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France Day 4
On my last full day in France, we spent the whole day in Paris. In the morning we went to a little French bakery in Chauny to buy some pastries for breakfast like a baguette, pain au chocolat, croissants, and a macaroon. The pastries and bread in France are so good! I don't think I can eat another croissant from anywhere else again.
The traffic getting into Paris was pretty bad, nothing like the night before when there was hardly any traffic. We had a bit of a late start that morning and the traffic didn't help, so by the time we actually got into our first destination, Musée du Louvre, it was already 2:30pm. Unfortunately, because we had so much to try and fit into that last day in Paris, we were only in the Louvre for about an hour and a half. The museum is massive, so regardless we wouldn't have been able to see everything. What we did see though was very cool and I definitely plan on going back when I can spend a lot more time there. Everyone I've talked to who has visited the Louvre has always said the Mona Lisa is very underwhelming. Honestly, I have to agree, but I still appreciated and enjoyed seeing it because it is such a famous and well-known piece of art.
By the end of our time at the Louvre I started feeling pretty stressed because we still had so much to see but so little time and also the parking was crazy expensive, and no longer free because it wasn't Sunday, so I felt rushed. After we left the Louvre, drove for a bit to our next destination which was Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, and started walking around I began to calm down. I had to accept the fact that we couldn't see everything unfortunately, but I needed to have a more positive attitude and be thankful for the things I was getting to see, and to be thankful for Jelly doing his best to show me as much as he could. The other thing that helped to relieve the stress a bit was knowing that I will be coming back to Paris (hopefully in December) so I would have another opportunity to see the things I couldn't on this trip.
As I'm sure you heard, there was a fire at Notre-Dame a couple weeks ago, so they had the area around the building pretty blocked off. We weren't able to get very close at all, but were still able to admire it from a distance. The structure honestly looked sad with all of the tarps over parts of it and the burn marks visible on the side, but it still had its beauty as well.
We walked around for a little while in that area and sat down by the river in the sun to eat a small snack. I really love the buildings and architecture in Paris. All of the apartments look so charming, like something out of a movie.
After a while we walked back to the car and made our way to our final destination, La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre. It took a while to get from landmark to landmark because the traffic in Paris was ridiculous (although I don't think it's quite as bad as NYC). I give Jelly props for driving in that city because I was stressed for him the entire time. Some streets in certain areas of the city are so confusing, with no lines so it just seems like a free for all.
We finally parked the car and walked up to the Sacré Cœur. The church was very beautiful and like most of the monuments in Paris, the architecture was incredible. If you walk past the basilica, there is a large staircase and viewing area where you can take in an incredible view of Paris. I wouldn't say it was quite as impressive as the view from the second level of the Eiffel Tower, but it was still a very nice view. In the photo gallery at the end of this blog, you'll notice a picture of Jelly holding a little turtle. I don't know why I haven't introduced him yet, but that is Ty the Turtle. My mom got him for me a couple years back and he has become my little traveling buddy. I do my best to take him to all of the cool places I visit and take pictures of him with different landmarks around the world. Sadly I didn't get to take a picture of him with the Eiffel Tower because we were supposed to return to it that day but ended up not having enough time. I was still able to get some pictures of him in Paris though from Montmartre.
We also went into the basilica in hopes of being able to climb to the top, but sadly we weren't able to. The inside was very grand and beautiful, and even though there were signs everywhere saying no photography, everyone was taking pictures so I hopped on the bandwagon too. Walking around, there were a bunch of areas where you could give a donation and light a candle, so Jelly and I gave a small donation and each lit a candle.
After about 40 minutes, we stopped at a small souvenir shop nearby and then made our way back to the car to go home because we didn't want to get home as late as we had the night before. On the way to the car, Jelly stopped and picked a beautiful pink rose from a bush for me. I wish I could've brought it back to Belfast with me, but I don't think it would've traveled well in my backpack.
We made it back to his house at a reasonable hour, and Jelly whipped up the most diverse small dinner I'd had in a while. It was kind of like left over night, where you just have a little bit of everything. Our plan had been to watch the second-to-last episode of Game of Thrones after we ate, and we started it, but ten minutes in we were both already dozing off so we decided to sleep and watch it in the morning instead.
The next day we woke up, watched the episode, ate some breakfast, and then I had to start packing up my things. I couldn't believe how fast my time there went, and I was so sad to be leaving, especially because I knew I won't see Jelly for another three months.
Standing in the airport, Jelly and I both cried, and it took me so long to force myself to walk away from him. Saying goodbye to him was so hard, especially because of how amazing it feels when we're together, but I'm so grateful to have been able to see him in France. So now begins the countdown to August when he will come to see me in America. Until then mon amour, thank you again for an unforgettable few days.
