The French are Much Kinder Than One Would Expect

So, as the internet did not work in my apartment in Paris, I am making one post to cover the entire expanse of the trip from my hotel in Dakar.

Day one in Paris was rough. My flight arrived to Charles De Gaulle at around 6am. My mom's flight was scheduled to arrive around 9:40, so I went to the train station, bought tickets, and waited. After about 5 hours of this waiting I start to get nervous. Her flight was supposedly on time, but the airport couldn't tell me whether or not my mom had been on it. So, I did what any 20 year old young woman would do. I called my dad. I was pretty frantic and I think he could tell. He calmly explained that my mom had missed her connecting flight and was due in later in the afternoon. She had been attempting to email me, but they make you pay for internet at CDG. So, I checked my email and then checked on my mom's new flight. Which was canceled. She wouldn't be getting to Paris until the following morning.

This mean traveling to the apartment in Paris by myself, with no map. My mom emailed me directions and I was on my way. This was a very difficult task, as I was already exhausted from the day and had to carry my two huge suitcases, backpack, and purse with me through the Paris Metro. This is not easy and I do not recommend it. Once I was off the Metro, I set out to find the apartment. The Parisians were super helpful in pointing me in the right direction. Then, once I got to my street, a nice man in his mid-twenties helped me carry my bags all the way to the apartment door.

Then I slept until 4pm the next day, only waking up to let my mom in at 11am. She also promptly fell asleep.

Day two in Paris went much better. Once we woke up at the crack of sunset, we went out to see the Eiffel Tower at night. It was amazingly beautiful. We were there for the lights going off at 10. Then we walked over to the Seine and across the bridge. It was a lovely way to spend our first real night in Paris.

We slept in the next day as well. Then, we went shopping in the BIGGEST DEPARTMENT STORE I HAVE EVER SEEN. It was incredible. It was like an entire mall in one store. After that, we went to Champs Élysées to see the Arc de Triomphe at night time. At this point, we had only really seen Paris during the night. Most of my pictures from Paris overall are at night.

On our fourth day in Paris, we were determined to see some semblance of daytime. So, we woke up early and were on our way out of the city to the Palace of Versailles. Versailles was among the most magnificent things I have ever seen. It was absolutely phenomenal. There were more rooms than I could count, each one covered in paintings, gold, and chandeliers. The furniture was absurd. Each of the beds had ostrich plumes on all four posts. After touring the castle we went outside for a brief walk through the gardens. When I say brief, I mean that I was freezing and wanted to go inside, but my mom really wanted to see the statues. I really wish that we had been there during the summer, as the gardens were amazing.

Okay, I thought that I could put all of Paris in one post, but I need to study for my French placement exam tomorrow. So, tomorrow I will update with the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame, and (hopefully) the first two days in Dakar.