I went to Paris for my Easter weekend. Clearly, I had this planned before I broke my foot. The Eurostar tickets and hotel reservations had been bought and made for over a month when I hobbled out of University College Hospital with a heavy cast on my leg. What's a girl to do but go anyway?!
We arrived in Paris Friday afternoon, and right off the bat I was mad and frustrated. None of the taxi drivers would take us to our hotel because it was only about a mile away from the train station. Obviously the sight of a girl on crutches and her poor friend carrying two duffel bags was not enough to convince them that we needed a ride. So we walked (I tried). It took almost an hour to get to our hotel. Wow, what a way to start my "holiday" right? I flopped on the bed and promptly cried. At that point, I really was wishing I hadn't of come.
Diana went out and got us some food, and we spent the rest of the evening in the hotel room. We decided we were going to the Louvre in the morning. We got up the next day, I showered with some difficulty (bathrooms are not generally cast-friendly, especially not in Paris), and walked outside. Thank you, Lord, there was Taxi Stand just outside our hotel doors! We got a taxi with no problem at all.
Before you start wondering why we didn't just take a bus or train, let me say this: the buses are more confusing than London buses; now turn the maps and schedules into French; now add two girls who don't speak French, one of whom can't get around, and you have: IMPOSSIBLE. The Metro, which I braved one time, has only stairs and smells of urine. Lovely. Taxis it was.
The taxi got us to the Louvre with no problem. We saw the queue and prayed for the best. What do you know, the door guard opened up the fabric tape and ushered us right on in to the lift! No waiting in line. And I got a wheelchair in exchange for the collateral of my passport. Not a bad trade. We spent several hours in the museum, and I got to see the Mona Lisa up close because of my chair! Pretty cool. Though I don't see why that painting is so special or famous. There really isn't anything remarkable about it all things considered. The Wedding at Cana was much more impressive, and that was hung directly opposite the Mona Lisa. Lovely painting. Navigating the lifts throughout the museum proved quite difficult, as each lift does not go to all floors, and every floor has many levels. But we managed okay! I am just glad that I got to go see the Louvre!
After the Louvre we saw the Eiffel Tower, and had some pistachio soft serve! It started to rain though, so we got our pictures and headed off to the hotel to rest up for that evening.
That evening, we went to see one of my favorite bands in concert, Angels & Airwaves. They are from California, but were on their European tour. Considered bands don't take European tours that often, this was a golden opportunity! Again, I got to skip the ridiculously long queue because of my injury! And here is the coolest part: the sound crew let us sit in the sound booth with them so that I could sit down. Best idea EVER! I was not jostled around in the mosh pit, nor was I forced to stand for three hours on my crutches. I could sit when I needed and "stand" when I wanted. Definitely the best part of Paris. I did my best to "dance" to the music, probably looking a bit silly as I hopped up and down on one foot with crutches aiding me, but it was worth it.
Easter Sunday we slept in and then decided to go to Versailles. This was probably not the smartest idea, as it involved a Metro ride, train ride, and then a mile hike uphill to the actually palace. Frustration set in again. It took me over an hour to get up the hill to Versailles. For those of you who have never been on crutches, I know they look easy, but they are not. My hands swelled and blistered and my good leg and foot cramped every few minutes because of the stress they suddenly had to bear. I had to stop every few minutes, maybe ever 20 feet and take a rest. It's hard when you're used to walking hurriedly everywhere and were about to start training for a marathon to suddenly be forced to use aluminium sticks to get around and to rely on the goodness of your friend to push you in a wheelchair everywhere else. But, we made it! Here is proof =>
Check out that monster...
We then had dinner at a cute Italian restaurant in Versailles that collected USA license plates. Rather funny :) I broke my Lenten fast from alcohol by indulging in a glass of rose wine. It was yummy with my grilled lamb! The food in France was generally spectacular. The crepes were so delicious. After the concert, there was crepe shop next door that was still open. I bought a "Nutella e banane" crepe, and oh my goodness was it fantastic! Stuffed full of bananas and chocolaty goodness :)
The next morning we decided to check out the National Museum of Modern Art. I really loved the new stuff, like post-1960s new. The other section of the museum, with Picasso and Dada art, etc, was not my favorite. Some of it was a bit gross, really, bordering pornographic. I much prefer art that uses different types of mediums rather than abstract paintings. We went in all the galleries of the more modern studio art type collection, and decided after about ten minutes of Picasso that we were done.
The rest of the time in Paris was spent getting to the train station and waiting around there. One of the best decisions I made was ordering a wheelchair. I got to skip lines, and get on the train first. There are some perks to being injured, although I wouldn't recommend it. I would say, generally, that Paris is the most handicapped-unfriendly city I have ever been to.
Okay, there's a recap of my Paris trip! I may update later about the rest of my time here in London, but now I have to go take my very last final! Wish me luck :)
Oh, and sorry about the lack of pictures. Diana took most of them, and has not uploaded them for me yet. But I promise, pictures will follow!
Cheers!
Faith
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