This week in Paris has been an exciting one, filled with a ton
of beautiful – and strange – sights.
I started off the week by going on an excursion to the Chateau
de Versailles (The Palace of Versailles, as most Americans call
it). It’s located a little outside of Paris, but it wasn’t very far
from campus. It was absolutely stunning and filled with so much
history. The various kings of France designed the palace, including
Napoleon and his wife, and I loved how each room had its own theme
and story behind it. There’s the ‘Room of Peace,’ the ‘Room of
Mirrors,’ the ‘Room of Business,’ even a ‘God of Mars’ room! Trust
me: Versailles is one of those landmarks that will just blow you
away when you visit. It’s at the top of my list of beautiful places
I’ve seen!
The next destination I visited wins a somewhat different award:
the creepiest place I’ve ever seen! St. John’s organized a trip to
the Catacombs of Paris, and it was quite the experience. We walked
down lots and lots of steps until we reached an underground world
filled with bones and skulls. In my video, I mention a few times
how the Catacombs used to be a mine. Because of a lack of usable
cemetery land, and a rapid increase in population, French officials
decided to place all those who died from the plague into the mine,
thus creating the catacombs we see today. It’s very creepy, but
pretty cool at the same time. I’ve never been in the presence of so
many skulls and bones – REAL ONES, at that!
This week hasn’t only been about the sights and sounds of Paris,
however – I’ve also been paying special attention to the delicious
food. I’ve decided to choose one new food item every week to try
out, and this week I chose a Crepe, the French national dish! It’s
a must-have over here and pretty cheap to boot. You can fill it
with just about anything you can imagine – Nutella, banana, sugar,
chicken, egg, etc. The food here is different from Rome, because
you can’t find a lot of pizza shops or as many specialty pasta
places, but you can generally expect good quality in France
wherever you choose to dine.
I can’t wait for next week – I’ll be trying out yet another new
food and also visiting the resting place of St. Vincent de Paul. So
until then: adieu!