look, guys! i finally went to paris!
it was very windy....and sometimes cold, but then it would get hot...it was weird.
but amazing!!! i LOVE paris! i have many more pictures from this trip, but you will just have to ask me to show them to you sometime. there is not enough time for all of it!
also, i skyped this cutest boy ever. i miss that smile!
don't mind my fat face/nose.
today i went to paris for the second time....all by myself!!!!
the metros are the easiest thing in the whole world and i just wish that utah would get some already. i mean, come on.
on my way to the train station, i saw this cute little family of swans.
swans are everywhere.
there are way more swans than ducks here. just another reason why france is so magical.
the train ride to paris is only about 28 minutes, which is really remarkable because it takes like an hour and a half to drive there. i'm telling you, man. they've got this train thing DOWN, and we need to take some notes from them.
a friend of mine suggested these awesome free tours that you just tip at the end. i got there preeeeetty early, so i went to a patisserie up the street that she also suggested. she said to get the chocochip cookies.
i got two.
plus a quiche.
cause i LOVE a quiche and i was pretty hungry. and it was delicious. the cutest old lady was working there and it was a great experience. thanks for the tip, katey j!
after that, i took some pictures of the moulin rouge, because that's just what you do.
one of my most favourite things here in france is the street art/graffiti. it. is. evurywhur.
the street that the moulin rouge is on is pretty famous for all of it's sex shops/strip clubs/peep shows, and i was just floored at how many there were. like....SO MANY. I walked in the little center island between the streets so i didn't have the pleasure of seeing too much up close. seriously though, guys. full frontal nudity in the windows. vegas isn't even allowed to show that. so i took pictures of just a portion of the shops. they're all pretty visually aesthetic.
the girl on this one actually looked like a man.
all of the shops had these big, nondescript vans in the front of them. prostitution is technically illegal in paris, so i think you and i both know what kind of vans they were....
the museum, of course
i was sad that "sexy girls" was closed. it looked really promising.
the "porno" shops all had curtains for doors and no windows. i felt like i was at a carnival.
that was very few of them. SO MANY. it blew my mind.
after that, i was still early, so i hung out by the meeting spot, which was this rad looking metro sign.
and i played with these pigeons. legit. i put that bread by my feet and would see how close the would get, and scare them away right as they were about to eat it. i knew it was time to stop when i looked up to see a homeless man laughing at me and my game with his toothless grin.
the tour guide eventually came. his name is tim and he lives in the latin quarter, on the west bank of the Seine. normally the tour guides live in the area that they guide, but he got called in last minute because someone got sick or something...he did a really great job, though.
the tour i went on today covered Montmarte which was actually not originally a part of Paris, so everybody that lives there consider themselves montmartisans, or something, instead of parisians. it is beautiful and full of trees and gardens which are rare in paris.
the first thing we saw was the street that van gogh lived on while he was painting in paris.
then the flat where picasso lived and worked. somebody lives there right now, but they put this little memoir in the window.
britain gave these fountains to the french ("the only thing that britain ever gave to us!"). the have fresh, drinking water in the center that you can use to drink out of, or fill up your water bottle. they're veryvery old, so you'll notice the space between the statues is small enough that horses heads can't fit in there.(:
also, there is tim, our tour guide.
there used to be 30 windmills in montmarte, but now there is only 2.
our group by the statue of the famous singer dali a. she lived and died in montemarte.
even though the tours are all in english, i was the only american in the group. there is the couple on the farthest left...she is from hungary, and he is from london. the next on the left are from australia, the lady in the middle who was my friend that i joked around with is from australia, the couple to the right of her are from hong kong, and the girl on the very right is also from australia!
and then me.
i thought this was a monument of some sort.
it turned out to only be a water tower.
i hate all pictures of me on this trip so far. i look like such a fat face. maybe all that bread IS getting to me!
street accordion player. there are way more accordions than guitars here.
breathtaking view of paris. the eiffel tower is just out of view on the right.
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
This is a really rad Roman Catholic Church by the name of Sacré-Coeur Basilica (or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart). It is open to the public 24/7 to go pray in. When no locals or tourists are praying in the church, the nuns that live next door will pray there. The idea is that there is ALWAYS a prayer coming from the church 24/7.
closer detail
the back of the church
another view of paris
montmarte is home of all of the artists, so there is this giant....bazaar of artists painting incredible things. they mostly didn't want picture sof their works taken so i respected that, and mostly got pictures of the crowds.
seriously though, if i ever come into money, my whole home is going to be filled with art like this. absolutely incredible.
there were lots of artists doing caricatures. there were even MORE artists doing completely realistic sketches, paintings and drawings of people right there on the street. i kind of wanted one, but at the same time, i definitely didn't. because they're big, expensive, and take a lot of time.
BUT THEN....i walked by this old asain man that was doing SILHOUETTE PORTRAIT CUT OUTS. like with scissors. and his fingers. and they were only 10 euros...and i told him if i could get it for 8, that i would do it, and he accepted! it only took maybe....6 minutes.
what i would give to be half as talented as all of those people at anything!
anyways, here it is! i think it's pretty rad if i do say so myself. i'm going to have to hire someone to modge podge it onto a wooden oval for me.
he captured my lack of jawline perfectly.
did i not tell you that the graffiti has been one of my favorite parts?
anyways...best day ever!
i can't wait to see what the rest of my days have in store! i am very excited.
thanks all for the support and love. i think and pray for you everyday.
(unless you're a random, then i probably don't. but if you tell me you visited my blog, then i probably will! ("please bless that random will visit my blog again....")
i leave you with the neighbor's most adorable, mean dog.
XO