Beauty can be found everywhere in Rome from the ancient ruins and the architectural style of buildings to even the beautiful people. However, this past week has shown me that one of the greatest beauties or benefits of living in Rome is the ability to experience both the Italian and European culture.
This past weekend I traveled to Paris, France, and it was the most spontaneous thing I think I have ever done. It was Tuesday morning, and I was just hanging out in the Temple Rome computer lab with a few friends and we said, “Let’s just look up flights to Paris on Friday for fun.” That’s when it all happened. We decided that the prices were not too bad, we were all dying to go to Paris, we realized we would never have this opportunity again in our lives, and we booked our flight for Friday morning! Never in my life would I imagine that I would book a weekend trip to Paris (or any other trip for that matter) just three days in advance, but that is the beauty of living in Rome.
On Friday at 7:10am we took off from Rome and within two hours we touched done in arguably the most romantic city in the world.
My view of the Eiffel Tower as we landed = Perfection!
After we stepped off the plane and before even grabbing our luggage, we sprinted to the airport Starbucks. Now you are probably asking yourself “of all foods the French are known for like baguettes, macaroons, and cheese why are four American students running to the Starbucks?” Well you see, we have been deprived of a large cup of coffee (which is much different than an Italian cappuccino) since we took off from Philadelphia in late May. Also, we awoke for our flight at 3:15am, so we were really in need of a pick-me-up.
We arrived at our hotel, dropped off the luggage, and off we went exploring Paris! Our first stop was a local bakery.
What American tourist can walk through the streets of Paris without eating a baguette? Not us.
During our weekend in Paris we visited Place des Vosges (the oldest square in Paris), Notre Dame, the Louve, the Eiffel tower, and a few other places. As much as I would love to detail every second of my time in Paris because I absolutely fell in love with the city, I feel it right to highlight just two parts: putting our lock on the lock bridge and ascending the Eiffel Tower at dusk.
Our Lock
In Paris, there is a theory that if a couple writes their name on a lock and attaches it to one of the many lock bridges then throws the key into the river, it is a symbol of their undying love.
Since none of us four girls are at the point that we want to confess our undying love to a significant other, we decided to make our own lock and attach to the Pont des Arts Bridge to commemorate our time together in Paris and Rome.
My favorite part about our lock is the bridge that it is locked to, the Pont des Arts Bridge. This bridge was featured in the final episode of Sex and the City when Mr. Big (Chris Noth) comes to Paris to rescue Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker). In the scene on the bridge, Big tells Carrie that she is THE one.
The Pont des Arts Bridge was also recently featured in John Mayer’s “Something like Olivia” music video.
Just me waiting for my Mr. Big (aka Mr. Mayer!!)
The Eiffel Tower
On the top of my list of things to do while in Paris was going to the very top of the Eiffel Tower and it was incredible! The 360 views of the city were unparalleled to anything that I had ever seen before and I would say it is a “must do” for anyone visiting Paris.
My weekend in Paris was amazing! When I was on the plane heading back to Rome I have to admit I was a little sad, but I think that was because I knew I had my Risk Management midterm in four days.