I traveled there with my friend Angela, who is a professor at another university. She used to be a fellow graduate student, and we've worked together for the past few years. We submitted a proposal to present at the Writing Across Borders Conference about a year ago. We submitted it, kind of on a whim, not really expecting to make the trip. When our symposium got accepted, we still didn't think we'd go, but then my dear PhD advisor stepped in and insisted that we make the trip. Have I mentioned how blessed I am to have her?!
Angela's mom also joined us. We were there for a week and stayed in a lovely apartment that I found on Airbnb. We could not have asked for a better location. And it was so nice to have an apartment with a kitchen so we didn't have to rush out in the mornings to get our coffee!
We arrived mid-morning on Monday. After flying all night, we forced ourselves to stay awake for the rest of the day. We started out with lunch at a cafe near our apartment and then headed to see Notre Dame, which was only about a 15 minute walk.
Having never been to Europe before, I've never seen buildings this old. I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that Notre Dame dates back to the 1100's. I also found it interesting that the building marks the very center of Paris.
That evening, we stumbled upon a little market street only a few blocks from our apartment. This little street was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We spent a lot of time here at the cafes and hit up the little bakery each morning for a delicious chocolate croissant. We learned later in the week that this little market street is one of the more famous ones in the city.
On Tuesday, we took a day trip to see Versailles. I knew going in that the palace was going to be lavish, but I wasn't quite prepared for the size of the estate and just how opulent it is.
Below is the hall of mirrors, which was one of my favorite parts of the interior. The picture definitely doesn't do it justice!
While the palace was beautiful, the gardens were my favorite. I can only imagine how beautiful these are during the spring and summer.
After Versailles, we headed back into the city to the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately, it was partially under scaffolding, but the view from the top was beautiful.
On Wednesday, Angela and I headed out to the university to the conference to get our bearings and registration materials. Later that afternoon, we went to see the Eiffel Tower. We timed it so we could be there during the day, but also see it lit up at night.
I know it sounds so cliche, but seeing the Eiffel Tower was truly amazing. I got goose bumps when I saw it for the first time!
This was my first full view of it.
It was much larger and actually much prettier than I expected. Once again, I can only imagine how pretty this is in the spring when all of these trees are in bloom.
We climbed up to first and second levels and got some good views of the city. I'm not a fan of crowded elevators so I happily passed on going all the way to the top!
And my favorite part was seeing it lit up at night. Beautiful.
I can tell how excited I am in this picture. My smile is so genuine.
Somehow, we timed it perfectly so we could see the sparkle.
It was lovely. And really blew my expectations away. I will never look at pictures of the Eiffel Tower in the same way again. It really is a work of art.
And here is one last picture, captured from the other side.
Just AMAZING!!
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