Day Eighteen - Paris, France

Day Eighteen – Paris, France

Well this morning we set out for the Palace of Versailles! I was with Marley, Emily, Andy, Drew, Caitlin, and Rachel. It took us a few different trains to get there because it’s outside of Paris but we finally made it there. Sitting on 90,000 square feet, this place is HUGE. I was excited to see it because it’s where they signed the Treaty of Versailles (I’m loving history more and more every day on this trip), but a lot of the group was excited to see where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI lived. I got to learn more about this royal couple and I find out that she actually did NOT say “Let them eat cake!” but that that was a myth made up by tabloids so I thought that was pretty interesting.

This place was the most gawdy, lavish, extravagant thing I’ve ever seen! Every room was huge and had so many paintings and giant chandeliers and I felt like everything was made out of gold. I wish we’d had more time to spend there because I seriously think you could spend a week in there and not see everything. It’s just so crazy that that’s what Louis and Marie were doing while the rest of France was starving….no wonder they were beheaded!! The pictures and videos I have, once again, don’t do it justice.

Something I noticed while we were exploring this magnificent palace was that no matter how much work man puts into something and how much money he spends, what man does is never as beautiful as anything God’s hands create. This is probably the most beautiful building I’ve ever been in and but it still cannot even compare to the sunsets and mountains that I’ve seen on this trip. I just thought that was really cool to think about J

After we spent some time exploring this historical palace, Andy, Marley, Caitlin, and I left to go to the Louvre. We did some touristy shopping on the way and ate at the coolest McDonald’s ever. Don’t judge us for eating at Mickey D’s in Europe…sometimes you just need a taste of home! This was seriously the nicest McDonald’s I’ve ever seen though and we ordered our entire meal on an ATM-like machine. I’m ready for those to be installed in America!

So then we travelled to the Louvre and we stopped at Lover’s Bridge on the way. I’m not exactly sure if that’s its official name but I like it so I’m sticking with it. This is a famous bridge where lovers come and sign their initials on a lock, lock it on the bridge, and throw the key in the Seine River, symbolizing their eternal love. I am definitely coming back there when I’m married someday! It was so romantic and it was the most beautiful view of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower in the background. I think my favorite part of this moment was seeing one lock that had a couple's name on it and “25^th Wedding Anniversary” engraved on it. I think it’d be so cool to come there while you were engaged or something and then come back after 50 years of marriage or something awesome like that…ok sorry I’ll stop my sappiness now!

After crossing over the bridge, we reached the Louvre where I ran into some of Austin’s roommates! (Shout out to Chris and Fred!!) I don’t think I could have mentally prepared myself for how HUGE the Louvre is. I want to come back to Paris someday and spend maybe 10 years in there. I still don’t think I’d see everything. The outside is beautiful and is right across from a quaint little park! And the inside is seriously filled with some of the most historical and beautiful art. The highlight was obviously seeing the Mona Lisa and you could tell her eyes really do watch you from anywhere in the room!

I wish I were one of those people that really appreciated art the way that it should be appreciated but I just don’t. I would much rather be in the presence of ancient political minds than ancient artists. I think the Louvre is beautiful and wonderful but I’m just not the art person I sometimes wish I were. I can definitely appreciate seeing some famous paintings, though!!

I really enjoyed my time in Paris although I felt like I didn’t get to do as much as I got to do in London because everything in Paris had much longer lines. It felt much more like a tourist-y city than London did and was also a lot sketchier and dirtier. I think some of the things I got to see in Paris were absolutely beautiful and the food was incredible but I think London is conquerable in three days whereas Paris is not! We’ll see what Switzerland and Italy have in store for us J

Until next time,

MC