Paris.

The name stands for itself. I went to Paris for the weekend with Edo and Mireille and Julie. I had forgotten that I used to dream of going to the city of love. I must have been immersed in literature and history about France and Paris, in the days before I learned Spanish and became part of that world. Being in Paris from Friday to Sunday was like waking up to a long-lost daydream I had once. It was amazing.

I am not a very good tourist. I feel awkward or nonplussed over most things I should be excited about. Sometimes things don't seem very impressive to me because they are what they are. Although I may have acted like that on the outside this trip, all of Paris was impressive to me. In my head I just kept screaming, "Paris! Freaking Paris!"

Edo and Mireille made sure that I saw most of the famous things of the city. Of course there is always more to see, but here are a few things that I witnessed:

-Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis, islands in the Seine River

-Eiffel Tower at sunset

 -Opéra National at Palais Garnier (people were dancing to music on the steps outside)

-Louvre museum (that old palace now art museum is ridiculously huge! I was in awe just of the outside)

 - Typical Parisian chairs and parks

 -Jardin des Tuileries (a very nice garden area connecting the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde)

 -Obelisk of Luxor (a trophy of Napoleon the the center of the Place de la Concorde)

 -Galeries LaFayette and La Printemps (major shopping buildings full of different designers on each floor. I almost bought some shoes but didn't. However, we got a dress for Julie!)

 -Avenue des Champs-Elysées (Mireille and I cycled on it, but it was sort of a stressful experience, and very crowded)

 -Arc de Triomphe (yes, I cycled around it, just a day before the Tour de France participants!)

 -The Seine River

-Place de Justice

 -Centre Pompidou (a contemporary art museum with an interesting exterior)

-Parc de Buttes Chaumont (we had a picnic there with a nice view of the water and the butte with a pavilion on it)

 -Parc de la Villete with the reflecting sphere Géode and the Musée de Musique

 -Basilique de Sacré Coeur and the surrounding Montmartre area (great view from the church of Paris)

 -Place de la Bastille

-Place des Vosges (we stopped for a rest in this park located in the Jewish area, and I saw the entrance to Victor Hugo's house)

 -Notre Dame Cathedral (celebrating 850 years this year)

 -Les Invalides and the Pantéon from afar in city views

-St. Martin Canal

-Pont Neuf, Pont Alexander III, and other bridges over the Seine

-Musée d'Orsay (but only from the outside; it's a renovated train station made into a museum)

-Other neighborhoods and museums and places...

Edo and Mireille might be a bit disappointed with my lack of recall, but we saw a lot! We did not go into any museums, but I saw many of them from the outside. A lot of times the significance of the place was lost on me, but this site gives some more description for a post-trip education...

All in all, it was a great trip. We ate good food and enjoyed the Parisian life for a few days while also trying to do the tourist things. I was very glad for this experience and to share it with Edo, Mireille, and Julie.