Morgan, Hannah, and I left London on Thursday afternoon to head to our Parisian adventures. I could hardly pay attention in class, I was so excited, and getting on the train and leaving London for the first time only increased my excitement. The Eurostar is FAST - it reaches speeds of over 120 miles per hour, and we flew through the suburbs of London, the Chunnel, and the countryside of France, which was beautiful. I think we passed through about five different weather systems on our way through to Paris, it was at one point overcast, then blue sky with insane puffy clouds, then a pouring thunderstorm, then a beautiful sunset. Of course when we got to Paris it was freezing ass cold, as per our usual weather system. But we met up with Tay and hopped on Le Metro (French for "The Metro") to head to his flat. We stopped by 8 aut Huit (the French 7/11) for some incredible baguettes and wine, which we consumed rapidly in his apartment. Tay's apartment is much bigger than ours -- his living room is the size of me and Morgan's entire room -- but the three of us were all sleeping on one futon, which led to some ridiculous sleeping positions and very cramped nights (but hey, twas free!)
We headed out to a local restaurant, where we had some good French cuisine (steak with shallot sauce, veal cooked ... in a French way) and more wine. (You should be noticing a pattern here). We made plans to head out to a bar near the Bastille after Tay finished an essay (yes kids, homework, like class, unfortunately exists in Europe). Hannah and I passed the time by utilizing and enjoying Tay's ice shot glasses. We then headed out into the Arctic cold to meet our friend Lindsay near the Bastille, have an impromptu streetside photoshoot, and then head to a tapas bar for sangria. Our walk home was an adventure for certain - let me explain the Hangover Cow.
So, on our way back, Hannah and Taylor find this small piece of art on the street. It was a metal tank painted and wrapped in wire. There were four wooden legs also wrapped in wire, and a makeshift head. It was a cow. Now, no one can be certain, but it may have been thrown out, may have been for sale, or may have been part of a store's exterior decor. That tidbit has been lost, as Lindsay, Morgan, and I turn around to see Hannah and Tay sprinting towards with us with the cow. All of Hannah's pictures are of ... the cow. We get back to Tay's, where we have a cow photoshoot, and then Tay has the bright idea of hanging it above his bedroom (which is also the living room), using a hook already in the ceiling and the cow's wire exterior. Thus, the Hangover Cow. It hangs over you, and judges you when you wake up hungover, so you must bow in reverence to the Hangover Cow.
The ice shot glass
Taylor and Hannah: Professional Cow Thieves
The Hangover Cow in all of it's glory
Needless to say, we felt VERY judged waking up Friday morning beneath his judgmental glare. It was early, and Tay had class, so we hopped in some warm clothes and took the Metro to the NYU in Paris area. It was a cute area with lots of shopping and boutiques, and the Eiffel Tower loomed in the distance, so Morgan and I trudged through the freezing rain (no joke - probably 36 degrees and drizzling) to find us some landmarks. Following the tip of the Eiffel Tower's 1050 foot tall spire, we wound down through some Parisian backroads and - BAM. If there's anything that can be said about European landmarks (as well as the American celebrities that play music outside of them - looking at you, Justin Bieber), there is always that initial moment of sheer awe that you may not ever forget. The top of the Eiffel Tower is impressive, sure, but we turned a corner and saw the base of it across the Seine River, it's absolutely stunning. That is a Top 10 Europe Moment without doubt. We crossed the river and made it to the Tower, then took way too many pictures. Skip that Google Image Search kids: this here's the real deal!
The first view
My artsy shot
Me and the Eiffel Tower! Yay!
After that, we took a much-needed pit stop to thaw, dry off, and drink hot chocolate. Then Morgan and I went to the Museum of Wine, as we have consumed much and will be consuming more. We learned lots about wine and caves and the history of wine and blah blah blah we really just went for the free glass of wine. Hey - this blog will always be honest, if nothing else.
Then we met up with Tay and the Paris crew to grab lunch, swing by the Louvre to see the outside, and hang out at Lindsay's AMAZING apartment. Legit, it's as big as the downstairs of my house, probably bigger, and it's so nice and relaxing. We spent a lazy afternoon there, talking and planning our EPIC night at the clubs. Following this, we went to Taylor's, took a quick nap, got ready and headed back to Lindsay's for the pre-party
The inverted pyramid in the Louvre
The non-inverted pyramid entrance to the Louvre - I cracked the Da Vinci Code, just btw
Sweet metro sign
So, they know how to party in Paris. At Linday's, I got to be DJ (which everyone knows is my favorite), so we played tons of Gaga, Ke$ha, Passion Pit, and LMFAO feat. Lil Jon. We also participated in MANY of what Mssrs. Jon and LMFAO sing of - sorry if this reference goes over your head, mom and dad, but it's nothing illegal. We took many pictures and had a great time - I met a girl who knows basically everyone I know at Vanderbilt, small world indeed. With pictures taken and everyone in good spirits, we caught the metro to ... LE DUPLEX. (French for the Duplex)
Crazy crazy crazy. 20 Americans, a 25 Euro cover charge, three floors, amazing DJs, and four hours of dancing. Probably one of my favorite nights out ever, we had such an incredible time - it was certainly, but I'd say we got what we paid for. Lots of "I Gotta Feeling", "Sexy Bitch", and other amazing club songs - we were all sweaty as hell but we kept going, we had such a fun night. Our group finally left around 3:30am, at which point we took a cab (and had a fun sing-a-long with Morgan - apparently all he knows of the song "Tik Tok" is the "Whoa-oo-whoa-oo-whoa-OH!" part) back to Lindsay's (which, apparently, WASN'T the plan, but after we woke them up and had them buzz us in we got it all figured out). We made some late night food, watched an episode of Hey Arnold (Romeo and Juliet episode, in which Helga's mom famously says "Honey, did you take your diarrhea medication?") and Are You Afraid of the Dark, which has NOT held up well as we have aged. We slept six to a bed. PERFECT.
