Patrick in Paris: Part 2 (Bastille Day)

We were able to peel ourselves away from the bed, and get on the metro late but still made it the Grand Army Parade. My friend from college, Micalea (a new Micalea), got into town and came with us to celebrate Bastille Day. We got a great spot near the Concorde UNTIL two oriental women decided to trick us into getting in front of us! They acted as if they needed to speak to the Police that were right next to us, and then stopped after we made room for them. Those little snakes! Ana and Micalea  pushed their way back in front of them, and I made the "I'm with them" move. However, the taller one was a total “b-word” and was not about budge. So, I just made her life miserable with bumps here and there to remind her of the consequences of her decision to cut people. Enjoy your blurry photos!The march was spectacular and I really wish that the USA would have something comparable. Every branch of the military marches down, chanting their platoons song, swinging their swords, and marching in unison! Also, there so many different planes that flew over the street. AND, they even had huge tanks and other military vehicles that were shown off. It made even an American prideful for the French Military and I wish the US would do the same to allow the great women and men of our country to be seen in a different light. The coolest part was that some soldiers got to march after just serving in Afganistan. I only knew this by my new found ability to listen around me (it was my way of trying to hear English at the drop of a hat) because a French man was telling his American girlfriend why everyone was clapping.

Note: On the Fourth of July, Americans always wear red, white, and blue. You look alien if you don’t. So, I got dressed thinking “better dress in red, white and blue so that I blend in with the French today.” WRONG! No one really wore red, white and blue unless you count the American girls I saw on the metro that got the same idea as me. I felt like an utter tourist.

After the parade it was back on the metro to Notre Dame. I have been so many times, but still find something new and magical! After that, we met up with Magen and Tyler and were going to head to Trocadero (a metro stop that has the best view of the Eiffel Tower). Wrong. Due to the festivities, they had blocked it off so we got a picture but nothing near what it could have been. We decided we would try to make it down around the Eiffel Tower, but were once again with countless road blocks as they prepared for the firework display that night. But, as a good tour guide I took them to the Alexander Parodi Bridge where it was “take your wedding photos day,” because there were a handful of brides (in gaudy dresses I might add) taking photos on the breathtaking bridge. HAHA the hairstyles on some of those brides were a bit odd (I’m being polite, because I am typing this on a Sunday).

That night, Patrick and I met up with some of my friends from my university to watch the fireworks behind the Eiffel Tower! We were starving and went to get some food, but the lines were never ending! I looked over and saw watermelon and cantaloupe for sale and Patrick and I immediately bought some… we instantly felt rejuvenated.  The fireworks were unbelievable! Every year they theme the fireworks display and this year I am assuming it was famous plays. They played so many American songs (New York New York and Chicago to name a few) and I was very confused as to what was happening. Had we been in American and they played French songs, the country would be livid. BUT, it was magical and I felt extremely blessed to have witnessed it! AND it made up for me missing the fireworks on Julth 4th. AND I got to sing along!

Since there were a zillion people at the Eiffel Tower, Patrick and I were not about to take the metro (hahaha I should have just to see his face again). So we took my handy dandy map and walked home… in a sea of people. I felt like I was in a massive school of fish.  Patrick was in shock at how crowded the streets were. After getting back to the apartment we HAD to get a bite to eat, and then we were off to bed because Versailles awaited us early in the morning!

Patrick In Paris: Part 1

So. I know. I am a TERRIBLE BLOGGER. Good thing I am not getting paid to do this. BUT, it is all for good reason. I have been super busy with the last week of school, Patrick arriving in Paris, friends arriving in Paris, and Bastille Day.

