Paris

Yesterday, I returned from a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend in Paris with Marcel, Ana and Marco--my uncle, aunt, and cousin for those who don't know :). It was great to see them; I was quite happy that they were able to fly from Sevilla for the weekend just so we could meet up! We stayed in an apartment in the middle of a square that was filled with restaurants--much nicer than the usual youth hostel accomodations that I have become accustomed to on my previous trips. It was great to be able to come home, hang out on a couch, sit around a table, etc., as opposed to a hostel room which basically just has a bed in it.

Besides eating plenty of French pastries, we saw some sights too! On the first day we went to the Eiffel Tower and walked up the stairs to the first observatory deck. Although you can take an elevator all the way to the top, our view was actually perfect because we were at the height of the tallest buildings and you could see for quite a ways over the beautiful city of Paris. It's obviously a very touristy attraction, but it is simply one of those buildings that you have to see! We also went to the cathedral of Notre Dame, famed for its large gargoyles and other adornments on the outside. Situated right along the Seine, the inside is gorgeous and spacious: it is easy to see why it is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Europe. However, while visiting its interior you are essentially herded through like cattle, which takes away from the experience.

The next day, we had quite the adventure. In the morning we saw the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, another famous church located on a hill. Despite the fact that it is more modern (finished in the 20th Century), it is still impressive to consider its architecture. Near the church is a really cool square that at one point was the home of famous artists, but is now filled with artists selling their wares, most of whom specialize in painting portraits of customers in only a couple of minutes. The entire neighborhood is beautiful to walk around--and the weather was perfect to do so!

The other highlight of the day was visiting the Louvre, easily the most daunting museum on the planet. It literally stretches for a couple of city blocks, and according to our guide book, it would take about 9 months to view all 30,000 works of art inside it. Because there are so many paintings, we decided to see a couple of the famous ones and then concentrate on some smaller areas. We saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo sculpture, and walked through several galleries, the most interesting of which was one of Spanish and Italian painters. There are some famous and impressive works, but the museum is so large and intimidating that after an hour or two, it becomes almost undesirable to stay any longer.

The rest of our time was spent relaxing, enjoying some French cuisine (especially crepes!) and walking around squares like Centre Pompidou. On Sunday before we left, we checked out what is supposedly one of the largest flea markets in Europe: while a part simply contains stands selling what appear to be knock-offs of just about everything, there is also a large portion selling antiques and other homemade goods which are pretty cool to check out.

Overall, it was great to see some family (the first people I've seen since I've been here whom I knew previous to coming to Europe) and our weekend was very laid back and relaxing--just what I needed before I write the 20 page paper I have due this week. Paris doesn't get its reputation as a beautiful city for no reason--it's definitely one to check out!

Sadly, my blog posts are going to start to dwindle. I have plenty of adventures in Brussels which I haven't really shared here, since there are too many to write about, but other than a day trip to Germany next week with my program, I have no more excursions planned. I leave for Minneapolis in 23 days, and those days are going to fly by with all the school work I have to do before then. Its amazing how fast 4 months can pass.

Nonetheless, I will still keep you guys updated with whats going on in my last 3 weeks!