Old habits die hard when you got a sentimental heart

On Monday I went to Paris. PARIS. I've been there once before, but for less than 24 hours; the only major sight I visited was Sacre Coer. This time I was with the same person, one of my closests friends, Kate who is currently studying abroad in London and two of her friends.

I took the bus right after class, which of course was a terrifying idea in the beginning because this was my first time travelling alone. The bus from Brussels to Paris is about 4 1/2 hours and was truly uneventful; getting from the bus station to our hostel was easier than I ever thought which was a relief after the long bus ride. Our hostel was a block from Montmartre and Sacre Coer and we had an amazing view from our room:



Kate's friends, Michelle and Josh were easy to get along with which made for a great trip! On Tuesday was a crazy busy day but it was what made me fall in love with Paris. The first stop was Notre Dame, pictures cannot begin to describe the intricate details that cover every surface of the church




After Notre Dame we stopped in Shakespeare & Book co., which is right across the Seine. I, like the majority of individuals normally love bookstores, but I was especially excited for this one because I have found it very difficult to find a good selection of cheap, used books in English. Shakespeare & Book co., is well loved, books cover every corner of the store and the upstairs is small, well loved and worn and reserved for those who wish to spend the afternoon reading without interruption. This is my favorite picture, of a little nook on the ground floor:

After the book store we walked around for the rest of the day, stopping to get crepes and hot chocolate in between. We made it to the top of Sacre Coer right before sunset:


One of our guidebooks recommended that we ride around in a cab to the major sights of Paris at night and the cab ride turned out to be amazingly fun. We bonded with our cab driver, got to see the best of Paris illuminated at night and spent much of the time laughing and taking pictures.



Before I went to Paris I operated under the lone assumption that the French culture was full of pretension and snobbery. I know, I know, stereotypes are bad but I'm not going to apologize for it. But seeing Paris made me realize that the French have a gorgeous, vibrant culture that they have been able to keep alive for centuries. Sure, there is that element of pretension but that doesn't define the French people. I fell as if I could live in Paris for the rest of my life and never see everything. To experience even a tiny portion is overwhelming; Paris radiates electricity, it the city has a vibrancy that is truly unique, I cannot wait to return with my Hendrix friends.

As many of you know I am going to Krakow, Poland in early March which I am beyond excited about. I'm going with two of my friends here in Brussels as well as meeting up with two of my best friends from Hendrix, Michelle and Paige. I have a lot of feelings about going to Poland but I feel as though it deserves its own blog entry.