Paris Paris Paris!

So I just had a very exciting week. I was able to go somewhere that I never dreamed I would be able to go and that would be to Paris! I bet you never would have guessed that from the title of this blog ;) I went there with my good friend Carly, a fellow Peace Corps volunteer, to celebrate her birthday. Needless to say it was a great trip, in an amazing city with a great friend.

So as they say in the sound of music, let's start at the very beginning as it is a very good place to start.

So we left for Paris on October 18th, early in the morning. We ended up taking a night train into Cluj as we did not see the point in paying for a place to sleep since we would be getting up at 3 AM to leave anyway. It may have been a good idea though, since our flight was delayed for an hour when we arrived. So our trip started with waiting. Good thing we have been living in Romania for a year, we are very accustomed to waiting for transportation ;) Things seemed to be going pretty quickly and I was able to catch a couple of cat naps along the way, nothing substantial, but it was worth a try anyway. So then we took off for our adventure. It was a good smooth flight and we arrived in a timely manor (other than the hour that we were delayed -- side not it was lucky we were not going into England as their flight was delayed for 4 hours! Yikes!). Once we got there we had to catch a bus into the city, as the airport to which we arrived was 80 km outside of the city. We arrived and had to find the subway, once we found it we had to figure out how to buy tickets, but we were unaware that our cards would not work in the machine nor did the machine take bills only coin. Neither of us had the proper coin so we were a little worried, but we found a booth to buy them from, so it was all good.

The subway in Paris was really actually quite easy to figure out, but it was a long ride as we had to go from one side of the city to the other, with one change along the way. Thankfully the subway is much faster than the street traffic, because the streets of Paris are absolutely crammed full with cars at all points of the day. So we finally arrived, got a little bit lost because the street signs were difficult to find, but eventually found the place that we were staying. We made our booking through the website Air B&B which basically is a person who rents out a room in their house and it is cheaper than a hotel and quieter than a hostel. It was kind of far out, but with the metro it was really easy to get around everywhere.

So we put our things down, settled in a little bit and then decided to go and grab something to eat. We saw lots of places along the way so we figured we would find one. Carly loves sushi so I thought I would give it a try, so we tried a Japanese restaurant. I was very intimidated by the sushi and Carly had to teach me how to order, but I eventually decided on dumplings (because they don't contain fish!! :) and it was an excellent choice. They were some of the most delicious things I have ever had! I even tried one of Carly's sushi, I was not crazy about it, but I ate it nonetheless. It was different, but I am glad that I tried it. We actually ended up eating Japanese food 3 times throughout the trip and I can now say that I have tried sushi and don't really like it, but I tried it. I even tried some with raw fish! Granted when I got to the fish part I spit it out because the texture was to much for me, but I can't say that I didn't try it! :)

After that we just went exploring the street that we lived on, walked around some stores, looked at a beautiful view of the city, and saw an old church. It was a nice first day. After that it was back to the apartment as we were both completely exhausted from traveling and little to no sleep. So it was an early bedtime for us, so we could explore Paris the next day.

The second day in Paris, Carly and I split up. There was an art museum that she wanted to go to and I wanted to go to the Palace of Versailles. So I took the train out of the city headed to the palace for what I hoped to be a great day. Needless to say it was not the greatest day that I had in Paris. It was recommended to show up early to beat the crowds, so I arrived about an hour after it opened, and discovered that the opening was delayed due to workers strikes. It did not say how long it was delayed, but I decided to hang around. So I went out back and explore the gardens. While I enjoyed the gardens I think that I would have enjoyed them more if it wasn't raining out. It was so big that I was able to walk around for 3 hours until the palace actually opened and I still did not see anything. It amazes me how someone can envision something that is so big to be so beautiful and creative. Words can't due justice to the talent that is behind this vision. So once I bought my ticket into the palace, I quickly wished that I hadn't. It is not that it was not beautiful, but there were so many people in there pushing and shoving to get into every room that I could not just stand and enjoy the room, as I would have gotten shoved out of the way. Every room was beautiful and was exquisitely decorated, I just wish fewer people would have been filling the rooms so I could have enjoyed it a little bit more.

After that it was back to meet up with Carly at the Arch de Triumph, which was a spectacular creation. I couldn't believe the roundabout that it was in the middle of however, I don't think that the traffic ever stopped there. Cars were coming constantly and I was sitting on one side of the road wondering how I could get across. I saw people in the middle and wondered how they arrived there....hmmm. No I did not run across (but Carly saw some guys who did) but instead took the easy way out and found a passage that led under the street. It was so interesting to stand next to something so magnificent and look out at the traffic going around you.

Then we walked down the Champs Elysees a little bit and looked at a lot of things that we could not afford (including jewelery exceeding 25000 Euros) and made our way closer to the Eiffel Tower. It was approaching sunset so we wanted to hang around there until nightfall. We enjoyed a glass of wine, watched some American football, found an Irish pub and had a Guinness and randomly found the Romanian Embassy on a side street leading to the Tower. Then it was to the tower, at night. Spectacular is the only word I can use to describe it. The way it looks when it is lit up is to beautiful for words, and we even were able to see a light show, as occasionally thousands of lights twinkle on the tower. We did not go up the tower, because we wanted to see the view of Paris from Montmartre, but we did see lots of military men at the base of the tower...which was interesting to say the least. So after enjoying these sights of Paris, it was time to turn in.

