French Trip 2019 - Day 4
Paris was a memorable day. After waking up extra early in order to catch an early train, we arrived in the French capital. We first decided to venture into a nearby boulangerie to grab some breakfast – freshly baked croissants and coffee to fuel our day ahead. As we sat in a little benched area, admiring the city, it was interesting to people watch. Some people were rushing to work, others walking their small dogs, and others were wrapped up in their own world as they went about their daily lives.
The catacombs were next – underground tunnels that create a large labyrinth running underneath a lot of Paris, made of stones and bones from dead bodies. After waiting for around an hour in a queue for the catacombs, we ventured into a city of bones. It was intriguing to learn about the history of the tunnels: from the quarries, to the grave of innocence, to Louis XVI – we certainly learnt a lot about this eerie place.
After this, we all split up into smaller groups to explore Paris in a way that was specific to our particular interests. The majority of people doing IB ended up sticking together. We first visited a famous macaroon shop that Amin had been raving about since the beginning of the trip. Just as we walked out the shop, it began to hail and had to take shelter nearby. However, it only lasted a couple of minutes and meant that when we left to go and eat our macaroons in front of the Eiffel Tower, the spot was relatively quiet and there were few tourists. The view of Paris and the tower was spectacular and took our breath away.
Next stop was the Louvre and what used to be the King’s palace. The sun came out and we sat down admiring our surroundings for a while, before strolling down towards the Arc de Triomphe. Feeling our stomachs begin to rumble, we decided to stop for lunch at corner restaurant. This was the highlight of my day as we got to try some ‘escargots’ and ‘tartare de boeuf’ which were surprisingly tasty. We then walked back to the metro, across the iconic ‘Bridge of the Lovers’ before arriving back at the ‘Gard du Nord’ train station ready to depart back to the town of Pont-Sainte Maxence where we had booked a table at a local crêperie. It was a very enjoyable day.
- Olivia