Passport to Paris

Whew! Where to start? I haven’t written in a week, so we will start with the week before I left for Paris:

I moved out of my condo into a storage unit, and thanks to Devin, Chewy, and Epperson my furniture took about 30 mins to get out of house. My Mom and Dad came down to help me tame the destruction of the odds and ends into boxes.

The same day was Patrick’s Senior Day, and I am so proud of him for all his accomplishments! My parents and I went to his house to celebrate him and other seniors on their last home game. Congrats guys! It’s a bittersweet feeling.

I came home Sunday morning to start studying for my GRE on Tuesday afternoon and to think about packing. I went to Market with my mother on Monday to finalize the furniture for my dad’s office.  My GRE was Tuesday and after that beating I rushed home to start packing. Tuesday night brought terrible storms to Dallas which would eventually kick the stress of travel up several knots.

Mr. Gratzke helped me with a ticket to Paris, but I would fly standby. On Monday there were open seats so my chances for getting on were great. HOWEVER, Mother Nature threw a huge monkey wrench in the whole thing. Planes were damaged and flights were cancelled. So, many people trying to get to Europe or to other places in the United States had to find other routes. My flight was one of them. I didn’t get on and the panic started. Shout out to Mr. Gratzke for helping us try to find all the possible routes to Europe. On Thursday, Mr. Gratzke called me and told me that I needed to get to the airport for a flight to Boston pronto, so my mother, Tonya, and I dropped everything at Market and rushed to the airport. I managed a flight to Boston, and sat next to a man with an English Setter puppy. After holding it for a minute… I want one! I got to Boston at 10:00pm and thank goodness my flight to London was delayed so I made it in time. I even managed to fly first class from Boston to London so after a quick meal and two strong Vodka Tonics I was catching some major ZZZ’s. The London airport is wonderful! They have great shopping in their mall! BUT, I didn’t buy a thing because I really didn’t want to have to exchange money. By the way, it is so depressing exchanging USD to Euros L

After my flight from London to Paris, I was so excited to get to my apartment until I got into what was a moving death trap: Parisian Taxis. I will never EVER EVVVVVEEEEERRRR be a back seat driver after that experience.  He ran a red light and almost nailed a lady who screamed for her life! How she didn’t have a heart attack is beyond me! The motorcyclist here should be stunt doubles, because they have no fear. I am more afraid of being hit by a car than I am from being kidnapped. After an hour taxi ride in traffic I arrived to my apartment.

The place I am living is BEAUTIFUL! It was built in the 16^th century and if I remember correctly it housed soldiers. I was supposed to have three roommates, but I ended up only having one. So, she has one room and I have one room. The apartment is small, but my taxi driver informed me that it is in one the nicest parts of Paris. My roommates name is Anna and she is from Houston… small world!

After quickly throwing myself together, we were off to a welcome dinner where I ate French Onion Soup. I’m sure I am going to hear about this from Patrick, because I usually protest French Onion Soup. BUT, I loved it! Later that night we went out with some Parisians that my roommate had met earlier and went Salsa Dancing. The locals were so good, that I didn’t want to try it because I didn’t want to look like a fool. I danced some, but watching was truly fun! I got home at 5am and PASSED OUT from exhaustion.

On Saturday, we took a walking tour of Paris. We visited Notre Dame, and I was blown away. I also was blown away how my Keds made a nickel size blister. If you visit Paris bring some shoes that will not tear up your feet. Luckily, Paris is so beautiful that I mostly forgot about my blister. Although I studied French for a semester in college, I am very lost in French. I’m working on it, and also working on the lay of the land. I am so confused all the time, and just follow my other classmates.

On Sunday, we went on a bike tour and once again I was blown away by the city. We went through the Jewish area, and the smell of the food had my mouth watering. Almost all shops in Paris are closed on Sunday, but in the Jewish part of Paris they are open because they close their shops on Saturday. My favorite part was the gardens at Palais Royal that is right next to Louvre. If you ever go to the Louvre, make sure you check that out because it’s secluded but worth it.  Our tour guide told us that if you were to look at every painting in the Louvre for one minute it would take you a year to see everyone!

I’m sorry for the long post, I promise to update it more often and so that I remember more information.

Avoir!