So it was my birthday last week. I've hit the big 20. I guess now I'm supposed to be an adult or something. As if I haven't been an "adult" since I was like 5 or anything. Ask my parents, they'll attest. To be honest, I was kind of afraid for this number. I'm no longer a teen. I am officially an adult. Like, the kind that pays bills and has a steady job and...well is just not a teenager. I don't know how to explain it really, it was just scary...
Luckily I was not alone in a strange land for my birthday. My best friend, Harmony, finally gave in to my pleadings and bought a plane ticket out here for two weeks. We started off our trip by spending a weekend in Paris. Without an adult...Holy cow. I remember being 16 and my mom wouldn't let me leave the state and now here I am vacationing in Paris by myself. To be honest I felt kind of rebellious. Yes, I've lived on my own for the past two years, but I'm still getting used to this whole adult thing here ok?
IT WAS FABULOUS!! We only had two days so we had to cram everything in! SO. MUCH. WALKING. Oh la la, by Sunday, our feet hurt SO bad! We did everything from the Arc de Triomphe to The Eiffel Tower to the Louvre to Sacre Coeur. If you remember a few posts back when I posted my bucket list, I mentioned that I want to get ice cream on the top of the Eiffel Tower. Well, I finally got to cross that off my list! Harmony and I went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa and a lot of naked statues. We ate at a bagel place with a rude store owner who got mad when I accidentally ordered something I didn't mean to. He told me if I don't speak French fluently, I shouldn't be speaking it at all. Lame-o. Then during a nice walk in the park, Harmony and I passed some lovely statues...even one that was just a little too realistic...Now I know what they mean about nudity in Europe (#shudder).
We stayed at a hostel which by the sound makes you kind of cringe. Freaky right? It actually wasn't so bad. Apart from the fact that there was only 1 outlet that was about 7ft off the ground and nowhere near the beds. Oh yeah and the fact Harmony and I shared our room with a 40 year old woman that snores louder than a thunderstorm (#nosleep). It was nice and close and I was proud of myself because I was able to navigate the metro flawlessly (#almost).
Here are some pictures before I continue. (Sorry, no pics of the naked man/statue though)
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The rest of the week was spent in Lyon, and boy did we have a blast! Again, we went to all of the tourist sites and bought tons of souvenirs. We spent the day with my friends from church on Saturday. We walked/rode bikes all around the park and on the quai. Then we ate lunch and rode bikes again. It's finally starting to warm up here so I brought out the tee shirts and capris! Now I just need some sandals to go with...
Harmony got a henna kit because she know how much I love henna. We spent an afternoon marking ourselves up..This was the product, all courtesy of her, she is such an artist!
My birthday was small but I liked it. Mariette made me a chocolate cake (#ofcourse) and managed to fit 20 candles on it. They sang to me in both French and English and gave me a raclette machine as a present. I have no idea how I am going to get it home, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
Overall, it was a fantastic birthday. Probably best one yet. Who else gets to spend their birthday in Paris with their Best friend?? I loved having Harmony here, I got good practice in at being a translator. I thought that maybe I would make it a profession once, but after the headaches it gave me, I am rethinking that career path.
I was sad to see her go, Harmony. But I will see her again soon at her wedding, where I will be the Maid of Honor!
That's all for now,
Abigail.
