post Meredith

I guess I was still in tourist mode after Meredith left or something because the following weekend my friend Jordan and I stayed busy ALL weekend long.

Friday night we went to a new park that is incredibly beautiful and situated on a hill and so remote and different from all the other parks I'd gone to in Paris. we sat there with our friend Grace and painted our nails, ate macaroons, drank tea, and watched the sun set. It was a bit of paradise.




Saturday Jordan and I set out on one of the busiest and exhausting days in Paris. Maybe not, but it sure seemed like it. First we went to the Catacombs. If you don't know what that is, let me explain: Paris does not have but 3 (i think) cemetery's because of various reasons but there used to a cemetery in the center of Paris near Chatelet back in the day and all the bodies started to contaminate the water so they decided to dig up the graves and and create underground graveyards which is where we went. After that all cemetery's were dug up and all bodies were moved to these underground catacombs. It is considered a museum but its a part of the catacombs that you can pay to go see. Pay to go see bones stacked? sounds like fun, right? And apparently its a popular place because Jordan and I had to wait 90 minutes to get in. Once in it was one of the creepiest experiences of my life. You have to walk down many steps to get deep into the earth where its moist and dark and the hallway feels like its caving in on you and you walk for about 10 minutes before you reach the catacombs. Once there you walk for about 40 minutes between floor to ceiling stacked bones: skulls, arms, legs, etc, and in the dark. There are signs with each group of bones telling you which cemetery these bodies came from which is interesting to know where cemetery's used to be in Paris.

A little over an hour after entering the catacombs we exited to the sunny sun sun and we couldn't be more thankful to have made it out of that creepy experience alive. If you are into that type of thing then I highly recommend it otherwise I'd say live vicariously through my pictures and call it a day.

 After our morning spent with the bones of old Paris we were starved and headed to a place I'd been dying to try since I'd learned of its existence a few weeks prior. Apparently American food is the new fad here. You can find cookies, cupcakes, and mexican food creeping up all over the city and this is just one of those things that has taken Paris by storm. It's called Le Camion Qui Fume and its a food truck. The title translates to the Smoking Truck and its a burger truck that changes locations daily. It was started by a California girl who studied at Le Cordon Bleu (a culinary school here in Paris) and she decided she wanted to do something different I guess. I read that it took her several years and lots of French administration and red tape to get this approved by the city and even then I've read that its still very regulated meaning she can't just drive the truck around, it changes locations daily but they are all approved ahead of time by the city and it stays there for the day. The truck was a hit from the beginning and on the website it states that it only sells what they have and once they are sold out they are done for the day. Usually the hours are 11-2 for lunch and then they do dinner as well. You ought to go early as the lines are long because word has gotten around that the food is good. Let me just tell you that this was the best burger I'd had in the 2 years I'd lived in Paris. BEST BURGER! If you are in Paris and want a good burger I'd highly recommend it! Highly! It was such a great experience.

Then Jordan and I decided to explore the city by foot as you do on a sunny day in Paris. It's a rare occasion so you must soak up every second you can.

This is a door I really loved. Bright red.

 Then we explored we park that is just across from the Louvre that I'd heard about but never been to. It was beautiful and peaceful but not my favorite of parks by far. The best part about a sunny weekend and parks (or just Paris for that matter) is that people are out, musicians are out, entertainers are out, families are out, everyone is out. People were tanning, reading their books, listening to musicians trying to make a few euros. I love Paris in the sun.

A lot of times I am baffled by the way the French think and do business and live life and this one was another added to that list... please explain to me how a Dr. Pepper that is imported from the US is cheaper than a diet coke which is an international brand??

And Jordan and I ended our evening by being let down by another park we wanted to explore which turned out to be a dud. There are few parks in Paris that seem to be neglected by the city but this was one. It is called Jardin Atlantique and it was ugly. I do not suggest wasting any of your time there. I had heard about it and it seemed enticing as its a park built atop the Montparnasse train station and I thought it'd be nice with a view and a pleasant, quiet place to picnic and it was nothing of the like. It was ugly and weed filled and with no view whatsoever.

This day overall was such a great day. Although the last park we explored was a dud, it didn't ruin the wonderful day we spent together under the Parisian sun which is known to not make many appearances. I'll just say I slept well that night.