Paris isn’t normally comparable to the seventh layer of Hell, but lucky for me, it was while I was there.

“I think I’m dying,” my sister complained from right next to me, fanning herself. I could feel the sweat that was making my shirt stick to my back. A lady next to me was carrying one of those small battery-powered fans which I had always thought were ridiculous, and for the first time in my life, I really wished I had one. I felt like I was being dragged into the depths of the Underworld by Satan himself, and I’m not even exaggerating.

Okay maybe I am exaggerating, but only by a little. I swear I’m not usually a whiner. It was 103 degrees Fahrenheit outside and my New England, just survived 20 feet of snow, cold-acclimated body was not adept at dealing with the heat.

Along with the staggering heat was the fact that the ferry workers in Calais had rioted the day we were supposed to go from Britain to France. They blocked the tunnel between Britain and France, which caused our train to be cancelled. We sat, dejected, in the train station, desperately trying to find wi-fi so we could book another train for the next day when miraculously, an announcement came back over the speakers, saying that the tunnel had been cleared and that our train was about to leave! Then we sprinted back to the gate as fast as our suitcases would allow, forgot our mom’s backpack, had to go back for the backpack, and made it to the gate for our train.

Needless to say, our trip wasn’t perfect. But these delays and inconveniences didn’t at all take away from the beauty of the city of love and light.

I think I’ve said enough, so without further ado, here is the photo-diary!

Day 1

We arrived at Paris in the evening, spent approximately an hour trying to figure out the Metro, and finally emerged at our destination tired and frustrated. Luckily the view made up for the hassle!

Day 2

The next morning we made a beeline for the Eiffel Tower, because where else are you going to go your first day in Paris? This was the view from the Metro station we came out of, and I was instantly in love.

The view from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower! The top was so terrifyingly high that I was scared to take out my phone to take a picture because I was convinced that I would drop it. I’m not scared of heights I swear, I’m just scared of my phone falling from heights.

We proceeded to have lunch at the restaurant on top of the Eiffel. The meal consisted of a nice salmon appetizer, delicious chicken and mashed potatoes, and the BEST CHOCOLATE MOUSSE I’VE EVER TASTED. Please, if you only eat one thing in Paris, eat the crepes or the chocolate mousse.

Next was the Arc du Triomphe of course, but we didn’t go to the top. We were afraid that if we went any closer to the sun that we’d fry.

So instead we strolled down the Champs-Élysées, the fanciest street in Paris. If you look closely you can see a Louis Vuitton that I wasn’t high class enough to go into, yet went into anyway.

Paris’ buildings all have this beautiful style where they’re made of white stone with ornate black bannisters. Everything looks uniform and oh-so-pristine. I loved it.

Meanwhile, we also found the most ludicrously overdone Abercrombie & Fitch on the planet, including an ornate gold fence, a huge hedged walkway, and a life-size statue of some unnamed and extremely toned man. It was so over-the-top that it was funny.

Then came time for the most photogenic part of my trip: a ferry along the Seine during sunset. I did my best to capture the gorgeous pinks in the sky while the sun set. Did you know that during the summer, the sun can set as late as 10pm in Paris? This was news to me, and the fact that you can hang out outside up to 10pm sounded amazing to me.

Day 3

The next day we decided to visit the palace of Versailles, but we got on the wrong train and had to walk a good 20 minutes to get to the palace (whoops)

 

Versailles was elaborate to a ridiculous degree. It exuded luxury from its every corner, elaborate in even the smallest things. No wonder the peasants decided to start the French Revolution.

And I don’t know how the royals made it around the palace everyday. It’s so huge, their feet would hurt just from trying to walk through it. Then again, they probably had servants to carry them around… *sigh*. If only.

Then came the gardens of Versailles, which are a whole other thing on their own. The gardens were stunning. Tourists can row boats in the pools, travel around in a cart, or walk on foot through the endless hedges.

After that we went back to Paris for a bit more sight-seeing. We found the love lock bridge, which was weird. I could’ve sworn I’d read an article about the city removing all of the locks because they were weighing down the bridge a couple of weeks ago. But the locks were still there.

Then it was time for french dinner with some more chicken and fries and Orangina, my new favorite drink. Orangina is orange soda, but it’s different from our orange soda, I swear. It’s refreshing, not too sweet or artificial, and tastes like a Parisian party in your mouth! What’s not to like?

(Note: This article is not in any way affiliated with Orangina. I just really like it.)

 Day 4

We only had half a day left in this beautiful city, so of course we had to go see the Louvre!

This is a pic of Napoleon III’s apartment. Like Versailles, it’s extremely extravagant and huge.

Then it was time to leave the beautiful city. I grabbed one last Orangina from a vending machine and hopped on a plane to Beijing! Paris, despite all of its inconveniences, was truly amazing. I’m so glad I had a chance to visit, even if it was only for a short time. Go to Paris if you have a chance! You won’t regret it.