Although my last few days in Angers were bittersweet, my last day in France was perhaps one of the best ever. June 21—Summer Solstice—the longest day of the year and the Fête de Musique. I woke up early so I could take the train to Chambourcy, a charming village just outside of Paris, where I would stay with my very good friends from my hometown. (Hayley and Chris were on their own European tour.) 
It was surreal leaving Angers and even more surreal meeting up with Hayley and Chris in Paris. We spent the entire day in Paris sampling its delights and getting our last looks at the ancient city.
While shopping on the Champs Elysées the street suddenly exploded with the noise of cars honking and it seemed like everyone was suddenly wearing a Portuguese flag. Traffic was completely stopped as people started dancing and marching in the street. This was all because Potugual had just beaten someone 7-0 and clinched a spot in the World Cup playoffs. It was unlike anything I’d seen before.
Then we walked to the Champs de Mars for a view of the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards we bought our Festival of Musique metro tickets which gave us free reign of the city at the impossibly awesome price of 3 euros. We could use any type of public transportation until seven the next morning. What a bargain.
Since my one regret from earlier visits was not seeing the sights of Montmartre (the old arts district where famous artists used to live) we went straight to the 18th arrondisement. 
After locating the Moulin Rouge we bought pizzas and galettes and sat on the steps overlooking all of Paris. And then, the Sacre Coeur. If Notre Dame was just the tiniest bit disappointing, the Sacre Coeur more than made up for it. Firstly, the view is incredible. 
Secondly, the outside is spectacular and thirdly, the inside, with its gold and blue mosaic, is jaw dropping.We wandered through several other arrondisements listening to the variety of street musicians who were out for the festival. Then we marched to the Pont de Neuf and watched the sun set on the Seine. Once night fell we made stops at the Louvre (for a last frolick through the fountain), the Garnier Opera house and the Eiffel Tower.
Thanks to our magical passes we were able to accomplish this easily.We made it home around 4 in the morning, got in a quick cat nap and then headed for the airport. The last thing I did was eat a croissant in Charles de Gaulle aéroport before boarding the plane. Au revoir France! Tu me manques déjà!
The first thing I did Stateside was get a cannoli in the North End of Boston and the second was take another 6 hour flight back to California and my family. It was so good to see everyone at home and eat some of the foods I’d been missing out on, but re-entry wasn’t easy. The sense of loss was almost overwhelming. Dairy products just don’t taste the same here and I miss fresh bread and walking everywhere and seeing things that are hundreds of years old. 
All I want to do is share my experiences from abroad and it’s hard to realize that not everyone will understand just what the experience meant to me (or want to listen to me rambling on about “This one time in France…”) Anyone who has studied abroad can relate (not perfectly, of course) because everything reminds you of something that happened in France or Spain or Italy or Norway or wherever you were.
And here are my answers to everyone’s favorite questions: 1) No, I’m not fluent, but I can hold a conversation and read French books now.
2) If there’s one thing I miss most about France, it’s not hearing French spoken at all hours of the day.
3) I absolutely intend to go back as soon as I can.
This is the last post, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences with you.
Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.Toujours (always),
Heidi
wroblickyh@merrimack.edu
No comments:
Post a Comment