First Few Days

This is my third day in Paris, and it's still hard to believe I'm actually here!

It took a little while to get over the jet lag, but today feels like a normal day. It's 7 hours ahead here so its really weird to think that while its about 4:00 here, it's only 10:00 back home! We got to the hostel around noon yesterday and were ready to go back to bed, but the leaders made us stay awake to try and get on european time.

We're staying at a youth hostel in a neighborhood a little south of the main area of Paris. But from the terrace on top of the building is a clear view of the Eiffel tower. It's really sweet! And you can see all over Paris. So after a little meeting and getting settled into our rooms, we went for a walking tour around the city, led by one of the group leaders. Not even a block away from our hostel is the Luxembourg Gardens. It is gorgeous, with lots of colorful flowers, giant fountains,  and even palm trees- which really made me happy :) After the gardens we went and saw a bunch of old cathedrals, one of them was the oldest in Paris-St. Germain Des Pres. While walking around I had my first purchase in Paris- a caramel macchiato from Starbucks.... you would think I would get something that's authentic and french, but no. I really needed coffee after being up for 30 hours! But, for dinner I got a crepe with nutella and banana. It was so so good! It was more like a dessert than a real meal, but I don't care, I am in Paris :)

Today we had a short meeting with the group and learned how to use the metro station, which is an underground subway. We all bought some tickets and were on our way. I was surprised at how easy it is, even though everything is in another language! Thats one thing that is so crazy- everyone here looks like they could be American (but they're a little more upscale and trendy), but when they open their mouths and speak French, it quickly reminds me that I'm not in the States. I'm picking up on some french phrases pretty fast, which makes sense when you're around it all the time. Anyways- after getting the metro tickets we made our way to MoneMartre, the highest point in Paris. On top of the hill is the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. It was a climb to get up but once we got there it was a beautiful view of the whole city.  There was so many people there. Some people trying to sell little toys and souvenirs were all over the place! The group started splitting up, so me and two other girls went to the Moulin Rouge. A very interesting part of Paris, but I was kind of surprised at how small it was. I was happy to see the red windmill on top of the building, just like in the movie.

We got on the metro again and made our way to the Arc de Triomphe. That was really neat! Surrounding it is this intersection where 7 major streets come together, its absolutely crazy madness. I would not like to drive in that area! This neighborhood, the Champs-Elyees, is kind of a major hub with numerous shops and restaurants. They were all designer brand stores that were way out of my price range but it was still fun to see the Louis Vuitton of Paris. I really like this area of Paris, it was very busy with lots of people, but so much fun!

It's been so much fun so far and I'm getting to know the other students on the trip pretty well- I guess that happens when you're all thrown together in a foreign country! I look forward to sharing other amazing memories, and hopefully getting some pictures up soon too!


 "Adventure is worthwhile in itself."- Amelia Earhert