J'adore Paris

I am not quite sure when my obsession with Paris began, but my Aunt Lorraine doesn’t call me a Francophile for nothing. If you ever saw my bedroom, you would understand that I am living under the false pretenses that I am Marie Antionette—the woman is my idol. So naturally, I was thrilled for this leg of my spring break.

After having extensively traveled Paris before, (an Arlene Farrell vacation in which every minute was planned and not one museum or sight missed) it was nice to just be there without the added pressure of running around trying to see everything in 3 days.

The first day we were there, I met up with my roommate from BC, Mary Elaine, who took us on a walk all the way from the Louvre, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Though this was a long walk, it was nice to catch up with M.E. and plan the rest of our afternoon. M.E., knowing I have both a sweet tooth and a weakness for chocolate and coffee, decided to take me to a place she discovered that specialized in both. We sat at a small table in the back of the Foucher, and chatted as we sipped our cappuccinos and inhaled the most incredible chocolate I have ever tasted.

That night, we all met for drinks at a bar called The Frog & Princess. Drinking pint after pint, it was fun hanging out with my roommates M.E. and Ariane. I crawled back to our hostel in the wee hours of the morning, only to catch a quick snooze before heading the most amazing place on earth.

Versailles.

I dragged my friend Jack out of bed bright and early and told him that we were going to Versailles. With surprisingly little fight from him, we were on the train by 9 am. The man at the front desk of our hostel told us that there were two stops that read “Versailles” and that we should get off at the second one. Still exhausted and dare I say hungover from the night before, we obviously got off at the first stop, and realized we were stranded in the outskirts of Paris. Luckily, we ran into a young Parisian who told us how to get there. 5 minutes goes by then 10. Jack and I both look at each other and wonder where on earth this guy was taking us. Then we saw the large black and gold gilded gates; we made it.

Versailles is so much more amazing than I had ever anticipated—so much bigger, so much more beautiful, so much more exciting, and just indescribable. We went straight to the ticket office for we saw a gigantic line forming. An entrance fee is 18 euros, however free if you are a student in Paris or a student in the EU. Being the talker I am, I show the ticket office a picture

First, we toured the main residence. I had two favorite rooms: the hall of mirrors and the chapel. Both were not to be believed in person. Though the palace was so crowded with tourists, Jack and I had so much fun wandering the many rooms of Versailles.of my Italian visa, and he lets me go in for free (Versailles became even that much better at this point). Jack and I got the tickets that would allow you to go anywhere of the property, including Marie Antionette’s estate.

Next, we decided to go to the summer residence and Marie Antoinette’s estate. Now, this is a serious walk (which we were not aware of) however Jack was such a good sport. He knew that I was dying to see Marie Antoinette’s palace, so he didn’t complain once. He actually told me that we would stay as long as I needed to in each room..what a great friend!

Marie Antoinette’s room was white floral, and she had a little sleigh bed. It was so calm and serene, and was a break from the elaborate styling and exquisite taste of King Louis. More than that, it was so fun to see where Marie Antoinette spent most of her time, reading and taking care of her children.

When we got back to Paris, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and overlooked all of Paris. I couldn’t help but remember my first trip to the top on our family vacation. It was so cold, windy and rainy, and I convinced my parents and Meghan that it was a good idea to go to the top. Meghan was shaking, Mom was wet, and Dad was cold. I was the only one with a huge smile on my face. Needless to say, it wasn’t the best of times, however looking back on it I laughed out loud. The most rewarding part of that rainy trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower was the Prada shoes that were promised to Meghan when we got to the bottom—naturally I received a pair too, thanks Dad!

For my last day in Paris, I decided to meet Ariane for a day of shopping. First, however, she had to take me to her favorite place to eat in Paris. On the small nondescript rue des Rosiers, stands the restaurant L’as du Fallafel. The falafel was the best I had ever had and I highly recommend it. With both a passion for fashion and falafel, this was an unbeatable combination for a successful and amazing day. Then we said our goodbyes for it was au revoir Paris, and hello Ireland.