Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart! (Name that movie!)

Arc de Triomphe at night

Bonjour! So this past weekend I went to Paris and it was amazing. Ran into a few bumps but overall the trip was great. Getting there was a bit of an issue due to the striking and rioting in Paris, but hey, I made it there and I made it back to Budapest. All is well.

So first of all, went out the night before my extremely long train ride and it was a terrible idea. I was extremely slow the next day and my head hurt, my stomach hurt, and my whole body basically hurt. It blew. It really really blew. At one point I was so upset I just wanted to sit down and cry. Luckily, being the trooper that I am (and after a phone call to my best friend back in the states who was gracious enough to answer the phone at 5am), I got to the station and got onto my train. It was different than I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a train like all my others and this one was a Rail Jet. The seats were really comfy and it was modern and pretty. The facilities were nice and there was a food cart that came around every so often. I was being spoiled, cause the train from Munich to Paris not as nice. I hardly slept and that's when I ran into some problems. Apparently they couldn't get us into the station because of rioters and we had to stop in Mannheim, Germany at 3am to take buses that were going to take us in "the direction" of Paris. The bus driver also warned us that people might try to stop the bus, but not to panic. It was slightly frightening. Turns out we got dropped off at Disney Paris and although it's supposed to be the happiest place on earth it was covered in armed guards that were in full military dress, berets, and big guns. I also got lost after I figured out the metro and had to call a cab to take me to the hotel and later I found out he totally jipped me. But why dwell on that when I was in Paris?!

Armed Guards at the Louvre just like the ones at Disney

Over the next three days I saw the Eiffel Tower (at all times of the day and in several types of weather), the Louvre, the Notre Dame, the Pompidou, Concorde, Opera House (where I saw Kiera Knightly, details to come), the Bastille, and the Arc de Triomphe. It was breathtaking. Paris is beautiful, but unfortunately also covered in tourists and vendors. The Eiffel Tower was my favorite at night and I absolutely loved seeing it sparkle. I felt like a complete kid again. It made me giggle I was so excited. The Louvre was filled with so many famous pieces and of course I saw the Monalisa, the big glass pyramid (which totally reminded me of the book Angels and Demons), and all the famous statues. Which I still don't understand how someone can make something so delicate and pretty out of stone. It amazes me. I lit candles for my family in the Notre Dame and thought of the Disney movie the entire time I was in there. Most exciting though was spotting Kiera Knightly and although she rejected taking a picture with me I spoke five words to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Plus Misia and I stole some pictures. It was such an adrenaline rush.

Unfortunately, Paris is also very expensive. It definitely made me a little bit more broke and it didn't help that I wanted to buy something for everyone. I did get a lot of Christmas shopping done though. Although, an elaborate meal was too expensive I still had my cheese plate (which I was most excited for), real french onion soup, fresh pastries in the morning, and delicious nutella and banana crepes.

Next stop is Rome and Venice. Let's hope I don't buy up a storm there too.