We are halfway through our stay in Paris and it is crazy to
reflect on how much we have done and how fast the time has gone in the past
month. Though I feel like I have been here forever, I also cannot believe how
much has happened in just over a month. Since arriving I feel that I’ve gained
a pretty good grasp of the city including how to navigate and how the stores,
restaurants, and interactions with Parisians work. This became abundantly clear
two weekends ago when my mom visited me. She travels to Ireland for work four
times a year minimum, and so she planned one of her trips around my time here
so that she could pull a long layover on her way home and have a girl’s weekend
with me in Paris.
Seeing someone from home was really nice, and it was even
more fun to experience a new city with my mom. She had never been to Paris, she
likes to joke that she knows the airport very well but has never made it to the
city. Needless to say there was a lot of things we wanted to cram into her 3
days here. Thus, after art history at Orsay on Friday, I found my mom at Saint
Germain (she had walked around while we were in class and found her way from
Madeline to there, go figure!). From there we walked to the Jardin du
Luxembourg, took the Metro home to my host family, packed my things for the
weekend and toasted Champagne with my host family (in honor of host sisters
birthday, but we drink good champagne and wine all the time because my host dad
is a wine journalist), and then headed back to her hotel at Madeline. That
night we walked to the Eiffel Tower and ate some of the best pasta I’ve ever
had.
The next day was crazy, we slept in accidently so we booked
it to Ladurée to buy some macaroons, and then headed towards Notre Dame, stopping
on the way for some breakfast. After we made it to Notre Dame we walked to the
Marais and did some shopping and Falaffel eating. As we were leaving the Marais
we walked past Musée Carnavalet, and recognizing it from our walking tour, we
decided to check it out. It was a fairly interesting visit, we saw an exhibit
on Napopoléon in Paris, and there was a great deal of art to admire. After
Carnavalet we continued to exit the Marais but took a quick stop in Place des
Vosges, where it started downpouring. To escape the rain we headed to a café
for some afternoon espresso, and then headed to the Champs-Elysées on the Metro
at Bastille. There we shopped and walked near the Arc de Triomphe, where a
ceremony was taking place. That night we went out for a nice dinner and I
introduced my mom to Mille Feuille, it was by far the best one I have had!
Sunday had a less than ideal forcast (rainy and overcast)
and my mom desperately wanted to see some impressionist art, so we spent a few
hours at Musée d’Orsay (my third time that week!). After we bought some Pierre
Hermé macaroons to compare with Ladurée, and went back to the hotel for
Macaroons, Panini, Mercier Champagne, and a much needed nap. That night, we ate
an early dinner for Parisian standards and walked home along the Seine as a
final goodbye to Paris for my mom.
Aside from this having been a really nice weekend with my
mom, it also gave me a great deal of perspective on how I had assimilated to my
life here. When we go in small groups of DePaul students after class, I am
usually regarded as one of the key navigators. However, being able to walk
around Paris and recognize buildings and streets, and being able to explain how
things work or what things are was a completely different experience. It felt
like how it is when I show my family around Chicago when they visit, except I
was showing my mom around Paris, a place I had only dreamed of visiting until a
couple of months ago. It was nice to take a step back and enjoy myself in
Paris, and truly appreciate all the experiences and knowledge I have already
gained in the relatively short amount of time we have been here. I can only
imagine how much more I will have to share with my entire family when they come
for a week at the end of our stay.
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