Francia: Ani Va

The journey continues...in a theater near you...or a computer screen.

Where I left you guys, we just left beautiful Versaille.  Luckily, we didn't get lost in the grounds and we returned to the train station.  We took it all the way back because we had to pick up our friend, Phil.  We met his bus and then we were four.  We didn't do anything because it was dinner time, so we ate Crepes.  If you haven't had a crepe before, have one in France because they are exquisite.  I got ham and egg and I could've eaten 10 more.  After dinner, we went back to the dorm and hung out with their school friends for the night.

Friday.  The most notable thing that we did was climb the hill up to the Sacré-Cœur the most modern cathedral that I have seen thus far.  It was built in 1919 and the name means Sacred Heart.  It looked entirely different, obviously, from the other cathedrals built in the Gothic era and I thought it was cool to see something so massive that was also built so recently.  Though we had much more technology in 1919, it still doesn't compare to the cranes and machines we have today.

The inside was not humble at all with giant murals on the back wall and figures of Jesus and others carved in stone and molded in shiny metals.  The most disappointing aspect was the stain glass because they didn't use a lot of colors.  Some of the glass was just clear, normal glass with some yellow.  I feel like they may have done this to draw attention away from the glass so people look at the massive stonework.  Speaking of the stonework, the rock that they use actually gets brighter every time that it rains.  Why? I'm not a geologist, I don't know.  The cathedral honestly looks like it was built yesterday.

Also from the top, you get a decent view of the city.  It would've been better if it hadn't been so foggy, but on the right you could see a silhouette of the Eiffel Tower and other notable Parisian buildings.  After we did our walk through the church, where pictures were not allowed, we went down the millions of stairs to the bottom.  At the bottom, gypsies (they're everywhere), were looking for wrists to tie their ropes to so they could charge you money for taking their merchandise.  We avoided them and kept walking back to the metro.  On the way, we saw a man in a Subway suit.  For those of you know that know me, Subway is my favorite for fast food and food fast.  Obviously, we took a picture with him and continued onto the metro.

Once underground, we took the train to pick up our last friend, Kristen, who was arriving on bus.  Once we picked her up, we ate crepes and then attempted to go to Pere Lachaise, a large graveyard on the outskirts of the city where many famous, and more unfamous people are buried.  Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Jim Morrison are all buried here.  However, we got there too late and had to turn around.  We decided to take part in Happy Hour, when drinks are at their cheapest...5 €.  (In Granada, the more expensive drinks are 5 €, but whatever.   That's why we like Granada better).  I got this beer/grenadine hybrid called Monaco.  It was ok, but I don't mind the taste of beer without any sweeteners.

Oscar Wilde

Saturday.  Saturday was my last day, but it was also the busiest.  We had still yet to go to the Eiffel Tower and we wanted to go back to Pere Lachaise.  So we awoke bright and early, went to Pere Lachaise, but on the way we found this amazing market with fresh coffee, strawberries, honeydew, and distractions.  We probably lost twenty minutes, but it was so cheap, how could you not.  Then we finally made it to the graveyard.

Jim Morrison

It was massive and full of tombs that were like mini rooms that signified where these people were buried.  Essentially, it was a museum of coffins, and, just as in museums, the majority of the works weren't famous but still neat to look at.  We did get to see Oscar Wilde's grave, which you are supposed to kiss.  To counteract that, they put up a plexiglass barrier, but people are smarter than that.  They kissed the glass and wrote Mr. Wilde a message.  We also saw Edith Piaf's grave and then Jim Morrison's, which was the most populated.  It was neat because some of these tombs had been here from the 12th century and some as recent as 2010.

"Is this art? Oh no, it is!"

After exploring the majority of the tombs in nearly two hours, we left for the Eiffel Tower, finally.  First, we stopped at the Musee d L'Orange, or at least that's how it is spelled in my head.  Here houses a nice collection of Monet that involves giant murals of a river and the reflections.  It's interesting because they are blurry when you get up close, but as you move further back, you can tell exactly what he was going for.  Sometimes you have to take a step back to appreciate good art.  The museum was nice, but I was much more excited for the Eiffel Tower.
 
We took the metro and it felt like the longest ride of my life.  Every stop made the tower look closer, but we still had yet to arrive.  We finally made it and it was beautiful.  Just everything about it, really.  The shape, the form, the height.  I don't know any history about it, but this is when it hits you.  You are really in France.  You are really in Europe having a once in a life time opportunity.  You are with your friends experiencing the same thing.  It just hits you like a pie in the face from a stranger in the street.  So ,we took many photos and then we had to turn around because it was getting late.

For my last night, we went to the Red Light District, but for the bars.  We had a lot of fun there, but I still think that Granada knows how to party better.

At 4 am, I had to say goodbye to my friends who I hadn't seen in 3 months and who I won't see in at least a month and a half.  Then I caught a taxi to the airport to jump on my 7 am flight.

And there it is.  My adventure to France was complete with only one fatality: I left my keys in my friend's room.  They have been shipped and I expect to see them very, very soon.  Otherwise, no hitches were found near us.