Yes, I walked it all!

When I got out of the train station, to say I was lost would be a rather large understatement. I just started walking and figured I would eventually discover where I was. For the record I would like to point out that it is raining quite a bit during this story. I did discover something fantastic as soon as I got to Paris. That I had lent my umbrella to someone, and now, it was broken. In the middle of a rain storm in Paris is not the most ideal place to discover this. Luckily only one of the bars (are they bars? The little leg things that stretch out and hold up the material. That thing) was broken, so it was mostly functional. Every once in a while it would snag in my hat/hair, but I was in Paris! What did I really care?!

Eventually when I feel like I have no idea where I am, I pull out my map. Trying to keep it dry while figuring out where I was had to be pretty funny looking. Which is probably why the little old French man came over to help me out :) He was really kind and since there was an X on the Louvre, he started giving me directions to it. Worked well since that is where I was going. Except for the fact I couldn't understand him his directions were great! He pointed, I walked.

Little while later I decided I was going to change my plans and instead of starting at the Louvre I was going to end there. The guy at the metro ticket station was a huge help!!! He showed me where to change trains and how to do it, and gave me a little map (this map became like my Paris Bible! I read it, re read it, and freaked out if I thought I lost it). This is now where Paris really starts.

First, I went to The Arc of Triumph (or Arc de Triomphe). The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I.It was interesting to see, and there is a lot of talent that went into creating this. It was beautiful really.
. Then I started my walk towards the Eiffel Tower. I didn't feel the need to consult my map. It is kind of hard to miss really. Or so I thought. The monument that you can see from all over the city, all of the sudden will disappear when you are close to it. After playing peek-a-boo with it for about 20 minutes I was there.There I was. Staring at the monument that is world renowned. The most visited paid monument in the world. Not going to lie, I was a little let down. It was cool, don't get me wrong, but I was expecting magical. When I crossed under it, I will admit that I was in awe at the construction of it. It is immense! It really was amazing, just not magical.
I continued my walk by walking through the Champ de Mars, or the Field of Mars (Referring to the Roman God) and I took one more look at this structure. It was originally hated by the people, including one of my favorite authors Alexander Dumas. The Eiffel tower was suppose to be torn down 20 years after being built. It is strange to think that this place almost didn't exist. That they could have torn it all down before it reached its potential.

Next we come to Les Invalides. This whole area is designated to War history, memorials of was heroes, and there is even a veterans hospital here too. The most infamous person buried here is Napoleon. That guy seriously had short man syndrome. That big dome there up top... It is over where his grave is. All I have to say is he would! I was also just informed that he is not even lying inside. That his ashes are scattered over the shores, the banking area. Honestly now!!!

Looking back at this trip, there is only one thing I regret. At the corner of Rue de Vaugirard and Rue Madame there was this little bookstore. It had a very old copy of Le Divorce, which I decided not to buy because I was looking for Les Miserables. I figured I could come back and get it if I couldn't find Les Miserables. They were closed when I came back. Tear...

When I came to Jardin du Luxembourg, it was absolutely fantastic. It was a huge park (It is actually the largest public park) with statues and sculptures all over the place. There was a very peaceful feeling there. Here I was in the middle of Paris, and everything was so quite and calm. There were a few joggers, but other than that nobody was running around. Everyone there was just relaxed and looking around, enjoying the scenery. No rushing around to daily life, just contentment to be there.

This statue was there, and it was really interesting because of the rain and everything, there were tears running down her face. I have no idea who she was, but I really liked her.

I then started to peruse Boulevard Saint Michel, on the search for used bookstores. Google and I had a chat about this before I left and it told me that there were a lot on this street. There was only one thing I was looking for. An old copy of Les Miserables. It is one of my favorite books, and I also LOVE the play and the movie. When I was talking to someone about how I wanted to find it, they told me to go get it off of ebay. Honestly! EBAY!? Let me think... Do I want to get the book Les Miserables in Paris, the place that the book is set in, or on ebay. Call me a dreamer, or a romantic, but I would rather get it in Paris. Sadly I didn't have any luck, the closest thing I came to was about 150 year old book by Victor Hugo for about 100 euros....Yeah. I didn't get it.

I am starting to feel like tour guide Barbie now. I want to tell you that if you look off to your right (since you are still on Boulevard Saint Michel) you will see the breathtakingly beautiful Notre Dame. Most of you already caught onto this, but in case anyone missed this, I love old cathedrals! I can easily sit and stare at them for hours. Notre Dame blew away every cathedral I have ever seen. I just sat down and stared for at least 15 minutes(Which felt great because this was really about the first time I had sat down all day).

