PARIS

My usual avoidance of tourist-like behavior was overruled by my ten year old fantasy of standing on the Eiffel tower. It poured as I stood in line, and they closed the top level right before I got to the ticket counter, but I was an over-eager child and unfazed by the crap weather and my bad timing.

As an Art History enthusiast I felt I was sort of required to go to the Louvre. I went my second day with two girls from my hostel. Unfortunately, it made me realize why I decided to travel alone. It's such a pleasure to be on your own time schedule and to make your own itinerary.

The collection at the Louvre is overwhelming and I only made it through about half of the museum before I started to feel dizzy. Seeing the Mona Lisa in person was a little lack luster. With all the other incredible things in the museum, I sort of started to wonder why everyone runs there first. My absolute favorites were Michelangelo's marble statues.

Following the Gardens which lead to the Arc de Triomphe, I soon found myself in the neighborhood of Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent and also the most expensive place to find something to eat. I then decided to check out Montmatre (the old hangout for creative types and artists including Picasso). To get to Montmatre you have to climb up a winding street. The neighborhood sits on top of a mountain peak. From the top, you can see the entire city just sprawling for miles and miles. I had a glass of wine on an overlook underneath the Sac de Coeur.

That night I felt compelled to visit Canal St. Martin, which at eleven, was almost impossible to make out in the dark. My third day in Paris was my favorite because I got to do it alone. I first decided to visit the Sorbonne and wandered afterward into the Luxembourg gardens--which are lovely. 

I couldn't get over how many professional, working adults in Paris were not actually at work on a weekday in the afternoon. The gardens were crowded with locals who had a cigarette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Some people were there with their children. I saw little boys racing toy sailboats in one of the garden's many shallow schools. It's pretty old school--the boys poke the boats with long sticks to further them along. 

Afterward I decided to go to the Marais which is mainly a residential neighborhood but filled with lots of little, hidden boutiques and cafes. I was stopped and asked for my picture by a girl who writes a fashion blog for WAD magazine which was so flattering and totally made my day. 

Once again, I had a tuna sandwich for lunch. I have been eating the best tuna sandwiches here. I think the difference is the sliced hard-boiled egg the bakeries are so found of including here. It's true what everyone says. The bakeries in Paris are some of the best  in the world and the Marais was no exception. After I finished my sandwich I made sure to save room for the dreamy pastry desserts. 

Parc Andrea Citroen I had heard was a good place to explore so I went there next. It was in a neighborhood that seemed completely isolated from the rest of the city. The one thing I keep noticing here is how integral the city's many green spaces are to the quality of life that Parisian's have. Each garden is more beautiful than the last and though I'm not usually a kid person, I keep finding it really adorable to watch the local children play together in the city's parks. They seem especially fond of sprinklers. 

There are interactive fountains at Parc Andre Citroen that spurt vertical shoots of water up at differently timed intervals. The Parisian children love to wait at the sides until right before the water erupts out of the ground and then they throw themselves into the spray at the last minute. They almost seem to know exactly when it is going to happen. 

With how barren the park feels, I was shocked to look up and see that that from the park, you can see the Eiffel tower. It looked to be so close I assumed the Eiffel tower might even be in walking distance and I began to follow it until I was directly underneath. 

That night I decided to re-visit the Louvre/ Eiffel Tower to see everything lit up. I heard it was sort of a must see. It was, granted, really pretty but not so different than during the day. The entrance to the Louvre is a glass pyramid that extends both above and below ground level. Much of the museum is underground. At night, the pyramid almost seems to glow and it is reflected in the many shallow reflection pools that are on the museum's grounds.  I made a wish with one of my last American coins by tossing it into the water. 

My last day I sort of had this tactic of getting off the metro wherever I decided to and exploring the city by foot until I stumbled across the next metro station. I ended up back in the Marais, on the Seine and at Notre Dame. The Notre Dame was so crowded with tourists I was glad I didn't have a ticket to go inside because I would have been waiting forever.

I really wanted to have a memento from Paris so I made this my goal for my final day. In the end, I bought a sick ring from a very convincing Parisian woman. The ring is a feather which curls back into itself. After debating, I bought one in off white and started to regret it about an hour later. I was able to find the store again but it had already closed by the time I had got there so my dreams of the same ring in silver were quickly crushed.