jeremy in paris!

bonjour and welcome to another wonderfully adventerous post on germy in socal!  like big ben in london, this photo of the tour eiffel is another that led me to travel 8,000+ miles for the sight of something so grand i knew i would someday have to study its visual glory with my own eyes to see its significance. and to say that i saw its significance gives no justice to the experience i felt standing at the base of this massive, beautiful, structure of supreme human imagination.

but i cannot dive too deep into this post without first recognizing the real reason paris made such an impact on my life. my host, christophe and many other proud residents of this city gave me memories that will always make my first adventure in paris something i will remember for a lifetime. hospitality, generousity and a willingess to explore one's curiousity helped to surround me with people rich in the happiness of life.

this is a simple photo of my hosts neighborhood, but simple in paris is beyond extroadinary

when i arrived in paris i was running on 36 hours without sleep. ive recognized a robotic like personality in my body as its instinctive intuition understands that every opportunity it has at that moment is once in a lifetime. i departed from the airport towards the city center to meet with my host christophe. from that moment on, each minute of everyday was spent in awe of france's amazing history. we went straight to lunch with his friends and hit the streets for a stroll of a building that floats in the sky, montmartre. this ancient cathedral gives you an entire panorama of the city. i couldnt believe my eyes as i looked out past the horizon...every inch of every street was lined with something beautiful, something significant, something distinctly french.

i got a glimpse of the entire city and it was literally at my feet. my friends pointed out the various sites i was
soon to visit and my heart began to race. overwhelmed with beauty and anticipation, i tried to keep myself
grounded in the moment, but i felt myself floating away off into the sky, hitching a ride on the levatating
cathedral behind me...

thanks to my incredible host, i awoke to a french breakfast on the daily and had the honor and pleasure to share it with him before his shift at work as a policemen. a fresh baquette and croissant with jelly, butter, café and orange juice!

its not hard to figure out i had a bit of an obsession with tour eiffel. i made two visits (almost three); one at night and another during the day. the size of the tower was astonishing and i was taken aback when it appeared from behind a few trees after deboarding the metro train.

at night the tower has thousands of lights attached to it that twinkle at the top of every hour for five minutes.
everyone sits with blankets and picnics on the mall at the base of the tower and when the lights begin the
people clap and shout in happiness.

everywhere the eye can see, the garden streches nearly to the horizon.  it is unimagineably large and beautiful

my paris day trip was versailles. while there is a chateau, a beautiful one at that, my intention was to marvel in the splendor that is the iconic garden of versailles. since a highschool history lesson where we studied the french monarchy, i have dreamed of seeing the gardens of versailles and slowly strolling its endless landscapes. and due to the absolute longest line i have ever been somewhat happy to wait in, i missed out on precious hours i coveted inside the garden. my experience was rushed and i will, i must, return one day and make up for those precious hours lost in line. only next time, i will be in the company of a lovely girl to share in the gardens beauty...

after a late night out in paris, we made a stop at the louvre around 4am.  i was told its much more beautiful when there are no tourists and it couldnt be more true...

another beautiful and breathtaking garden, the jardine de luxembourg
rests in the middle of the city and offers a quick escape from the metropolis

don´t hate me for forgetting the name of this grand cathedral.
the fountain in front was the biggest ive seen so far!

french macaroons!

my final night in paris was spent with friends at a picnic on the river that cuts through paris.  notre dame pokes its head out in the back...and to my host christophe, thank you for making my time in paris so memorable.  i have fallen inlove with paris!

my time in paris could not have been any better. my final day was spent with new friends at a picnic along the river, with notre dame and beautiful parisien bridges dotting the horizon. christophe deemed it my french graduation and our first toast solidified my new parisien roots. tomorrow i am off to barcelona, spain the captial of catalunya. with the little spanish that i know, im nervous and excited to see how difficult it may be to communicate with the locals who pride themselves in catalan culture and its distinct dialect of spanish! i will miss paris more than words can express, and i await the day that it once again fills the days of my calendar...

please join me as i continue my grand tour of europe in the remarkable city of barcelona. soon my feet will feel the warm sand of the shore and the soft waves of the mediterranean. au revoir paris, hola barcelona!


thanks for reading!

- j