Do You Hear the People Sing?!

I know this is a short post and a week overdue and yes, I am currently siting in my religion class with Father Mark in front of me, in his tweed sweater and Burberry coat talking about marriage (smick problems), so I’ll make this brief.

Last weekend I was in Paris, trying to dig up that old dusty box labeled high school French from the shelf labeled Useless Knowledge in my brain, and eat as many nutella crepes as humanly possible. Even now, a week later, I continue to ask myself if it is possible to actually fall in love with a city, because I honestly am convinced that’s what happened.  To quote first grade MJ, “if you love it so much why don’t you marry it?” well, sounds like a plan to me. I’ll marry Paris, eat crème brulee, shop down the Champs Elysees, lounge on Sundays in the Luxembourg Gardens, and be happily Parisian for the rest of my life. …sounds like a plan first grade MJ, sounds like a plan.

I was enchanted by it all.  I mean have you ever even heard French? It sounds like cursive, that’s really the only way to describe it.  It sounds like cursive and the steam off of hot chocolate.  Everything about it is beautiful, but I guess everything about France is beautiful too, so it makes sense. All I know is, when Adria and I were reunited on the streets of the greatest city in the world, everything was perfect.  If I could live anywhere, that’s where I would be; sitting in a café, eating crepes, and reading by the Seine forever.

So for some basic touristy information that I’m too distracted to put into paragraphs slash its hard to do this while pretending to take notes on the papal conclave (kidding mom, of course I’m paying attention in class…)

PARIS IN A NUT SHELL:

1.     There is nothing better in life than a nutella banana crepe, and this is actually not an exaggeration. They changed my life. Food will never be the same after the moment I took my first bite. It’s magic. … if you think I’m lying I dare you to prove me wrong. You won’t be able to, but you’ll get a French nutella banana crepe out of the deal so I’d jump on this if I were you.

2.     The Eiffel tower sparkles. And when it does it looks like a princess dress. So props to you Eiffel tower, you are a monument of my own heart. Plus perspective Eiffel pics are hilarious to take.

3.     I ate snails. From the girl who didn’t eat bread…give me some credit for this.

4.     Notre Dame is stunning, even when abroad.

5.     I think I could live inside the Louvre, never see the light of day again, and still not be able to see everything inside. But the Mona Lisa has a great smize (if you don’t know what this is, go watch America’s Next Top Model).

6.     If you want to go under the Arc de Triomphe, let me just tell you now that the entrance is across the street, through an underground tunnel …but apparently sprinting through the busy street works too, if you’re Frogger.

7.     At the bottom of the Seine, right off the Pont des Artes live thousands of keys, breathing beneath the running water.  I know this for a fact, for one is mine.  And all those keys are promises to people, mine for my best friend in the whole world.  Millions of promises, locked on that bridge, whispering to one another from the bottom of the river.  It’s pretty nice isn’t it, almost like magic.  And on that sunny day, closing my eyes and throwing that key, that’s how it felt too, and I graduated from wizard school in Schoolcraft, so I’m an authority in matters of magic. So Cori, cheers to you and I, cause we’ll be friends forever thanks to Paris.

8.     Singing, “Do You Hear the People Sing” around the streets of Paris may seem like it makes sense but people will stare at you, I promise you that.

9.     There is nothing like a sunset from the steps of Sacre Coeur, as the city blinks it’s eyes open to a million lights and the night stretches around you, that moment is perfect.

10. NUTELLA. BANANA. CREPES.

Paris, I’ll be back for you. One day, I’ll return, especially since you have Chipotle now, I think we can make this marriage work.