Anna's Adventures in Oxford: Thanksgiving in Paris, part 1

Bonjour from Paris! I am currently visiting my aunt (my father's sister), uncle, and cousin in the city of light. They invited me to spend an American Thanksgiving with them, and of course I could not refuse!

I arrived on Wednesday, and soon after my arrival we climbed the Eiffel Tower just as the sun was setting. On Thursday, my aunt and uncle had to work, so I wandered around Paris by myself. I saw Notre Dame, the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris and one of the most famous examples of Gothic architecture in Europe. It was constructed from 1163 to around 1240. I wandered around the cathedral, lit a candle, and prayed. It was very relaxing!

After Notre Dame, I went to an English bookstore called Shakespeare and Company. My friend from Oxford, Sophie, recommended it to me, and it was incredible! It is a small building absolutely jam-packed with books. Upstairs were small reading rooms and a piano.

After the bookstore, I met up with my cousin Daniel, and we climbed the Arc de Triomphe. This is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz, and it remains a rallying point for French troops. It offered beautiful views of Paris from the top.

Yesterday, my aunt and I went to the Palace of Versailles. It was fairly cold and rainy, so we did not spend too much time in the palace's vast gardens, but I did get to see the many fountains. After walking around outside, we toured the palace. I have never seen so much marble in my life! The palace is full of red, white, green, and blue marble, and many of the doors and works of art are gilded with gold. It is incredibly extravagant. Apparently, with its construction, Louis XIV wanted to show the world the depth of France's wealth and power. He was definitely able to do that. Perhaps the most moving part of the tour for me was walking through the Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, thereby ending World War I.