One Afternoon in Paris: Musée d'OrsayMusée d'Orsay

Right after class one day, I realized that the weather that afternoon was super nice. So, I went to had lunch near the river instead of at the student lounge like I normally do. However, once I got to the river, I saw Musée d'Orsay so I decided to visit for the first time after finishing my lunch. without much preparation of this place. This is one of the things that I like about Paris. Because there are many museums and touristy places for you to visit during the study abroad program, you do not really have to plan to do certain things since you will stumble across something interesting anyway. 

Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France

Catacombs of Paris

Catacomb in general

During the course of my life (as of 2014) that I have been traveling to many places around–mostly in few countries, I have seen many strange things that I could not believe they could be attractions for tourism such as a wreckage from a nuclear bomb in Hiroshima (not that I found this site boring, rather it left me a powerful image of how devastating nuclear bombs could be) or empty desert in Iran. But I would say the Catacombs of Paris is the weirdest places that I have ever visited so far. And I'm not sure whether I mean it in the positive sense or the negative one.

Château de Chambord & Château de Blois

Chateau de Chambord, Chambord, France

My first impression of Château de Chambord wasn't really a good one. When we talk about castle, I tend to think about those huge castle from the Disney Land and in all the Disney movies. But this one is different. I once learned afterward that this is not exactly a castle, but instead a courthouse. It was built by King François I in 1519 as a hunting lodge and not a permanent residence for any royal families. The structure itself was built by limestone because it is lighter than other materials like marble, but it also absorbs moisture making the itself cold and humid.

First Story in Paris: Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower–one of the most iconic structures in the world

I want to start my story about Paris with one of the most iconic structures in the world, the Eiffel Tower. Once I have some free time after settling down, I decided to walk to the Eiffel tower to be able to see the tower from different views. Some people might think that it is just a tower that happened to be famous but, personally, I always think that I want to see the Eiffel Tower from different angles and took great photos of it. Even though I still have no little knowledge about the tower itself, it still made me excited every time I came to see it. One of the reasons for this might be from a story when I was in middle school.