We are now in Milano. As we left Paris we heaved a sigh of releif, hoping that we would have a better experience here.
It really wasn't so bad I suppose. We did get to go to the Lourve, the Musee D'Orsay, the Pere Lachaise Cemetary, we got to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night after eating at a cute little cafe. We also saw all of the other major sights: the Notre Dame (though sadly it was closed by the time we got there after getting lost for the umpteenth time), the Moulin Rouge, the Opera Garnier, the Hotel D'Invalides, we drove down the Champs Elysees and around the Napoleons Arc, and the Place De La Concorde. We didn't make it up to the Sacre Couer or to Montmarte because by the time we were supposed to go we were so completely exhausted, we didn't want to figure out how to get up there, and my one foot was so sore that I actually think I did some damage to the tendon or something by overworking it. It still hurts.
The best part of Paris was (in my opinion) the art museums. After learning about all the painters and art movements and analysing the paintings in my art history courses (which were my fave) it was really cool to see some of the originals. And be able to look at paintings I had never seen before and say things like that was influenced by this or that and pick out techniques that made each painting part of its specific movement. My favourite moment in the Lourve was stading in front of Gericault's "The Raft of the Medusa", depicted the ill-fated passengers of a shipwreck who survived by building a raft, but eventually turned to cannibalism because they ran out of food and began to starve. I know it sounds morbid, and its not the kind of painting I usually fall in love with, but it was truly amazing to look up at it. It was so huge and I couldn't help but think of how he actually visited the morgue and hospital to do studies of the dead and dying for it. It broke my heart to look at these people who were trying so hard to survive, but it left me in awe.
Another favourite moment in Paris was the night we saw the Eiffel Tower lit up. We wanted to see it after dark, but arrived a bit early, so walked down the road to a little cafe with seating out on the sidewalk. It ended up being our best dining experience yet. The food was deliciuous, the laid-back atmosphere contagious, and the waiter had a great sense of humour and kept us laughing after a long day. We sat in the grass after eating and waited for the Tower to light up. They have flood lights on it all night, they were blue when we were there, and every hour on the hour until midnight they turn on the big, blinking lights. When they finally came on everyone started cheering and camera flashes were going off all over the place. It felt like a dream to sit there and admire it in all its glory, it was everything I thought it would be. The good meal and relaxing on the grass probably helped too, but that night alone (almost) made all the bad things in Paris worth it.
If I were to go back (and I fully intend to so that I can do it all over again and do it right) I would do a million things differently. First I would be more prepared with the language- the French people are more and more polite the more you speak their language, though they still are as a whole very grumpy. (and after smelling all the metro stations I understand why- if I had to smell that every day going to and from school or work I would be grumpy too!)I would also make sure I stayed in a real hostel so that we could actually meet some cool people, rather than stay in a budget hotel located in the ghetto. And I would splurge and stay somewhere very central- it took us at least an hour to get home every night, more if we got lost, which happened at least once a day. It took us about half our stay to actually get the hang of the Metro, but now that I've got it seriously downpat next time would be a breeze. And finally, I would spend more than 4 days. There is a lot to see in Paris, and 4 days just isn't enough to get a feel for the city's character. There is a reason it attracts so many tourist, and I think its a shame we didn't get to discover that. It would have been a lot better if we would have been able to spend more leisure time, not be so rushed all the time, which just made us irritable. All in all though, it was a great learning experience. I am soooo glad its over, but at the same time I wouldn't hesitate to go again just because I'm convinced it could have been 10x better. And the next time I smell urine... I will remember Paris!
We have only been in Milano, as the Italians say, for one day and already I love it! There is such a different pace here- many of the stores close for a few hours in the afternoon and people aren't as rushed as they are in Paris. It feels safer to walk the streets at night, and the people are kinder! And our hotel!! It is so cute! Its about a 5 min walk from the train station in some really old building. Our room is so tiny- it is literally a corner with two cots in it! And thank heavens- the best part is we have a real shower!!! In Paris we had a shower, but no place to attach the shower head (which is apparenlty common in Europe), which isnt so bad. But our shower head was broken and shot out water every which direction, so we had to bath laying down. It was ridiculous, kinda defeated the whole point of the shower head. We took an open tour of the city today and were able to hop off and see the Duomo, the Castello, and some really fun shopping districts. It was relaxing to not have to do it all on our own, and to be off our feet. I do think I did some serious damage to my foot, so I'm going to take it easy, and get some new shoes! We did way to much walking that day in Paris. Tomorrow we are actually going inside Il Duomo, then to see the Da Vinci's "Last Supper" (which suprisingly Dani is more excited about than I am), and to do some shopping!! Yay! Next we are headed to Verona and then finally to Venice!