A (Czech) American in Paris (and Amsterdam)

Today is Monday. I got back on Saturday, and Elena was gone for the weekend. Tonight when I returned to the house, I was immediately pressured into trying “slenina” (no idea how to spell that). Whatever it’s called, it is a hunk of fat literally the size of a brick (about 2.5 inches tall, 3.5 inches wide, and 8 inches long. Apparently it comes from a pig, and is the layer between the skin and the meat. Elena cut off some of it with a knife (like butter) and spread it on a piece of bread for me. All I can say is gross gross gross gross gross. It tasted okay, much like bacon, but I couldn’t stop looking at the white chunk of pure fat sitting on the table and imagining it on me or on a pig (I don’t know which is worse). They LOVE it and have polished off half of the brick already. GROSS.

So yes, I think that means I’m officially back in the Czech Republic. I’m just okay with that right now- I had a great time, and I was welcomed back by my project deadline looming over me and a slenina-like weight of homesickness in my tummy. But my trip was definitely one worth remembering. I’ll just summarize for you.

I was in the airport for too long (this is a story you should ask me to tell you sometime) Monday night, and my flight left at 6:30 in the morning. I met up with my friend Russell in Amsterdam, which is an absolutely darling city. It was smaller and cuter than I expected. I was the most delighted by the plethora of bikes and flower-stands running along the canals. We spent a lot of time wandering around the city (which is rather small), exploring a few museums, and admiring just the chill atmosphere. We did accidentally wander into the Red Light District while failing to find Anne Frank’s house (I realize this is a strange juxtaposition), and while it was an interesting sight I’m glad we didn’t spend too much time there.

We were only there for two days, and on the second night we boarded a bus to Paris. In retrospect it was sort of funny, but at the time it was quite miserable, and I don’t recommend trying to sleep on an 8-hour overnight bus ride. We got to Paris early in the morning and dropped our things off at the hostel, then Russell showed me around the main sights of the city (where he had been before). Maybe it was the early-morning light, but for me Paris was love at first sight. I have never been in such a beautiful city. The scale was so much grander than anything I had ever seen before, and maybe this is nerdy but the symmetry and alignment of the buildings was absolutely remarkable. The first thing I saw was Notre Dame, which seemed impossibly large and creepy (definitely the perfect place for a hunchback). Later, we went inside, and the interior was equally overwhelming. My favorite thing by far, however, was the Louvre. I can’t describe to you how huge it is, and the only word I can think to describe it is majestic. I really have no words to describe to you the effect it had on me, I’ve never felt the grandness of something so much before. We entered it through the courtyard, then went out front and saw the glass pyramids and fountains and looked down through the park in front to see a gigantic Ferris Wheel (which we rode, upon my insistence) and beautiful arcs. We returned later after it had cleared and I realized that you could actually see the Eiffel tower from there, too.

We saw everything both during the day and at night, which is a crucial recommendation for anyone going to Paris, since every building’s beauty changes depending on the light. I’m going to just list the other things we saw, since I literally have no words to describe to you how amazing and absolutely Parisian everything was: we toured the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay, walked down the Champs-Elysees, saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Opera House, perused the Galeries Lafayette (a huge department store), marvelled at the Eiffel Tower, and of course ate a lot. One of my favorite parts was just walking down the streets near our hostel, which were full of stands selling every type of fresh produce imaginable, and of course lots of other things, as well. Just as I had hoped, there were millions of cafes and bridges and ah, everything was perfect. I keep saying this, but Paris was one of the few things in my life that has exceeded my expectations by so much, and that’s saying a lot because I had very high expectations. It was exactly as I had imagined Paris to be, but better. I have no words.

I’d better find some words, though, because my 30-page culmination of my project is due on Friday. I think I’m going to school for the whole day tomorrow- it’s open from 10am to 10pm. We’ll see how that goes, wish me luck.