1 backpack, 4 days: munich & paris

Where do I start?! This past week has been so jam packed with traveling and activities that it's such a blur! But, I'll recount it as best I can... beware this may be a long one:

March 26, 2013
 We woke up early on Tuesday morning to.. SNOW! The first snow in Innsbruck-- Thank God I was leaving that morning :) I get enough snow back in Nebraska! So we took the bus to the train station and waited for our train to Munich to arrive. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to pack all of my stuff into ONE backpack... with room left over! If you know me, you know this is unheard of... I am infamously known for over-packing.

do you think they have a trolley serving chocolate frogs?!

 We then got on the train and got lucky enough to have our own compartment! This was my first train ride, ever, and I felt like I was on the Hogwarts Express haha. The ride only lasted about 2 hours, and the scenery was just gorgeous. I love living in the heart of the alps! We got off the train in Munich and walked around the city center Marienplatz. It was so gorgeous and I wanted to walk around and see everything, but it was snowy and cold so we only made a few select stops. We got to see a lot of the main buildings in Munich, including the Rathaus (the massive gothic looking building) and then we stopped for an authentic German lunch! I'm the pickiest person ever and nothing appealed to me so I went straight to the dessert menu :) I got these carmelized raisin pancakes with applesauce.... to. die. for!

my delicious meal!

We then had a few hours to kill before our flight, so we headed to Starbucks to get some wonderful coffee and wifi! Once we were satisfied, we hopped on another train to Munich's airport. Their security is so much less strict than in the US! For one, I got to keep my shoes on! And 2-- They let you bring in drinks from the outside. I was disappointed, however, to find out that since I have a visa and am traveling in the Schengen area, I won't be getting any stamps on my passport :( Our flight left Munich around 8:30 pm on Air France. It was only a one hour flight and very comfortable!

Munich Rathaus

Oh how I've missed you :)

We arrived in Paris at about 10pm. We were all so exhausted and just ready to sleep! But, we still had to figure out how to get from the airport to our hostel. Mathilde (an MCI student I met in class) is from France, and was in Paris visiting her boyfriend. She so graciously offered to show us around for the few days we were there! And let me tell you, we would have been LOST without her! She recommended that once we arrive at the airport, we take the RoissyBus to the Opera in the center of Paris and then take the Metro from there to our hostel. I have never, ever, ever used public transportation seeing as in Omaha it is non-existent. So, this experience was a tad overwhelming to me at first. We got off the RoissyBus at about midnight, and were dropped off in the middle of an unfamiliar city. After watching Taken, I must admit I was a little on edge wandering Paris at night with my luggage, clearly looking like a tourist. Luckily a nice French man helped us get on the right Metro train (who says the French are assholes?) and we made our way to the hostel. Now the hostel... a completely new story....

I have always disliked the word hostel, just because it sounds scary and is the name of a horror movie. But, that's where every student stays when they travel Europe and I hadn't heard anyone complain about it so I figured it must be alright. We booked this hostel off of hostelworld.com, and it had a high rating and cheap prices (sounds perfect to me!). We were only staying at this hostel for one night, because Pella, a Marriott employee, got us rooms at the Paris Marriott for cheaper than hostel prices for the next two nights. Upon arrival... it was... interesting.... to say the least. Pella and I shared a room, and Adam had a private room down the hall. It wasn't bad by any means... but it was clearly not what I was expecting! The only power outlet was hanging from the ceiling, there was no heating, and the bathroom shower head had nothing holding it up so if you wanted to shower, you had to hold it over your head. Because the bedding was, well, questionable... Pella and I literally put on all of our clothes for warmth and slept with our coats as blankets and our scarves as pillows. As rachet as this place was, I'm really glad we stayed there cause we got the biggest laugh out of it! It was definitely an experience I wouldn't trade. 

Our beautiful Hostel bathroom!

 Although I only slept maybe 3 or 4 hours, I was up and ready for the start of my Parisian adventure :)

Lovely twin beds squashed together with grandma sheets.

March 27, 2013
Day one of Paris! We woke up early, dressed as French-looking as possible, and Mathilde was waiting for us in the lobby of the hostel. We packed up everything and took the metro to the Marriott where we checked in and dropped our luggage off. The metro ride was the most crowded and claustrophobic ride ever! Parisians don't go to work until 9 or 10 am, so we were right during "rush hour" and when you think more people couldn't squeeze in the metro-- believe me, they can. We then went to Montmartre! One of my favorite places.... we walked around these cute little cobblestone streets and looked at the shops and took in the city. We saw Moulin Rouge and had a French breakfast of hot chocolate and croissants on Pigalle.

We saw the Le Mur des Je T'aime ( or the I love you wall!) It has "I love you written in over 300 languages!

