Well, it IS pretty romantic in Paris...

To have visitors in Paris has been a strange and wonderful thing.  I didn't really think that such a thing would be possible.  I mean, it's not exactly cheap to fly here.  Despite that, though, I've seen Nicole (part of my extra family), and my boyfriend.

Mike and I didn't think we'd be able to make this trip work.  In fact, we had practically given up on the idea of it happening.  The flight was expensive, and what week would even work?  Somewhat miraculously, though, he found money he didn't remember having in one of his bank accounts.  That covered a good chunk of the fee to get here.  I felt sort of uncomfortable with the fact that he had to use so much money to come and visit me, but at the same time, we hadn't seen each other since Christmas.  Yeah...

There was one problem with our plan, however: the weekend he'd be arriving was the same weekend as the trip to Normandy... for which I'd already paid.  After unsuccessfully trying to sell my spot to those in my group that were not going, I gave up and started searching for hostels.  It was only for one night... but I felt guilty.  Luckily we didn't have to go that route.  I went as far as making him a reservation at a nearby one, just in case, but it turned out that he would be allowed to stay in my building for the night and wait for me.  Good thing I asked for a spare key!

I was anxious to see him during the entire drive back to Paris.  He was waiting for me!  :D  It was kind of surreal, to see him after all that time, and in Paris, of all places.  Unfortunately I had quite a lot of classes to go to (phonetics meets every other week and that just happened to be the first week), so we didn't do much for the first few days aside from eating.  Still, it was so nice to have company.  I missed him.

chicken burger... with BACONNN

We went to B.I.A. with a bunch of my friends from the program for a late dinner.  It was a great time.  The food was good (it really makes me miss diner food from home), but I loved being able to have Mike share the experience with me, with the friends I've come to know and like pretty well while being here.  What made me happy was that he got along with everyone (not that I thought he wouldn't).  Later on, he said, "I really like your friends.  You seem to meet the same kind of people wherever you go."  What can I say?  My friends are awesome.  I feel lucky to be in Paris with them.  :)

what Mike so accurately called a "fat sandwich"

We ate Greek food twice (once before B.I.A., once after? who even cares?)... and I haven't had any since.  It was good, but I think I've had my fill of that for a while...  But it was really cheap and pretty filling.  I can't complain too much about that!  This week was hard on my wallet.

one of Decure's carvings

Once the end of the week approached, however, I made the decision to skip an afternoon class and we instead used that time to visit the catacombs.  Perhaps not the most romantic destination, but it was very cool--and beautiful in a very morbid sort of way.  The entrance to the ossuary read (in French), "STOP: The empire of the dead is here."  Skulls and bones were everywhere, lined up in sometimes quite elaborate patterns.  It seems weird to call it art, but that's what it was.  Once we reached the tombs and such, we weren't allowed to take flash photos, so I didn't take many, but that wasn't such a bad thing.  I love to take pictures of whatever I'm doing, but I also enjoy seeing what's around me, sans camera.  What Mike and I really liked were the elaborate carvings in stone by Decure.  They were started in 1777, finished in 1782--completely by memory.  They were incredible.  I was very impressed by them.  That was early on in our visit, but that was probably my favorite part.

We got a lot accomplished over the weekend.  On Saturday afternoon, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower.  It's cheaper to walk up the Tower, in comparison to taking the elevator.  It's more tiring, but really; what sounds like a more interesting story?  "I went to Paris and I took an elevator up to the top of the Eiffel Tower," or, "I am totally made of awesome because I went to Paris and climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower?"  Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point--I definitely prefer walking.  We didn't even have to wait on line very long, considering the fact that it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.

Later that day, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, under the recommendation of Vanessa.  We were planning to watch the sun set, but we got there too early and ended up staying for quite a long time, waiting for the sky to change from day to night.  The view was worth waiting for, though.  It just, you know, would've been nicer if we didn't have to.  There was a museum, as well, so we kept ourselves occupied by learning the history behind the Arc.  I'd go into it, of course, but I don't remember things like that aside from the fact that I enjoyed whatever it was at the time.  That's an unfortunate thing about me.  Such is life... ;)  If I, you know, updated regularly, perhaps I'd remember a thing or two!

The next morning, we went to the Musée Rodin.  Back in high school, we were assigned a project on art in our French class.  Mike chose to do his on the work of Auguste Rodin, a sculptor.  I don't even remember which artist I chose.  I very, very vaguely remember his name, but it just goes to show you how interested I was.  Mike really ended up liking Rodin's work and has been a fan of his ever since.  When we were trying to plan things to do while he was here, he found a website for the museum via Google.  Nice!

Le Penseur, AKA The Thinker

The timing of the trip was actually very convenient in this case.  The first Sunday of each month means free museum visits in Paris.  We took the metro over to where the museum was, found it pretty easily, and walked right in!  I was surprised at the lack of a line, but, then again, the Musée Rodin doesn't strike me as something like the Louvre, you know?  I loved it, but it was definitely not as touristy (such a shame for the tourists) as other Parisian museums tend to be.  The Musée Rodin contains a fabulous garden (which would've been more fabulous if A) the weather were nicer and B) half of it wasn't closed to the public), where we found the Thinker (one of Rodin's most famous sculptures) and the Gates of Hell (Mike's favorite).

Porte d'Enfer/Gates of Hell

We explored at a leisurely pace, since we had so much time (and it was free), and did quite a lot of walking.  I have to say, I admire all of the effort it must require to create a sculpture.  One mistake and your entire work may have been for nothing.  You only get one chance to make it right, basically.  I admired Rodin's work, as there is a LOT of it.  He was truly gifted.  The museum also held pieces by another famous French artist and sculptor, Camille Claudel.

Once we were finished at the museum, we wandered around the area, which was really lovely.  We found the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located (we didn't feel like visiting, as we were tired), sat on the bright green grass, and walked across the Pont d'Alexandre III (prettiest bridge I've ever seen in my life), and decided to call it a day.

our lock, among many others

During Mike's visit, I made it a point to visit the Seine River.  The river is quite famous, as you most likely already know, but what may be a little less well-known is this tradition/ritual that couples take part in there.  I asked Mike to bring a lock with a key when he came to see me.  I did not explain why.  When we finally made it to the river (I said I was busy that week...), I showed him what I intended to do with it.  Littering one of the bridge's fencing on the Seine River are what seem like thousands of locks.  What couples do is, they take a lock, leave it on the bridge in honor of their love, and toss the key over the side, into the water, leaving the lock there forever.  Very cheesy, I know, but something I'd been wanting to do since I first learned about it.  Mike teased me a little, but took out a pen and started writing on the lock.  "M ♥ M," he put.  On the back, he wrote 2004, the year we started dating.  What was funny about this whole thing, though?  The fact that, when we were looking for a place to put the lock, we found graffiti.  There's graffiti all over the place, but this piece of writing in particular, on the bridge, said "M + M love forever," and that sealed our decision--we put our lock there.  It was quite a coincidence, finding that.  Cheesy, again, but just what I wanted.


Once Monday came around, it was time for Mike to fly back to New York.  I joined him on the ride to the airport.  It seemed like such a tease, only seeing him for a week after it had been so long, but it was much better than waiting until June--when it would've been six months since the last time we were together.


This visit made me realize just how much he cares for me.  Enough to come to another country to be with me.  How lucky am I?

Very.

view of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe