Paris, The City Of Lovers Is Glowing This Evening

WARNING: I did so much in Paris this will be a two post city! (No complaints lol)

Who didn't love this film?

850 years of Notre Dame!

So if any of you readers had a childhood like mine, you grew up watching The Hunchback Of Notre

How I party ;)

Dame, and thinking about Paris. Now full disclosure, I have never been someone who really wanted to go to Paris. Horror stories about issues with the French, pickpockets, and problems over all had turnd me off of the idea. And then I found out I had gotten my dream of moving to Bulgaria- I thought wow, I’m not wasting a minute of this. Now not wasting time means living up every occasion and I set out to figure where I would want to spend New years and just like that I thought of Anastasia and the fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. (Which btw DON’T HAPPEN.) But anyways I decided to spend New Years in Paris.

Isn't it pretty?

I lucked out the second my bus got in I found someone on my bus that had a metro map and helped me figure out how to get where I needed to go, and a few women with metro passes that were leaving the city passed them on to another woman and myself. I got on the metro and figured out how to switch lines and get all around. Made it to my hostel near the Sacre Couer and settled in. Immediately I met my room mates, these two lovely women from New Zealand who are both Chemistry teachers and just fantastic company. Seriously, I have the best luck meeting people in hostels. They gave me advice on where to go in the area and after I unpacked I decided to make good use of that metro pass and headed to the Arc du Triomphe.

Now I figured that my mom was sad she couldn’t see me take in these places that she saw in the 70’s, so I had my phone ready to a picture of my face the first time I saw both that and the Eiffel Tower.

Singing in Paris!

That way my mom could feel like she was really there. Then I tried to actually get to the Arc du Triomphe. SERIOUSLY IT ISN’T EASY! I met a couple from Kansas, they asked me to take their picture and I heard about their lives while they then returned the awesome favor and I clung to a lamp post having fun. Then they directed me towards where the tours went to get across. And FINALLY I found a tunnel to get there. Thanks to my BG visa I also got in for free- I am VERY persuasive- then I headed up the very steep steps and made some more friends along the way!

Mom I made it!

There are multiple levels of things to do. Which helps when you have a fear of barrier heights like I do. (Side note: It’s a real thing, my godfather understands this, back off Kate.) I got to see other monuments like it around the world on an interactive screen, view statues and even miniature versions. Then head up to the top and see the beauty of Paris!  I saw a giant Ferris wheel from afar, the Christmas markets, the Tower, everything that as lit up was fair game for this gorgeous view. Eventually I descended and took more pictures from the ground before making my way to the Eiffel Tower. Which btw is super intimidating! I knew I couldn’t climb it the first day, I was just too tired, so instead I crossed the Seine, and climbed the stairs to get a better view to yell “Mom I made it!” Then I took in the Christmas festival and headed home to get ready for the next day! Which was New Years Eve.

I surrender!

Problem with Paris? Things change, just because they can. My hostel had called Notre Dame and The Eiffel Tower and told me when they were meant to close. LIES. I went to the Sacre Couer in the morning and climbed the steps to the top and took in New Years Eve mass, then I walked around artists alley, and headed to the Catacombs. Which were-you guessed it- closed. So I headed to Notre Dame and got inside which was gorgeous, only to be told you can’t climb to the top from inside you have to get in line outside. But, when I got in line outside they decided to close early, without notice. Yep. 0 for 2 Paris. Then I head to the Eiffel Tower to climb it and they decided that it took 3 hours to

I JUST WANT TO CLIMB

climb (IT DOESN’T) and that they wanted to close even earlier than 11:30, so at before 6 p.m. no I couldn’t get a ticket. Can’t even handle it.

Yum

Thus I got delicious churros with nutella and went back to my hostel. Where my roommates were getting ready to get Indian food, which I have missed very much. They kindly invited me to join and we had a great time annoying the restaurant owner who wouldn’t believe that we could actually eat dinner in less than 2 hours when

Some of the crowd!

he needed our table back. Oy Vey. I stayed up until midnight on the steps of the Sacre Couer with these soldiers from Turkey that I met in my hostel. It was a weird night, some broken bottle fight broke out and the fireworks were rather disappointing. But I rang in the new year 6 hours before my family did. I kept thinking of how I always watch New Years from the couch at home and I see the new year around the world in recap but this year I was going to be a part of it. Really cool.

I then went to bed so I could take on my “huge” undertaking of the year. If I couldn’t end 2013 on top

It's a Hakuna Matata Moment

of the Eiffel Tower, I would start 2014 there!

Now my Nunny told me not to climb to the top but to take the elevator. But I was determined to climb for two reasons.

1: I could represent my Nunny and Nana who didn’t climb to the top

Not even near the top! haha

2: I could fulfill a promise I made to myself at 12 when I watched Tuck Everlasting . In it Jesse takes Winnie to the top of his rock mountain and this conversation happens:

 Jesse: There it is.

[Pointing to a mountain]

Winnie: This is the Eiffel Tower?

Jesse: The one in Paris - it's pretty tall. Mine is two feet higher.

Winnie: [They start to climb the mountain] Have you really seen the real one in Paris?

Jesse: Yes I have. And climbed 1.652 stairs to the top. Much easier than this. You doin' all right?

Winnie: I think so

Jesse: You're doin' great. Here

[Gives her a helping hand]

Winnie: If I went to the Eiffel Tower I would take one of those elevators.

Jesse: Not with me! You'd take of your shoes and walk up every single, solitary step.

Don't Look Down!

Winnie: How old are you?

Jesse: You really wanna know?

Winnie: Yes.

Jesse: 104

Winnie: I'm serious.

Jesse: So am I!

[Thinks about it]

Jesse: Let's just call it 17.

Well I am no longer 17 or 15 which is how old she was in the book. However, I wanted to make sure I walked up every single solitary step. So that’s what I did.

Irony here is I dislocated my Ankle at Dracula’s ball on November 1^st, and January 1^st I’m

Look at that view!

climbing up the Eiffel Tower. How cool is that?

A few fireworks from New Years

There were some annoying parts, like parents who let their kids run wild, or people who stood in the middle of the stairs just talking…yep. But I made it to the first landing and took tons of pictures. Then went up to the second and really took it all in. A nice man took my picture for my mom, and I took one of him and his two boys! Lovely exchange. I walked around inside, then took the elevator (there are no more stairs, I didn’t cheat haha) to the top and faced, yet again, my fear of barrier heights…and that is where I will leave you for now. Because if I’m gonna leave you somewhere it may as well be at the top of the world ;)

Tonight’s song is: You’re The Top, with Barbara Streisand and Ryan O’Neal from one of my top 5 films- What’s Up Doc? 1972. Because I did leave you at the top ;) 

Anna