Paris was amazing. But, I am tired. So tired that I hopped on an earlier train and left late Sunday night instead of waiting until Monday morning to come back. I am forcing myself to chill out a little and stay in Geneva for the next two weeks.
It's tough coming to Europe for the first time and knowing you have limited time, but there is SO SO SO much to see and do. All of this can be done for reasonably cheap too, which makes it even harder to resist traveling like a crazy person.
One of my favorite cheap and educational things to do when traveling to a new city is to go on the "FREE" walking tours. They aren't technically free because everyone is highly encouraged to make a donation, but they are usually the best tours. Most of the tour guides are students or freelance workers who just love the city and are usually walking history books. My short-attention span means that I don't learn much from sitting and reading about the history of things, so this is perfect. They walk you around for three hours, hit the highlights and show you little gems in the city that only the locals know about.
If you're ever in a bigger city I highly suggest looking up Sandeman's free walking tours. I have done them in Paris, and two in Amsterdam and they have always been awesome.
I took a train to and from Paris, which was an awesome decision. They are much comfier than airplanes and you get to see some pretty gorgeous countryside. I found a deal online and the roundtrip train ticket was only like 110 Euro.
Back in October, everyone back home was raving about the beautiful fall colors, pumpkins, and spiced lattes. It seems like the fall colors have just showed up in the last few weeks in Europe. In the last few days it feels a little more like winter. It's gotten colder and is raining a lot.
So.Much.Love.In.Paris.
The first day I pretty much just walked around the city. Kind of aimlessly, really. I had read online that the 69 city bus was just as good as any tour bus and has a great route through the city that hits all the major highlights. I hopped on this bus when it started to rain, and just looked around.
I saw the Notre Dame Cathederal which was very beautiful and impressive. The detail in those arches is really amazing and you have to see it with your own eyes to believe it.
Quick apology to all the beautiful people of Paris who spend hours getting ready and picking out the perfect heels and coat to match their perfect make up and hair, all to spend a few hours gracefully walking the streets and sipping tea at a cafe. I am not that girl. Don't get me wrong, I love love love dressing up. Just not when I'm walking 12 hours per day, in on and off rain storms and traveling with just a backpack. Sorry, can't do it.
Shoutout to my new friend who took this picture. It's always funny when people walk up and ask you to take their photo, and you're like, here, now you can take mine. Thanks. And for a few seconds you feel like you've bonded with that person because you're both loners wandering around an odd city. It's one of those weird things that think about when you travel solo.
Reflecting on my solo travels, one of the biggest things I've learned being over here is that the world isn't a scary place. Before I got over here (meaning Geneva, Europe in general) I never thought I would be okay with spending an entire weekend, totally by myself, exploring a new city. Keep in mind that I don't know their language very well, I can read a lot of French, but can't by any means speak it fluently. Thankfully almost everyone has a good level of English. I also don't have a smartphone that works without WIFI. My map reading skills have improved by 110%. Streets in Europe are not even comparable to streets in Carroll County. I'm not sure I've seen a perfectly straight one since I've been here. That gets reallll confusing.
But I've made it through Amsterdam (mostly by myself, but with friends for a few days), Paris totally alone, London twice all alone, and never felt any more uncomfortable than I would back home. Even walking around cities after dark and I honestly don't have a clue where I'm at. I have built up enough confidence in myself that I know as long as I can find a metro stop somewhere, I can find my way back.
Wow. That's a lot of words. Time for more pictures.....
Luxembourg Gardens
The Louvre Museum. This place was absolutely huge. My tour guide told us that if you would spend 8 hours per day, and look at each piece of art for 1 minute each it would take you 75 days to cover the whole museum. This isn't factoring in any bathroom or snack breaks. Insane.
I know my sister hates me for not going in, but I just don't get a whole lot out of museums. I've tried it, trust me. I end up thinking about what I'm going to do next instead of just enjoying the art. I get the most out of walking around the cities and observing people and businesses, advertisements, and trying to experience life in that city.
I have an obsession for the Metro signs in Paris.
The Bastille. This is where the French Revolution started. There used to be a huge jail right here where the statue is standing.
I also learned that when you see equestrian statues with people mounted on them, if their feet are all on the ground, it means that person died from natural causes. If the two front legs are up in the air, it means they died in battle. And, if one front leg is up and one back leg is up, it means they died of unnatural causes. So they were murdered, or killed in some other grueling, creative way they experience back in the day.
The Eifel Tower.
I decided not to go to the top, and I'm glad I didn't. My tour guide said so many people get up to the top and then look around and realize you can't see the Eifel Tour from the top of the Eifel Tower. True. It makes sense. Plus, besides the Eifel Tower, the rest of Paris looks pretty similar from the top.
One night, I made a last minute decision to go to the top of the Arc de Triomph. It was during the evening and I'm so glad I did. It was a beautiful view, over half the ticket price of the Eifel Tower, you take stairs to the top (built in workout), and you can see the Eifel Tower lit up at night. WIN!
The gypsies got really annoying in all these super touristy areas though. Luckily I had read up on all the details before I went, so I knew all of their little games. Got ya! One day of walking around the Louvre, Eifel Tower, and along the Seine River, I saw all of their little scams that I had read about. Everything from the kids with clipboards trying to get your signature for the deaf and mute and then forcing you to donate money, who I ironically heard speaking to eachother, come on guys, you have to be better actors, to the cute ladies asking if you speak English, the lady finding a REAL GOLD RING on the ground, and the guys trying to tie bracelets on your wrists. It got really annoying.
You almost have to be kind of mean other wise they pester you forever. Ugh.
Here's the view I had when I first got to the top...and after walking around for about 45 minutes, it turned into this...
Mr. Eifel actually lived at the very top of the tower for a few years. I also learned that the Eifel tower was supposed to be a temporary structure and was supposed to be torn down only a few years after it was built. Mr. Eifel didn't want this to happen so he put a huge radio tower on the top to prevent this from happening. Obviously it worked.
Champs de Elysses. Luxury stores galore. This was taken from the top of the Arc de Triomph and at the other end you can barely see a ferris wheel. Right behind that Ferris Wheel is the Louvre Museum.
Here is the light show that goes on at the Eifel Tower at the top of every hour after the sun has set.
I have a bunch more photos and things to share in another post coming up soon. :)