Europe- The Parisian Experience
I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I blogged! So much has changed since then. When I rang in 2011, yes 2011, not 2012, I made a decision that I was going to stop waiting for things to happen and start being more proactive and make things happen! I was determined to see somewhere new, and I did! I went to Mexico with one of my best friends from Luxembourg. It was an amazing experience. When that was over, I decided my next stop would be Europe. A week and a half ago I returned from an absolutely unforgettable experience.
I decided I wanted to go to France and Italy. I chose Aer Lingus because it was much cheaper than Air France and the reviews said the service was comparable. I can honestly say my experience was good. The staff was friendly and the seats very comfortable for sleeping. I even made a friend although I'm not the most sociable person when flying. His name was Eddie, an 18 year old Malaysian fashion major who was on his way to Rome to start the summer semester. He got into my good graces by assuming I was his age. After a while though, I had to emphasize that I hadn't had much sleep and needed to pass out. The layover in Ireland was brief and Eddie and I parted ways as he headed to Rome and I headed to Paris. As I landed and collected my suitcases, Sarah was waiting for me to take me to Emma's. It was there that I had my first cappuccino. What an experience. I think I'm ruined..I'll never be content with the NY sugar laden cappuccino's they serve here.
Oh Paris! It was just as beautiful as I expected. The buildings all have the same quaint look, even the department stores. It was difficult for me to figure out the difference between apartment buildings and businesses. The preservation of those buildings are what makes the city so enticing to tourists. The attire was different to what is portrayed in movies. Everyone is so casual, and the typical French "look" is effortless. They don't wear a lot of makeup or put a lot of effort into styling their hair, and their clothing is simple! Hardly anyone wears heels because the roads are all cobblestone! Thank God I packed ballet flats. One of the first things I understood after visiting Paris was why everyone is so skinny. It's because they walk everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. Hence the reason they all wear comfortable footwear! Paris is very much like New York in that it's a very busy city. Yet somehow they always seem to have time to relax and socialize. That's the difference between New York and Paris. New Yorkers never seem to stop running, while Parisian's are able to stop and enjoy a good meal and good company.
I learned that Parisian's love to hang out on "terraces" which is basically just outdoor seating. The difference is, the seats all face the street and they partake in "people watching". Yes, they just sit there, eat, socialize, and drink wine while watching people go about their business. Drinking wine was the best part of my trip. We paid around 4-5euro for a bottle of wine in most of the restaurants we visited. My favorite red French wine is called Saint Emilion. It's not too dry and not too sweet. You can tell when wine is good when it evaporates quickly in your mouth and leaves virtually no aftertaste. I mostly drank white wine on my trip, but I can honestly say every wine I tried in Paris was good wine! Another European classic that I fell prey too was gelato. Sarah can attest to the fact that I ate two scoops of gelato EVERY DAY for a week while on vacation. On two occasions I had it TWICE a day; it was THAT good. Amorino's is one of the most popular gelato places in Paris and turns out you can get it right here in NY too. I haven't tried it so I don't know if it tastes the same..
My first bottle of wine in Paris
Can you guess who the chocolate cone belongs too?
Everywhere in Paris has some sort of history behind it. We walked by the infamous Moulin Rouge on our way too Sacré-Cœur or Sacred Heart church in Paris which overlooks the entire city. It must have been beautiful at night, but I was told Paris is famous for pickpocketers or "gypsies" as they call it. One of my favorites was visiting the lock bridge. Lovers write their names on a lock, hook it on the bridge and lock it, and throw the key into the river. We found one lock wrapped in band aids! We're assuming things didn't work out for that couple and they didn't want their lock on the bridge anymore. The Louvre Museum is so unbelievably huge. It's a 2-3 day affair; there's just too much history to get through in one day. A must see is the Mona Lisa (of course) although you will be surprised at how small it is. A bit disappointing actually. We walked over that "famous" bridge where people propose in Paris. I still don't know the name of that bridge so it will just be known as "that famous bridge". The Ifill tower at night-absolutely gorgeous although my camera refused to co-operate and take a clear picture of it at night.
Moulin Rouge
The Lock Bridge
Outside the Louvre Museum
Mona Lisa
On my last night in Paris the girls made dinner and we all sat down to eat and drink wine. It was the best way to end the first part of my vacation. Emma made this amazing French dessert called Tarte Tatin which is similar to apple pie but one thousand times better. I'm awaiting her recipe so I can try to make it myself.
This was the end of 1/3 of my vacation. Stayed tuned for Europe- The Italian Experience <3
