My last full day in Paris was a total blast, just like the past three, except today I think I got an even more intense workout than on Friday. We were blessed with actual sun today and while it was cold, it was bearable and even warm at times when standing directly in front of the sun. After sleeping in for the first time today (until 11am!), Heena and I met up to climb the Eiffel Tower. We got there and the line was in an intricate twirl, a very efficient and original way to control the hoards of people visiting. We finally got to the back of the twirl after figuring out what it was and it took approximately an hour for us to get our tickets. The great thing was that it was only 3.50 euro for people under 24. One of the things that I love about Europe is that almost every major attraction has some sort of discount or is completely free for students/young people…which is a welcome change from the US where only select museums are free to students and discounted show tickets can be hard to get (Spring Awakening, anyone?). We climbed up 704 steps (the equivalent of 43 stories), to the second level, for one of the most breathtaking views I have ever witnessed. It was just mindblowing. Paris is just so beautful, especially since it has a great mix of intricately designed streets and natural clusterings of buildings and neighborhoods. It was a welcome change from the perfect grids in the many parts of the US. We then walked down 340 steps to the first level and decided to take the elevator down.
After leaving the Eiffel Tower, Heena and I met up with a UPenn student named Anna who is also doing the Reid Hall program in Paris. We got some breakfast/lunch in a diner/cafe but I didn’t really like the menu options (since it was 90% ham like everything in Europe!) so I got a creme brulee which was really tasty. We then went and checked out the Mosquee de Paris, the biggest mosque in France and second largest in Europe. It was absolutely gorgeous! The gardens and the intricate Islamic art were just stunning. The minaret is over 100ft tall and just as beautiful as the inside. The mosque was built after World War I as a thank you to the Muslim troops who fought on behalf of France.
Afterwards, I tried to check out the Musee d’Orsay but we couldn’t make it in time which was upsetting. I mean there’s only so much you can see of Paris in four days so the Orsay will be at the top of my list the next time I’m here. We then decided to grab some real dinner and went to this great cafe with hot waiters. I had an egg, cheese, and chicken crepe (sounds so much better in French) and for dessert a nutella crepe (can’t go wrong with that).
I was determined not to let missing the Orsay ruin my night so I decided to climb the Arc de Triumphe. I saw the eternal flame and the tomb of the unknown soldier and marveled at the architecture before I went up (5.50 euro with the student discount). 284 spiralling steps later (got a little dizzy) I was at the top of the Arc with one of the best views of Paris. Twelve or thirteen avenues of traffic converge at this one circle without any road markings. It was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in my life. I literally stood there admiring traffic for a good half hour. At that moment, the Eiffel Tower started sparkling, so that was just the icing on the cake. The only thing that would’ve made it more awesome is if my family and friends were with me to witness that exquisite view. After an hour or so up there, I finally went back down and walked along the Champs Elysees before I went into the movie theater to see what was playing. I expected the price to be ridiculous since afterall this was a movie theater on one of the most expensive streets on earth, but the student discount made the ticket only 7.20 euro. I decided to watch a movie to end my night and ended up watching Up in the Air which was really good.
It was a great day and night…spending Valentine’s day in Paris surrounded by tons of couples PDAing it like the world was going to end. Four nights were great but not nearly enough to experience Paris. I look forward to coming back in the (near) future. And I have to thank Heena one last time for being an awesome friend, tourguide, and translator. Love you!
Paris, J’taime!
