central Station. The best part about the whole trip is that I know a few people currently living in/around Paris, so not only did I get to stay with Kerry in her flat in Montparnasse, but I also got to meet up with several other USC alumni friends.
Highlights from Friday included going to Notre Dame de Paris and then meeting up with Kate at her apartment and seeing a really cool (if not overly edgy) temporary exhibit at the Pompidou Centre on women in art. After a brief detour back to Montparnasse to greet Kerry who had been in London training for a new job, I met up with Kate and Travis and some of their Paris friends for a pint. Saturday morning Kerry took me to the "good French bakery" where we picked up a baguette and assorted items for breakfast and sandwiches. We then met up with Travis at Ladurée, the original Parisian tearoom, for some of it's famous macarons, which we ate in the Tuileries gardens before walking along the Seine for a bit. We then ventured to Sacré-Cœur in Montmarte which has an amazing view of Paris and found some great quiches at a nearby bakery which we washed down with these amazing beers we bought a market stall (a little preparty before the "Sock Hop" party Travis's friends were hosting).
Sunday was fun day of sight-seeing with Travis including a Playmobil exhibit, going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and walking around the Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. We explored Montparnasse for a bit before grabbing pizzas and resting our feet for a bit before Travis had to make his way back to Chartres for school the next day.
Monday and Tuesday were mostly spent at museums around Paris like the Louvre, Hôtel des Invalides and the Musee d'Orsay. I especially liked the Musee d'Orsay which was formerly a train station that slowly fell into disuse in the 1930s since it couldn't accommodate the longer modern trains, so they turned it into an amazing modern art museum in the 1980s. When Tuesday afternoon rolled around, I was sad to leave Paris but ready to be back home in Hannover. Little did I know that the snowstorm that was starting as I left Hannover on Thursday continued through Tuesday which resulted in a major travel headache and my arrival in Hannover getting pushed back to about 2:30 am. It all worked out in the end though because Wednesday ended up being a snow day for schools in Hannover.
Turns out that I wasn't the only one with an exciting weekend though...my roommate Poisy ended up going to the hospital on Sunday afternoon because of an infection. She's back out of the hospital now, but it's a story I'll have to share another day.
All in all I had a great time in Paris. I can't help but laugh at how I've always had this slight...well, prejudice against France and always bumped Paris down my list of cities to see. I can admit this nearsightedness, and I definitely wouldn't turn down a return trip to Paris (though hopefully at a sunnier, less rainy time of the year).
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I really enjoyed Paris when I went in December, too. I had been told that it was a dirty, shallow city and that I wouldn't like it at all. But, quite the opposite... And I definitely want to go again, as I didn't see everything I wanted (there's so *much* to see).
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