 My weekend was a slow one, because it was the one prior to exams.  On Saturday, I went to the Invalides to see the Musee d’Army and it is now my favorite museum in Paris! My mind was thoroughly captured looking at the progression of weaponry and armor. I even got to see the armor worn by Knights! I felt like I was in the movie “A Knights Tale” and I wanted to quote “It’s called a lance, hello!” After that we went to see the Napoleons Tomb and I now have filled my head with extravagant ideas about my own funeral. Even in all the excitement of what I was seeing, I did get a little chocked up. Growing up, mom would always take pictures of us girls on the cannons at The Battery in Charleston. It has become almost a slideshow of how we have grown. There were so many cannons at the Military Museum that it made me really miss my family. Ana asked if I wanted a picture with one, but with the Barnes girls it is very much “one for all and all for one.” So, I just took in a moment where I felt like my mom and sisters were there. I was waiting to hear her voice telling me to stop making funny faces and to quit messing with Randi. I decided to spend my entire Sunday in my apartment to relax and really prepare myself for exams. Pathetic, but I was preparing myself for the week ahead of me:

On Monday, I did get to see more the city that I love. My classmate and friend, Erin, and I went to study in the Luxembourg Garden. We felt trés cool sitting out there amongst all the Parisians, acting not as a tourist but as a student (It’s like being bumped up a class on an airplane… nothing to brag about but something worth noting).  This past Tuesday, after rocking my exam my friend Micalea and I went to St. Chappell, and after waiting in a short line were very shocked at what we came into. St. Chappell as the most amazing stain glass! We sat down and just stared at the walls in utter amazement. We both came unprepared without our cameras, but my iPhone did do a lot of justice. I then took her to St. Severin and St. Sulpice.

Wednesday was finally here! It was the day Patrick would arrive, I would finish my last exam, my friend Magen would be in town, and the festivities for Bastille Day would start. After again rocking my 2^nd exam, I was running to the metro to get to the airport. However, the metro stood in my way by closing the lines for metro tickets and thus making me stand in a line with train tickets and taking an hour! BUT, I made it to the airport and found Patrick for a very long overdue kiss! Then it was a mad dash to my apartment to drop off the luggage, change (because I was wearing shorts and FREEZING… yup I walked around Paris looking like “that girl” who didn’t look at the weather). Then it was off to meet my friend, Magen, and her brother-in-law, Tyler, in front of Notre Dame. Poor Patrick was starring at Notre Dame with ants in his pants wanting to go inside, but we had other plans to go to St. Chappell (which is just around the corner).  They loved it and I loved listening to Magen and Tyler’s stories of their travels as they backpacked through Europe.  

After St. Chappell it was off to the Luxembourg Garden, but took a slight detour so I could show Magen, and avid lover of books, the famous bookstore: Shakespeare and Co. Her eyes got huge walking around, and I felt like a great tour guide helping uncover pieces of Paris that can go un-noticed in the rest of all the excitement of the monuments. Arriving at the Luxembourg Garden, we all were in for a BIG SHOCK of two homeless people performing pretty risqué acts. The biggest shocker is that no one was doing anything about it. I wasn’t even prepared for that “scene.” As always, Luxembourg was awe-inspiring, and after asking a couple of old men where the original Statue of Liberty was in perfect French (My French isn’t that good, but I like to brag when I get it right) we found it! We parted ways after the Luxembourg Garden, and Patrick and I were off to explore more of the city.

I think the ants in Patrick’s pants had become unbearable because he wanted to go back to Notre Dame. The look on his face was unforgettable, as he wandered around inside trying to wrap his head around what he was seeing. Two months ago, I was that girl. I reminded me just how close I was to leaving the city, and how incredibly lucky I was to have been on this amazing adventure in my life. After, Notre Dame we decided to take the metro to The Louvre. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I now welcome you to Patrick’s first experience with a crowded metro. You should have seen his face, and we missed 4 trains due to his fear with that many people around him. After the fourth missed metro, we were back on foot walking our way to the Louvre. We stopped to eat, where Patrick got his first bowl of Onion Soup.

At the Louvre, we went to see the Mona Lisa, the Greek Sculptors, and a real treat for me (because I had yet to see it): Napoleon II’s Apartments. Walking around you get lost in how in must have been to lived there back then. I think I day dreamed the entire time.

That night, the festivities for Bastille Day started. We started the night at our favorite bar off Rude de Canettes. In Paris, on the night before Bastille Day all the firehouses throw huge parties to raise money for their firehouse. We however, got there late and were not about to stand in line for 2 hours to get inside. So, it was off to an Irish Pub for more drinks! Then it was off to another bar, before getting home around 3am. We had to be up around 8 in order to get ready for the Grand Army March on the Champs Elysees.