good ole Paris

So I have been back from France for about a week not. I can’t believe how close school is! I am starting to make an outline for my final piece but I am actually finding it pretty hard. There is just so much to write about! I also do not consider myself the best writer so staying focused and having a real style/voice or tone to my piece is going to be the biggest challenge I think.

For this entry though, I just wanted to write about some of the fun experiences I had since I don’t think I will write about them all in my final piece. We arrived in Paris really early in the morning and went straight to the little apartment which we rented for the week. The apartment was absolutely gorgeous! We actually had stayed in the exact same one about 10 years ago for a whole summer so it brought back memories I didn’t know I had. The apartment was located right in the center of Paris on the Isle de la Cite, a little island right on the Seine river in between the right and left banks. My absolute favorite part about the apartment and its location is the courtyard behind it. All the houses and apartments are on the outside of the island and then on the inside there is this old courtyard with beautiful trees and stone walkways and little boule courts in the middle. There are also tiny restaurants in the courtyard made of stone with only a few tables inside. The food in each one is just amazing and you feel like you are eating at someone’s home instead of at a restaurant.

The last time I stayed at this apartment I was only twelve so the range of things I was able to do was very different. Exploring a city on your own is totally different than just following your dad around to whichever museums he thinks are best. I was able to just search little streets and ally ways and try to get a slight insight into the non-tourist life in Paris. I have never been a big fan of crowds, so I liked finding hidden spots that look like they haven’t changed in hundreds of years. In Paris, this is pretty easy. Anopther thing which was different this trip than when I was 12 was the wine. Last time I came to Paris my dad practically had to force me to take a sip of his wine, and this time I certainly had no trouble. I’m sure coming from a college student that is not any kind of surprise, but it was nice to appreciate something which I had previously only been forced to try. My sister and I went out on the town at night a few times and it was pretty fun but we were usually really tired and didn’t stay out too late. Overall, I think this was one of my favorite trips ever.