Paris

On Thursday we packed our bags and left for Paris on train! It was sad to leave Rouen, and compared to Paris, I later realised even more how I sort of miss the city of Rouen. It was so charming with its dainty houses and street cafes, and not as tourist populated. Haha tourists hatin' on other tourists. But seriously, it was so much more pleasant and my kind of scene, somewhere I can see myself living in. Though I do love Paris!! We did two walking tours, of Paris city (3 hours long) and of Montmartre (the red-light district of Paris, 2 hours long). They went by so quickly because it was so enjoyable and efficient, time-wise! 

I as a bit hesitant on taking tours but these were so cool, so many fun, random facts of the day and it was good following around people who knew what/where they were going. They were well worth it, although I'd like to have spent more time in some places, like the Notre Dame cathedral which we didn't get to enter. But for another time! There is so much to see. It's no fun getting lost. I also now realise how hard it is to go around traveling a city, even with Carmelle and her awesome French. Again, I'm the naive girl who thought I could just meet Carmelle romantically at the Eiffel Tower right out of the airport.

One of the tours was a "free" walking tour, but apparently in tourist-terms that means "pay as much as you see fit". Naturally I was stingy. But I promise to write good reviews on TripAdvisor! You do get some really weird people though. One goth looking chick just said the most inappropriate /not-even-funny stuff. I can't remember them, which is so sad, but they were soo bad! Like not even funny at all? And she just kept making these comments throughout the whole thing! Funny story where Adam (tour guide) said sl*t instead of sludge, and 2 long seconds of everyone else with a wtf(?) face. Haha well you had to be there..

Nevertheless I loved walking through the cobblestone streets of this city, and there is just far too much to see that I know I'm going to have to come back. I also got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from a distance (the Louvre). It was so awe-striking to finally see something I had wanted to see for such a long time. I learnt also that the Louvre wasn't just some underground museum with the sole entrance being the iconic glass pyramid... In fact it used to house the monarchy, and is an actual, upright, and simply beautiful building in its own right! There are literally thousands of artworks, and apparently to see every picture for 30 seconds, it would take like 2 months (don't quote me on the exact number, thought I remembered the fact until I wrote it lol), no break.

We saw lovelock bridge (gay, cliche), which needs its gates replaced every six months because the sheer accumulative weight would force it down the sea, with all the thrown keys. We also saw Van Gogh's small apartment, the whole block now belonging to a Taiwanese lady obsessed with Van Gogh, and who puts out sunflowers at his window. Such a moving story, his life was. Nonetheless, I took a lot of photos throughout the day. Don't judge me. I loved everything about it. Who cares about the dirt and occasional stench that everyone so warned me about. The streets of Paris are not under-rated, unless the only information you know about it is from corny romantic movies, in which case I think you should stay home and youtube Parisian streets, which is what I used to do.

We finished the tours outside the Sacre Couer, and had a beautiful panoramic view of Paris, with the Eiffel Tower notably missing from this scene (though you can view it from a different side, which I did). We also learnt that there's one ugly black skyscraper building in Paris that everyone hates because it's so high and so random -it was built to show a "modern" Paris. Whilst ugly, it does however function as a fantastic place to climb and see the whole city. Yes you could do that on top of the Eiffel Tower, but the most iconic image of Paris itself would be missing, because you were standing right on top of it, wouldn't you? 

We later ate a nice pasta dinner out at a Parisian cafe, and then went back to the Sacre Couer but this time enter it and do prayer and Mass. My first basilica. Again, completely awestruck upon entering. It was so so beautiful. It wasn't as detailed on the outside as the Rouen Notre Dame, and was much more modern, but it was stunning. I love the long history of our Church. I love its oldness, and its legacies. Afterward Carmelle and I met Caren outside. She was still taking some night photos, which I can't wait to see. I was actually pretty annoyed again at tourists. They were everywhere, right outside the Basilica in which a Mass was going on. People selling crap, gypsies and pickpockets everywhere (fun to try and spot, though difficult without being racist..), and young people drinking and smoking everywhere on the steps. Even fire-breathing dudes providing entertainment. I hated that they immediately spoke to the crowd in English, assuming we weren't French. How tourist-oriented the place has become! "You don't know my life, what I've been through!" haha