Paris

I left for Paris with two friends late Friday evening after a company visit to the Nantes Port Authority. The train finally arrived in Paris around 12:30 am. By the time we took the subway, or "metro", to the hotel, checked in and went to bed, it was around 2:30.

That didn't stop us from getting up at the crack of dawn to be first in line at the Louvre. We rushed to see the Mona Lisa before the crowds attacked. The painting is quite small, but impressive nonetheless. The museum itself is a masterpiece; the architecture and decor are absolutely stunning. I saw Venus de Milo, the Portrait of Louis XIV, and David's The Consecration of Emperor Napoleon. We spent over three hours there and didn't even see 1/3 of the museum. We would have loved to spend more time there, but Notre Dame called. The cathedral was stunning - very tall and majestic. Then we walked down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumph. Since all three of us are scared of heights, we decided to climb the Arc instead of the Eiffel Tower would have been. The view was beautiful and seeing the Sacre Coeur on the hill prompted us to go there for mass the next morning.

The church is astounding and, in my opinion, more impressive than Notre Dame. It was quite a climb to get there, but worth every step. The mass was super long and lasted just under two hours. After mass, we enjoyed a fresh market in Montmartre, the part of town on the hill where the church is. Then we visited a few parks and finally settled in the shade of the Eiffel Tower. The spring weather was absolutely perfect! We went home to take a nap before dinner then met friends along the Seine to watch the Tower light up and enjoy a picnic dinner.

In the morning, we came back to Nantes and I spent the day reading and catching up on sleep. Even though Paris was beautiful, I did not fall in love with the city. It was huge and somewhat unwelcoming. It was often dirty and overcrowded. Nantes is so homey, clean and friendly in comparison.

Today was beautiful outside and ,luckily, both of our classes were cancelled. I spent the day walking around Nantes andY shopping. Souvenirs: check :)