Au revoir de Paris Trois (Goodbye Paris Day 3)

It was my last day in Paris, and I wasn’t ready to go. We finished breakfast, and rounded everyone up to go to the Louvre.

We originally planned to rent bikes and peddle down the Seine River to the Louvre, but our plans were quickly thwarted when we discovered we couldn’t use pay for them unless you had a special pass. Oh well, we managed to find the nearest metro, and made our way to the Louvre.

The feeling I had when I walked in, and made my way up the stairs can be summed up in one word: overwhelming. From the outside it may not look that big, but it would be a feat to see ever single piece displayed here. I heard someone say that if you observed every piece for a minimum of 30 seconds you would be there for years, and still not see every inch of this place.

I entered the first hallway, and it was a mass of people filing through trying to take in some of the most famous piece of art. Last spring I had taken a class that covered a large range of European artist and their work, and I could believe I was actually in front of the real thing. Obviously we there were specific pieces we all were dying to see like the Mona Lisa, and as we made our way in to the room, you couldn’t even see it. The only sign we had to the exact location was the massive crowd surrounding her and snapping dozens of pictures.

As I continued to explore what was quite possibly the most fascinating museum in the world I walked past some incredible pieces from Da Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks to The Wedding Feast to the Venus de Milo. I spent over two hours in there and only seeing a very small fraction of the exhibits, but what I did see was astounding. One thing I noticed as I was walking around everything, including the information about the pieces was in French. It made it difficult to really understand and appreciate the pieces that I was seeing for the first time.

After leaving the Louvre, we made our way to the Arc de Triomph. From that point a number of streets meet at this one point. The architecture of the arc was amazing; it is hard to full take it all in. From there I was on a mission to try a macaron before I left Paris. I was given a couple of suggestions of places to go, but sadly they were all closed. I stopped in at a place called Pierre Hermé. I got a few different kinds, and as I took a bite of one, it instantly melted in my mouth, it was pure bliss.

Kristy, one of the girls I was with had visited Paris a few years ago with her sister, and mentioned that we needed try this monster of a sandwich called “The Grec”. We made our way to this tiny hole in the wall place to try the infamous Grec. I’m sure you’re asking yourself, what exactly is a “Grec”? It is a pita roll split open with a delectable cucumber and dill sauce, followed by fresh romaine lettuce, onions, tomatos, hamburger patties with cheese, and stuffed with french fries. Sure it sounds like a heart attack, but it tastes like heaven. It was the perfect last meal to have in Paris.

We made our way around Paris for one last time, stopping at the Eiffel Tower to say our last goodbyes. We headed back to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the students, boarded the coaches, and made our way back to the train station.

MOVIE TRIVIA:

For all you Jason Bourne fans out there, our guide was sure to point out the street right outside the station where they filmed part of the first movie. Our guide said, “You may have not seen any famous people while you were in Paris, but at least when you go home you can say, Hey I saw the spot where Matt Damon stood!”

Of course we all laughed, partly because that would pathetic if any of us said that, and partly because it sounded like a good anecdote to break the ice!

We boarded our train to go back home. Weird isn’t it, that for us to say we’re going home and we’re referring to London. But I guess it’s true it really has become our home away from home. On that note, I miss you all very much, and I cannot wait to tell you about my next adventure!

Pictures: Paris Day 3