the end of Paris

All good things must come to an end, and so I leave Paris. Well, left, I guess. I spent Friday afternoon packing everything. It was beautiful and perfect and all fit wonderfully. Then, I drank. And when I got home at 1am I decided that my packing was horrid and so I took it all out and re-packed. Drunk packing is bad packing, lemme tell you. And so, on Saturday morning I stumbled through the metro with the heaviest backpack and additional suitcase ever, trying to make it to Gare de Lyon to catch my train to Geneva. I ended up sleeping for the duration of the ride due to my drunk packing and then rising at 6am, which is a bummer because I'm sure that the scenery was absolutely beautiful! I love Geneva more than I remember; the mountains especially. To a Midwesterner girl, mountains are one of the most strangest peculiarities in the world. The Midwest is barren of mountains, so to imagine them - or better yet, to see them - is amazing. They are so majestic. I woke up late but I think I might head out for a bike ride and paint the mountains. Or just sit and look at them. Incredible!

So, I have gotten completely off track at the very thought of mountains. What I want to be talking about: Paris! So, I am done with Paris. It was so lovely and it was like a dream. I still don't feel like I was actually there, much less for three and a half weeks. On our last day of class we went to Saint-Severin church near Notre-Dame de Paris. It was an absolutely gorgeous gothic church nestled into  spiraling alleys of crepe stands and tabacs and tacky tourist stops. We celebrated after class with crepes and gelato and a few tacky souvenirs (I bought a magnet for my father!). Oh, and this is what I wore! I took these photos on Friday before beginning my first attempt at packing.

This dress is the one from Zara which I bought for a piano concert we went to in Paris. It's actually sleeveless and Paris had been way too cold for sleeveless-ness, so I layered this Forever 21 top over it. (Note: I never actually shop at F21 but I found $13 in gift cards for it in my wallet and thought I should spend them.) I thought that the overall effect was a bit '20s Flapper-esque but a tad dowdy, so I belted it and ta-da! I've been listening to '20s jazz non-stop for the past few weeks and have been feeling extra Flapper-ish.

Also, I've been trying to circulate a link for this, but you can download a collection of completely free, legal, authentic '20s jazz here! The copyrights have expired and so someone was nice enough to compile it all and make it available. There are some real gems in there, too.

I cannot wait to get home and watch silent films. My heart truly belongs in the 1920s. I yearn for them so badly, without having ever known them outside of the movies and the music and the depictions. That is not to say that life isn't amazing as it is, though.

While on the train to Geneva, I realised that I had stupidly packed all my books in the suitcase above my seat. Too lazy to try to fetch it, I decided to journal a bit. I wrote about how incredible Paris was: the food, the friends I made, the places I went. As I rode to Geneva, I could feel Paris bleeding out of me and all that was left was this type of euphoric appreciation for all that occurred and all that will occur. La vie est belle. And I'm so excited to continue my 10 day adventure through Europe, even if I had to leave Paris behind. I wish that I could have been better acquainted with the city during my time there. Just took some time to go for a walk and think to myself. But, there will be time for that again. I know that Paris, and France, takes up a piece of my heart and I will have to return to it before long. But for now, I have Geneva to fall in love with! And then I have four days with my family in the English countryside, and two days in London. So much to adore and to soak in. I need to open my mind and allow it to be like a sponge to all the amazing things I encounter and see and love.

So, after that, you may be asking - why then are you sitting inside in your friend's basement, in bed, on the internet? Well, quite frankly, I do not know! I have a city to explore! See you guys soon xx