Paris Won My Heart

My spring break was split between two cities: Barcelona and Paris. We were in Barcelona for 4 days, and it was wonderful. The city had beautiful architecture, great food, and not to mention the fact that it's the best smelling city I've been in. But the highlight of spring break, and possibly of the semester so far, was the five days spent in Paris.

It wasn't because of the nightlife, the touristy shit, or the hot girls. In fact, most nights we ended up going home after dinner. There were, however, plenty of fine Parisian women to be found and the sightseeing was incredible. But that's besides the point. I fell in love with the city within hours of my arrival on Tuesday afternoon.

The trip was the perfect blend of time spent with friends and alone. I was fortunate enough to be traveling with some of my best friends, fellow Old School Movie bloggers Max and Fatima, as well as Danny, who made it out here from New York for the week. We hit up all the typical Paris spots, such as the Eiffel Tower and Louvre. Both were nothing short of amazing in their own rights. The view from atop the tower, although it was cloudy, was still amazing. I'm truly privileged to be able to, at 20 years old, be able to up there and overlook France in all its beauty. The Louvre was also amazing. The history and significance of the pieces of art in that building surpassed that of any other museum I've been to.

Check out what really drew me in after the jump.

But what really left an impression on me was the feeling that came over me simply walking down the streets of the city. Other than the handful of people that I was traveling with, I was hundreds of miles away from anything that I had experienced before. Yet, I felt so at home, like I belonged there. If you asked me to put a finger on what exactly was making me feel this way, I couldn't tell you. I've only had this feeling in one other city, New York City. But what threw me off was how quickly I became attached to the city. I've been going to NYC my whole life, so my comfort level is understandable there. But Paris? I have no idea. It's this mystery that is making me ever so more enthralled with the idea of living here after school. I'm usually one to think about the future in such depth, but I really do hope to see my life path take an extended break in Paris.

The video below is a scene from "Paris, je t'aime," which I re-watched tonight. Alexander Payne wrote and directed the seven-minute short. I really can identify with what Margo Martindale says in her monologue, especially the last few minutes; this simultaneous feeling of joy and despair.