Before I mention Paris though, I have to add my pre-departure destination, PISA. The city is an hour west of Florence and is where I always go to fly out of Italy. It is cheaper there. I allowed myself about an hour to explore the town. I really just wanted to see the leaning tower and the area around it. I didn't care for much else but the tower was fantastic. It is one of those things you always see in books, like most of what I am seeing in Europe. It was a nice place to stop and see before heading to Paris. Also I had to add the cliche picture. My finger is just so strong! I love saying that I saw the two most famous towers in Europe in one day and on 11/11/11 :)
I started the weekend alone even though my mom hated the idea, making it to Paris the night before Heather arrived. I couldn't wait to explore some of the city before she got there the next morning so I went to the Eiffel Tower asap! The metro system in Paris is absolutely horrible but I made it with hardly any problems. Before I could prepare myself the tower just appeared around a corner. I wasn't quite sure of it's location so I was just waiting for it to show up and I was beyond awestruck. This thing is fantastic, especially at night. While I was eating my strawberry crepe, the tower started to twinkle, which it does for five minutes on the hour. It was a pleasant surprise. So magical! After I ate my crepe I went back to my hostel and had the privilege of sleeping on the top of a three level bunk bed. Yikes! The next morning I walked to my next hostel where Heather would be meeting me. While I was waiting I got on the internet to find out that MY BROTHER GOT ENGAGED!!! on 11/11/11, how precious is he? :D Congratulations to Kurt Riddle and Amelia Renshaw! 
Anyway, Heather showed up shortly after that and our reunion had begun with a GIANT hug, like usual. She came with two of her friends from her London abroad group. After our greeting, we took off for the catacombs. I like to describe it as an underground never ending pile of dead people. It was creepy, wet and definitely different. Afterwards we set off towards the Louvre. AHHHH! It is what every artist needs to experience. The Mona Lisa was nothing special but I couldn't leave without getting a picture. She is placed on a bare wall right across from a giant painting. I don't really understand that. The contrast makes Lisa look so much less significant. My favorite was the Winged Victory because of it's sheer elegance. Also I learned about her in Art History and it's always amazing to see the brilliance of these art pieces up close. We walked around for an hour and a half and still missed out on a lot. It is giant.
I just can't wait to go back some day and see the rest. By the end we were ready for dinner so we made our way towards the Eiffel Tower. 
Heather, being her adorable self, got all teary eyed when she saw it. I'm sure she'll mention it in her blog but it's been her dream since she was 7 to be in Paris. And how did I get so lucky to share that dream with her? It is an amazing place! We got to walk along a bridge that was used for the film Inception. I felt almost famous. For dinner we shared escargot for our appetizer and I ordered duck for my main dish. I'm trying to keep with my 'eat what you wouldn't normally eat' theme. I say that meal was a success and I really enjoyed the snail but like my mom said, anything with garlic and pesto is good... After our meal we walked closer to the tower. For my second time seeing it, I was able to climb it and the moon added some beauty. They have multiple spots that tell the history of buildings seen from the tower. The Arc de Triomphe was peering through the trees and I was ready to get up close and personal. So we grabbed a crepe and headed back home. Heather and I stopped before our hostel to see the arc. And I thought the arc in Rome was big. It's way bigger than I was expecting and pretty lite up. I was glad I got to see that before the end of the night.
The next morning's destination was Versailles. PRETTY!!! The king was definitely spoiled. The castle is huge and the gardens are even bigger. Heather and I got to explore the grounds together and play with some leaves ;) I would call us cute. I could have sat there forever. Again when I come back to Paris I want to see the fountains spurting and flowers in bloom. I can only imagine how much more magnificent it can be. By 2 we had to leave so I could catch my flight back home. It was a sad departure but only a month left until I see Heather again in London. Also I got to see the France soccer team at the airport. On Friday they played the US and I chose to watch the first half in a bar alone. Call me lame, but I loved it! | ||
| Who else can say they threw leaves at Versailles with their best friend? | Love you girl!!! |
Italy is having a momentous time now. Berlusconi resigned on November 12 after 17 years of, well, crap leading. Apparently he had a 19% approval rate and has done plenty of damage. My guy friends were in Rome when he official stepped down. They said it was packed with thousands of people cheering. It's hard for me to get into the politics and news here but this is without a doubt something that is getting around. Crazy that I'm in Italy when this is happening. Hopefully there is economic hope for Italy now!
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