Ooh la la, Paris!

I have finally found the time to sit down and tell you about my short, but wonderful trip to Paris! It is an absolutely beautiful city and I was lucky enough to have a place to stay with a good friend from home who is currently studying abroad there.

The first thing I noticed about Paris was that it is a HUGE city. Coming from small little Florence, I was a little bit taken aback at first at it's size. Fortunately, they have a wonderful public transportation system. It's cheap, fast and takes you anywhere in the city in less than 30 minutes.

The next thing I realized was how elegant, how glamorous Paris is. Again, compared to Florence and other cities in Italy, Paris has got something about it that just makes it glitter. Yet it is not flashy or gaudy like New York...it's much more graceful, and the city's rich history only adds to it's elegance and delicateness.

Of course, I cannot tell you about Paris and without mentioning something about FOOD. Of course, the French are known for having the most wonderful pastries and breads and I can testify that this is most definitely the case. Now, don't get me wrong, I am Italian and I love almost all Italian food. But the French know how to make bread better than anyone (You know bread is the best when you eat a three foot long baguette by itself for lunch). The other thing that I must confess is that French pastries are way better than Italian ones. I ate the most delicious, buttery, warm "Croissants aux Raisins" every morning that I was there for breakfast. Can someone please tell me why Italians don't believe in butter?!?!

There are of course other things culinary delights that I had to try while I was there: french onion soup, crepes, omelettes, creme brulee... I successfully tasted them all, which, for me, was a large part of what I wanted to do while in France.

Venus di Milo (Louvre) Eros (Louvre)

The other part of my list of things to do while in Paris was, for the most part, completed as well. I saw the Eiffel tower (multiple times each day because Hillary's a beautiful view of it from her apartment), spent a good 2 hours in the Musee de Louvre where I had the pleasure of meeting the Mona Lisa (and many other priceless works of art) and I walked around the gardens and palace of Versailles, learning a great deal about all the silly things that the kings and queens of France used to do. I also got to experience the Paris nightlife, which like New York, never ends and never sleeps and I enjoyed the most peaceful afternoon in one of the lesser known areas of Paris.

It was, needless to say, a successful and enjoyable trip. After boarding the plane with my souvenir box of mini colorful French Macaroons, I realized that Paris had somehow found a small, special place in my heart.