The flight was long, too long for my liking and after about fourteen hours of plane flight along with three hours of layovers I arrive at Charles De Gaulle on September third and made my way to my new home in a sketchy cab whose driver didn't really spoke any English.
As soon as I got here I was given the keys to my apartment and started unpacking my clothes and arranging my room. Which still is a dull white color but I now have a stocked fridge and am officially living alone. That night I went out with some other students and ate some pizza margherita in a nice restaurant near my apartment. On a side note it seems like I've eaten more Italian food than I have French food.
The week was full of trying to figure out the neighborhood I live in and the area around campus. The area around my apartment is full of good small restaurants, creperies, bars, bakeries, and cute thrift shops. It's full of street arts and young people mulling around all day. The area around my school is the opposite, full of high end boutiques, fancy restaurants and malls. It's nice and it has by far my favorite bakery where I seem to stop daily for a croque monsieur or croissant. The great thing about my commute to school is walking from the metro towards campus and seeing the Eiffel Tower over the tops of buildings.
The first week was full of cliches. The first day I saw the Eiffel Tower, which I was never too fascinated by but seeing it in person (across from the Seine) cemented the fact that I'm in Paris. It's like how you can't really say you've been to London and didn't see the Big Ben or went to Rome and didn't make a wish in the Trevi Fountain. It was amazing seeing it in person and also seeing the light show late at night. That day I also ate my first crepe which was excellent, a crepe with bananas, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, and a lot of chantilly cream. The second day also marks the first time I got lost in Paris, around the Place de la Bastille. Which is a beautiful place to get lost by but it was horrible to try to find my way back when I do not know the city and can't speak French well. Luckily I was able to get home fine and before it got dark.
I was also able to climb up the Arc de Triomphe. The stairs were a pain and I was incredibly winded by the time I reached the top but once I was up there it was worth it, the view is breathtaking. 360 view of Paris, from the Eiffel Tower to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur it was amazing to see from all angles the city I will call home for the next nine months. Of course seeing the Champs-Elysées was also great, from the tree lined streets to all the great shops.
During the weekend we stayed in a château in Chantilly and ate great French food and got to enjoy the country side for a few hours after going through some logistics. We also toured the Musée Condé and saw some original Raphael pieces, most notably the Three Graces.
That first weekend also saw my first adventure alone(well, not completely alone since I was with a friend but a friend who isn't too familiar with the city of Paris either). We traveled by train to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the birthplace of many notable figures like Louis XIV, Claude Debussy, and Henry II. We napped a bit in the beautiful gardens and saw a magnificent view of all of Paris of these suburbs. We also had ice cream, which to me it seems like the Europeans really make their pistachio flavored ice cream a whole lot better than ice cream makers back in the states do.
This week was great, between making new friends, trying to find out more about the City of Light and eating amazing food all around. I'm looking forward to starting classes, well more classes than just French like I had been doing for the two days.
Paris is proving to be a lovely place and I'm excited to find out more about this city I now live in.