This picture really doesn't do the place any justice. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in this case that is just not enough.

The stain glass windows were beautiful as well. Granted it was a rainy cloudy day, so you couldn't see their full potential. I really enjoy the concept behind the windows. Yes they are beautiful, but there were more reasons for them. They were used for the uneducated people who couldn't read. All you had to do was look at the windows and they were able to get the story that they were teaching. Really neat concept. The whole place was filled with sculpture and little nooks where you could stop and pray to the Saints (which I kinda find odd.... ). An interesting thing I found out about Notre Dame is that they were actually going to tear it down. Then Victor Hugo wrote the book The Hunchback of Notre Dame and because of the enormous popularity of the book in France it spurred the historical preservation movement in that country and strongly encouraged Gothic revival architecture. Ultimately it led to major renovations at Notre-Dame in the 19th century. Much of the cathedral's present appearance is a result of this renovation. I loved learning that. One of my favorite authors saved one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

This is one of the sculptures you see chiseled just outside of Notre Dame. It kinda made me laugh (Which I probably shouldn't since he is a Saint and I don't think the Catholics would appreciate that). This is Saint Denis. And yes, he is holding my head. His story is actually rather interesting. According to the stories, he was martyred by being beheaded and after his head was chopped off, Denis picked it up and walked six miles, preaching a sermon the entire way. That takes some talent really, not going to lie.

Finally, I got to my last place on my list for the day. The Louvre. Oh how happy I was to be there. Not only was it a place devoted to art, but it was dry and warm!!! I actually ended up getting in free because if you are under 28 and living in the EU, you were free! How I wish I lived closer and could go anytime. Soon everyone who worked there would know me by name, and I would be able to go around and not get lost. In all honesty I had NO idea where I was most the time. I just kept walking and looking at everything. I took some pictures of some of my favorite pictures there. I don't actually know who painted them sadly or who painted them... I will be researching that and will have to get back to you on that.

There is so much lost in this picture it is sad! Stupid camera! Can't capture the beauty. Ah!I just really like this. She seems so at peace and lovely. These painters have some amazing skills.

A painting just of hand(ok there is a little arm there too). I can't draw hands still so painting them like this is just beyond talent in my book!


This painting reminds me of Les Miserables. Some people actually think that Hugo based the character Gavroche off of the boy on the right side of the woman. There is a lot of symbolism in this painting. LOVE IT!!
I actually laughed when I saw this. It is hard to tell but the girls face was a typical teenage girl face. To me it looked like she was rolling her eyes and thinking "Why me!? Life is awful and my parents are monsters." Apparently teenage girls have always been the same.There was just something so peaceful about this painting. All over it, everyone is helping each other. Monks are helping each other over obstacles, and they are also helping this woman and her child. Just a lot of helpingOf course, I saw the Mona Lisa. I actually saw it first cause I wanted to get it out of the way. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to see it, I just didn't feel like dealing with people (on my way there random tall guy was trying to talk to me, which annoyed me cause I was trying to look at art. Obviously he didn't know me. Anyone who knows me knows how I get kinda lost in a different world when it comes to art). People say the Mona Lisa is disappointing in real life. And it is. But the only reason I think that is, is because unlike all the other painting, sculptures, and other works of art which are right there and you could actually touch them (if you wanted to get shot), the Mona Lisa is placed about 10 feet behind a rope and in bullet proof glass. Since it is also a rather small painting, you really can't see anything from that far away. I think that is actually more of the problem and why people are disappointed with it a lot of the time.

After a few hours of walking in the Louvre, sadly I had to call it quits. I had walked that day at least 8 miles, been going non stop for 12 hours (except for that little break I had at Notre Dame.) I was going off of maybe 4 hours of sleep, and I had probably walked a few more miles inside of The Louvre. I was in MASSIVE amounts of pain. I actually went to go take a vicodin and realized something. I was going to have to figure out how to take the metro to where I was staying... I couldn't afford to be a little loopy. Who knows where I would have ended up.... So I sucked it up and got on the train. I was headed to my friend Lior's families house. They were kind enough to let me stay with them and I really do appreciate their hospitality. I would also like to mention that before I went into the Louvre I changed into a skirt because my pants were soaked, and I was pretty much walking around in mud inside my shoes. Which would be why I still have the biggest blisters of my life! I froze wearing a skirt and ballet flats, but sadly it was warmer than my wet pants. I was so tired when I got to the house, that I just crashed. I was dead to the world! It was one of the longest, most taxing, but also most amazing days of my life!