Madeleine Bien
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
I am safe in France after a long 8-hour flight, and am sitting here with four of my peers who are staying in the Hotel St. Sebastian in Paris with me. I am exhausted and really want to nap but as it is only a quarter to four here, I can't mess up my sleep schedule! So i'm going to probably turn in early tonight. We haven't done any sightseeing yet as we literally were just able to rid ourselves of our heavy burdensome suitcases! In a bit, after we've all sent our e-mails, we're going to explore a bit more of this area and we're planning on meeting a friend at Notre Dame at 7 p.m.
We'll be in this hotel until Friday, when we'll take the TGV to Besancon and meet up our group leader. She's going to buy us dinner and we're going to talk about our first few experiences. I can already say that I was impressed with even the beggars who played the accordion on the RER as opposed to your usual street beggar on the streets of Detroit. I can associate accordions (as many do) with sounds of Paris and it was kind of a cheap welcome into the city.
I am craving a shower and some authentic, cheap French wine and cheeses, so I bid you goodbye for now and I promise I will write as often as the opportunity arises! More later!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
I am safe in France after a long 8-hour flight, and am sitting here with four of my peers who are staying in the Hotel St. Sebastian in Paris with me. I am exhausted and really want to nap but as it is only a quarter to four here, I can't mess up my sleep schedule! So i'm going to probably turn in early tonight. We haven't done any sightseeing yet as we literally were just able to rid ourselves of our heavy burdensome suitcases! In a bit, after we've all sent our e-mails, we're going to explore a bit more of this area and we're planning on meeting a friend at Notre Dame at 7 p.m.
We'll be in this hotel until Friday, when we'll take the TGV to Besancon and meet up our group leader. She's going to buy us dinner and we're going to talk about our first few experiences. I can already say that I was impressed with even the beggars who played the accordion on the RER as opposed to your usual street beggar on the streets of Detroit. I can associate accordions (as many do) with sounds of Paris and it was kind of a cheap welcome into the city.
I am craving a shower and some authentic, cheap French wine and cheeses, so I bid you goodbye for now and I promise I will write as often as the opportunity arises! More later!
~post-trip thoughts~
Had I a second chance to go back and pack my suitcases, I would have packed SO much lighter than I did! Hauling my suitcases up and down those metro station stairs was tiring- and I know i'm not the only one who thought so. Our arms were aching after all that running around. But hey- good way to burn some calories, n'est-ce pas?
I ended up going to bed that night at around 7 or 8- the others were too excited to sleep and ended up visiting le Sacre Coeur: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-sacre-coeur.htm
Next time I go somewhere across the world, I won't spend as much time at my computer as I did. It was nice once and a while being able to talk to friends and family, but Facebook and such can really wait. In the big picture, you're only there for a short time- might as well explore what you can and make the most out of your trip!
-MB
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