Paris: Part One

Adam and I spent last weekend in beautiful Paris! We took the train from Aix after our Friday classes. It's only a three-hour ride, so we were in the city of light by late afternoon. We checked into our hostel in the Latin Quarter and then went to McDonald's for a quick dinner. I know, I know. You can't believe that we ate at McDonald's on our first night in Paris. But we were looking for something cheap and fast and were also curious if McDonald's is better in Europe.

The Verdict: European McDonald's are a lot cleaner and nicer than their American counterparts, but the food is exactly the same. Also, they were very stingy with their ketchup {and Adam and I are huge ketchup lovers}. After dinner, we walked across the Seine to the Louvre, which is free on Friday night for students. We couldn't believe how gigantic it was! It's seriously five times larger than the Met in New York.

We saw so many famous works of art that I learned about in the art history class I took last year. Of course, the most famous painting is the Mona Lisa. We walked around and just admired everything for a few hours, until the museum closed at ten. The next day, we woke up bright and early to take a 45-minute train ride to Versailles {after stopping for croissants at a nearby bakery, of course}.

Here's the palace from the front. It was built in the 1600s and inhabited by the royalty until Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were killed during the Revolution. During the 1800s, it was turned into a museum about French history and lived in again for a brief period. After World War Two, the French government restored the palace and open it up for tours.

The chapel were royal weddings, baptisms, and christenings were held. The famous Hall of Mirrors, with large windows down one side of the hall and mirrors on the other side.The amazing chandliers bounce light around the room. Aren't the ceilings so beautiful?

Adam and I posing in the Hall of Mirrors. After wandering around the palace for a few hours, seeing the state rooms and part of the French history museum, we had lunch in the Versailles cafe. We each enjoyed a slice of overpriced quiche florentine, salad, and a pastry for dessert.

After lunch, we investigated the huge gardens behind the palace. Here's a glimpse of Versailles from the back. Unforunately, it was cold, rainy, and muddy so we didn't stay for too long. It made us wish that we could come back in May and see everything in bloom!

We took the train back into the city and went back to our hostel for a brief nap. Then we had dinner at a quaint French restaurant in the Latin Quarter. For 12 Euros, you got an appetizer, main course, and dessert. For starters, I had a salad and Adam ordered the French onion soup. We both had the coq au vin as our main course. For dessert, we shared a chocolate mousse and tarte de pomme. Stayed tuned for part two - what we did on Saturday night and all day Sunday!