Hey everyone!
It's been way too long since I've written anything, hasn't it? Sorry about that! I've been really busy - I went to Paris and then to Austria (Salzburg and Vienna), and I'm trying to finish up two essays that total about 32 pages before I head home in less than two weeks! But, I did write out some stuff when I was in Paris - a sort of travel journal, if you will - that I thought I would share with you guys. I did it pretty much each night I was there, and it reflects how I was feeling at the time, so I hope you enjoy it! Maybe someday I'll write a book about my experiences here in Europe and then I'll give all of you signed copies! Hey - actually, that's not a bad idea. I think I might kick that idea around. I'm certainly getting enough material! And I could talk about it from an American point of view - you know, what it's like to quit your job and move out to a new country and experience brand new things on a (semi) whim. Ooh! The possibility intrigues me...
Anyway, this is nothing formal, so don't expect great prose. I was in various restaurants and bars when I wrote this and didn't expect that I'd be sharing it, so be gentle. 
11-25-05 (or, as the English and Europeans write it, 25-11-05):
Approx. 8:30 PM
I'm sitting in a bar/cafe called Le Refuge by my hotel in Paris right now. I haven't eaten much today or had much water, and the beer I ordered (unbeknownst to me at the time), called Desperados, has tequila in it. I thought it was going to be just like Corona! Oh well. I've had about half the bottle and it's going straight to my head. It's tasty though! Oh! They just brought my salad. It smells and looks so good! Gonna take a picture.
Ok, this salad is SO delicious! It has chicken, boiled egg, tomatoes, awesome dressing, and (the crowning touch) sauteed potatoes. Holy merde, this rocks!
I'm so happy right now! When I left for Paris, I wasn't sure if I would like travelling by myself, but it's been a great experience so far. I feel confident, and even helped some people get where they needed to go and explained the metro to them (which is just like the tube in England, only I think it's better) even though it was my first day here too. (They were two other Americans, a mother and son, who were from Irvine. They won a trip to Europe from Good Day LA!) Being able to manage and even thrive here by myself, in a country where I don't speak the language very well at all (I didn't know how much I had forgotten or how bad my accent was until I got here and tried to speak French!), has made me feel so capable.
Paris is so beautiful--when it started snowing (oh man, I just burped so loudly) at the very top of the Eiffel tower, I felt so blessed and happy. It was simply breathtaking and I felt totally connected to all the other people who were up there. It was amazing timing...it had been mostly sunny all day, wtih a few storm clouds threatening. I was in line for almost two hours to get into the Eiffel tower (met some awesome people in line) and there was no rain or snow, although it was cold. I got up to the very top of the tower about 30 minutes after I bought my ticket and wandered around inside for a bit, then went outside to look at the view. I had been out for about two minutes when the snow started falling, very softly. The intensity picked up so quickly though, until the snow was so thick you couldn't see anything else. People started cheering and screaming and trying to catch the snow in their mouths.
Eventually it got too cold and I came back in, and by the time I got to the bottom of the tower and was ready to leave, the snow had stopped. It was an incredible experience! The cutest thing happened too - I met an Indian couple that lived in Austin who were really really nice. We were chatting in line with two exchange students (a girl from Nebraska and a guy from New York) who were studying in Rome. They had the same idea as me of going to Paris for Thanksgiving. Anyway, when it started snowing, the Indian woman looked at me and said, "We're having a White Thanksgiving!!" How cute is that? Here's a picture of them:
11-26-05, approx. 6:30 PM
It's my 2nd night in Paris, and I am loving it! I can't believe I only have one more full day before I go back to London--but then I leave for Austria, so it's all good. Today was a jam-packed day. I went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa (which the French call La Jaconde). I found out that Napoleon had the picture removed from the Louvre and hung in his bedroom! I also saw the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, and Louis XIV's coronation crown, along with some of the other royal diamonds). The crowns and diamonds were a lot like the Crown Jewels in England, but a lot less extravagant. I went to Versailles last, when the gardens were covered with a beautiful layer of snow, and the palace and its rooms were spectacular to behold. Versailles is located at the edge of the city so it took a long time to get there, but it was so worth the trip. I was pretty disappointed with Buckingham Palace, but Versailles was amazing. There's one part of the palace called the Hall of Battles, which is immense - I bet it's at least the length of a football field, and probably longer! (I found out later that it's 120 meters long.)
The Parisians are delightful--I haven't seen any hints of their so-called rudeness, at least not yet. I have tried to speak French, but most of them just chuckle and respond in English, although some do use really basic French. This is such an amazing, vibrant city!
Along with the Louvre and Chateau Versailles, I also went to Sainte-Chappelle. It claims to have the most amazing collection of stained glass anywhere in Europe (the stained glass dates back to the 13th century), and I would agree!
After that, I went right next door to the Conciergerie. This was used as a prison until (I think) the early 1900s. It held Marie-Antoinette just before she was executed, along with Robespierre and lots of other people. I got to see the water pitcher that Marie-Antoinette drank out of right before they guillotined her:
Oh! And I went to Notre Dame, where I lit a candle for everyone (I try to do that in all the churches I go into--I did it in San Marcos in Venice too). That was an amazing cathedral, and when I walked back outside the bells started ringing, which immediately made me think of the hunchback. You can go up to the bell tower, but I didn't...it cost extra and one of the exchange students told me it was 300 steps! But, maybe I'll do it if I come back...