After a delayed six hour flight and little sleep, our group finally arrived in Paris. We took an hour long bus ride to the hotel, and once we arrived, I immediately noticed the difference in living spaces between America and France. The lobby was very small, and the bedrooms even smaller. Unlike typical hotels in America, the rooms had lots of red, blue, and yellow accents. In addition to color, the architecture of all of the buildings in Paris seem to be much more elaborate and have a sort of elegant look to them. 

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we all met in the lobby to take the metro to orientation. As someone who rarely takes public transportation, the idea of this subway system seemed quite daunting. Though it was a rather chaotic experience getting onto the metro (our navigo cards didn’t work at first), we were successfully transported to our final destination. As we walked up the stairs from the metro, I immediately sensed the difference in atmosphere. Though we were still in Paris, this specific district (4) had a more lively and tourist heavy atmosphere. This was likely due to the presence of the Notre-Dam Cathedral that we visited after orientation. We heard the bells ringing as we listened to our professor at the post orientation meeting. Here, I also happened to notice the extensive amount of pigeons in Paris. This was very delightful for me to see because I like pigeons. After this meeting and stopping for some crepes, we finally walked over to the cathedral. Here, there were lots of tourists taking photos and admiring the beautiful architecture. I was amazed to see how something that was built hundreds of years ago and faced numerous challenges still stands until this day. From a picture, it’s hard to truly grasp the elaborate detailing that is present throughout the entire building. It makes me wonder how much time and effort it took to create such an astonishing piece of art. 

At around six o’clock, our professor set us free to explore the rest of the city. At this point, the unhealthy lack of sleep started to catch up to me and I just wanted to go to bed. However, a few other group mates and I wound up at a cafe restaurant and sat down for a quick dinner. Thankfully, our waiter spoke fluent English and was quite friendly which was surprising to see. I ended up ordering a Caesar salad which was unlike any I’ve had in America. It had large tomato chunks and bread slices scattered throughout. I found it to be quite delicious and I ate the whole thing. After leaving the restaurant we strayed to head back to the hotel. Though we had only taken the metro once with a tour guide, we were all able to figure out the system and make it home successfully. I was actually quite surprised to see how quickly each of us adapted to this transportation system. Upon arriving to the hotel, Marissa (my roommate) and I got ready for bed and fell asleep right away.

Even from this single jet lagged day spent on Paris, I could easily see why so many people desire to come here and visit. The food, culture, and architecture is something that I feel can’t be found anywhere else. Whether you’re a history nerd, shopping addict, or food lover, there is so much in Paris that can keep you occupied for hours. To me, I find all of these things that Paris has to offer to be interesting, but I am most fascinated by the people who actually live here. To them, this is their everyday life. For those who grew up around here, I wonder if they take the time to see how wonderful and unique this city really is. I find that when something is so familiar to you, it’s hard to see its true beauty. It’s hard to imagine this statement being true for those who live here as the city’s elegance is undeniable.

With that said, I am very excited for the rest of our time here in Paris. I do hope that I don’t get pickpocketed here because we’ve been warned by numerous people that it is a very common occurrence. In spite of this, I am still looking forward to exploring the never ending restaurants, museums, and bakeries. I hope to make memories that I will remember years and years from now, and take lots of pictures that I can keep with me forever.