Traveling//Paris

A view from a friend's hotel room

Recently I went to Paris (the one in France not Ontario). It was fun a little trip though I must say the time I spent reading on the trip was pitiful except on the plane. Here are some of the pictures and experiences I had.

In each city there is a designated center for all map quest/direction finders. The center is what automatically is pinpointed when one types "City Name" in the search bar. This is the point in Paris right outside of Notre Dame. There is also a cool sun in the middle-- so why not?

Catacombs

 There are miles upon miles of bones underneath the city of Paris. These bones were excavated from the Cemetery of the Innocents back in the 1700s because of the overflowing number of bones. The Catacombs were the solution and have been a tourist attraction for hundreds of years. It was not as creepy as I thought it would be, but leaves a somber mood. I also first heard of the Catacombs from the series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott.

Owl from Louvre

Of course I went to the Louvre, since it would be a sin not to, but I found the Mona Lisa way too overcrowded and not cut up for what it is. This is a simple owl that I found cool representing Athena the Greek god of wisdom. The owl reminds me of Jonathan Adler animal sculptures with the simple lines. 

Paris Airshow

I went to the Paris Airshow to see what all the hubbub was about during a public day and it was quite cool. I don't understand all the technicalities, but the design portion was intriguing because it is easily understood also I've been on many planes and some are more comfortable than others. The plane here is a Rafale-- a new French fighter which is a beautiful plane for how it can't slow down and turn with ease. I loved the many uses of the Rafale which is an all purpose military plane.

Versailles Gardens

The gardens of Versailles are pruned to perfection. The amount of work that has been put into it is astonishing, just showing the extravagance of the French Court. I accidentally walked out of the gardens and found myself stuck outside since I didn't have my ticket and ended up having to walk along the street outside the park back to the main palace where I met my parents. Make sure when going to the garden you realize people 6-18 have to pay for the gardens but not for the palace (they accidentally let me through by accident). The small space open to the public in the palace is astonishing for the opulence just as the gardens feel like a rich woman's dream.

Nicholas Flamel's house

This is another place from the The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel books. Nicholas Flamel's old house is now a restaurant, built upon the ruins of his old house. Ther is a warm glow from inside the restaurant though we didn't get to eat there. There is also a street called Rue de Nicholas Flamel not far away. Even if you don't eat at the restaurant it's a fun little walk.

Overall a wonderful, fun trip that makes me want to learn French all the much more and fall in love with the richness of the French way of life and history.