The Arc de Triomphe (yes, we clubbed in the shadow of this - be jealous)
Our home for Friday night
We wake up Saturday morning (feeling very much like P. Diddy, Ke$ha would be so proud of us) and manage to put ourselves together, head back to Taylor's, and sleep a couple more hours. After our nice morning nap, we get ready, eat pizza, and head to meet Tay's friend Dave at Sacre Coeur. This is an old church in the Montmartre neighborhood and is the highest point in Paris, offering incredible views. To get there, we just had to walk through the Weave District of Paris where, I kid you not, EVERY store was a ... weavery. There were hair extensions at the wazoo - we were so tempted to get our weave did, but fought the urge and kept climbing to Sacre Coeur. We finally saw the sun (omg it exists? in Europe? SHUT UP) and enjoyed the views of the city and the nice weather before touring the church (epic, huge, everything you expect from European churches), fighting off gypsies with our bare hands (NO change for you, gypsy demon!), and heading down the hill to Montmartre, aka Paris' Red Light District.
Weave on the sidewalk! (Oscar Garza's?!?!?)
Sacre Coeur
The view of Paris from Sacre Coeur
Eiffel Tower from Sacre Coeur
Our first stop in Montmartre was the SEXODROME. It sounds like a sexual fighting arena from the future. What we got was ... well, not too far from that. They label themselves the World's First Erotic Supermarket. I try (I really do, mom and dad, honest) to keep this blog family-friendly, and so I won't share too many of my exploits. Just know that there are things that one can't unsee, and I saw way too many of them in about 20 minutes. There was also the Sexual Haunted House (not really, but... yeah, just ask me in person later) and the Pinecone Enforcer and the corn and the dolphin ahhhhhhhhh can't write about it any more because it's disgusting and gross so, bottom line, thesis statement, DON'T GO TO THE SEXODROME.
Following that... whatever that was, we stopped by the Moulin Rouge. Unfortunately, Mya, Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Lil Kim weren't around, but otherwise it was pretty cool to see. Thankfully my camera battery lasted long enough to capture that, as it soon died. Thank god I wasted my camera battery on the Sexodrome and NOT on Versailles. Another slap in the face to European history. (Looking at you, Justin Bieber)
DON'T DON'T DO NOT DON'T (The Sexodrome)
Moulin Rouge (French for "The Red Moulin")
A little taste of Arkansas in the heart of ... well, the sex district of Paris
Another shot of the red windmill. Classy? Methinks, yes.
Well the pictures run out here, BUT THE ADVENTURE DOES NOT! Following the craziness of Montmartre, we headed to Cite, the island on the Seine that holds Saint-Chapel and Notre Dame, some pretty badass churches. No hunchbacks, alas, but we enjoyed walking around nonetheless and seeing the architecture. We then walked over to the shopping district of Marais. An ATM chose to devour Tay's bank card (sorry buddy - is the NOM NOM NOM noise a bit too soon?), so we tried to handle that before doing a little shopping. We found lots of store with jeans with too many zippers and pockets (oh, the European sense of fashion), and this sweet vintage store where I got a vest for 5 euro (now I can be vest friends with MiGeo, Matt, BoCo, Craig, and Taylor! Hooray!) You could also purchase a fur coat for 15 euro. Believe me, I was tempted.
That night, we cooked dinner at Lindsay's, enjoyed some wine, and took it easy. The dinner was phenomenal, all of us helped out a bit, and then we played a great game of Categories. From this, we learned that a ceiling is an item in a kitchen and that a chicken is a water fowl. We also played Skeletons, which is like Truth or Dare with no Dare - everyone just has to answer one question. We learned a LOT from this, but as the rules state, what happens in Skeletons stays in Skeletons.
Sunday, the Hangover Cow mooed bright and early to wake us and send us off to Versailles, the French Royal Estate about thirty minutes away from Paris. Go ahead and pop open that Google Image search, as I wasn't able to recharge my camera, but this area was absolutely incredible. Sunny again (yay sun!)which was perfect for all the walking we did. The palace itself is incredible, so lavish and overly-decorated and just about everything was gold-plated, it was really awesome to see it all. One room probably cost about as much as my house, and there are dozens of rooms.
Even more impressive, at least to me, were the palace grounds. The garden of Versailles is truly huge - it's just massive. You look as far as you can see, all the way to the horizon, and it's still the gardens. So incredible. We spent several hours walking around in the freezing cold and exploring this place. Apparently nobody understands that swans bite ("Layla, put your head there!" - famous last words), and we officially found the coolest place to ever ride a bike. We had lunch at a restaurant where, after being ignored for half an hour, we had some decent food and really interesting conversation with an old French guy. I couldn't understand a word of it, mind you, but I'm told it was interesting.
Oh, I do have one picture of Versailles. Trees in Paris are like Rollercoaster Tycoon trees. They are all geometrically perfect and God just kind of left-clicked and put them there. This is Tay and I hugging one.
It took us almost an hour to retrace our steps back to the train station (I got French McDonald's! They had a touch screen ordering system and everything! Kudos to me for being a typical tourist!) We barely kept ourselves awake long enough to get back to Tay's, at which point we made and ate dinner, skyped our respective families, and passed out. Our legs, bodies, and brains were exhausted from so much doing and seeing and going and moving - truly an unforgettable weekend though. Thanks to Tay, Morgan, Hannah, Lindsay, Dave, and everyone else for the laughs, the photos, and the memories.
Europe is awesome.
I love reading about your life.
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