The Rollercoaster

Let me start off by saying this could be the longest post EVER and I apologize, BUT this is a monumental day because it is the first day that I am hangin' out on the European continent alone, and I have LOTS to say about that...so, let's get started:

I would be completely lying to you if I said that today was not incredibly difficult.  I have been neglecting the blog over the past few days because Mom and I have been running around Paris like crazy people having an absolute blast and trying to cram as much in to 3 days as humanly possible (don't worry, I will update ALL of that!!).  Today, however, she flew home, and I have been left to my own devices.  The day started out pretty well, in that I decided I would tackle the Louvre since it was enormous and would theoretically keep my mind occupied all day (WRONG!) and prevent me from freaking out about the fact that I was alone in this huge foreign city (WRONG x2!).  We said our brief "see you soons" very informally in lobby as to try to refrain from losing it, and off she was to Charles de Gaulle, while I was en route to the Louvre (by way of Starbucks, of course).

This is what I was greeted with this morning as I headed out -- how could it not be a wonderful day?

Please excuse the hair and the awkward angle...it was very early, windy and rainy today...

 So, a couple of very crowded Metro rides later, I was waiting in line with the 1.2 billion other people waiting to get in.  Mom and I kept texting back and forth while she was waiting for the plane to leave, and I kept thinking, "Okay, I've got this.  I am alone, but I am at the Louvre and this is awesome and I can totally do this by myself!!"  During this time, I visited the big guys....La Joconde (Mona Lisa), Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory...etc...

Mona (overrated) -- this was the best I could get with the 12,000 other people standing in the room, and every picture I look was blurry, but here ya go anyway....

 

The fact that there are no bystanders in this picture is nothing short of a miracle because here is what I was working with...

See that tiny little picture in the middle?  Yup, that's what all of the fuss is about...


Winged Victory of Samothrace -- she really is breathtaking in real life

Same situation...
I can't even make this stuff up...it was ridiculous!!!!

Somewhere between Raphael and Leonardo, a blister the size of Siberia developed on me foot (even though I am wearing the most comfortable "non-tourist" tourist shoes around -- thanks for leaving them, Mom!)...AND every tour guide in the building felt it was necessary to stand directly in front of each piece, therefore, their earphone-wearing-I-am-oblivious-to-everything-around-me followers would crowd around in front of them so you couldn't see A THING.  I decided to take a little break from the insanity in order to improve my mood.

As I sat under the pyramid and ate a sandwich, doubt began to rear its ugly head, and the loneliness set in.  Even though I could hardly hear my own thoughts because of the monotonous drone of the crowds that echoed in my ears, I kept remembering that it was just me.  Every corner I turned and hall that I walked down, there were couples and groups of people all taking in the experience together, and I didn't have anyone to share that with.  While the optimistic way of looking at things would be, "well, that's so liberating and you are totally free to do whatever you want", I just don't think I am there quite yet. I would prefer to spend a little but more time in my pity party for one, thank you. 

This was a mild panic attack compared to others that occurred later in the day, so I was eventually able to talk some sense into myself and carry on with the exploration (but not without creating a makeshift Bandaid for the blister).

 

Since I had already visited the big guys, I decided to venture to areas that I had never been before.  I wandered all around the Richelieu wing that houses the Objets de art (Decorative Arts) and Napoleon III's Apartments...among lots of other things.  Here are a couple of images from these areas...I took a ton more, but don't want to bore you!

I finally decided it was time to escape the rat race, so I left the Louvre and found myself hiding under my umbrella in the Jardin de Tuileries, when the floodgates finally opened.  That's right, I was getting rained on and crying in front of the hoards of tourists, trying to figure out what I was doing here and why on Earth I ever thought this was a good idea.  Enter panic attack number 2.  I sorry for myself for who knows how long until I looked up and saw this exact image:

Please meet my newest friend.  I have decided that the Eiffel Tower is currently my closest friend in Paris.  She (yes, it is a she) is very reliable and always there when I look up in desperation, and I can't help but just be in awe of her when I am in her presence.  Let me also saw that every time I see her, I have to take a picture...I am scared to know the count at this point...

Anyway, for the second time today, I was able to pick myself up by my bootstraps (or something like that) and head over the Musee de l'Orangerie.  There I saw Monet's Waterlilies, which - interesting fact - I did not realize were actually created specifically for that exhibition space, and some other Post Impressionists (once again, I took lots of pics, I will post them all eventually!).

Enter panic attack number 3.  Here is the list of things that went wrong from the time I left Musee de l'Orangerie to the time I stepped into my apartment:

1.  The 2 NEW Metro tickets we had left over from yesterday were not working for some unknown reason, so I had to buy another one - the tears begin
2. I managed to change trains and make it to my stop through the waterworks (sunglasses were key), however, I got turned around when I got up to street level and ended up walking who knows how many blocks in the wrong direction before I realized that I was not where I should be - tears continued
3. FINALLY get home and realize that I had misplaced my ticket for Musee d'Orsay that I purchased today for later this week -- the one museum that I have been SO EXCITED to explore since I got here

After some comforting words from Jonathan and Auntie Pam, I was able to make it over to a lovely dinner and beer at a cafe down the street that Mom and I frequented.  I couldn't help but smile when: A. I saw a group of people taking a Segway tour around Champ de Mars - see below (disclaimer: no offense to anyone who has or is planning to do one of these, but I am sorry, you look ridiculous)
B.  Modest Mouse randomly came on my iPod, and I always think David is saying hi when that happens :)

Funny little anecdote from dinner: I was pretty sure that I had ordered the poulet (chicken) burger with frites (fries), but what actually arrived was a chicken breast with salad and mashed potatoes...whatever, I didn't argue.

I finished the day with a lovely stroll with my friend, La Tour Eiffel, enjoying a fabulous pain au chocolat.

So folks, thanks for sticking around until the end...I know it was a lot, but that pretty much sums up everything I was feeling today.  The moral of this very long story is that it will be just Paris and I for 2 weeks and 5 days until Mom comes back (or maybe I can beg someone to be my friend when I start class?!), so I am going to work through the pessimism and seize this opportunity in order to make things happen!  I will try and keep the melancholy tone to a minimum, but I can't make any guarantees!!  Also, I am going on day 6, and I am still not used to the time change...it is currently 02:07 my time and I'm still wide awake....AH!

- à tout à l’heure!