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I don't know what I could possibly say to describe what Paris meant to me. It seems as if this entire trip thus far, has glided along seamlessly. Living and studying in Florence for the past month and a half hasn't seemed real, as hard as that may be to believe. We go about our days as if we would at home, only without our friends and family. I've become so accustomed to the way of life here; I kept forgetting that I was thousands of miles away. Paris changed my life, and I say that being completely honest and bare.
One of the most important trips for me started out on a not-so-good note. Aside from booking our trip a day later than expected, the travel agent who booked our trip made a mistake with the transportation, and our entire group of 50 was train bound for France. What can I say about trains…they're not bad, but definitely not desirable for such a long trip. Luckily, we were assigned a 6-person couchette, which had fold down beds, but nothing lavish by any means. So we stuffed 6 people and luggage into a tiny room with 6 seats, which shortly became the most uncomfortable beds in the world. Sleep was impossible and 11 hours later, we were dressed and ready to go in Paris. Our professors thought it would be a good "professional" experience to pack our first day, after an 11 hour train ride, with multiple professional appointments. Day 1 was nothing special. We had a bus tour of the city, but who wants to see Paris out a window? Surely not me. After an hour or so on the bus, we were dropped off at Colette, which is a very high end department store that is so exclusive, it is not labeled in any way, shape or form. As important as it probably was for us to see, being as we are all fashion majors, none of us wanted to be there. We left Colette and headed for Li Edelkoort, which is one of the biggest trend forecasting companies in the world. As tired as I was, I truly did find this a professional once in a lifetime experience. People pay thousands of dollars to see one of her presentations, and we were invited for free. When we walked into the office, we were greeted by a hanging buffet. Yes, a hanging buffet. There were giant balloons hanging from the ceiling with baggies attached by ribbon with assorted candies, all in concept with the upcoming color forecast. We were then hoarded into a tiny room with a hundred other industry professionals, where Li Edelkoort gave her presentation about the upcoming trend forecasts. After Li Edelkoort, we went to a student fashion show at the Paris American Academy. The show was very un-put together, and very unprofessional. Once again, nobody wanted to be there, including our professor. So, all in all, day one in Paris consisted of us seeing none of Paris and one interesting presentation. We were hoping day 2 would be a little more promising.
Premiere Vision is the world's largest textile trade show. Attending this show, is a major resume boost, and I mean major boost. Millions of industry professionals attend this show, where they pick their fabrics for the upcoming seasons' line. I must admit that I was completely overwhelmed. We were let loose for 3 hours to cover 6 giant halls of company booths and exhibitions. I didn't know where to start. Three hours later, we only found ourselves through not even 2 of the 6 halls when it was time to leave. After Premiere Vision, we had the option to attend an "invitation only" fashion show on the top floor of LaFayette Galleries, which is Paris' most luxurious department store. Following the fashion show, we headed out on the rooftop terrace of the Galleries, and saw an absolutely breathtaking view of Paris. It is there that I had my 2nd encounter with the Eiffel Tower…As I was looking out into the city, I couldn't help but stop and think about where I was. After the Galleries, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Moulin Rouge!!!
Out of a group of 50, only 12 paid $200 to see the Moulin Rouge show, in the original Moulin Rouge. With Moulin Rouge being one of my favorite movies, I was so freaking excited to go. I didn't know what to expect by any means, and definitely was in for a surprise. The show was worth every dollar I paid. We pulled up from our shuttle and there it was! The giant red wheel and the glowing "Moulin Rouge" sign. We went in and found ourselves sitting in great seats. As the show started, like I said earlier, we were in for a huge surprise. It started off with the company of dancers wearing silver sparkly costumes performing a group routine. Within the first minute, the women ripped off their tops, and they were topless for the rest of the show. At first, it was a bit of a shock, but after 3 hours of boobs, we were pretty used to it…including one of our Kent professors and her husband…talk about awkward! The show was so amazing. The costumes were so elaborate, and the fillers in between the sets were hilarious. At the end of the night, we left Moulin Rouge feeling as if we had taken part in a huge part of Parisian history and culture. The Moulin Rouge was definitely an amazing experience, and I would pay $200 to see it again…
So after 2 days of pointless Paris roaming, we finally had ONE day to ourselves, and to cram all of Paris into that one day. The first stop of the day was the Louvre. It was so awesome to be standing in front of this triangle, this amazing place of art, which I had only read about in books. We went through the Louvre and saw some of the most important works of art in the world, including the statue of Aphrodite, the Winged Victory, and Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa. I was surprised to see how small the Mona Lisa was. I guess after so many years of seeing it emphasized, I pictured it to be bigger than it was. Nevertheless, I was standing in front of this infamous work of art, and I kept thinking to myself…How did I get here?! We left the Louvre and headed towards Notre Dame. Now the entire time I was at Notre Dame, I kept thinking of the Disney movie…I wanted to see Quasimodo and the gargoyles. But Notre Dame was even more beautiful than I had imagined. Once again, I had pictured it to be bigger, even though it was quite vast. You seem to get carried away as you approach the church, with its captivating stained glass windows, flying buttresses, and lurking gargoyles. It really did seem like something out of a fairy tale. We went inside, and a sort of calm came over you. It wasn't voluntary, but you couldn't help but feel at peace inside. The sun beamed down through the 4 brilliantly colored stain glass windows, creating a sort of rainbow within the cathedral walls. After we left Notre Dame, we had lunch at a small Parisian café. I must say that I had the BEST hot dog and French fries in my entire life at that café. I never would've thought that I would find the best tasting all-American meal in Paris. It was crazy! After lunch, we headed for the Eiffel Tower.
