Deux Jours a Paris (Two Days in Paris)

DAY 1:

I spent the day exploring Paris on my own. It is truly one of the best cities to get lost in (I got lost trying to get to the eiffel tower. It sounds hard to do since the eiffel tower is so large, but of course being me, i went the opposite direction towards Parc Monceau). My first stop was L'arc de Triomphe. All I can really say is wow. Yes you see it in the pictures and in the movies, but it is nothing like seeing it in real life. The details on the building are amazing. Actually, the details on all the buildings in Paris are amazing. You can't help but admire the beauty and wonder just how much time or how much man power was put into creating something so beautiful. The  eiffel tower of course, was also mind blowing. When i actually saw it, my jaw just dropped because it popped out of nowhere. One minute, im looking for a way to cross the river and next minute, POW, there it is. Tall, beautiful, majestic (if i could make up a beautiful song, i would have). Standing next to something so grand and so magnificent just reminds you how of small and insignificant you are in the world. These pictures don't really do any justice, but they will have to suffice:

To see those two sites took me a good 3 hours. I took many detours and turned whichever way the wind carried me. Thats the great thing about Paris, you just go. No particular place or schedule, because everything is worth seeing. I was extremely tempted to sit at a cafe and get some food, but i actually wasn't very hungry and wanted to save my euros for perhaps a nice dinner. All together, i only spent 9,60euros that day.

Things I learned:

-Everyone is on vacation in Paris during August. Most of the shops are closed.

-Nudity is common place. It is in the advertisements, the architecture, and even on magazine stands in front of shops. There is no real effort to hide it because it is not looked at as a risqué kind of thing.

-Apparently i look french because at least three french people asked me something and all i could say was "desole, je ne parle pas francais".

-The French are very friendly, everyone says bonjour, pardon, and au revoir.    

DAY 2:

Alex, my cousin, took me around Paris today. He took me on a typical Parisian walk while passing through famous sites. We chatted the day away and just enjoyed the scenery. I had a really good time. We went to the Notre Dame, the building of St. Michel, The bridge of Alexander the Third, and the Louvre. We also went to see a gift that the Egyptians gave to France:

Did you know that the glass pyramids at the Louvre was built by Chinese architects? Crazyness. Well, today was a rainy day, but it didn't stop me from enjoying myself. After a while, the clouds cleared up anyways. Paris is a place that looks perfect in any weather. It still looks romantic (as cliche as it sounds) whether it is a stormy day or a sunny day. Lets just say there is not such thing as a bad day in Paris. Would i live here? HECK YES. OHOHOH I have to show you guys a picture. In America, we have water fountains, in Paris, they have water spouts that you have to manually turn!!

Thats why Europeans are skinny (though they are getting fatter now that Mcdonalds is common place), they have to work, even for their water! 

One more thing to note, Alex took me to eat ice cream today. It was the most delicious ice cream i have ever tasted. I got the cacao amer et cafe (bitter chocolate and coffee) flavor while he got the poire et mangue (pear and mango) flavor. I'm quite sad i didn't get the pear after i tried his but i throughly enjoyed mine. If your a chocolate lover, the bitter chocolate will not disappoint. 

GOD:

What else can I say? I am truly blessed to be able to experience this. It has been about two weeks since i have been to church now and I was really missing it. I thank Alex for taking me to see the Notre Dame. The outside itself looks like it took a century to get all the details finished. The inside looks like it must have taken two. The painted windows, the sculptures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. It was a very humbling place. It was a good place to pray. I prayed for God to help me keep him close to my heart, and that i never forget that He is number one. I also said thanks for all the blessings that I have received and continue to receive to this day. When you look around, everything is what God has given you. I would strongly suggest just taking a moment out of your day to soak it in. To realize how, by God's grace, you have arrived where you are. It might make you want to cry, or pray, or yell out in joy. 

I love You. 

OTHER RANDOM PICS: