Paris je t'aime ♥

Note: to fully enjoy this post, I suggest you hold down the Ctrl key + click on this link and let the music play in the background! ♫♪

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiiOC2HmBd4&list=PL484283F09A87717B&feature=plpp_play_all

Amila and I, Paris 2010

Around the same time I arrived in Ireland, I found out that my friend James, from CEGEP, who has been working as a volunteer on various farms in France for the last 6 months, would be in Paris for a few days to before catching his connecting flight back to Canada at the end of February. I know what you're thinking... how does a trip to Paris work into Irish Shenanigans?!? Well to those outraged by this concept, I would like for you to consider that, after a month in Ireland, perhaps the title could refer to the mischief I get into while I am unofficially Irish. Especially since I now have my student immigration card! ☺

Also, Amila and I spent a mere 5 hours there back in 2010 during a long layover on our way to Italy and only managed to conquer the Mona Lisa wing of the Louvre, which means that I considered Paris and I to have some unfinished business! And thus, the expensive plane ticket (as we are in the midst of 6 Nations' season) and skipping classes on Monday and possibly even Tuesday were not going to keep me from flying to the city of love ♥. I packed my bags and, after some minor hiccups, wound up at the St Christopher's Hostel in the North-East end of the City Center late in the afternoon on Saturday, February 25th.

Naturally, having been up since 4:30am, I was quite tired, but I was armed with my need to make every waking hour of the trip worthwhile, and thus after throwing my bag under my bunk, I set out on my own right away to discover the city at night... and what marvelous sights it did offer! I started at the Louvre, where we left off, and sauntered towards Notre-Dame-de-Paris, where I had a crêpe at a little café nestled in it's shadow.

The first lesson I drew from my trip to Italy with Amila, was that the most important thing to do when you get to a new city is to arm yourself with a map, tuck it safely away in your purse, and get completely lost wandering the streets, after which you are allowed to pull it back out and test your orientation skill to find your way back. The second lesson I'd like to share with you all is the fact that every city has 2 faces: day and night. If you only explore new places during one of these, take note: you're missing out on so much!

When I felt like it was getting late enough, I made my way back to the hostel and, just as I  was about to curl  up with my Journal in the dorm, one of the guys who was sitting there decided to strike up a conversation. Imagine  my surprise  when  he  introduced himself  as  Richard...  yes  from  Ireland!

Left to right around: Michael, Stephen, Richard,
Viktor, David, Nathaniel, Sarah, Therese, Emma, Eric

Dublin nonetheless! I can't help but point out how ironic it is that it took me going to Paris in order to finally meet someone from Ireland in my age group (the kids in my classes have been keeping to themselves mostly and run out of class as soon as the lectures are over). A few moments later, Nathaniel, just off the plane from Argentina, walked into the room and the ingredients necessary for a fun and beer-filled night full of new people were at hand. I met 6 others from Ireland (Cork and Galway), all newly graduated teachers, 2 more from Argentina, 1 Brazilian, and 3 more Canadians! We sat in the common-room at the hostel, singing songs and exchanging stories.

Me after my limited sleep,
breathing in the morning air!

After 4 hours of sleep, I was up and ready to make the most of my sunny Sunday! Richard, David and I made our way to Place Saint-Michel to join the walking tour of Paris, stopping at a bakery on the way for fresh baguettes and pastries! There we met up with Nathaniel and met an Australian, named Richard, who happened to be staying at the same hostel as us. The tour was 3.5 hours long, but under the animated speech of Naomi, our Scottish History Major tour guide, time flew by! I couldn't possibly relate ALL the information we processed that day, but here's a fun one:

The oldest bridge in Paris is called Pont-Neuf because it was the first bridge to be erected out of stone. It was inaugurated under Henry IV through a grand ball, at which everyone was merry and drunk, including the king. In his drunken stupor, he decided it would be a good idea to commemorate the successful party he threw by asking his royal artist to sketch caricatures of each of his guests. The next morning, he looked over them and thought it was a stupid idea and his guests would be embarrassed to receive portraits of themselves, so he ripped them apart. He then called his royal sculptor and asked him to sculpt each of his guests' faces instead, thinking they would be more durable than a simple piece of parchment. These heads were later placed all along the bridge.

We had a little coffee break during the tour, at which point David completely ruined all future hot chocolate for me by introducing me to some of the most delicious dark hot chocolate I have ever had! Unfortunately, I failed to note the restaurant's name, which is close to the Louvre. But I'm quite certain it could never be topped!

After a short afternoon nap, I got up to make my way over to see the Eiffel Tower at night and was getting ready to go when Richard asked to accompany me... with a bottle of white wine to bring to the table. How could I refuse such a good offer! And thus, I fulfilled the cliche, which is wine under the Eiffel Tower. (I can imagine that this item is likely to be on some bucket lists out there). We sat in that little park for a time, basking in the enchanting atmosphere that is Paris. Then we headed out to join others from the hostel on a pub crawl, that turned out to be quite disappointing, perhaps because my expectations were too high from all the reports I've heard from friends. At least it started in front of Moulin Rouge!

Monday, I set out to enjoy some of the best panoramic views in Paris starting with the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur and ending up at the top of Notre-Dame-de-Paris! What fun it was to see some of the gargoyles up close and personal! So much history and grand architecture is contained within that Gothic church!

That evening, James finally arrived in Paris, and we got to catch up and spend the night with all the others at the hostel, playing cards! It wasn't even close to enough time, but I enjoyed every moment of it! What a funny feeling it gave me to meet a friend from home halfway across the world. And this was the first time I traveled somewhere completely alone, which turned out to be an enriching experience!

So, till next time, j'vous kiffe!