Holiday in Paris

view from Place de la Concorde to l'Arc de Triomphe

January 24th was Eid el-Mawlid (the birthday of the prophet Mohammed), and as such, we were given the 24th and 25th off for the holiday. Conveniently this was a Thursday and Friday, so I  met up with a few friends from my university days to rendezvous in Paris, for a jam-packed long weekend.

I booked early with EasyJet and got a great, cheap round trip flight from the Wednesday evening to Sunday afternoon - the perfect length of time for some serious visiting. I met up with Georgie - a British friend who I first
met at Carleton U in my first year, where she
stayed on for a year exchange - on the

group photo

Wednesday night at a hostel and we trekked around the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Place de la Concorde, Sacré-coeur Basilica, the Trocadero for Eiffel tower photos, Jardins Tuilleries, as well as doing a boat tour on the Seine, and delighting our taste buds with 'North African' hot chocolate (I got a kick out of this coming directly from said place and never having seen it) and a selection of macaroons at Angelina's a fabulous tea room and shop that has been open for a century. I hadn't seen Georgie in 5 years, it is astonishing how good friendships can withstand great distances in time and space.

The north rose window at Notre-Dame de Paris, dating from 1250-1260

We met up that night with Rebecca and Rachel, more Brits, who I also met the same year I met Georgie. Rebecca was my suitemate in residence that year, and Rachel visited Ottawa while on exchange in Utah. The following year I went to their university in Norwich to study abroad.

the perfect size

The four of us spent Friday and Saturday doing all the typical sights in Paris - the musée d'Orsay, Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, Versailles palace, the Eiffel Tower, while enjoying the crèpes, quiches, tartiflette reblochon, fondues and wines that make french gastronomy famous. Staying in the latin quarter was great. It was only a 5 minute walk to Notre-Dame, and quite close to rue Mouffetard, the oldest street in Paris I believe. 

Unfortunately the weather wasn't overly cooperative - it was foggy most of the time we were there. But the advantage of going in the winter was a limited number of tourists. I can't imagine how busy everything must be in the summer. 

Saturday night Georgie and I ventured back to the Eiffel Tower and saw the light show at midnight. It was dazzling. There is something about Paris, the "je ne sais quoi" that other cities don't have. 

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

Georgie had to leave early Sunday, but R, R, and I managed to fit in a good long visit to the Louvre in the morning, before I headed back to Roissy-Charles de Gaulle in the afternoon. The Mona Lisa of course captures a lot of attention but the sheer number of fabulous works of art is breathtaking. It would take many visits to appreciate everything. I particularly enjoyed the royal apartments that are decorated in the mid-1800's style. 

Then back to Casa to catch up on some much needed sleep, and get back into the groove at work. There's nothing like a four-day weekend to reinvigorate you. This was my last European adventure while I am interning in Morocco, though it isn't the end of my travels.