Je suis une Parisienne!!

Bonjour and welcome to Paris!!! I have officially arrived and spent the past 3 days here in the wonderful city of lights! Paris is all that I could have imagined and more, and each day I have woken up and cannot believe that this is real life. The streets are busy day and night with hundreds of thousands of Parisians and tourists alike; and I have fallen in love with every bit of it! The people, the fashion, the food, the entertainment, the culture itself; all of which are truly fascinating to absorb as I find my way through this marvelous city. Pictures and words cannot do the experience justice, but I hope to give all of you a good taste of what life is really like in Paris over the next few weeks. I also hope every one of you can come experience this incredible city of history someday as well!

The plane flight was quite uneventful, as you can imagine a 10 hour flight would be. (Although I have to admit, the airplane food and the free movies are not half bad! Way to go, AirFrance!) By the time my Baylor in Paris group had arrived we were all so excited to finally be here that jet lag was not even an option! Customs was a bit scary, but no worries, they let me into the country without any questions :)

We are finally in PARIS!!!
These are my new friends: Holly, Alexandria and Tiffany!

After taking a 45 minute taxi ride into the city, I finally found my adorable apartment that I am sharing with Erin for the month. Ma famille d'acceuil (my host family) is a wonderful woman named Madame Odile Linyer and her husband Jean-Pierre. They live in a very nice neighborhood on the west side of the city and it only takes about 15-20 minutes by metro to reach the neighborhood where the school we are using for Baylor in Paris is located. The school itself is only a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower and the neighborhood is full of cute little shops, cafés and bakeries! The school is an art and design school so it is almost like a mini museum of photography and sculptures all around.

Having my first cafe experience with Kerri!

On Saturday we had our first day of class and our first outing as a group into the Latin Quarter! I could have spent all day in la marchée de la puce (the flea market) and Le Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden) which is a large and beautiful park that was made to be used by students just like me! It is full of places to walk, play chess, sunbathe, and just relax while studying. (My favorite thing there was the view of the Musée du Luxembourg, which is a GORGEOUS building full of history.)

In front of a gorgeous fountain in the gardens.

Enjoying the sun in Le Jardin du Luxembourg!

After dinner on Saturday, I visited the Champs-Élysées with my fellow music major friend, Kerri, and her Paris roommate Erin. We climbed every single step to the top of the L'Arc de Triomphe and were able to see the most stunning night view of Paris. It literally took my breath away as I saw all of the vastness of the city and all of the large monuments that are placed throughout it. As I said earlier, pictures and words will never do the view justice.

In front of L'Arc de Triomphe

Only one small part of the amazing view from the top of  L'Arc de Triomphe!

This morning Kerri, her roommate Erin and I had planned to attend a service at the Notre Dame cathedral but we arrived too late so we decided to wait in line to climb to the top of the towers. And when I say climb, I literally mean climb. We took so many spiral staircases to reach the top that it's a wonder we all don't have extremely toned legs by now! The daytime view of the city from the top was so beautiful and I was simply in awe of the grandeur of the cathedral itself and its intricate design. After learning so much from my music history class this past semester about the music that originated from the cathedral, I got goosebumps as we walked by every stained glass window and gargoyle that decorates the large cathedral. I hope to go back next weekend to attend a Mass and to receive a full walking tour inside!

I think this picture speaks for itself.

Such a beautiful view of the city from one of the lookout points on the cathedral!

The beautiful city of Paris is just behind us!

Me and Erin in front of Notre Dame's three front entrances.

I only added this picture because I thought it was hilarious that this
gargoyle is eating off a tiny demon's head.
Please don't call me twisted :)

As the day is coming to a close and I sit in the quaint living room of our apartment I am humbled and thankful that I have the opportunity to see and experience everything here. This is something I had never imagined myself doing and I can't wait to share many other exciting and beautiful things with all of you! Tomorrow we begin our regularly scheduled classes and will take an overnight trip to the Loire valley later this week with the Baylor in Paris group! Until I write again next Sunday, bon voyage!