February 8th, 2015: Paris, France

     

At the Lourve

       Although I got over whatever throat infection I had last week after returning from Dublin it seems that I have a cold. So this is my second week being sick, I really wish I would have brought some medicine from home. I’m glad that the pharmacists here are very patient and helpful even though I don’t speak any Italian. Being sick for two weeks in a row has made it difficult for me to focus on anything, I’ve just been constantly tired. On the bright side two of my roommates and I decided to go to Paris despite the Charlie Hebdo shooting in early January. Many of the study abroad students are avoiding the Paris right now since the attack was so recent, but we felt confident enough to go.

The Eiffel Tower

While in Paris we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, the Lourve, and Notre Dame. It was definitely a lot easier to get around in Paris since they have a great subway system. There was much more of a communication barrier for me there than in Rome, but overall it seems like a lot of people in the major tourists area know English and are willing to work with you as long as you make an effort. I’ve heard many people say that the French are rude especially to Americans, but I didn’t find that to be true. Everyone I met or spoke to was very nice and welcoming. I even thought people seemed nicer than in Italy. Overall the trip to Paris was okay. I was a little underwhelmed by Paris, I thought it was going to be a very romantic city filled with people. I think it’s just that we visited during the off season. The good thing was that we did not have to wait in long lines for anything.

In front of the Mona Lisa

Things that I learned this week:

1. Find out who you travel well with and don’t be disappointed if you don’t travel well with everyone
2. Know that it is okay to split up, that way everyone gets to see what they want
3. The stereotype that French people are rude is nowhere near true
4. Buy more Macaroons than you think you’ll want 
5. Paris’ subway system is very helpful
6. Buy all day passes or 2 day passes for the subway system (its more cost effective)
7. The Mona Lisa is very tiny (that is true)