"I love you" Wall <3 br="">

We walked up to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (Church of the Sacred Heart)... It had a FANTASTIC view of the city, and was even more beautiful inside! There was an actual church service going on while we were in there which was really cool. We then walked down and continued to explore Montmartre. We grabbed lunch at an authentic creperie!

We all ended up getting bacon, egg, and cheese crepes.  I ended up picking out all of the "bacon" because it was actually just ham. But it was delicious and we met other American tourists there! After lunch we stopped by some alleyways that had souvenir shops and I grabbed a few things. 

 Next, we walked to Les Galeries Lafayette, which is a HUGE designer mall... definitely made me sad that I'm a broke college student. But it was GORGEOUS inside! We went there to go to LaDurée to get the best tasting macaroons I've ever had. I got lemon, chocolate, and salted caramel. Really regretting not bringing a box back with me to Innsbruck. We went up to the roof of the mall as well to get a spectacular 360 view of all of Paris.

you don't even understand how good these were.

After the galerie, we went to Opéra Garnier, and then started our walk to the Eiffel Tower :)! Once we got off the metro, and the tower was in sight, I got SO EXCITED! I probably took 50 pictures, was a bit excessive and obnoxious, but... it's the Eiffel Tower!!! 

We took numerous photos and then headed over to go up! Adam and Pella took the elevator, while Mathilde and I took the stairs. And by stairs... I mean thousands, and thousands, of stairs. Like, my ass still hurts. But hey, I can now say I CLIMBED the Eiffel Tower :) It was a gorgeous view from above! It was starting to get dark though, so it got pretty cold pretty fast.

It is so magical, I love it.

After leaving the Eiffel, we decided to go grab some dinner. We walked around some side streets for a bit just exploring and looking for a nice place to eat. We eventually found a little French restaurant we all agreed on. Mathilde and shared cheese and bread, how Parisian of us! Pella got creme brulee and the boys got steak. 

After dinner we went to see Notre Dame! I am so glad we went at night because it was literally breathtaking! There was also a church service going on inside so we got to hear all of the beautiful singing and watch some of the service on the big screen.

Notre Dame, hello hunchback!

After Notre Dame we went to Hôtel de ville, which was the Parisian city hall, and then decided to head home as we had been walking around for 12 hours straight!

We came home to the MUCH APPRECIATED Courtyard Marriott :) See the difference??

March 28, 2013

Parisian adventure day 2. We started off by visiting the famous Arc de Triomphe! This was another site where we had to climb infinite stairs except this time, it was a spiral staircase. The view from the top however, was worth the burn my calves felt (and still feel). 

 

Next, we went to one of my favorite parts of Paris, called Le Marais. It was soooo cute! Tiny little cobblestone streets with unique shops and little restaurants. We stopped at a place called Creperie Suzette. (We are kind of obsessed with crepes if you can't tell). I ordered a nutella and banana crepe, and then Adam and I split the honey nut crepe. (Probs gained about 50 lbs on this trip, but so worth it). 

every girl's dream right here.

this happened.

 I am drooling just looking at this picture again. I wish I could eat this every day. Next we saw Centre Georges Pompidou, and then trekked over to Place de la Concorde. I really liked this place because you had a view of the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées, and the Louvre! 

 We walked through the stunning Le jardin des Tuileries and made our way to the Louvre! I was not looking forward to paying to go into a museum... and we actually lucked out! Since I had my passport on me with my Austrian visa and am under 25 years old, I got in free :) (EU students pretty much get anything free)! This was hands down my favorite thing we saw in Paris. I could have (and will someday) spend the entire day in the Louvre. I got to see the Mona Lisa and thousands of other famous paintings and statues that are too gorgeous to even describe. It was an overwhelming experience.

sup, Mona?

 We stayed at the Louvre until it closed, and then headed over to Pont des Arts, more commonly known as the love lock bridge. It was a-mazing. So cool to see so many people in love leave their mark in Paris! 

i just love love!

This is when our wonderful perfect guide Mathilde had to leave us to go home :( We seriously wouldn't have gotten to see half of the sites if it wasn't for her. It was so great to do the touristy and non-touristy things, which we couldn't have done without her! We decided we were hungry so I FINALLY GOT TO GET CHIPOTLE!!!!!!! It had literally been exactly one month (yes, I counted) since I had it last and I was shaking and so incredibly happy and ecstatic when I got off the metro and saw the sign. I sprinted. Yes, embarrassingly enough, SPRINTED, inside. It was so worth it... although now I have to go through the whole withdrawl process again.

words can't describe my happiness.

Weirdly, no one else wanted to eat Chipotle (crazy people) and so they headed off to another restaurant while Pella and I made our way back to the hotel. Two girls wandering around Paris at night... probably not the safest thing but we figured out the multiple metro stops all on our own and managed to not get taken! This was the most jam packed, culture filled, amazing experiences of my life and I am so glad I got to see Paris! I am truly blessed for this experience and can't wait to keep traveling!