PARIS

I’ve always been in love with the city of Paris, because every girl dreams about visiting the city of love, right? Well my little girl dreams came true on March 29th when myself and 7 other of my classmates journeyed to Paris, France. We took a late flight out of Prague, Czech Republic and didn’t arrive in Paris until around 21:00. Our airbnb was located about 45 minutes away from the city center so our group had quite an adventure trying to figure out how exactly to make it there using public transportation. After about an hour of taking a public buses and getting lost in the airport we decided to just get an Uber to our house. After picking up the keys and again getting lost in the process of finding our place we finally arrived at like 1:30. This Airbnb was probably my favorite place that we have stayed thus far, it was a very nice condo located in a suburb of Paris called Serris. We all settled down for a short night of rest to prepare for our packed day of sightseeing in the morning.

DAY 1

If anyone ever tells you that it isn’t possible to do everything Paris has to offer in one day, prove them wrong. That was basically our montra for the first day in Paris. Five of us who were on this trip had booked our second day at Disneyland Paris, which meant that we had to hit all the major landmarks within 24 hours!! Saturday morning started off with a little bit of disappointment for me personally. I had scheduled to have a photo session in front of the Eiffel Tower right away in the morning. So I got up at 06:00 to start getting ready for my 08:00 photo shoot in the heart of the city. Only to receive a text that the photographer was sick and wouldn't be able to make it. After being sad for a little bit I was again ready to have a fantastic day with my friends. We took ubers into the city and started out by walking around the Eiffel tower. Being at the very base and looking up really showed how massive of a structure it was. What ensued next is what we will cal a typical event of our generation. The seven girls in the group started scouting for spots where we could get our pictures with the most notable structure in Paris. I have been following a couple of Paris photographers for several months, so I had an idea of where the best places to go were. So we walked around and had a little photoshoot with each other which is always a blast! I realized that you never need a professional when you have amazing girlfriends around to pose and hype you up!

We moved onto the next stop on our itinerary which was the Arc De Triomphe. The Arc de Triomphe Paris, the most monumental of all triumphal arches, was built between 1806 and 1836. Even though there were many modifications from the original plans, reflecting political changes and power struggles, the Arc still retains the essence of the original concept which was a powerful, unified ensemble. This structure absolutely massive! Our group was planning to buy tickets to go to the top, as the view from the top is supposed to be better than from the top of the Eiffel tower. We were very disappointed when we came around the corner only to find that the entire monument was blocked off by metal fences and guarded by armed police officers. The site of this was slightly concerning because we just weren't expecting it. Quickly we realized that the site of police officers and cop vans were going to be a common theme for the rest of the day.

Since we weren’t able to actually visit the Arc de Triomphe, we continued walking to find somewhere to eat. Our group walked down the Avenue des Champs Elysées, which is a very famous street in Paris for shopping. What we found next also surprised us, there again was police officers everywhere!! Police vans were lined up in the middle of the road spaced about 50 ft apart. There also were groups of armed officers roaming on the sidewalks. At one point Logan, the only male in our group, had his backpack randomly checked by a group of them. It was a very odd feeling as i’ve never experienced something like this before. In a way, I couldn’t tell if it made me feel more or less safe while walking around. After doing some research, we found out that this was all because of the Yellow Shirt Protests that have been going on in Paris since November. We witnessed the effects of these protests on the stores with broken windows and boarded up storefronts.

In order to find somewhere to eat we took a side street and found a cafe that would satisfy us all. They had great food and we even made a connection with our waitress! She had been living in Paris for about a year but is originally from Prague Czech Republic! Once she found out that we were studying in the Czech her mood towards us was completely different! Haha She actually ended up helping us with a project that we had to do for our Czech Language class. She was so sweet and once again the world showed us how small it really is!

We continued on our itinerary and got to walk through the streets of Paris to our next stop. I loved the architecture of the buildings and houses. We walked through beautiful gardens and eventually got to a point where we again had to have our bags checked by officers. The park that we were now walking through was almost completely empty. The entire group though that this was a little eire but against our better judgement we continued to walk. Haha At last we were approaching the monument which we were trying to vist and saw that it was surrounded by…. guess who? That's right, more armed officers, who bagan to approach us. At this point we turned the other direction and tried to exit the barricaded area that we had accidentally entered! Hahah It felt like we were walking through a warzone, streets completely empty and armed officers everywhere!! We finally found a way out and made our way towards the Louvre through the Palais Royal gardens and then to Notre Dame along the main canal in Paris. The gardens were stunning and the entrance to the museum was very cool to see. Unfortunately we just didn't have enough hours in the day to be able to also visit this world renowned museum.