As I got off the subway and approached that massive tower of twisted steel, I started to get emotional. I don't know why it had taken me this long to realize where I was. Once I got to the base, I looked up, and started balling. Something just came over me, and I couldn't explain it. My entire life, I had seen pictures of the Eiffel tower, and never once did I ever picture myself there….not once. As I looked up, I reached my right hand out, wanting my mom, my family and friends to grab my hand right back. At that defining moment in my life, I wanted the people I loved the most, to be standing by my side, experiencing that moment with me. When I looked over and nobody was there, I realized that I was alone, but I had made it. I had made it to the one place in the world I never thought I would ever be. Then I thought to myself, if I could get myself to the Eiffel Tower, where else could I get myself in life? In that moment, I felt as if I could conquer the world, and now I know that if I put my mind to something, and I work hard enough, I can get there…I can get myself anywhere. In that sense, Paris changed my life.
We stood in line for an hour, but finally made it to the very top of the Eiffel Tower. After what could have been 1,700 steps but was a 3-minute elevator ride, we were standing at what used to be the top of the world. I looked out over Paris in all its glory. I saw the Louvre, Notre Dame, and so much more. It was amazing and a little scary to think that I was at the top of the Eiffel Tower, which I had been wearing around my neck all week. Words cannot describe what the Eiffel Tower was like. It was simply life changing. Period.
After the Eiffel Tower, we headed to the boat tour. We are lucky we headed there early, because we got the tour at the best time of the day. We left before sunset, and an hour later we got to see the sun set over Paris and the Eiffel Tower. It was so beautiful. Another plus, I sat next to my professor and got to share the moment with someone who had been to Paris on more than one occasion. I think she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the sheer amazement in my eyes. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life, and was still in my emotional-wreck mood from earlier. People just don't realize what it means to get to Paris, at least for me. This entire journey so far has been nothing short of a dream, and Paris simply capitalized that in every way.
As if my day could have ended any better, just as we pulled in from our boat tour with the sun setting, the Eiffel Tower started to sparkle! Starting at 8pm, and every hour for 5 minutes, the Eiffel Tower sparkles miraculously. The entire thing just looks like nothing I could ever describe. If it sparkled all day, everyday, I could sit and watch it forever. It was so captivating, and so perfect in so many ways. It was the perfect way to end the perfect day in Paris. Luckily, for us, the Eiffel Tower was lit in blue at night. Once again, one the sky was black, it loomed over the city like something I had never seen before. There is a huge difference between the tower at day and at night, although both still captivating. During the day, you appreciate its' grandeur and its massiveness. At night, you appreciate its brilliant beauty for all it is worth.
As we got off the boat, we were going to head back to the hotel to get ready for the night, but I made my roommate stop for a short detour. I saw a carousel right in front of the Eiffel Tower, and I made her ride it with me. Yes, we were a 20 year old and a 26 year old riding a carousel with a bunch of small children. I didn't care though. After the carousel, we headed back to the hotel and got ready to go have our night on the town in Paris!
I woke up on Sunday, and have to admit I was sad. I didn't want to leave Paris. I felt as if I had just gotten there, which I did, but wanted to stay forever. We packed up, loaded the bus and headed to Versailles. Versailles was absolutely beautiful, but HUGE. There was no way we were going to see all of it in the time allotted. So instead of going in and cutting the tour short, we decided to tour the grounds. We walked through the gardens, which were massive and lush. They were beautiful. We got to see the house that King Louie built for Marie Antoinette, which is sooo cool. We only ever see Versailles in the movies and it was quite a funny feeling to be standing in the place where royalty had lived for hundreds and hundreds of years. I kept picturing what it would've been like to live there in the days of Marie Antoinette. As I was sitting on the grand stairs of Versailles, looking out into the long passageways that seemed to extend forever, I started to think what the kings and queens who lived here would say if they could see the world today…If they could see how much things have changed and how much of an impact the decisions they made truly were. I'm sure it would be a shock for them to see that people from all over the world roam the grounds of the place that they called home…It's almost silly, because we have old buildings and historic landmarks in America, but not with the grandeur and significance of what Versailles had to offer. French history is fascinating, and it was such a humble feeling to know that I got to see first hand a major part of that famous French history that I know and love. As the day came to an end, we headed back for the busses to head to the airport, to FLY home, thank goodness. On the plane ride home, all 50 of us were scrambling to get the 3 projects that were assigned for Paris finished. None of us were happy about all the work we were assigned and the pictures say it all. However, in reality, it did kind of prepare us for the working world; having to get last minute work done while traveling...At one point, I looked out the window and saw the snow capped Alps! It was really cool to see! We landed safely in Pisa and once again, to an hour charter bus back to Florence…
Paris changed my life, and as silly as it is to say, I can honestly see myself living there some day. There is something about the Parisian lifestyle that is so elegant and simplistic. Despite our trip starting off on a rough note, I couldn't of asked for anything better. The only additional thing I could of asked for, was for my family and friends to be there by my side. It was everything I had ever dreamed of, and I hope to be able to return someday…
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