Parlez-vous Francais? - Rouen and Paris - March 5-8

So, once again, I took advantage of having friends studying all of Europe and went to stay with Sarah in Rouen, France. After my 7 hours of train and staying the night in Lille (which was surprisingly very nice), I made it to Rouen (pronounced kind of like Ron). Rouen is a small port city on the Seine about an hour NW of Paris. It is a nice city full of churches and history.

I met Sarah bright and early from my train and we started touring Rouen. We scratched our idea to visit the WWII beaches (Utah and Omaha) when we found out it would be another 2 hours on a very slow train and that nothing was open because it is offseason. So instead, we explored Rouen.

Sarah showed me where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake and the beautiful Notre Dame of Rouen. Then we saw where Monet painted his famous depictions of the beautiful cathedral. We shopped down the shopping streets, and I purchased my first European investment…a Longchamp bag! It took me awhile to decide which color I wanted, but surprise, surprise I picked the green one! I love it and I saved about $70 than if I would have bought it at home!

I stayed with Sarah in her home stay which was very interesting. I know that living with a native family is a cultural experience and is really beneficial to your language skills, but I am so glad that I live in a dorm-like atmosphere and am able to meet kids from all over the world. Sarah's host madame is very sweet, but it's just different. The house is not the cleanest and they have no control over the meals. One night, they had rice for dinner! Plain rice isn't dinner, especially in France!

The next day (Saturday), Sarah and I woke up early and took the train to Paris (sounds so glamorous..huh?!). We went to the Musee D'Orsay and I loved it! The Louvre is cool, but it so big and busy that it loses some of its luster. The Musee D'Orsay on the other hand, is not nearly as busy and is so amazing. The Monets, Manets, Degas, Renoirs, and Van Goghs are so beautiful! The museum is mapped out in a much more logical way and the building it is in is beautiful. I personally love the Monets the best…I think I have found my art of choice! I am so glad we were able to spend a lot of time at the museum and that it wasn't that busy.

After the D'Orsay, we met Alex and her friend David and grabbed a quick bite to eat. Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower and got in line for the climb. We were lucky and did not wait that long, probably because we were willing to climb the 680 steps to the 2nd level. The steps went fast and I didn't feel bad about all the pain de chocolats (croissants with chocolate in them…so bad but so good) I had been eating. It was a gloomy day in Paris, but the views were still amazing, and we were not even at the top!

So we got in the lift to go up the rest of the way. Ok, I guess I forgot that the Eiffel Tower is MUCH taller than most duomos and cathedrals and skyscrapers, so I was a little scared when we keptgoing up and up and up in the elevator. When we finally reached the top…it was beautiful! Paris is such a beautiful city and especially at night. We took a million pictures and then descending down to the ground (which of course took like 5 minutes).

Sarah and I were in a hurry to make the 8:20 pm train back to Rouen, so we quickly walked down the Champs-Elysees (trying to find the damn Tour de France shop which turned out just to be the name of a cheap, crappy tourist shop…bummer) and went to the train station. We got kebabs (love em!) and hopped on the train. We listened to NOW 1 on Sarah's iPOD…hilarious! 90's music is amazing! And on our bus ride up the hill to Sarah's homestay, there was this adorable little French boy that LOVED to talk to us!

The next morning (Sunday), I got up super early to take my 6 hours of train back to Maastricht. I am actually writing this on my train home now! All French trains provide power outlets, so I am able to use my computer the whole time! Right now, we are passing through the small French town of Albert, and now we are passing through the beautiful Normandy countryside…jealous?!

Well, next weekend I am taking a well-deserved travel break. Seven countries in this short amount of time is exhausting!...and so much fun! As for the rest of March, I am meeting Kellie Rockel in Vienna the next weekend. We are touring Vienna and Salzberg, Austria and doing the Sound of Music tour! I am SOOO excited! It will also be my first overnight train experience.The weekend after begins our 2.5 week holiday (awesome) where we are traveling to Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh), Ireland (Dublin and Galway), and the UK (London, Oxford, Windsor, and Stonehenge)! I will be a very busy girl! And then…the tulips come out!

Well I miss you all and until next time…tot ziens!

Love, Betsy