Parlez-vous anglais?

So, I had an interesting weekend... I went to France.

Just like that. My parents were visiting Paris and so I decided to stop in. As if that's normal. A few busses and a surprisingly short flight, and I was walking across the Pont de l'alma on my way to my parents' flat in the seventh district. My favourite moment was when I came out of the metro--carefully reading my map-- and after a few steps across the bridge, I looked up to see the winding Seine and my first glimpse of the illuminated Eiffel. That night, we spent some time catching up and planning our next few days.

The following morning, we went to the palace of Versailles.

The palace was decorated with the finest craftsmanship and most luxurious materials in every corner of every room. It was truly magnificent.

We went for a stroll though the equally impressive gardens to the Grand Trianon.A parting view of the gardens.
Afterwards, we tried to enter Notre Dame, but arrived just after the doors closed.The Siene. I had to.The next morning, we went to the Louvre. I have many blurry photographs of famous paintings and sculptures. I figured I wouldn't bore you with the details. Needless to say, it is an excellent collection and the several hours I spent there barely scratched the surface. My dad mentioned at one point how easy it would be to steal or ruin these priceless pieces. He noted how in movies, we get the impression that there are high tech security systems with lasers and mounted guns(okay a bit much) protecting these artifacts, when in reality, even the most famous ones are just hanging on the wall. I recalled that the Scream had been stolen a while ago. This guy didn't help our fears much, either.We then went on a self guided tour of the sewer system. Mentioned in Les Misérables and dating back to the 1200s, the sewers are famous, ingenious... and smelly. Our apartment building had a really cool old-timey elevator. Not going to lie, though. I feared for my life every time I rode it.

The Arc de Triomphe.
A bit out of sequence(we actually went to the Arc de Triomphe afterwards), but hey. I liked this order. And so, without any further introduction, I give you a blurry photo of the Eiffel Tower.

We rode the elevator to the second level and had a spectacular view of the city at night. The tower was actually considerably larger than I thought it would be. I suppose that I expected it to be iconic, but not necessarily impressive. Wrong again. Especially when the lights flashed, making the whole structure magically shimmer.

To wrap up the evening, we had a snack of baguettes, cheese, and strawberries. Delicious.
My final day was spent in a famous flea market south of the city. Known as Les Puces (the fleas), we spent a nice afternoon perusing the shops and stalls looking for quaint and/or cheap items that would travel well. I didn't end up buying anything, but other family members were more successful. After we had our fill of the crowded streets of the Porte de Clignancourt, we headed back to Pont de l'alma where I packed my bags and said Adieu. The rest of the family has a trip to Normandy panned on Tuesday. I'm jealous, but I'm also glad to be back in Scotland. It's going to be hard to leave.