Ciao Ciao ragazzi!
Buon Natale e Felice Nuovo Anno a tutti! <3
This was the first time I spent the holidays away from my family and friends back in Hawaii. The SIS students studying abroad in Europe managed to get together for a week in Paris to celebrate Christmas followed by another week in London for New Year's Eve. It was nice to see familiar faces again and to spend the holidays with friends.
After missing my flight to Edinburgh and bumming it at my friend Michelle's place in Milan for a week, I was ready to explore what Paris had to offer me. It was my first time traveling entirely by myself and getting lost in the middle of Paris' Chinatown at night was not the greatest way to start my Parisian adventure. It was dark, it was cold, and to top it all off, it was dripping rain. As my feet started to swell up in my new wedge booties (what was I thinking?!?), the tears started to flow down my cheeks as it became more apparent to me that I was lost and could not find my hostel. Just past midnight and after asking many Parisians, I was able to find my hostel. I have never been so grateful for a roof over my head and a nice warm bed to fall asleep in.
I wanted to be in Paris before everyone else got in because I wanted the time to see the extensive art collections. As soon as I awoke, I was out the door to find my way to the Louvre. Luckily for me, almost all of the public museums in Paris are free to EU residents and/or if you have a study visa for three months or longer. In other words, I GOT INTO THE LOUVRE FOR FREE!! As an art history major, its overwhelming to your mind trying to process all of these masterpieces from different time and stylistic periods all at once. Having studied some of the early pre-Renaissance Italian art during my first semester in Florence, I felt a deeper connection to the works of Giotto and Cimabue. But my deep love for the Neoclassical French artist Jacques-Louis David had me breathless the moment I saw his many works hanging off of the velvet red walls.
Exploring Europe has had many firsts for me. But Paris will forever be home to my first couch-surfing experience. My host, Orlando, was very sweet, but to be honest, unless I'm going to couchsurf with someone else, I would have rather paid the extra 20 to 30 euros for a hostel.
It felt great to be reunited with everyone else that night. Although not all of us were really friends to begin with, the week that we spent cramped up in that apartment definitely brought us closer together (9 people in a 6 people apartment!). So much happened during that one week time span that my memories of it are all blurred. Here's my recap:
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| Sacre-Coeur with these lovelies |
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| Disneyland Paris on Christmas day! |
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| Chateau de Versailles |
Ohh heyy! How is [insert country here]? Lots of hugs. Shittt, did we really finish off 6 bottles of wine in one night? Back to the Louvre! Christmas markets! Is that the Eiffel Tower? Lingerie! They sell macarons at a lingerie store? No, Laduree! Versailles! Can you take a picture of me? Its cold, lets go back. Uhh, I can't eat white pasta and white bread because I'm lactose intolerant so I shouldn't have to pay for that bread, etc. Jewish + Gay quarter in one location? The best FALAFELS in Paris! ALEXIS. Midnight mass at Notre Dame! Deidre, this isn't the H&M dressing room. You guys, I'm not drunk enough for mass. Lets speak in different languages! Holy shit, is that the line for mass? I really need to pee. Yes, the line is moving! You guys, I really want to stay until mass is over. Logan brought his French friends over. Oh I'm learning how to play the guitar! Hysterical laughs. DISNEYLAND PARIS FOR CHRISTMAS! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Fawwwk, I don't know where James is. JAMES! Montmarte and Sacre-Coeur. Eiffel tower! :B Where's the statue of liberty? LONDON bound! I don't have my passport. Shitttttt. Ciao ciao ragazzi~!
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