Last weekend we decided to take on one of the largest and most infamous cities in the world: Paris. While I have already visited Paris, nobody could complain about returning to this beautiful city. Friday after class we caught our train to Prague, however, it went slightly less than smooth. Unbeknownst to me, apparently Prague has two train stations and two stops. Well, three of us got off at the first stop, when I finally noticed Annalise's hands waving dramatically from the train window, the train doors were shutting. So we said catch ya at the airport! Only an Uber drive later we were finally reunited with the rest of our group and gained a funny story along the way. We caught our flight and then landed in Paris pretty late in the evening. Trying to be efficient, we bought bus tickets that were useless and we abandoned that idea and called an Uber. Public transportation is highly confusing, especially in really large cities like Paris. The metro is usually easier to figure out rather than the bus systems. We actually stayed on the outskirts of Paris in Serris, which is really close to Disneyland Paris. It took us a minute to locate the Airbnb but once we did we headed to sleep!
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We woke up very early so we could go to the city center. Of course we had to snap some pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower!
After we took some pictures we headed to the Tulilerie Gardens which I was super excited for! The gardens were beautiful and also very busy because it was a sunny day. We passed by the Louve and made our way to Notre Dame. Although we did not go inside the cathedral, we managed to get some pictures outside, and next to the very center point of Paris!
Unfortunately, there were tons of protests going on in the city while we were there. This in turn caused the main line on the metro to all of the tourist attractions to be closed. This made it very hard to travel around Paris efficiently and therefore we had to buy an unnecessary amount of Ubers. Our last stop of the day was to Versailles. This palace was built by King Louis XIV and was one of the most magnificent buildings I have seen on my trip. They were unsure what the exact conversion would be today in American dollars, but it would be in the realm of $51 billion.
My favorite part of the entire weekend excursion took place the day after all the historic sight seeing adventures, the catacombs. Unlike all the other monumental places, this one was beneath the earth. We bought skip the line tickets, which I recommend to anyone wanting to go, and got in right away. We then descended 800 meters below the surface, beyond the water system and metro lines. Originally, the catacombs were only quarries underneath the cities used for reasons I do not know. However, once Paris began to run out of room to bury their dead in the late 18th century, they thought of the idea to put the bodies beneath the city. Overrun cemeteries were causing major health problems when flooding occurred, so this would keep the bodies away from the population. They began transporting the bones from many cemeteries and arranged them very beautifully in the catacombs. The bones placed very specifically to create pictures and different textures, which I think is a form of art.
It is rumored that over 6 million people rest here.
Also, before the catacombs were opened to the public, they were used as a party spot for the very wealthy.The mass graves are located on the top floor of the Catacombs, there is also a bottom floor but it is flooded with about three feet of water. Some parts of the labyrinth are not open for the public, because they are also worried they could collapse as the metro shakes the walls. Luckily, we did not wade through any water and all the walls stayed up while we were down there.
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After the catacombs we walked around the city doing nothing in particular, which is my favorite thing to do. This is, in my opinion, the best way to immerse yourself in the culture and stray away from the typical tourists.
This night we stayed in town until it got dark so we could watch the light show on the Eiffel Tower! First we had some dinner, and traditionally, we ordered Es Cargo! My first time trying it and I actually enjoyed it!
Fun fact: I did not get a video of the light show, because it is technically illegal to record as the laser show is trademarked by whoever designed it! This was the perfect way to cap off our weekend adventure through one of the most iconic cities in the world. Check back to see where I am next! Thanks for reading!