Don't get TAKEN! - Paris, France
Paris, France
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! It's been 24 hours since we left the States and I have so many stories to share! Lina, Harlea and I flew together from Orlando International, had a connecting flight at Philadelphia International, and arrived at Charles de Gaulle International at 6:55am, Parisian time. (12:55am for you all back home!) The flights were relatively smooth and I was able to pack everything and anything I may need into one suitcase weighing 39.5 lbs. I was proud of myself,but fear I may have underpacked!! We celebrated New Year's twice - Parisian time and Eastern time! Lina and I ate grapes at 12am EST. It was like we were time traveling into 2014!!! Our stories began as soon as we boarded our planes. Saying goodbye to my parents was easier for them than it was for myself. My mom studied abroad in Colombia and in Wisconsin, so she kept telling me that studying abroad "runs in my blood," and it was time for me to go abroad! Lina and I were able to sit together, and although we tried to take naps, we spent our time watching movies (I watched A Good Day to Die Hard and Good Day), and then Lina and I listened to Michael Buble, and learned the Greek number system (or so we think we did!). We even made a new friend sitting across from us and we had a delicious dinner on board! After we landed in Paris, we went through customs, grabbed our bags and called home to let everyone know we had arrived safe. Then the real adventures began. We left the airport at 8am. We are set to leave to Nancy, France (which is where our university is located) this Friday, January 3 at 7am, so we are spending the first two days in Paris with a relative of Lina. We had to leave the airport and take a metro into the city, and then walk to the apartment where we are staying. To paint you a picture: I have thick, curly hair and was carrying one suitcase and one backpack, along with my laptop and a blanket; Lina has long dreads, was pulling two suitcases and a backpack, and Harlea has long, luscious red hair and was also pulling two suitcases and a backpack. Perfect picture of tourists walking the streets of Paris. Since we arrived on a holiday, the metro was free and we just tried to follow signs to where we were supposed to go. Once we got to the metro, we were extremely confused as to which line of the metro to take. I guess we were speaking English very loudly, because an older gentleman asked if we needed help, and gave us directions. The ride was about fifteen minutes and at our stop we had to figure out where to make our connection. We were struggling with deciphering the signs so much that the same gentleman that gave us directions earlier began shouting directions towards us and motioning for us where to go, until the metro doors closed in his face. Then we were all alone. Three twenty year olds, with seven suitcases and three backpacks - all alone in the streets of Paris. First thing we noticed about Paris: the sun never rises or sets. We are spoiled in Florida!! Since we arrived in a new continent, our phones did not have service and no wifi, so we had to learn how to read a map to get to Lina's relative's apartment. We walked into the streets from the metro and as soon as we were out on the vast, empty street, a young man began walking towards us. He immediately started saying "Joyeux Noel, Bonne Annee! - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!" We just shyly smiled and kept walking, but he kept walking in our direction and abruptly stopped in front of a store. He kept tried to talk to us, and as we were looking away, he started relieving himself on a closed door of a store. Welcome to Paris. Turns out, we were actually walking in the wrong direction. So once we realized that, we turned around and saw a fight starting to break out between some not-so-sober young men on the streets. And of course, the young man whom we had run into a few minutes before was the center of the fight. Go figure. We kept hurriedly walking. We were able to make contact with Lina's relative and he was able to give us directions. We had to turn down "Rue Poulet" - "chicken road" and chickens we were... Every street was absolutely empty! You could see champagne battles shattered on the streets, a light rain drizzling on us, strong breeze freezing our extremities and random, creepy guys standing in each corner. When we turned down Rue Poulet, three younger looking individuals were just crossing the street. As soon as they saw us coming, they retracted to walking back to the side of the street in which we were walking. At first, I personally thought I was just being paranoid of being pick-pocketed, but when we stopped, they stopped. When we looked back, they tried to look distracted. I could see them moving towards us through my peripheral vision, so I was starting to get extremely worried! I suggested to Lina and Harlea that we stop for a few minutes since I felt uncomfortable walking down a desolate street with these people following us. Another thing you need to know about Paris (or France overall), is that the street names are written on the walls of buildings. We had to go down Rue Myrha, but where we turned was building 98 of Rue Myrha - we had to go to building 21 and we were on top of a hill. Say hello to rolling down the street. Young men were just standing at corners! Some offered to carry our bags, others tried to follow us and others just looked like they were up to no good. My suitcase weighed 39.5 lbs, but Lina's and Harlea's each weighed over 45 lbs, so we were being pushed down the street by our own suitcases! It was so intense. When we got to the building, a man started walking towards us with a warm smile. Lina immediately started saying, "Jean, Jean? Uncle