Paris

The Eurostar is a train that runs through different countries in Europe and it was supposed to take my from Amsterdam to Paris. I booked my ticket with my friends who were supposed to be in Amsterdam with me and we were supposed to pick the tickets up when we got to the station. What the website and later emails did not say was that we could only pick up the tickets at the train station in Brussels. You see my problem. So I got to the Amsterdam Central Train station with plenty of time only to find out that I couldn't get a ticket for the train I was supposed to be on. The lady behind the desk suggested that I buy a ticket to Brussels and go there first, get everything straightened out and then go on to Paris. I figured this was the best decision and buy a ticket and run to the platform of the train, which was leaving in 2 minutes. Of course, the train is pulling away as I get to the platform. So I am sitting there looking distraught enough for a woman to come up to me and start to comfort me and assure me that there is another train to Brussels in an hour, that I can just take that one. I sat on the platform waiting for the next train to Brussels and it turns out my train to Paris was on the same track. I was watching all these happy people with their tickets get on the train when I saw the conductor on the side of the train. I decided to go up to him and show him all my travel information, booking reference, etc, and try to talk my way on the train. The begging worked and I think he felt bad for me so he let me on board with no problems. I really learned how to ask for help and to take a chance on the kindness of strangers while I was traveling these past two weeks. Sometimes I felt like I was making it up as I went along.

Paris itself was an absolutely amazing city. I need to go back as I did not spend nearly enough time there. My friends flew to Paris and met me there at the home of a family friend of one of the girls I was traveling with. We stayed in a little countryside house in a suburb of Paris called Lozere with a family of four of the nicest people I've ever met. Adriene is a year younger than us and he met my friend Anita while they both worked in Hong Kong last summer. His family cooked Parisian food for us, helped us with all our planning and travels and fully welcomed us into their home. While I was there, we did all the touristy things: The Louvre, The Notre Dame, a wine tasting, The Sacre Coeur, the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triumph and of course, the Eiffel Tower. I also got to meet up with some friends from Tufts for a drink while we were there, which was great!

This is the four of us in front of the Eiffel Tower. We saved it for the last thing we did in Paris... we bought some baguettes and wine and enjoyed the views before we climbed up the tower.
It was really really pretty when the lights twinkled on the hour. The whole thing was enormous and just awe inspiring.
In front of the Arc de Triumph!
The Sacre Coeur was one of the most gorgeous cathedrals I've ever been into in my life. We had to climb up tons of stairs to get there, but it was totally worth it. The inside had the most beautiful mural on the wall and ceiling of Jesus being raised, it was just wonderful.
Tufts love in Paris! Rosanna is on the right and Cady is in the middle - they are both studying here for the semester and it was so great to see them. Cady is pretty much fluent in French now, and it was awesome to have them both speak/order etc for us and show us their favorite spots. They had us try Kir, which is a French cocktail made with white wine and black current liquor.
The food was amazing in Paris. We tried all the typical French foods, including escargot and fondu and crepes and croissants and meringue etc. etc. The street vendors (below) made great crepes and other snacks that were perfect for walking around and eating with sight seeing.

The Notre Dame is absolutely gorgeous. It was exactly what I thought it would be from the movies that we've seen, etc. I chose to put this picture up because from far away, you can start to imagine the presence it has because it is so huge.
We did the wine tasting in this little cellar through this company called O' Chateau that was close to the Louvre. We learned all about wine and how to tell the difference between different kinds and ages, etc. We learned how to properly taste it and smell it and how to pick apart the different ingredients. He also showed us where the different types of wine came from around France. It was a great little lesson and we got to have three very different, very good wines.

We pretty much ran through The Louvre... we did not have enough time to really appreciate everything that was there but some of the highlights included seeing the Mona Lisa and a few sculptures by Michaelangelo. Two of the girls I was traveling with, Jessi and Tessie, had taken classes on some of the art we saw, so it was cool for them to see the real thing right in front of us. For me, I was really excited to see the Pyramid in the front because I had done a project on I.M. Pei, the architect who designed it. The outside and the actual building of the Louvre was just as much of a piece of art as the works inside of it.

The River Seine runs through the general center of Paris and provides some really beautiful scenery. It rained for a good amount of time while we were in Paris, but the moments in the sun were really spectacular.

Finally, this is the little house we stayed in. It is so cozy and cute and really made us feel like home while we were staying there.