Weekend Trip To Paris

Recap of Day 1 part 1

I woke up at 4am to get ready and pack my overnight bag to Paris!  The other international students, the aloha team and I met up at the marché.  Then we boarded the bus and were on our way.  After a few hours we stopped for lunch, then after a few more hours of sleeping we arrived in The City of Love. 

 The bus let us out by the Parthenon.  It reminded me of the house on Spruce.  Its got a small looking front but when you turn the corner the building goes on forever!

Then our group of 50 headed towards the metro to get to the Church of the Sacred Heart.  But most of us were pretty hungry and didn’t have breakfast yet so we stopped to get food.  Kata-ka and I found a cute little deli place.  I ate a slice of tomato quiche and Kata-ka had a sandwich.  We took our food to a hidden section downstairs.  Down here the walls were lined with movie propaganda.

After breakfast/lunch we headed down to the metro!  It cost about 3,40 euros to get a metro pass.  But the metro pass lasted all day.  We were advised to put all of our belonging in the center of our back packs and to vigilant about our surroundings.  Pickpockets are most likely to stanch things from tourist.  With us in such a big group we would be targets.  And we were.  One girl got her wallet stolen right out of her purse.  She didn’t realize it until it was too late. 

The metro was really neat.  There were posters everywhere.  My favorite was the bunny that had the body of a grenade and scissors for hands.  It made me think of Edward Scissorhands.  It was fun to get on and off the metro too.  We would all stand by the gates and wait for someone from Aloha to yell “GO!”.  Then we would try to pile in before the buzzer sounded and the doors clamped shut.  I got my coat and my backpack caught in the door twice! 

Then we would sit if there was an empty seat or stand.  The tram would lurch to a start and we’d fly down the tracks.  Then the tram would stop just as quick and the doors would open . 

 I learned that I don’t have the best balance in the world.  Most times I looked like a bouncy ball in a narrow hallway! 

When our stop came up we would hear “NOW!” being yelled and shove our way to the doors.  We would have to jump over seats sometimes.  The train didn’t care if you got off or not.  The doors would open and close on  its time.  You had to get off as quickly as you could.  It was actually a lot of fun.

We hopped off the metro and started the long uphill walk to the Church of the Sacred Heart.  All the streets here were pretty and cobble stoned.  I love semi-precious gem stones and I felt like I was walking on a mosaic of them! 

At the top of the hill were little tourist trap shops.  I had to take a picture of the Le Chat Noir (The Black Cat). 

We also saw a cute little photo opt.  Kata-ka and I posed for this picture. 

There was also a red church but we didn’t go in, near or find out the name of it.

Then we passed by ….. another church.  This one looked spooky like those haunted shows I like to watch on TV back home.  So of course I had to take a picture of it.  I was also hoping to find a few gargoyles.  My sister likes them and I always hunt for them when I’m out!  I wasn’t able to find any gargoyles but I did find this odd little statue on one of the churches.  It looks like an angel holding a staff with its pet dragon resting beside it.

Then we turned a corner and got our breaths knocked out.  The Church of the Sacred Heart is an architectural wonder!  It was so big that I had to take many picture and later edit them to make this one!

 I took a close up picture of one of the horses and a picture of the ceiling right before you enter the church.  But we were not allowed to take pictures inside.  Instead we were directed to buy the postcards with the scenes from inside.  This must the way the church makes its money.  They didn’t charge for admission so I think it’s fair. I loaded up on postcards for my family back home.  (Keep checking that mail box!) I was even able to find a gargoyle outside

so all in all I was one happy camper!

 Looking away from the Church was a magnificent view of Paris.  I was able to get a little movie clip but it doesn’t look as stunning as it did that Saturday! 

We got a few minutes to go look at the shops.  So Kata-ka and I headed out in search of postcards for me and a hat for her.  On the way we got stopped by an artist that wanted to draw my picture.  I let him because I felt like this would be a better memento of my time in Paris then one of those cheap little plastic Eiffels.  I paid him and we walked on. 

I found a postcard stand and started looking though them while Kata-ka looked in a clothing store next door.  When I left my store (20 postcards in hand for only 3 euros!), Kata-ka was nowhere to be found.  So I sat down at little table outside to wait.  A bunch of artist asked to draw me but I kept saying no.  If no didn’t work then ‘I have no money’ usually did. 

Then I got rushed off from the table by the store owner only to run into another artist that wouldn’t take no for an answer.  He drew me, then copied what he had drawn and gave me the copy…. for free!  It was better than the first one and I actually paid that guy.  This artist told me he had to have me in his portfolio.  Made me feel oh so pretty!  And he did such a good job.  When Ma comes to visit I’m going to get him to do one of her and me.  This time I won’t be broke!

We also went to the Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, had a party in a boat and slept in a hostile.  I would post part 2 tomorrow.  The site is refusing to accept more photos!  And to think I only added a few of the 250 or so I took on Saturday!  Ha!

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