Today is Wednesday the fifth of June and it seems so long ago since leaving the States, even though it was only eleven days ago. Paris is easy to get caught up in, with the culture being a whirlwind of excitement and fast-paced life, hiding little nooks of quietness. It is surprisingly easy to function in Paris, even when you let slip English, but personally, I have made a few blunders. It was funny sitting in a café trying to order something in French and the waiter just switches over to English to make things less awkward. I’m also becoming extremely attached to the Metro, it’s so convenient and easy to navigate once one gets the hang of the system layout. Outside of the usual class activities, I just wandered around the city last weekend, exploring various side alleys near Notre Dame. The best part about that adventure was finding this amazing little shop called Bertie’s CupCakery, which sells oddly flavored cupcakes until either closing time or they sell out. The shop is owned by a young woman that moved to Paris from Virginia, in the U.S., so ordering in English is perfectly fine. The cupcakes are the best I’ve ever had – I recommend the Nutella and Oreo flavors.

Bertie’s CupCakery – Only a few blocks from Notre Dame

Later that same day, I wandered by the Eiffel Tower and, deciding to fulfill a childhood dream, rode the carousal next to the tower. Spinning in the tea cup going the opposite direction of the carousal is very fun, but I nearly fell off the steps from dizziness while disembarking and made quite a few French children laugh.

The carousel next to the Eiffel Tower is two stories with a curved staircase. Some of the horses also have bike pedals attached for no reason other than to pedal while riding.

Now moving on to the Eiffel Tower itself, I just went to the top today! I’m terribly afraid of heights, but being at the top of the tower was so amazing that I felt no fear.

Looking straight down from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Seeing the cloud shadows float by over the city, shading various sections, seeing from the sky different monuments the Missouri S&T students had visited, the living traffic below becoming an integrated hum – everything came together. It’s hard to describe, but the feeling of seeing the world from above just filled me with such a peaceful energy. After I left the Eiffel Tower though, I witnessed the police, clubs in hand, chasing illegal street vendors down the Trocadéro steps – that was both hilarious and sad.

A panoramic view from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Last experience of staying in Paris these past eleven days: the nights. I’m not one to party or go out late at night, never found a joy in that, but observing the night life from the apartment windows is both funny and horrifying. It gets excessively hot in the third-floor room I share with my roommates, so we leave a window open, but by doing so you can hear everything. It seems recently a group of French guys have taken a liking to gathering in the alley below, but they like to play thumping music, drink, and play soccer. One early morning, a film crew was in the alley and they were actually filming a scene for a French movie. In total, you can never really know what you’ll find in Paris until you explore!