Jean?" But he didn't answer!! My heart dropped for a second. But I guess French people don't shout to each other across the street, because as soon as this nice man got to our side of the street, he said (with that warm and welcoming French accent), "Lina, ma niece?" Oh, how relieved we were. We had been gotten off the plane almost two hours ago and we had already feared for our safety. Going into his and his wife's home was the best thing in the world. We ate croissants, drank REAL milk, and had many conversations in French! Lina's uncle even played the guitar for us! We must have looked extremely exhausted because he suggested we take a nap in the room he had prepared for us. We agreed to take a 10 minute nap before going into Paris. We slept for 3 hours. Say hello to jet lag. We were taking a nap at 11:09am, which was 5am EST. We went to Gare de l'est, which is the East Train Station, which is where we have to take our train to Nancy. We ran some errands, picked up our train tickets and our student discount cards. Then, we went to Quik, which is a fast food restaurant just outside the train station! As we sat down to eat our tiny burgers, Justin Timberlake's song "Mirror" began playing in the background. Finally, we felt like we were experiencing a piece of being back home. Then, Lina's uncle, Jean, took us to Sacre-Coeur, the Sacred Heart Basilica here in Paris. We purchased "Visite Paris" metro passes, which gave us a free lift to the top of the basilica. Jean left after we got to the church and we went inside the basilica! It was breathtaking!! So absolutely beautiful! We saw prayer candles, the Nativity set, and lots of stained glass and beautiful sculptures. See the pictures below!! Then, we went to Monmartre, which is the artisan street near the basilica. It started raining and thankfully my umbrella was large enough to cover the three of us. We walked under star shaped light decorations hanging from the streets, walked past cards and watched artists draw caricatures. Although the sun had not risen, it was apparently "sun down" and the streets started to look unsafe, especially with the rain. After lots of brainstorming, we decided to grab dinner and then head back to Rue Myrha. We stopped at Un Petit Comptoire, where I ordered onion soon with cheese and bread in it, and Lina and Harlea ate a hot dog and a panini. It was about 7pm, so we started walking towards the apartment. The basilica is relatively close to the apartment, so we had to go down the stairs in order to get to street level. Since it was raining, I was still holding the umbrella and as I was going down the stairs, and older man came under my umbrella. Oh goodness. He asked if I was going down the stairs, and I naively responded yes, and he just kept walking with me!! I had my credit card and passport on me, so I kept clutching my arms onto my body to ensure that nothing was pickpocketed. I tried to calmly step to the side, but the man followed my umbrella!!! Oh, the rain... Then he began asking if I lived in France, and I mentioned I was a student, as a hint to get away from me since I am young. Looks like I wasn't bold enough. He said he worked in Paris and invited me to go to the south of France with him. I just kept walking and trying to get away from him. Tourist areas are no good for traffic! When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw some public restrooms and announced to Lina and Harlea that I needed to use the restroom. He tried to motion he would wait for us, but after I clearly told him to please go away because I needed to use the restroom, he got the hint and left us alone. Ironically, once we waited for him to go and started walking into our direction to home, we ran into him again and he said we avoided him and kept wishing us a happy new year and for me to go to the south of France with him. Oh, why me?! Lina's uncle says I fit the "French look," and that's why I supposedly look attractive to French men. I blame my peacoat. Then, as we were walking down the roads, we watched a burglar take a purse from a couple and that's when we started to freak out. I prayed the entire walk home. I wish we had at least one male friend walking with us for safety. But now, THANK GOD, we are in the warmth and safety of Lina's uncle's apartment. The main lessons I've learned from the first 12 hours in France is to always look behind me, don't look like a tourist, speak French, and don't ever decide to live in Paris. Seeing the Parisian lifestyle reminded me of New York City and its frustrating traffic, its dirty streets and unsafe tourist attractions. Good thing I will be in Nancy, a small town in the North of France. If you've read this far, I hope you're not scared for my safety. It was a long day (we are just about to shower for a first time since we left the States) and too many things happen that this blog is serving as a venting opportunity for me! I've laughed a lot, eaten a lot, and soaked in the culture! This is a trip of a lifetime and I'm excited that you are following my journey. Best stories and breathtaking photos will follow! I need to polish my French but I'm looking forward to leaving to Nancy this Friday! Tomorrow, we're going to the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and few other attractions! To all my friends and family back home, thanks so much for the farewell wishes and for reading this extremely long and detailed blog post! This is day one of a lifetime of exploring the European continent, and I thank you for supporting my crazy adventures! Happy New Year, and thanks for time traveling with me into 2014!! Stay posted for another post soon! Much love, Amy P.S. If you haven't watched Taken, don't do it if you plan on coming to Paris anytime soon. The movie will haunt you.