Day 3 took us to more new adventures. I wanted to try and find a flea market as I read they were really cool, but it turns out the one did not exist. I was really bummed about this, but things turned brighter quickly, while walking towards the Latin Quarter and Notre Dame, I ran across a shop that contained the perfect present for my mom. It was affordable, and unique, so not a typical souvenir, but that is what made it so perfect. Then we arrived at Notre Dame and I waled around inside. It was a very interesting church, very dark and unlike any other I have ever seen before, but I still liked it. Again I did not go up this one either, because you had to pay, and the very top was closed. So I was not going to pay to go partially up the tower, it just didn't seem worth it to me. Next it was to the Latin Quarter, where I spent yet more money on things, and looked longingly at things that I could not afford and finally found the Pantheon. Yet another magnificent building. The pillars and the openness of the building were my favorite parts. Its size was unbelievable, but I appreciated its beauty so much. This one was probably my favorite, as there were not that many people there, it was open and uncrowded inside, and it had a pendulum on the inside that demonstrated the earth's rotation. I thought this was so cool! The pendulum itself was tied to the very top of the church, at the peak of the dome, and ran all the way down. I was actually able to see it shift just the tiniest bit, during the time that I was in there, which I thought was great. They also had a crypt in there and it was interesting to look at the plainness and the extravagance that existed in the same place.

Then we did some more shopping and walking, stopped for lunch, more shopping and walking, found a couple of parks, and then decided on getting dinner. The place where we went for dinner is something that I would never have imagined that I would have found in Paris or in Europe for that matter. We were having difficulty finding something open, so kept walking and then came across a diner that we spotted across the street. Now when I first saw this, I thought, "Well maybe it will be like an American Diner" but then quickly dismissed this as I thought it was a ridiculous thought and we were in Paris, why would they have a diner like that. I discovered upon arrival that my first intuition was in fact correct. It was like stepping into the Twilight Zone, we went from Paris to the United States just by crossing the threshold. They had American food, American drinks, music, posters, everything. I order a real A&W root beer, had the most amazing mushroom and swiss burger that I have ever had and enjoyed the taste of home. It was so awesome, I loved it! So after that little gemstone, we were exhausted from the long day and extremely filling meal that we had just consumed.

Day 4, we thought it would be good to just relax and enjoy the city. Which it turned out to be the perfect day for as it was beautiful outside. so we walked down by the Louvre, took pictures in front of the glass pyramid, walked through the park in leading to the Louvre and some of the interesting exhibits that were displayed there. Went to the obelisk, which was a really cool monument, and while there we saw someone arrive in a motorcade. Someone near the area said that it was the president of Chile, but we were never able to clarify this fact. Then we enjoyed a hot dog/Panini lunch in the park, Carly nearly got attacked by the birds because of the bread that she was giving to them and caught a metro to Montmartre.

At Montmartre we went up to Sacre Couer to start and saw the most amazing view of Paris. then we entered into the church and saw the beautiful paintings and alter which were truly magnificent. My favorite part about this place were the performers. We were able to sit on the steps in front of Montemarte and look out at Paris, while listening to live music being performed and watch the illegal vendors run from the police from time to time. (It was hilarious as you see these guys running through the crowd of people trying to get their things picked up while trying to be the first one away from the police I couldn't help but laugh.) The guy we stayed to listen to had a great stage presence, a good voice, and he even picked people out of the crowd from around the world to sing songs with him.

After listening to him we watched a soccer player do some tricks, which were unreal. he was standing on this platform about 4x4 or 5x5 feet and doing tricks and dribbling the ball then he decides to really wow us. He gets off of the platform, balances on the fence, jumps down and climbs up the light post that is at least 20 feet high and does not have anyplace to grip on as you are climbing up it, all while balancing the soccer ball on his head! I was astounded! Then he holds the ball on his foot and hangs on the light post with one and and swings around it. The strength and balance that were required for this task were unbelievable.

After this show we enjoyed some wine, went to the Moulin Rouge to take pictures. I was amazed by the line that was already there at least 2 hours before the show, after all these years, they still draw a line on a daily basis for their shows, which just amazes me. We then found an Australian Bar had a drink, then headed back to rest a little before our flight. However we were worried we weren't going to get back, because we didn't think we could fit on the subway! It was so packed there were people in every direction, we could hardly find a bar to hold onto and I swore if there were anymore people on there it wouldn't have mattered if there was a bar or not, because you wouldn't have moved anyway as we were sardines in there! This was a long journey which took me over 30 hours to get home and involved a lot of waiting, but it was okay, it could have been worse that is for sure! I did get to spoil myself when we arrived in Cluj, as I had to wait for my train because the only decent one was an overnight train. I was able to get a sleeper car though and rest, and while in Cluj I treated myself to a Starbucks and went to see a movie, which was really good and I really liked it. It was a good source of time killing. Then I went back to the station to wait and actually ran into someone from my old site who was heading back there. It was so random and I could not believe that I ran into her. So that was a big surprise. Then it was onto the train, and one more switch until I arrived back at my site. It was so good to finely be back here, where I understand the language and can sleep in my own bed. Now it is back to reality though, which is entirely alright, because it was a wonderful. This trip gave me experiences that I will never forget and created lifelong memories. I had so much fun and saw so many things and had so many experiences that can never be taken away from me. I am so thankful I had this opportunity and I look forward to creating more memories in the remainder of my service that I have left with the Peace Corps.

Well that should keep you all busy for a while, it sure took me a good chunk of time to write it!! I hope you are all doing well and having some adventures of your own. I miss you all very much and send you my love each and every day :)

Oh and if you have my current address, that is great but you no longer need to put my landlords name on the letter just my name and the address. It will find me just fine that way

Va pup
Va iubesc
Mi-a dor de voi
Pana mai tarziu

~Sarah B.