J'ADORE Paris

PARIS my official favourite city in the world (so far!)

So for those who know me well you know Paris was my number one destination I have dreamed of going my whole life and I can safely say it has lived up to all the hype and more. I have loved every minute of being here! I walked into the city with the false assumption that 'oh everyone will speak english' (like in Thailand etc.) WRONG WRONG WRONG. Hardly anyone does!! And my top in French circa 2006 has not helped in the slightest. Reeeally should have brushed up as I kept saying I would all year but meh.

Okay so run down of each dayyy -

SATURDAY
So arrived in Paris around 5ish and lugged my well overweight suitcase to my hotel. Somehow I am getting lucky and just stumbling in the right directions and getting to where I need to be, so good. Then I get there and I'm told 'its level 3, there are the stairs'. These are the steepest windiest stairs I have ever seen. So I try and lug this mammoth suitcase up but it just is not going to happen. Thankfully the french dude helps me up there. Get to my room and no one to be found even though each of the 10 beds is full. Thankfully some Aussie chicks turn up and I have to turn on the charm. I have realised it is actually super easy to meet people if you are just nice and friendly and actually give a shit about other people. Not to say i didnt before but it can get a bit tiring asking people the same questions and answering the same ones and then trying to retain all that info. Eventually wth the people i actually hung out with I had to be like sorry in one ear out the other, pleeease repeat. Anyway so I ended up meeting this Aussie dude in the foyer and he invites me to this pub crawl with 4 other americans, two chicks and two dudes. So i head off to god knows where with god knows who. Ended up being SUCH a fun night, so cool to just not know anyone and no one know you and just start fresh. Anyway the pub crawl was nothing like the ones in Qtown or Dunedin it was like 20 min walks between bars and some like old men pubs with like 4people in them buuut we made it work since there was like 60 of us it tended to fill any place out that we went to. Ended up missing the last tube home and we missioned it back to the hostel in the freezing cold at around 3am. I must say the french or other tourists or just who ever was out that night are seriously grabby. Like it seems to be normal to them to actually grab you and like engulf you in a hug and literally not let you go even when you are squirming away. No is just not an answer to them...ew. Thankfully had like 4 dudes with us girls so it was easier to get away but MAN that was just crazy.

SUNDAY
Today was the start of touristy-ness in Paris when my new Aussie Daniel and I went to Versailles. He invited me along the night before and I was just like meh why not, hadnt planned on going out there but SO glad I did. Such a beautiful castle but freakishly overextravagent. Like as each new king came along it seemed he had to make it bigger and better than the last. You could see the different stages of the castle and it has just gotten extreme. The gardens themselves must take about 100 gardeners about a week to maintain. We barely scratched the surface but managed to get the whole castle done. We got to see so many different rooms, the kings bedroom, his billiards room, his throne room, the room of mirrors, etc. There is a room for pretty much anything any king could have wanted! I was thoroughly amazed by the paintings on the ceiling but by about room 15 I realised it was just a common normal thing for a french palace..who knew. So that was worth the trip out there, took about 45 minutes and the actual viewing was about 5 hours so it was a long day. But we had made plans with this guy and girl to meet at the Eiffel Tower at 9pm to mission it up the stairs and see the city by night. So Daniel and I roped it around 4more people and headed there. Met up with the other two and went to take the stairs only to find out they were closed. Kinda gutted but also uncover glad as there were 702 and it was raining, lift thank youuu. We stayed up there for about 90 minutes honestly, it was absolutely stunning. I just stood and stared for so long taking it all in, getting snaps and just had this revelation that THIS was the reason I came, to see that sight. And it was totally worth it. Anyway after that it was about 11pm and time for home. Really great day but very busy.

