On Friday night Kristen and I decided to pick a new area to explore. We had been to the Murais plenty of times during the day but had yet to go at night. We took line 7 to Pont Marie and walked up Rue Rivoli. The whole area feels magical at night. All of the stores and boutiques were closed for the night but plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants were open with people spilling out. It's funny how when the day time stores close all new places come alive and you feel like you're in a different neighborhood. We turned on a street that looked promising and found a cafe off of a main street that had outdoor seating. We sat and had a glass of Côte de Rhone wine and enjoyed the warm night. There is something about being surrounded by beautiful buildings, cobble stone streets and good company that makes a night of sitting around drinking a glass of wine seem like so much more. The side street we were sitting on was lined with perfectly trimmed trees that had twinkling lights strewn through them. It made me miss my sister more than anything because it was exactly like we planned for her wedding....a warm night with a pretty setting and twinkling lights draped above for everyone to admire. I tried and failed to get a picture of it, good thing I can show her in person in about a month! We had finished our drinks and realized we were starving! We didn't want to go and sit in a cafe because in Paris that means at least an hour or two of sitting and eating so instead we found the BEST falafel in all of Paris. It was a restaurant with a window open to the street so you could either go in and sit or just get it to go. The one thing I love about this city is that many restaurants have this option and it gives people the option to pay a lot less for the same food depending on how much time they have. To eat the falafel wrap inside at a table was 10 euros and to go was 4.50 euros. We sat on the ground enjoying our food and explored a little before heading home. The night was so enjoyable it makes me appreciate that you don't need to be surrounded by tons of people or a club/bar to be having a great night.
The next morning we woke up at 6am to go to Normandy and Mont Saint Michel with our program. The trip was unreal and I have nothing but good things to say about every aspect of the trip. The bus left at 8am and I was in and out of sleep for most of it. The last part of the drive that I was fully awake for was especially memorable. I know it sounds very cliche to say but when I woke up and looked at the French country side I realized how good it felt to get out of the city. I saw nothing but green grass, trees, and grazing farm animals. It was such a breathe of fresh air to see nature and not city buildings and best of all it reminded me so much of home. At times the country side could have been Davidsonville or Salisbury.
Taking in the familiar country view
We arrived at a war memorial museum around 10:30 and stayed until 12:30 viewing the exhibit. We also watched a black and white movie that was made up from footage of World War II. We then drove to the American Cemetery and walked around. Omaha beach was beautiful and it's hard to put the entire day into words. I feel like a picture can say more than I can
After a long weekend, I was completely worn out and fell asleep on the bus ride home. Getting back into the city felt surprisingly homey even though its not home. I don't think I will ever feel at home anywhere except Annapolis. It's scary and weird to think that one day I'm going to move away from there, even if I'll be back it's just strange to wake up one day and realize that you're growing up. All those years I wished for being 16 to drive then 18 for college and now 21 to drink and its all coming and going so fast. Well for now all the fears of change can wait because it's late and time for bed.
xoxo
