Amanda's Italian Adventure: Je suis parti mon coeur à Paris

Paris is a sexy, sexy city. Parisians turn everything they touch into art; food, fashion, music, and lifestyle in general. Chelsea and I spent a few days in the amazing spring break and I loved every second of it. We set a schedule for ourselves because we had limited time there, and we managed to see everything on our list and still have time on our hands to relax. - The Louvre. As pessimistic as it sounds, it was the first thing we wanted to get done on the list just to get it out of the way. We woke up sometime before the sun on our first morning there and took the subway straight there. We did not make reservations because the museum is free for European Union citizens, and the reservation fee is something like 30Euros. So, figuring we are young and able we got there an hour before opening time and got in line. There were maybe 20 people there when we got there, and within 15 minutes the line had at least quadrupled. Our timing was perfect. Massive is not even a sufficient word to describe the collection there. There are 35,000 pieces of art currently on display there. (If you looked at each piece for three minutes, you would be there for three months solid.) We booked is straight to the Mona Lisa as soon as we got in before the crowd. After that, it was just masterpiece after masterpiece. I mean, really as an art historian I was just speechless. The museum is enormous though, and always packed so we were ready to leave after only a couple hours.
- Musee D'Orsay - This museum is more manageable in both size and collection compared to the Louvre. I enjoyed the Orsay much more than the Louvre, mainly because the collection was much more concentrated on modernism. It is the home of numerous masterpieces of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Arte Nouveau, Cubism, some Fauve work and some Sublime work. If you know and appreciate Henri Toulouse-Lautrec then definitely catch this museum.
- Notre Dam- An early gothic cathedral famous of course for its hunchbacked bell ringer. It’s a great sight for anyone who is interested in Gothic architecture, and its free!
- Eiffel Tower- Its huge. Acclaimed to be Arte Nouveau in style, it is a massive steel beast. Go see it at sunset because when it gets dark there is a light show. Its just gorgeous . If you plan to take the elevator to the top, however, make reservations because the lines are hours long. - Montremarte- The district in Paris that overlooks the city. It is the home of the Moulin Rouge, the Moulin De La Gallette, Seplechure Church, and all kinds of interesting café's and shops.
- Café Des 2 Moulins- Most people would have no idea the significance of this café, but if you know and appreciate the French film Amelie, you must go. The story follows the life of a strange and interesting French girl who works at this café. The menus now sport a picture of her face, but it is clear that at least 80 percent of the people who frequent the café have no clue that the movie was filmed there. It is in the Montremarte district and not difficult to find. Chelsea and I sat right at the window in the sunshine, ate some escargot and people watched. I think it was one of my favorite moments throughout the entire trip.
- Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore- An old English bookstore, lined floor to ceiling anything you could ever desire to read. Everything from antique classics, to poetry, to Dr. Seuss to Harry Potter (the original British versions, which were weird). The upstairs is strictly for leisure. The books up there are not for sale, and there are beds and couches scattered about for comfortable reading. There is also a piano for anyone interested in practicing. Chelsea by the way, has 12 years of classical piano training under her belt and blew me away with her talent.
- Pere Lechais Cemetery- Slightly outside the center is the cemetery housing the tombs of hundreds of famous figures. Artists, scientists, musicians, writers, everything. It is enormous, so we set to find three in particular. Oscar Wilde, Chopin, and Jim Morrison. Conveniently I had just read a book about the life of Morrison, and seeing his grave was quite unreal. He was a true artist.
- And Finally, the Food! - Crepes, crepes, crepes! They are everywhere, they are cheap, and they are delicious. I recommend the cheese and chicken if you are hungry for lunch, and the butter and sugar ones for desert. The nutella ones are obviously fantastic too. The crème brulee is great, and it is quite fun to crack the sugar layer on top. And for the daring, Escargot (snails, a traditional french gourmet) is actually quite good. They are a little tricky to get out of the shell, but taste similar to muscles.
Paris has not seen the last of me either. And by the way, French people are actually quite nice, contrary to popular belief.