Travel Time

It's been about a month since I first landed in Paris, and I'm still settling in. I hoped to have a routine since school started, but school is VERY different here. Each week my school schedule is different. So I'm mostly going through the motions to see what works.  One of the many places I was told to visit was Montmartre, but since my school schedule is all over the place I decided to go. It was weird because I was walking up a hill for the first time since arriving in Paris. Once I got to the top, it felt like a stereotypical European tourist spot with souvenir shops and overpriced croissants.  The view from the top of the hill is insane. It is pretty high up, with a great view of the city. I did walk around the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. I didn't go inside mostly because there were a ton of people there, and I was more interested in the architecture. My favourite thing about Paris so far is the architecture. Not just the architecture of the amazing monuments like the Sac...

So today I went to Cimetière du Père Lachaise. It was hauntingly beautiful at the cemetery. I didn't spend too long because I felt a heaviness while walking around. Unlike cemeteries in Canada, the tombs at Cimetière du Père Lachaise look like they are stacked on one another. Whereas in Canada, the graves are typically in rows. There are plenty of mausoleums that date back centuries. My feeling of heaviness came from the fact that random people are just walking through a graveyard of people with whom they have no real connection (I assume). For me, death has always been personal and shared among a small group. Seeing people walking around taking pictures seems weird and uncomfortable. I took ONE picture, but I had a good reason.  The cemetery is home to many historic public figures and memorials. A list can be found here.  here . 

I've been sleeping so well while here in Paris. I usually get up at 11:30 and then try to figure out want I want to do while watching YouTube for two hours and waste the day away before finally settling on a plan. Originally I had planned to go to Cimeière du Père Lachaise, but it was closed for some reason, so I decided to go to Pont Alexandre III.  Before leaving, I got lunch at a nearby café. I always order to go because it helps get me out of the apartment. I took my food to my favourite little park nearby, Parc Gustave Eiffel. Usually, I drink my coffee there to prepare myself for the day. While I walked while eating my sandwich (a four-cheese ciabatta). This dog, whose owner was nowhere in sight followed me for a block. The dog kept walking in front of me. Honestly, I was a little worried because A) I'm not about to give some random dog MY food, B) I don't know if are dogs allergic to cheese. I don't want to kill someone's dog. After I made it to Pont Alexandr...

So today was the big day at the Louvre, which I managed to get into for FREE (if you're under 25 and are a European, you can get in for free). Technically, I'm not European, but I managed to get in hehe (not really).  the one photo I did take It was a unique experience, we saw the Mona Lisa - which had a bunch of people taking pictures of it. We walked through some of the Royal apartments and looked at some of the jewels, my favourite being the five-sided pink diamond worn in the butt of a French king. While walking through with another exchange student I mentioned how much France values their culture and does what it can to preserve it - for example, the construction work around the city.   We also walked through the Egyptian exhibits and looked at other European paintings. Probably the most interesting part of the Louvre was seeing what the original Louvre looked like before it was a museum. We were able to feel the original materials.  The Louvre must be experienc...

Today was quite a nice day even though it was raining, thankfully not until later. As a part of our integration week, we were SUPPOSED to go to the Palais Galleria Fashion Museum of Paris to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit. But unfortunately, not a lot of people were interested or had class, and by the time I got there, they ran out of tickets.  the fashion museum - which I will probably go back to on my own Before leaving, I did look around to see what was in the area. I managed to find two places I would like to see again. The first is the Yves Saint Laurent museum. The other place I would like to go back to is Palais de Tokyo. Once it started getting cold, I decided to walk to Carette - which was only a 10-minute walk. I found this cafe on Instagram with a rating of 5/5 for its thick and rich hot chocolate. I'm not one to take photos of food or drinks, but the presentation of it all. My god. They definitely make it an experience. After Carette, I met with other ISC international/exc...

 Today started slow, as most days. I went to the Christmas market in Le Jardin des Tuileries. Unlike Vancouver Christmas markets, you don't have to pay to get in, and there are rides (which you have to pay for). These rides aren't Playland level, but it was still so fun. Surprisingly, there was a haunted train ride which was a bit lame. But I think the main goal of the rides was to have things for kids but include adults too. The ride that reminded me the most of Playland was similar to Atmosfear. It was not as tall, nor did it have sudden drops.  This was from the top of the Farris Wheel After the Christmas market, I went home for an early-ish night.  On the 9th, the international group from ISC Paris when to Le Centre Pompidou to see the exhibit on unframing colonialism.  (exhibition poster) The exhibition probably would have been more interesting if I could understand what each photo was attempting to communicate. (saw this on the way to the bar) After some discus...

Today I walked to Le Jardin d'Acclimatatioin, not realising I would have to pay to get in. I also didn't know it was an amusement park and a part of a park/forest called Bois Boulogne. But it's a good thing I just wanted to see the Louis Vuitton Foundation. I also didn't go inside because I wasn't really in the museum mood. On my walk back through the park, some creepy guy started talking to me in French. He was middle-aged creepy and CLEARLY didn't get that I was uncomfortable after repeatedly saying "Je ne veux pas" while backing away and speed walking away from him. Now my grasp of the French language is pretty limited. So it takes me a while to translate what I want to say from English to French. So it's not like I could have told him to kick rocks. I've listened to Mr Nightmare enough to know I needed to get the F out of there ASAP. I called a friend that helped me get into my apartment, freaking out while quickly walking towards the Louis...

 As promised, I managed to make it to Paris! I started by walking to the Arc de Triomphe, about a 35 minutes walk from where I'm staying. I didn't go to the top because ISC Paris has organised a whole integration week for us, and going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe is one of the activities! On my way to the Eiffel Tower, about another 30 minutes from the Arc de Triomphe, I got a little stuck in the roundabout. They can get confusing if you're not familiar with the area. Getting to see the Eiffel Tower was so beautiful. It was a real: "wow, I'm really here" moment. Like the Arc de Triomphe, I didn't do much exploring around the Eiffel Tower since it is also part of the integration week.  On my way to the Panthéon, I stopped at Esplanada Jacques-Chaban-Delmas, a park in front of the Hôtel Des Invalides.  I'm going to try to come back here. Looking at the grounds on Google, there's a lot to see. From the Eiffel Tower to the Panthéon was about anot...

Nothing super exciting has happened over the last few days. But I have settled in a bit more and have mostly gotten over the jet lag. Yesterday I tried to get a phone number, which didn't work out. But I'm hoping this RIB number (French SIN) works out cause my PTSD from not having data is coming back. I went to a café down the street from my place. I've also uncovered the key to not getting pickpocketed - turning on Google Maps and some music with your AirPods. Then you're not wandering around looking like a tourist.   oh yes busses go down the one-way streets The most interesting/Megan thing that happened on the eve before school started was getting locked out of my Airbnb for a WHOLE HOUR while on the phone with a friend who helped me with moral support (god bless his soul). Thankfully we got through it with the power of friendship and FaceTime. I was about to call it quits and went to a hotel down the street. Anyway, today was the "first" day of school. By ...