This past week was my fall break from IAU, and I must say it was incredible. I not only got to travel to some of my favorite places in France, but I got to do it all with my parents and I got to see some old friends. There will be more to come about my break as a whole, but for this post I want to focus on one of the coolest things I think I will ever be able to say that I did. I was in PARIS with my parents for my 20th birthday. I personally think that’s insane, and I still do not think it has fully processed in my brain yet.
My parents arrived in France the day before my birthday, worn out and jet lagged. I left my class briefly to go pick them up from the bus station and walked them to their hotel before speed-walking back to my class. We then wandered around Aix-en-Provence a bit and I showed them a glimpse of what my study abroad life has been like since being in France. We called it a night pretty early since we had a train to catch to Paris the next day.
The train ride to Paris was a lot of fun. I have become a pretty large fan of traveling by train. Getting to see the French country side while going a couple hundred miles an hour is pretty incredible. When we arrived in Paris we headed to our Airbnb to get settled before going out on the town. We went to the Notre Dame first where we experienced a really incredible Mass/Celebration. We stayed for a while to take in the amazing architecture and history of such an iconic cathedral.
Next, we headed over to the Hôtel de Ville, basically the governmental center of the city. They have the Olympic rings sitting outside the Hôtel de Ville since Paris won the bid for the 2024 Olympics. We took a couple pictures and then headed to dinner. We ate some delicious food and had some wine. Next, came the even more incredible part…
We took an Uber to the Eiffel Tower and headed up to the very top. The view is breathtaking. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen it, but I honestly don’t think I will ever tire from seeing that view. It was really cold that night so we didn’t stick around for very long, but we did a couple of laps around the tower before heading down. After that we headed back to home base to call it a night.
I must say that spending my 20th birthday in Paris with my parents is probably the coolest thing I will ever do. I could not have thought of a more amazing time. It was truly special having my parents in France for my birthday and we had a blast. This is for sure a memory that I will never forget.
