Shay's Italia Adventures: Bonjour Paris!!

I am currently sitting in the same hotel I stayed in Day 1 in Italia with my mom and dad! Yay. We had such an AMAZING time in Paris. Saw the sights, met up with some friends, ate some seriously incredible food (including 2 bags of flamin' hot Cheetos), and enjoyed hanging with my parents. I LOVED Paris so much, and the people are not as mean as everyone makes them out to be :)

When Jessica and I arrived in Paris last Thursday we found our way to the hotel. It was in the Montparnasse District which basically equals restaurants and cinemas galore. We had the most legit baguette sandwich I have ever experienced. The guy even has Sriracha just waiting for me. We explored the area and waited to meet up with my parents. We finally reunited and it felt so good. I was so happy to see them (as well as see what they brought me). We caught up for a little bit and headed out to dinner. We found a french restaurant and had french wine, french onion soup, scallops, and creme brulee...soooo good. We went to bed and may I just say how fun it is to stay in a real hotel.

The next day we got up and took off (after stopping to get a quick starbucks) to the one and only Eiffel Tower. It was so beautiful and we even went up halfway! We had some snacks inside which included baguettes and french fries. Afterwards we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. It was also incredible as you may imagine. We walked down the Champs Elysees only to run into a red carpet and paparazzi. We were really excited to see there was about to be a celebrity and found out it was Liv Tyler. We waited a solid 30 minutes and I got two crappy pics of her but still so random and hilarious. After, we headed to get some food and ended up getting amazing burgers. WE ARE NOT AMERICAN AT ALL. Oh! Before that I saw a McDonalds and had been laughing about the line from Pulp Fiction about what Quarter Pounders are called in Paris....a royal with cheese. So I walk in and literally see the "Royal" on the menu. I about died laughing. We ate our huge burgs and headed back to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up at night. It was soo beautiful and we loved all the sparkles.

The next day we headed to Versailles and after taking planes, trains, and automobiles, finally found the place. Talk about Majesty. The gold sparkled from a mile away. It was soo impressive. We spent the entire day there and were able to meet up with a bunch of my friends from the program too. There were 9 of us total and we were instantly inspired to watch Marie Antoinette. Words cannot even describe Versailles. Take a look at some pics below. That night we wanted to continue to do the French thing, so we got crepes. All nine of us piled into a restaurant and got dinner crepes followed by desert crepes. I love these things. We had a great time but finally had to say goodbye to my friends.

Our last full day in Paris, Sunday, we went to the Louvre and Notre Dam. Yes I saw Mona Lisa. She is somewhat small but still impressive as well. We saw soo many famous works of art and afterwards wandered through the Tuileries Gardens. It was a gorgeous day and we walked along the Seine river to Notre Dam. This also was a lot cooler than I thought it would be. We walked in and music played the entire time we were there. We sat outside and admired the cathedral and all its details. The gargoyles were my favorite. We were in need of a snack after that and found hot dogs that were served INSIDE baguettes. One of the best inventions I have ever seen in my life. We went back to the hotel to relax a little and what did we do next? Oh I don't know, probably eat! I swear sometimes thats all we do. Anyways we went to the Chinese/Japanese/Thai place and snacked on some amazing noodles, rice, gyoza, etc. We were exhausted so we relaxed again and then went to bed. Jess and I got up the next day and headed home to Torino! It was one of the best trips I have had in the last two months and words just really can't describe it. It would have been even better if the other 1/4 of our fam could have been there (Allyson) but we made it work :) I am having a great time showing my parents around my end of town and mom is cooking my for my apartment tonight. They are staying another day and then are off! I am heading to London/Dublin on Saturday for my Spring Break and am sure I will have so much more to say after another week and a half. I am really missing all you friends and family and wish you could all be here with me! Until we meet again....Ciao ragazzi! xoxo