Bon Jour! Yes that’s right, I am now officially tri-lingual. Maybe not quite but I now know how to say toilet in French. Spoiler alert- it’s toilette. Paris was on the absolutely do not miss list so I made a point of it to make it happen. Papa Jack said of all the places he was when he was hanging out over here, he loved Paris the most. I totally understand why.
While I was expecting everything to be quaint, back-alley, eat cheese and wine all day, listen to accordion players on each corner, stuff your face with crepes kind of experience…Paris is a huge city! So once I got that delusion out of my thick little head, I took the city of lights by storm. With a group of seven girls, we split up the days with sights and aimless wandering to ensure full coverage.
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- Notre Dame
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- Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
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- Champs- Elysee
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- Musee d’Orsay along the Seine River
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- Lock Bridge across the Seine River
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- Le Lourve
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- Salvador Dali museum
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- Arc de Triomphe
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- Torre Eiffel
I made it to Le Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, Champs-Élysées, Torre Eiffel, Basilica of the Sacré Cœur, an awesome museum of a ton of Salvador Dali’s work, Moulin Rouge, Monmatre, and all the little twists and turns in between. Let me break it down for you. Le Louvre is giant and the Mona Lisa is the size of a postage stamp. Musee d’Orsay had a fashion exhibit and there were way fewer people so I could soak in all the impressionism at my own pace without feeling claustrophobic Being in Europe has made me really like art- I feel like a fancy cultural lady. The Arc de Triomphe has a better view than the Torre Eiffel because you actually get to see the Torre Eiffel from the top. The stairs were nauseatingly spiral-like but it was worth the near-vomit. Champ-Elysees is not nearly as magnificent as the Magnificent Mile. Sorry Paris, Chicago will always have a special place in my heart. Torre Eiffel is surreal to see up close and it’s even more fun when the ticket lady doesn’t make you pay to ride up to the top. Basilica of the Sacré Cœur was way cooler than Notre Dame- underrated for sure. Sure Notre Dame may have had a hunchback but the Basilica has a mosaic of a Jewish star! Don’t see that one too often. Salvador Dali’s exhibit was prompted by a friend who has something of a crush on Senor Dali but I am so happy I went. Some of the most bizarre work I’ve seen but all had a story or a meaning behind it. Moulin Rouge was in a fun area- when I say fun I mean sex shops out the wazoo but how could we not make it there? Plus there was a Starbucks across the street.
What can I say? You can take the girl out of America but you can’t take America out of the girl…
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