The City of Lights!

Bonjour tout le monde!

I made it back to St. Andrews this afternoon after a whirlwind trip to Paris, which, naturally was fantastic. It's hard to go wrong in such a beautiful city, and considering we were only there for three full days, we managed to see quite a lot! Photos are included at the bottom of the entry.

The highlight of the trip was definitely climbing the bell towers of Notre Dame, something I've always wanted to do but never had time to do before. For the record, it's a LOT of stairs. Like, the Persson steps. Seven times. In a circle. But even the stairs are amazing, with the footprints of 600 years' worth of climbers. And it's hands down the best view of Paris from a high point in the city (a close second is L'Arc de Triomphe, with the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre a distant 3rd and 4th). We were there on a beautiful day, so we had blue skies and sunshine over the city. We made friends with a few gargoyles, too, which you can't do on the ground looking up at the cathedral. They're awfully cute. Oh, and the other highlight of the trip to Notre Dame was that it was a Sunday morning and a service was going on--so I got to hear a choir AND the Notre Dame organ(!) play! And the religion major in me was geekily delighted to see all the rituals of Mass take place in this site where they've been being performed (albeit in various manners) for centuries. It was definitely a visit I'll never forget.

Notre Dame was followed by a failed shopping excursion, as everything was closed on Sunday, and then we ascended Montmartre for a very interesting evening. Our waiter at the brasserie was an Irishman, who had plenty to say (much of it inappropriate!) about Scotsmen and just about us in general. I don't believe I've ever laughed so hard at a dinner in my life.

Monday in Paris was quite a special treat: we experienced freezing rain, blizzard levels of snow, and clear blue skies, all before 11am. It makes for very interesting photos of the Eiffel Tower: the ones up close show the Tower in a blizzard, while the distance ones look sunny and beautiful. But they were all taken the same morning! That's Paris weather for you, I suppose.

Other highlights included seeing the Code of Hammurabi at the Louvre (along with the usual other exhibits: my standard favorites are Winged Victory and the Napoleon III apartments), touring the Opera Garnier (basis of the Phantom of the Opera--sadly, Erik didn't join us on the tour), and lots of delicious pastries and crepes (which we consumed in moderation--NOT!).

We started ranking the things we could do for 5 Euros in Paris, so here is my list of favorites:

1. Climb the bell tower of Notre Dame.
2. Drink chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) at Cafe Francais on the Place de la Bastille.
3. Tour Opera Garnier.
4. Collect an assortment of pastries from the patisseries along Rue Faubourg-St. Antoine and eat them on the steps of the Opera de la Bastille.
5. Buy a Nutella crepe (well, two!) and eat it as you walk home through the City of Lights.

Also, for you intrepid adventurers heading the Paris yourselves, here are a couple of restaurant recommendations:

1.Cafe Francais, located on the main circle of Place de la Bastille directly opposite the opera house. Prices are decent, and if something is more expensive, it's because it's well worth it (for instance, their hot chocolate...).

2. Cafe/Restaurant Latin St-Germain, across from the Museum of the Middle Ages on Boulevard St. Germain-de-Pres. Best quiche I've ever had and some of the most reasonable prices I've seen in Paris. Also, they have shark steak--what's not to like?

Paris is still my favorite city in the world, and I am already planning a return journey later this spring to see the Luxembourg Gardens, the Tuileries, Giverny, and the Loire valley when they are most beautiful. Can't wait!

Well, tomorrow it's back to the reality of St. Andrews orientation...more about St. A later! It's bedtime for me.

A bientot!

~L

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=181806&id=579896063&l=92bcec70ca

PS- More photos will be coming soon! I took 959 on this trip, so sorting through them may take awhile.... :)