Our first full day in the beautiful city of lights!
Awakened by the sun because the curtain didn't cover the whole window, we woke up in the beautiful city of Paris.
Before heading in to the heart of the city we decided to get sandwiches and lunch things at the local market right up the street from where we live. I bought some kind of French cookies, a sandwich, and water for the rest of the time there. My friend (Amanda) and I started this tradition in the beginning of the trip that whatever country we go to, we must buy an authentic chocolate bar from that city. We keep the labels from each of the wrappers and write the date that we bought it. Just something for fun and something to remember all the places we have been together. We also get to sample the countries chocolate, so that's always an added bonus. In Paris we bought some kind of chocolate with raspberry filling, my taste buds have never been so happy!
After the market we headed in to the city to the Louvre museum: home of the Mona Lisa. Before we left we were researching the Louvre and we found out that Art students and residents of the European Union get in for free with proof of residency. I thought it was worth a try to see if our Visa's would work, and luckily, they did! Afterall, we are residents of the EU for six months (never thought I'd be able to say that, but am so proud to be able to). The Louvre is a huge museum with 3 floors and three different sections. The museum was MASSIVE. Easily, to do the whole thing it could take one whole day, and that's not an exaggeration. Amanda and I went in to the room where the Mona Lisa and there it was, posted on the wall with guards around it. It wasn't very big and I expected a lot more, but I can say that I saw it. Embarrassing moment of the day: Amanda and I thought maybe Vincent Van Gogh painted it. Clearly we were SO wrong. I guess we should have payed a little bit more attention in art classes. Woops.
After wandering around the museum for about 5 hours we walked around the shopping mall located inside the same building and ate pastries. Then, we went and were true Americans and sat and drank hot chocolate at Starbucks and talked for awhile until it was time for dinner.
For dinner we were meeting one of Amanda's friends who is studying abroad in Paris for the year at a local French restaurant. It was close to the Louvre so we thought it would be easy to get to. However, if I've learned anything while I've been here it's that I am directionally challenged in foreign cities and I can't read maps. We left for the restaurant and got so incredibly lost. We ended up going the completely wrong direction and then when we found our way, passed the restaurant completely. Keep in mind, it's snowing super hard and the wind chill is incredibly cold: a good time to be lost.
After we found the restaurant, now popsicles, we went down to the basement and sat down to eat. I had an avocado salad, steak, and mashed potatoes. For dessert I had a white chocolate cake, which was good. We sat, ate, and talked for about 3 hours again. Then we said goodbye to her friend (Matt) and made our voyage back to the "sketch inn," as we called it, in the freezing cold.
Tomorrow, destination: VERSAILLES!
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