Paris - Des Jours Un et Deux!

Bonjour! So I have been in Paris for two days and it has been amazing!! The flights over here were interesting. The first one took me in the opposite direction of Paris, Chicago, where I had a two hour lay over which was just enough time to grab a snack, use the bathroom, and call loved ones :-) . The eight hour flight to Paris was a little uncomfortable, I do not recommend American Airlines in international flights. My first trip to Paris in 2004 was on Air France, it was spacious and each chair had its own screen for movies, radio, and games. American Airlines was cramped, had screens for movies but were small and hard to see. Furthermore, the food was not as tasty. Unfortunately my friend sitting next to me became sick in the beginning of the flight and it was rather nasty. Luckily I was able to get her a bag on time and clean up was not too bad. Sleeping was little to none as there was no space to stretch out and there were rowdy children who apparently do not sleep. Lets just say landing was blessing.

After getting out bags (thank god my arrived, no one lost there bags) we headed to our hotels. Most of the students stayed in the Hotel Virgina but due to lack of open rooms, others also stayed in a nearby Quality Hotel...both located in the 14th arrondissment. Since the rooms were not ready since it was only 11:30 Parisian Time (5:30 am in the States) we put our bags in a room and walked around the neighborhood to get better acquainted. Of course by this point I am deliriously tired but I was excited about seeing the neighborhood. We walked to a nice nearby park that was beautiful and will definitely be place for a picnic. After walking around for a bit, we headed back to Hotel Virgina and I was really happy to get moved in and take a much needed nap. My roommate, Paige, didn't fly with us so she hadn't arrived yet. I took about a two hour nap and prepared my self for the boat tour that night.



After my nap I took a shower and Paige arrived! We got acquainted and headed off together for the boat tour sur la Seine! The river boat cruise was beautiful! Unfortunately it was cloudy and a bit chilly and eventually rained but the sights were still gorgeous. It had a phone on every seat where you could select your language and listen to various commentary about the buildings and monuments we passed. I sat next to Morgan on the right hand side and was able to get some great pictures and learn a lot about the building history of Paris.

By the end of the boat ride, everyone was starving, and me having to pee since before the boat ride started, was anxious to get to a nearby restaurant. Luckily, we got on a metro that had a bathroom which was nasty but my bladder needed it. We headed to the Latin Quarter, an area filled with students and thousands of good, cheap restaurants. This place is truly amazing and the restaurant we ate at was beautiful and the food delicious. I had salade mixste (salad), poulet et frites (chicken and fries), et la tarte du jour (French apple pie, very different than the American version). Although not the healthiest dishes other than the salad, it was delicious and only 13 Euros. Oh, and a bit of white wine which was delicious but knocked up my bill 5 Euros.

After dinner, everyone was near exhaustion and turned in for the night. I thought I would fall asleep right away with the way I was feeling but once I got back to the hotel it wasn't the easiest. I think it was because of the excitement. However I did eventually fall asleep and slept till about 7:30 the next day.

I woke up after only 6 hours to go running in Paris and my I say it was definitely worth it. Although no one else was feeling as adventurous as I was, the morning run by myself was refreshing and I went back to the park we went the other day. It felt great outside and if you ever get the opportunity to run in the morning in Paris, DO IT.

After my run we went on about a four hour long bike ride that was an absolute blast. We got to ride the streets of Paris seeing the sights and getting some great information on where to visit. The tour guide was cutie from Texas and had only been in Paris since January so he was obviously easy to understand. I had a few close calls with the traffic but overall it was amazing. The tour was easy going and anyone could do it, practically zero hills and slow paced. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone, Fat Tire Bike Tour. I am thinking about taking the night bike ride soon and see Paris lite up. The night tour also concludes with a wine tasting on a boat on the Seine for about 27 Euros...Yes.

After the bike ride I came back to the hotel with Paige, my roomie, and just hung out for a bit relaxing. Around 5:00 we hit a local Chinese restaurant where I ate some calamari which was delicious. Of course anything fried is delicious. Now I am relaxing again until tonight.


Missing home but loving Paris!!