Un
Riding the TGV from Avignon to Paris. The scenery was incredible; nothing like I had seen before. My friends and I spent the time sharing drinks. laughs, and magic tricks. It was definitely a moment that I wanted to last longer. We were greeted in Paris by colorful, expressive graffiti lining the brick buildings by the Gare de Lyon (Lyon train station).
I snapped a few rushed photos while walking from Gare de Lyon to our hotel in the 5th arrondissement in the Latin Quarter. With a group of 80 + , it was easy to get lost in the shuffle, and needless to say, my friends and I did. We came to a bridge, and there were tons of people, and no SCAD students or faculty in sight. I was almost too tired to panic, but a few friends of mine were a little frightened. We asked for directions in broken french, and Hotel Home Latin ended up being right around the corner. So, after being lost in Paris for half hour, we finally were able to collapse in our rooms.
The Hotel was very interesting to say the least. Every room only had one key, and you could not lose said key. So every time the last person in the room went out, they had to leave the key at the front desk. Of course we always got back in the wee hours of the morning, so I always felt bad asking the concierge for my key. However, they didn't seem to mind.
Since we were in France, the hotel did not have AC, which is very common in the country. So all of us slept with the windows open. Unfortunately, that kept me up some nights. But that's a small price to pay for a week in Paris.
The first night out was spent exploring the city and walking along the Seine River with good company. We stopped for pizza and drinks, but primarily stayed in the 5th and 6th arrondissements.
Deux
Before arriving in Paris, we were warned about gypsies. I never expected to actually be confronted by them, but they loitered the streets of Paris, especially around the Eiffel Tower. My friend Adam, pictured above, had his sketchbook stolen from him, and they bribed him to buy it back from them. They started reaching for his wallet and eventually he had to push them off him. The sad part is, most of them are very young; they looked about 13 or 14. I had another friend who had about 20 + euro stolen from him.
The next morning we were up bright and early for a day of exploration. Most majors had required field trips, but since I am only taking electives, I had none.
I ended up getting lost by myself in the Latin District. Thankfully, I noticed a couple of landmarks, so I found my way home relatively easily. I really wanted to go inside Notre Dame during my little adventure, but the line stretched across the entire courtyard outside.
Saint Chapelle hidden behind government buildings that were guarded 24/7.
Life or death at a crosswalk in Paris. Traffic laws are so different here; cars will force themselves anywhere they want/need to go. There are no lanes usually, and scooters swerve in and out of cars, and sometimes onto the sidewalks.
Looking down the Seine River.. the Eiffel Tower is to the left behind the buildings.
I had been separated from a group of friends for a good part of the day, but I ran into Mike and the two of us decided to trek to the Eiffel Tower for a second time that day. We attempted to navigate the metro, which was way more difficult the first time than expected. We arrived in Trocadero, and walked through a park full of fountains, vendors, wedding parities, and a beautiful sunset. The pictures posted here of the Eiffel are completely untouched and unedited... the view was just that gorgeous.
Somehow, we managed to find a group of our friends in the sea of hundreds of hundreds of tourist and Parisians. We sat beneath the tower and watched it light up.
Then, we climbed the 300 steps to the second level of the tower, which terrified me beyond belief. My friends held on to me and made the experience wonderful.
After spending the evening at the Eiffel Tower again for the second time, a huge group of SCADies went to a club called Le Duplex located in sight of the Arc du Triomphe. I almost couldn't get in because I didn't have my license with me (I had left it in Lacoste), but somehow we convinced them to let me in with my SCAD ID and by simply stating my birthday. The club was very impressive, and completely underground. The entire venue was basically run by the SCAD kids, and we danced until 3:30 am.
Trois
College kids in their natural habitat.
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Spent time at the Louvre; I was more tired than I had been in my entire life. The museum was so incredibly huge; there was no way to see everything in one day. I focused my trip on paintings and Greek and Etruscan sculpture. The architecture of the building was just as impressive as the famous pieces themselves. However, there were so many people there that it became overwhelming pretty quickly. I spent about three hours there and then made the trek back to Hotel Home Latin.
The night before, Mike and I had contacted a Scooter company in hopes of renting one for the day to explore Paris. They had originally informed us that no mopeds were available, but after returning from the Louvre, we discovered that one was on its way to be delivered to us. After taking a much need nap, we set off on our adventure.
Mike had wanted to find a tattoo place in the 18th arrondissement called TinTin's. So that was our main goal. With Mike driving, I had the responsibility of navigating, which was extremely difficult because there is absolutely no organization to Paris. After several hours, we parked behind a church, climbed up a set of stairs, and came across this view:
The church, Sacre Coeur, was exquisite, overlooking the entire city of Paris. We sat and took in the view for a while before entering the church. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed in the church, so I have none. The architecture was interesting to me because normally the transepts of churches (the horizontal part near the altar) is completely straight: this was the first time I had seen a transept in the shape of a semicircle.
Mike had a feeling that we were close to the tattoo shop, so we parted from the church and made our way back down the hill. This part of the city seemed so wonderful and cultured and we were enjoying the scenery. Then, about 10 minutes into our walk, we realized we hit the Red Light District. The streets were lined with Sex shops, museums, prostitutes, and most bizarrely, families with their kids.
I was a little nervous, but seeing a lot of people calmed my fears. We finally found TinTin's and stumbled upon Moulin Rouge before returning to Sacre Coeur and our beloved Vespa.
(Space Invaders were to be found all over the city)
While Mike did not think we would make it back to our hotel, I was confident in my sense of direction. We drove out of the Red Light District, down cobblestone streets, around the Arc de Triomphe (do not recommend), and bypassed the Eiffel Tower. Eventually we made it home in time for a second nap.
Quatre
The Musee d'Orsay was an incredible experience. While I loved the Louvre, this museum was set up much better and allowed traffic to flow more easily in and around the exhibits. Pictures were also not allowed here, but I snuck a few! I started on the 5th floor, which was an entire wing dedicated to Impressionism. At the end of the hall was the huge clock, overlooking the city. In the second picture, you can actually see the church on the hill, Sacre Coeur.
This carnival was basically in the middle of Paris. The colors were beautiful and it made being lost a little better.
Later that day, we went to the Pompidoe, which is Europe's largest modern art museum. I was actually very impressed by the building and the set-up of the exhibits. A lot of the pieces were installations and interactive with the viewers.
Cinq
Adam was way too excited to eat fresh in Paris.
I ended my Paris trip by visiting the two places I wanted to see most: Saint Chapelle and the Pantheon. We started with Saint Chapelle, which was only 5 euros. Then we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower for the third time and picnicked underneath. Emily and I took a nap while Adam set up a time lapse with his camera. Then, we hopped on a bus and explored the Pantheon, which ended up being really close to our hotel. By 8:20 pm, we were back on the TGV to Avignon, and I was in my bed by 1:00 am in Lacoste.
The whole trip felt like a dream, and my friends and I found ourselves talking about our experiences at breakfast this morning. Until next time, Paris.