MONDAY
Today I decided to get a few things ticked off my hit list. So I headed to the Notre Dame got there took out my camera and realised I had forgotten my memory card sooo no photos. SUCH an idiot. Sooo I decided I would spend the afternoon shopping, not exactly gutted with that. But the Notre dame was so beautiful. Amazing stained glass windows and candles and sculptures everywhere. There was this messages of peace box and I wrote my own little message and put it in. That was cool. So ended up spending the rest of that day out shopping. Headed home around dinner time and ran into my American friend Meg. we had planned to go out for drinks that night because it was her last night of travel before going home where she hadnt been in 3 years. Epic night for her. Anyway we decided to skip dinner and have a few drinks. TWO EUROS (breakin the bank) for a bottle of the nicest white wine and we were on our way. No cups at the hostel so setlled for measuring containers (still a scarfie much) then meg forced some belgium beer down me (told her I wasnt into it but she said it tasted like flowers..unsure if this was a good convincing tool but I tried it and yes it did taste like flowers, oddly the best beer i have tried though tbh!) then we roped in Ellen and this other chick Lizzie. Went out for some more drinks and had the most interesting chats I have had since ive been here. To cut a long story short Meg has been in the peace corps working in south africa for the last 29 months and god did she have some eye opening stories. hearing about how thepeople live in her village and also about what she had to go through and how it changed her was just so interesting. i could listen to that girl talk for days! so interesting hearing about Ellens travels shes been away from Aussie travelling 6 months and shes pretty tired. Dont know how shes done it! And Lizzie has just given up finding work in the UK and is travelling France (a degree in Swahili and african studies is apparently not too easy to find a job..) anyway that was that night, really really interesting.

TUESDAY
Today Ellen and I decided to go get some more things ticked off our list. Hit up the Arc de Triomphe and the Champse-Elysees. Both stunning. Such a weird feeling being here and experiencing both of those. The view from the top of the Arc was beautiful got some good snaps. But the roundabout down below was the most interesting, I have NO clue how french people drive but its utter chaos. Apparently no insurance covers that roundabout because its just like a no go accident zone haha. Walked down the christmas markets down the end of the champs-elysees, soo cool. bought me a bracelet the guy handmade in front of me, even bartered it down 10 euro wooo thailand ways are still with me. Then we walked around a nice garden and then to see the louvre. Then went to the Pont des Arts called 'Love Lock bridge' where people write their names on locks and lock it to the bridge. so cute. Then went back to the Notre Dame after we got sufficiently lost trying to find it on the island its on in the middle of the Seine. Then we headed home for a much needed rest. Thennn headed off to dinner and a movie, we decided to go on a date with dates...thought it was super cool to take dates (the fruit) into the movies...dont know why but yes we are both equally weird. Saw skyfall SUCH a good movie would so recommend. prob my fave james bond one so far actually! Then headed home for the night.

WEDNESDAY
Today I went to the Sacre Coure to start off with. Walked up the stairs and got the most amazing view of Paris. Stunning. Then wandered Montmartre area where there are painters everywhere all wanting to paint you. Not keen but cool to see all their works. Such a cute little area cobblestone streets and cute old buildings. Very french. cool christmas markets up there too. Must say coming here over christmas is very very cool, everything is so festive and pretty i love it! Then I walked around Montmarte more and just kinda kept wandering until I landed in Africa. Literally the only white person in this area and I started to get a bit nervous. I was just walking and walking and finally got out but man the street people were like vultures all either trying to sell me fake crap or looking at me like an alien. weeeird. Anyway next stop was Musee d'Orsay. Very cool to see some amazing paintings that I had also studied - some Van Gogh, Gaughin, Monet, Manet etc. etc. alllll the big names were there. Took some sneaky shots too which I shall upload. Then just wandered around a bit before heading from one hostel to another. got to the new one which is SO nice really new and warm and much better in terms of actualy hostel than the last. But people here arent really as friendly. All guys in my room two from aussie two from america and a japanese chick who doesnt speak much english. Have had chats and got to know them a bit but its not really the same.Spent the night wandering Belleville the new suburb im in. Its like ive literally walked into China. Asian places EVERYWHERE. Kinda lame but interesting all the same. Spent the rest of the night chatting to people here and doing some organising for Ireland and my last few days in Paris.

THURSDAY
DISNEYLAND BABYYY! Today went to disneyland - all I can say is SO much fun!!! Loved space mountain and this other lift ride. Really just wanted to go on all the thrilling rides, managed all of one park but didnt get to do more than 1 ride in the 2nd one since it closed at 6. But still got to do heaps! Bought a cool cup as a little remembrance of the trip. The only lame thing was that it was cold and rainy howeverrrr this also meant no real lines so that was good. Waited about 20 mins max. Made me think of when I went to Disneyland in california and I just do NOT know how my parents did it!! I rememeber me complaining about not getting a pair of minnie mouse ears the whoole day like what a little shit! Sorry 11 years later mum!!

Right so that sums up Paris so far! Next in store is the Louvre, potentially a boat ride and I am going to a comedy show thing tomorrow night. All very exciting! Then off to London for the weekend for my birthday SO excited to spend it with Laz. Will probably update next week when I am in Cardiff :) :)