It’s the beginning of the end, as our last days in Paris are starting to fly by. And as it gets closer to Christmas time, Paris gets more and more magical which is going to make it even harder to leave this place. Sometimes I am jealous when I see pictures of people flying all over Europe to really cool destinations, but then I remember that Paris is the most amazing city in the world (I’m not biased, I swear) and I realize that there is no place I would rather be right now. But it is a little too cold here, if it would warm up a couple degrees, then everything would be perfect! The problem with living in California is that the weather always seems awful everywhere else.
My best friend came to visit this weekend, so I got to play tour guide and show off the city that I love, and do some of the touristy things that I haven’t had a chance to yet. Our weekend started with a trip to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. 280 steps is a lot, and we were all dying when we reached the top. But the view was spectacular; you can see every important monument in Paris from the top!
Paris from the top of the Arc
Our adventure continued with a stroll down the Champs-Elysées, and of course, a stop at Ladurée for macarons. A huge Christmas market just opened along the Champs-Elysées, so we drank vin chaud (hot wine) and looked at all the Christmas decorations. To keep going with the festive mood, we went to Galeries Lafayette to see all the adorable Christmas displays in the windows. One of our favorite movies is “Anastasia” (that animated movie where a Russian girl goes to Paris to find her family and discovers she is a princess) so we went all around Paris finding everything that they show in the movie. And of course, no trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Louvre!
Being a tourist at the Louvre
Saturday was another busy day in Paris, with a morning spent walking through the Marais, and old neighbourhood of Paris with cute shops and really good falafel. My friend is an English major, so we also made a stop at Victor Hugo’s house (the author of Les Miserables) and Shakespeare and Co. (the former haunt of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald). And since my favorite part of Paris is the food, taking a break from sight-seeing to eat Nutella crêpes was a mandatory part of the day.
To me, the most magical part of Paris is watching the Eiffel Tower when it sparkles at night. During the day, the Eiffel Tower is just a big pile of iron. But when it is lit up at night, the Eiffel Tower is perfect. I think I really fell in love with Paris the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle, and watching it last night, I realized that I might never be able to leave this place.
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Mimi Price
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Hi! My name is Mimi Price and I am a junior at Santa Clara University where I study French, Economics and International Business. I have been looking forward to study abroad my whole life and I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to study in Paris. By the end of my program, I hope that I no longer feel like a tourist, but feel that Paris is my home. My goal is to embrace all that Paris has to offer from the language to the culture to the history. My hobbies include shopping and eating, so I think that Paris will be a good place for me!</span></p>
