Paris

5/11/17

Today we left Spain to come to Paris, France.  Right when we landed, Professor Burton took us on a tour of the city.  We began immediately by going to eat.  We went and got lunch and some dessert and something that I noticed about France as we walked through the different food places, was the presentation of the food.  We passed several bakeries along the way, and the smells of french pastries were just overwhelming and smelled amazing.  Not only that, but they looked just as amazing as they smelt.  

We then continued to walk to the Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomf, and the Eiffel Tower.  In all of these locations, I observed that with everything that the French made, it seems that they prided themselves in making things look really nice and expensive.  I think this translates to the people as well because as we walked down the street from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomf, I felt that a lot of the french people that we came across were dressed very nicely.  The street was filled with nice and expensive shopping areas.  It seems that French people are concerned with outward appearance and that demonstrates social status.  

Going back to our Eiffel Tower experience, being at the top was amazing!  The view was incredible.  It was funny because at the top, there are signs that say “kiss here”.  Anyways, we were trying to get all of the single guys to go up to random girls and ask them if they would be willing to kiss them.  It was super funny and very entertaining.  Tanner ended up getting a kiss on the cheek from a random girl.  

5/12/17

Today we were able to attend the Paris Temple Open House.  It was a cool experience to be able to walk through and then to feel of the same spirit that is present in all of our temples/churches around the world.  It was cool to see that the stained glass contained a type of flower that is found here in France.  

We then had the privilege of going through the Palace of Versailles.  This palace was breathtaking and it was crazy to think that there was someone in history (King Henry XIV) who lived in this huge estate.  One thing that I noticed that was in this palace compared to the Madrid palace was the amount of gold.  We walked around the estate and then rented bikes and rode those around the gardens of the palace.  All in all, we did a lot of walking today.  

On the way home, we ran into something interesting on the train.  We saw someone try and pickpocket someone else and then get caught in the act.  For the most part an observation that I’ve made since being in France is that people here don’t really talk on trains.  I think the reason for that is because the locals are aware of pickpockets and so if you are talking with others, you are more likely to be distracted and not recognize those who may be potential predators.  Takeaway from today was to just be aware of those around you and to be mindful of talking with your friends so that you don’t get distracted.

5/13/17

Today we just had a free day to do whatever we wanted.  We started the day off with playing soccer.  We played on a dirt field because there wasn’t a grass field.  This was the first time I had played on a dirt field because in the U.S., most of the fields are all grass or turf.  It was hard to stop and everyone was sliding everywhere, but it was really fun!  

We also hit up the Louvre which was spectacular.  Seeing that the Louvre used to be a palace, it was interesting to compare the Louvre to the Palace of Versailles.  In thinking about France as a whole, it seems that there is a lot of focus on outward appearance and presentation.  The Louvre was stunning in that all the architecture and design of the building seemed to be perfect.  I feel like the French focused a lot on symmetry with their buildings/structures because everything seemed so perfect and equal.  

As a whole, it seems that French people still have a lot of pride in their culture/people which is really cool to see.  I feel like as time has gone on, more and more countries history and culture have been diminishing.  We also saw a bunch of street performers earlier and I was surprised that a lot of the donations that the performers received were from French people.  I would have expected less, but it’s cool to see that there was support for locals.  

Also one more cultural difference that I noticed was that when you are a tourist here as opposed to a tourist anywhere else in the U.S., you do a lot of walking!  I’ve never walked so much in my entire life.  My feet are sore, but Paris has been magnificent.

5/14/17

Today we attended church at a local French ward.  It was a very interesting experience.  I couldn’t understand anything and it brought me back to my mission in Japan, when I first arrived there.  I didn’t understand a word that was said at church.  I feel that between all the countries that we have visited, I have been the most surprised/shocked with France.  I felt that Greece and Spain, a good amount of people spoke english, and so I felt comfortable when we went out to eat.  Here in France, I feel that a lot of people don’t really speak english, or don’t really want to speak english.  In addition to this, I feel that French sounds so much more foreign than Spanish and Greek that I just felt really out of place here.  In the U.S. there is a handful of people that speak Spanish and so I was used to hearing certain words and phrases.  However, with French, I don’t really know any phrases or words other than “bonjour” or “merci”.  Often times, this made me feel uncomfortable.

I again noticed that while using public transportation, French people tend to keep to themselves and are more reserved.  I feel like it’s foreigners, like us Americans who tend to be loud and boisterous and very open to meeting new people.  This was a cultural difference that I noticed.  

With that being said, we are now on our way to London.  We’re catching a train that goes under the english channel and it connects the UK to France.  Pretty crazy!