Rome: but in Paris

 

PARIS. Simply Paris. Amazing, very much needed, and safe. I felt so much safer in Paris than in Rome, especially knowing that there's other black men there. Spring break in Paris was very much needed for me to reset and rejuvenate myself as I finish up my semester abroad, so let's go through my week in the land of croissants.

MONDAY: My flight was at 10:05am, so thankfully not 6am like my flight to London. Took a taxi because I don't trust the Metro system here in Rome, so I got there and did the whole TSA security thing and was on my flight to Paris. Very peaceful, I just read my book, Good Material by Dolly Alderton (get up on the book) and watched Four Weddings and a Funeral. Anyways, landed and I did not understand the bus station and honestly, gave up so I uber-ed to my hotel room and by the grace of God, my room was available before 3pm so I checked in. Let me tell you, it was BIG AND RELAXING! I paid 60 dollars a night for what was essentially a 4 person room because I had 4 beds and a TV with 4 English-speaking channels and a big bathroom with a shower with boiling water. Talk about luck. Anyways, after that I conquered the train station which is so much better than New York and made my way to the Louvre. LOVED THE LOUVRE. Personally, studying Roman and Greek Mythology is one of my favorite things ever, so I was glued to that section of the museum, but I did witness the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, so that was an experience. Museum's very pretty and detailed, sort of confusing because the directions aren't the clearest, but definitely eye-opening. That's kind of it because I was exhausted to the point where the second I hit the bed, I passed out with only a ham sandwich in my stomach. Womp womp.

TUESDAY: Woke up and explored Paris on my own. Nothing too special, just a lot of sightseeing and just being in the atmosphere of it all. Then I did an official tour with other people (all white but I didn't have a problem with that lol) where we just visited different landmarks that were important to the history of Paris and its place in pop culture, especially the Netflix show Emily in Paris. Very informative, but visually pleasing. Then I quickly saw the Notre Dame Cathedral which was cool. Quick because I have an issue with being surrounded by a bunch of people, but breathtaking. After that, because I'm with my roommate, I dragged him to Subway because A, I needed my American food and B, he never had so I turned him into a non Subway virgin. Now he loves it so much, it's actually concerning. Then, he left to take a nap because he's an old man while I went to this immersive experience where I learned about Napoleon and Alexander the Great and the history of them two and others through lights, spectaculars, and projections. Personally, I wouldn't do it again but it was amazing nonetheless! Then (so much thens), I did a dinner cruise where they gave us a 3 course meal which I tore up, at least up until the desserts because my stomach was poking out at this point. It was a burger, salmon, cheese cubs, chicken, potatoes, steak, salad, BREAD, and 3 forms of cake. Worth it for only 60 something dollars. Lastly, me and my roommate took pictures of each other at the Eiffel Tower and the Olympic Rings, and he doesn't know how to take pictures. Had to guide him how to do it properly. 

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: Disneyland Paris was where I was at for the majority of the time. I don't consider myself a Disney Adult because you won't catch me crying, kissing the dirty grounds like dried up boogers and nasty feet fungus has been on, or screaming because a Disney Princess walked past me. Get a grip people. I consider myself a person who likes Disney, which I did it was really fun. Did so many rides, saw some shows, ate really decent food, and got complimented by the one and only Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. Got myself and my family gifts because that's why they made me bring my suitcase, but it was a great time. Sorry this is getting shorter and shorter, I'm tired but I want to make sure I'm sticking to my end of the bargain with the scholarship. 

FRIDAY: Cried, just cried cried cried. I didn't wanna leave, I wanted to stay forever. If it wasn't for Rome, my black butt would've been thriving in Paris, but it's okay. Rome will do for now, but I woke up and dreaded checking out, but I did it anyways. Checked out, and took the train to a Pizza Hut because I so desperately wanted at least a portion of my American food. Ate a pizza, wings, and mozzarella sticks and let me tell you, totally worth it but eating European food made me realize how fattening American food is. No offense to Americans who might get offended, but no wonder we struggle with obesity and weight-related issues, because the chemicals in our food is making us struggle. Europeans are some of the skinniest legends I've ever met in my life. Moving on, after that I was going to do some more walking, but it got o the point where the coldness was burning my fingers so I internally cried as I waved goodbye to Paris, got my stuff from storage and made my way to the airport FIVE HOURS EARLY. UGH I was so bored that if I wasn't looking stupid roaming the airport, I was glued to a chair reading my book. Once it reached 8:40pm, I flew back to Rome reading the book or watching Legally Blonde (good movie, I don't care) and made it back. Immediately did laundry and fell asleep to the washer almost breaking for a good 4 hours, and that my friends was my spring break.