My spring break of 2015 was the best spring break I have ever had. Usually, my family stays at home for spring break. However, since my 21 year old sister had the unique opportunity to study abroad this semester, we spent this spring break with her in Paris, France. We left early Sunday morning and arrived early monday morning. Even though it was still 10 at night in Arizona at the time we arrived (6 in the morning), we had to adjust to the time zone, so we jumped right into our day. Since most places in Paris are closed on Mondays, we went to Cathedrals. We first climbed up an incredible amount of steps to get to Sacre Coeur, an enormous Cathedral on a hill in Montemartre. From there, we walked all the way to Notre Dame. In hindsight, we should have taken the metro (the underground train system) to Notre Dame, because it was a couple miles away. We ended the day at Sainte-Chapelle, a beautiful church made almost entirely of stained glass.
On Tuesday, we took the RER train to Versailles, the former home of Louis XIV, Louis XVII, and Marie Antoinette. The main house, the Chateau, is gigantic and the surrounding gardens are even bigger. Versailles is so grandiose and elegant it made the White house look like a shack. Everything is gilded in gold. The hall of mirrors is incredible. What was even more incredible about being in the hall of mirrors was thinking about the history that has occurred there. Multiple treaties have been signed there. Germany became a country there! Overall our day at Versailles was amazing.
On Wednesday we went in the Catacombs. I was initially nervous to go into the catacombs because my sister had built it up as being very scary. What made me even more nervous, was that as we were walking though the 15 minute long, narrow passageway to get to the main catacombs, two girls ran out crying. That was a little more than concerning. However, once we got in there, it wasn't that bad. There are six million bodies in the catacombs. Their femurs are stacked into walls with skulls thrown in. Sometimes the skulls were made into designs, like hearts and crosses. The grossest part, aside from the mysterious liquid dripping from the ceiling, was the miscellaneous bones thrown on top of the bone walls. After the Catacombs, we walked down Champs Elysees, went into stores, and saw the Arc de Triomphe. Then we went to the Eiffel tower and went to the very top. Our feet hurt so bad we couldn't even imagine ascending the 500+ steps, so we waited in the lengthy line for the elevator. The view from the top was incredible.
On Thursday we visited the Louvre. My sister, Alexandria, who currently lives in Paris and frequents the Louvre, showed us a metro stop that actually lets its passengers off under the pyramid and allows them to skip the long line above ground. The artwork inside the Louvre wasn't nearly as impressive as the building itself. With beautiful paintings on the ceilings and incredible architecture, the museum is a work of art in itself. Among the many famous pieces of art we saw, the one that sticks in my mind is the Mona Lisa. However, I don't remember it because of how amazing it was, but rather because of how disappointing it was. I imagined the painting as being a rather decent size, like all the other art in the museum. However, the Mona Lisa is only 30 in. x 21 in. It is in the center of an enormous white wall that further exaggerates how small the painting is. After the louvre, we went to Musee d'Orsay. This museum was originally a train station, but now serves as an exhibition for Impressionist art. Impressionism is my favorite kind of art, so I greatly enjoyed this museum. It featured artists such as Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.
Friday, the next day, we took a day trip to Reims. Reims is a city in the champagne country of France where WWII was surrendered, and where almost all of the french kings were crowned. In Reims, we took a tour of the champagne caves of Taittanger. The deepest parts of the cave were initially dug out by the Romans to be used as a quarry. Then monks used it as a facility to make wine under the abbey that was built there. Now it serves as the production site of thousands of bottles of champagne. While in Reims we also visited the Reims Cathedral, where all the kings were crowned, and the room in which World War II officially ended. On Saturday, we went through the mall near our hotel and bought souvenirs and gifts. Saturday night we attended mass at Notre Dame. Even though I am not Catholic, it was an incredible experience. On Sunday, we visited the Opera and took a tour. Then we went to Musee d'Orangerie, the museum where Monet's largest water lily paintings are kept. There are two rooms, each with all 4 walls covered in his water lilies. These are my favorite paintings, so it was wonderful to be able to experience them like that. After that, we went to a museum that featured all the medals of honor from all the different countries. Then, before we went back to the hotel to back our bags, we got Nutella crepes in front of the Louvre gardens. At this spot, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Seine, and the Eiffel tower are all visible. It was a pleasant way to end our time in Paris, even though I accidentally threw my glove away instead of my crepe. On Monday, we had a flight to London at 10, and a flight from London to Phoenix at 2. The last flight was ten and a half hours. I had never been on a flight that long, so it was very difficult. We returned late Monday night and I had to go to school the next morning.
My trip to Paris was the trip of a lifetime. I had an amazing time visiting with my sister and spending time with my parents and other two sisters. I am incredibly thankful that my parents brought us to Paris and worked their hardest to make it the best experience possible. I learned so much and actually improved my French! It was most likely the last vacation in which my whole family will be together, since my sisters are out of school and starting jobs. However, if this was our last trip together, I'm glad it was this one. It was such an incredible experience and I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone other than my family.
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