seekingmygreaterperhaps

My first full day in Paris was jam packed. I did a walking tour in the morning and learned all about some of Paris’ history, including the Nazi occupation and how the whole city was almost destroyed with bombs. Hitler was all like- if I can’t have Paris, no one can, and planted bombs throughout the city. Luckily, one of the Nazi’s betrayed his orders secretly and removed the bombs. So now we still have Paris.

This is me chillin on the River Seine.

My girl- Joan of Ark. I learned this fun nugget: with horse statues: if the horse has all 4 legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. If the horse has two front legs up, the person died in battle. If the person has any other assortment, it means they died of unnatural causes… like MURDER. How did Joan of Ark die? Can you tell from my pic?

Hanging out in the Jardin de Tuilieries. This is in front of the Louvre… which used to be the royal palace, and these gardens used to be private. But now they are not. I think this happened after the revolution? Yup, that’s what I’m going with.

Another Pinterest dream come true- the Love Lock Bridge. This is a bridge in Paris where lovers inscribe or write something on a lock, attach it to the bridge, and then toss the key into the Seine. It is AWESOME. And actually really heavy. The French government had to board up the bridge so that no one else can add any locks. But now tourists and lovers (I guess) are making love lock bridges everywhere haha. I brought a padlock with me on my trip specifically for this.

That is my lock! It says, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. -Psalms 63:3”. This was my way to throw my key into the river, showing that my love for God will last forever, just like this lock. He is my one true love anyway. Then there is my lock in it’s now natural habitat… right next to Muriel and Boris. I chose that spot because I feel like Muriel and Boris will be a good pal.

If you don’t know why I’m also holding a compass…. follow me on instagram! michbeatty. I am using this compass as a reoccuring theme with pictures of cool stuff during my travels. While I was researching travelers, I noticed a lot of them have a “thing” they do in front of monuments, buildings, landscapes, etc, to make them special. For instance, The Bathrobe Crusader… stood in front of things in a bathrobe. So I’m using a compass. It’s a way of finding my true north, so to say.

Next- I met Quasimodo at the Notre Dame. I was pleasantly surprised to find out admission is free. The architecture is splendid. Just look at that beauty. On the inside, there were some cool stained glass windows, but I thought it looked like a pretty standard cathedral from that era (the 1100s). But the outside is tres bien.

Off to Montemarte- the north of Paris. This is a picture of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Not pictured- the billion steps it takes to get up there. As I was 3/4 of the way up, I noticed the tram you can pay to take up. Psh- I would much rather have exercise….

Anyways, the view from the top are AWESOME. You can see pretty much all of Paris from here. I was again blessed, and was there right at sunset.

As a special treat, there are mobs of guys heckling you trying to sell you a string bracelet? They say, “give me your finger” and will tie it on you before you know it. I really could have done without that. On the way down, one of them grabbed my arm and I yelled, “Don’t you dare touch me!” It worked, but then I got heckled even more. None of them touched me again? The views made up for it.

THE MOULIN ROUGE!!!! I went especially for my sister Leah, who I know used to love this movie. I watched it right before my trip, to make sure I would know what the fuss was about. It’s actually really expensive to go to a show there, so standing outside of it at night will suffice for me… for now. Next time, always next time.

THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE!!! (I’m holding up a fist because Napoleon had it built so he could ride through it in victory once he was back from his conquests.)

It’s so beautiful, especially at night. And *drumroll* I climbed it! Out of all the things to go to the top of, I picked this one. It’s cheaper, I didn’t wait at all, and you get to see the view of the Eiffel Tower and everything else. It was worth it. I only had a minor heart attack on the way up once or twice, but the views were stunning.

So. Many. Steps

I took a bunch of pictures of the view, but this is of the Champs-Elysees (I know I’m spelling this wrong…) but it is Paris’ most famous street. I walked up it and it’s all designers and fancy schmancy stores. Tres bien. On a side note- I will never ever drive around the Arc. There are no traffic lines, and everyone is literally crazy. I watched it for a while and vowed never to drive or be in a car around there.

Here are some general things I have noticed about Paris:

-The architecture is beautiful everywhere.
– Everything is planned in a line, the shrubbery, the building skylines… all of it. Parisians like their order.
-Parisians smoke… a lot.
– I will never fit in here, because I don’t walk around in heels.
– Parisians get a bad rep for being rude, everyone I’ve experienced has been extremely nice.

Paris has a few nicknames: The City of Lights (which I can tell because everything is even more beautiful at night)… and the City of Love. I think the second one is absolutely true, and it has nothing to do with romance. Paris has a way of making you fall in love with the city itself and feeling at home, even when your thousands of miles from it. I have fallen hard. It’s a beautiful thing.