A Parisian 21st Birthday

This past weekend was my 21st birthday, and I was so excited for the opportunity to spend it strolling the streets of Paris. Spencer and I left Friday night for London, where we stayed with our friend Miles who was so very kind and let us sleep there for the night instead of having to book a hostel. We got up early Saturday morning to catch our train to Paris, and, two hours later, found ourselves in the land of the French, a language that is "all Greek to me."



I was so thankful to be able to spend my 21st birthday, not only in Paris, but in Paris with 3 wonderful friends: Spencer, Janice and Angela. We made the most of weekend together and enjoyed each others company along the way. On Saturday, we spent hours exploring the Louvre. This museum is a labyrinth of breathtaking works of art, some of which I have studied in the past, making them a bit more interesting to see.

The Seated Scribe - Egyptian Art

Nike of Samothrace - Greek Art

Venus De Milo - Greek Art

Code of Hammurabi - Babylonian Art

Hercules Fighting Achelous - 19th Century Art

I had to fight off some Chinese tourists to get this picture

After the Louvre, we were on the hunt for a highly recommended restaurant in Paris called Chez Janou. I felt like this place was almost the Number 12 Grimmauld Place of Paris (for those Harry Potter fans, I hope you appreciate the reference in light of the movie to come); it was nearly impossible to find, and it took 3 local Parisians and a decent map to get us in the right direction. However, the searching was well worth it; the food was delicious and the people there were so friendly. It was off the beaten tourist path, and I felt like I was eating like a local. I ordered rabbit for the first time, while the other three got duck, scallop risotto, and steak and fries. If you ever go to Paris, this is my number one recommendation for food.

Chez Janou

Rabbit for dinner (sorry the lighting was bad)

After dinner, we picked up some wine and chocolate and took it to the Eiffel Tower. It was a surreal moment. We sat at the base of the tower with our dessert and soaked in the beautiful lights against the night sky. I couldn't ask for a better way to celebrate my birthday than to ring it in at the Eiffel Tower with a tasty, sweet dessert.

Wine, Chocolate, Eiffel Tower...what else could we ask for

The next two days were packed full of touring around Paris. From Notre Dame to the Arc De Triomphe, we packed in as much as we could. For lunch we ate at this very popular falafel place. They were so good, we decided to go twice. For a little dessert, we tried out Amorino gelato and Laduree macaroons. They were easily two of my favorite desserts, and that means a lot coming from me because I love desserts. Amorino forms the gelato into a beautiful flower; I don't know why it hasn't caught on in other places because it looks so cool and it doesn't look that hard to do. On the other hand, Laduree is the inventor of the French macaroon, and they definitely know what they are doing. Both desserts were unbelievable.

Crepes!

Montmartre

We sat here on the steps of Montmartre, listening to this man play the harp

We loved this little street band from Texas

The Rose Window of Sainte Chapelle

Arc De Triomphe


Notre Dame

Amorino Gelato, 4 kinds of chocolate all in one

Yummy chocolate macaroon

If you are ever in Paris, GO HERE. Best fallafel ever!


Nothing says France like snails :)

On Monday we said farewell to Janice and Angela. I was so thankful to spend the weekend with them. Before we got our train Monday night, Spencer and I went to the Jardin des Tuileries, a garden that sits in the center of Paris, and we just relaxed next to the fountain. The colors of fall surrounded us as we enjoyed the fresh air and the beautiful scenery the park had to offer. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Jardin des Tuileries

This kid loved his Eiffel tower toy

Needless to say, I had a very unique 21st birthday, and one I will never forget. I know I keep saying it, but I am so thankful for this experience. It has been a blessing in so many ways. On my return from Paris, I realized that as much as I loved Paris, I was excited to be going back to Canterbury; God knew exactly what he was doing by putting me here for school. I feel like it has become a second home, a home away from home (far away).



Being back in Canterbury has been just as great as Paris itself. Spencer and I have been enjoying Phil Wickham's new Christmas cd (go buy it!) as we work on our essays, which has been making me miss home so much. Also, last night my friends here were so wonderful in getting together to celebrate my birthday. I'll tell you more about that soon in another post because I have some wonderful pictures to share with you for that event. As for now, God bless and au revior!