I loved being able to walk along the water and experience the everyday life of locals as people passed us on bikes, scooters, and jogging with their dogs. It blows my mind that people actually live in this amazing city and casually pass by stunning monuments and sites everyday on the way to work or when they are out for a daily jog. We stopped to take some pictures along the river and continued on our way towards Notre Dame. As I have said, our day was filled with police cars and cops everywhere in the city, and at this point we actually were able to view the protest that was causing all the extra security. Finally we reached Notre Dame and took in the beauty of the exterior and all its intricate details. I regret to say that we did not actually go into the gorgeous church because of the enormous line and ticking time clock. It was getting late in the day and our group had to move on to start making our way to Versailles where we had already purchased tickets to tour. With the unfortunate event that happened at Notre Dame just a couple of weeks ago, I deeply regret this decision, but that is just part of life.

The next hour was just about as disastrous and chaotic as it possibly could have been! HAHA! We had a very hard time figuring out the metro system in Paris so figuring out our way to Versailles was a mess. After struggling for a while and walking quite a bit because of the closure of part of the metro track, we decided to just call an Uber! (THANK GOODNESS FOR UBER!) All eight of us finally made it to Versailles and were feeling pretty good because we had about two hours to see the main parts of the gody palace. Boy were we wrong to think that the struggles were over! Basically, our tickets were not valid anymore because we had accidentally booked a morning guided tour of the palace. Sooooo Lauren and I ran all around trying to find the office where we had booked our tickets and begged them for new tickets that would get us in to see the palace before it closed in an hour. After a hot sweaty run in a dress, frustrated crying, and some heavy persuasion skills, Lauren and I succeeded in getting our whole group new tickets to get in!

I thought that the palace was absolutely gorgeous, but it also left me questioning why anyone really needed a house that humongous! There were rooms that literally made my jaw drop upon entering. But ultimately my favorite room (of the parts that I made it through in an hour) was the Hall of Mirror. The event planned in me could only focus on all the amazing balls, weddings, and events that this space could be used for! Lauren and I walked through the gardens to meet up with another one of our friends, Lindsay, who actually got into Versailles earlier (I know that doesn't really make sense, but the occurrences of the entire day are just kinds confusing haha). I thought the gardens were gorgeous, but I was a little bit disappointed because there were no flowers blooming yet. The entire property is just massive and it would literally take a couple of days to wander around all parts of the garden and every room in the house. Lindsay had made a new friend on her walk through the palace so the four of us got gelato and sat out on the grass and admired the beautiful nature around us. Lauren and I eventually made our way back into the city and took a walk around the Eiffel tower all lit up. We met up with a couple of other girls that were with us on the trip, Rachel and Sarah, then found a restaurant with a view of the tower to have a nice dinner together. After a wonderful dinner of veal and wine, we made our way back up the steps for a beautiful view of the light show and more pictures. The entire day was magical as I was able to see so many attractions that are on my bucket list. Back to the Airbnb we went for a good night's sleep to get ready for another magical day (literally).

DAY 2

I had been looking forward to this day since I booked the tickets. Growing up, I was very blessed to be able to visit Disneyland frequently and so Disney became an important part of my childhood. As I have grown older, I have realized what an impact Disney has had on my life and why I am the way that I am. My career in the service industry, wanting to help others make memories, is partly due to the service that I have experience and memories that I have made at Disney Parks. You might think i'm a little crazy, and maybe I am, but I know that i'm not the only one that is crazy for Disney. The girlies that went with me to Disney are also nuts for a theme park. Sarah actually attended the Disney college program last year at Disney World. My mother participated in this program many years ago, and one of my cousins also participated a couple of years ago! I also plan to participate in the Disney College Program next year. Lauren and Rachel both grew up going to Disney parks and were excited to spend a day at the Happiest Place on Earth. BUT Miss Lindsay had never been to a Disney Park, I am sooo happy that I was able to be a part of her first Disney Park experience!!

That morning was full of anticipation and excitement! The five of us left our airbnb and had a short 15 minute walk to the front of Disneyland Paris. I bet we were a site to see, five young women literally running on the side of the street, dancing and singing to Disney classics the entire way. Entering the park was a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me. I always have made fun of my mom for crying at silly things but I can say that I literally teared up when I walked onto Main Street USA. This was really my first time since being abroad that I really wished that my family could be with me to share in this experience. BUT, it was also kinda fun to rub it in their face. ;-)

The entire day was an absolute blast, full of laughs, memories, and pure joy. Rather than bore you with writing about the entire day, please enjoy a TON of pictures from our day at Disneyland Paris. You’re never too old to be a kid at heart!!

Thanks for reading!!

Hugs and Blessings,

Annalise