I was in Paris last weekend

I love saying that sentence. 

But really, I was.

And I have pictures to prove it!

Me on the Eiffel Tower with the world at my feet!

 Me with the iconic Eiffel Tower in the background

My knees still become weak when I look at this dizzying site... 

The Seine and I. 

Locks on the famous Pont Neuf.

There are a few bridges like this one around the City of Love, but this is the most famous one for sure.

Couples will attach a lock to this bridge and together throw the key into the Seine. This romantic gesture is supposed to represent eternal love, and it's incredible to sift through all the locks on the bridge, and read the names and stories on them.

"JP+KL 4Eva"

"Marie and Roger 2003"

"Virginia is for Lovers"

"Te Amo Sophia"

I love seeing this sort of display because especially in the world we live in today with school shootings, violence, "the war on terror," and high divorce rates, this incredible visual reminder of how much love there really is left in this world is a warm and fuzzy thought.

I enjoyed this bridge so much that I did a little research on it when I came home that night. I was reading a few comments of articles written about Pont Neuf and many cynics state, "well there's no way that all of these couples lasted."

But the optimist (like myself) would reply, "True, but at one point they did love each other, and that's just as important."

We need more love in this world. And being in the city of love reminded me of this post I found a couple months back that I always read again if I'm ever feeling a little blue.

Jessica's answer is one of my favorites and I couldn't agree more! So do me a favor and remind someone you love of how much you love them today! The world will definitely be better for it.

Okay, now let's talk art.

I went to The Louvre.

It was enchanting.

The last time I was in Paris we saw so many sights and traveled a lot around the city, but it just wasn't worth our while to spend hours in line to get into the Museum during the beautiful spring days that we were lucky enough to be there on.

But this rainy, wintery excursion was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

I'm not as well versed in Art as I would like to be. But I've taken a couple of Art History courses in the past few years and studied Latin and the Classics for five years. This previous education definitely laid a decent foundation of knowledge for me, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to point out pieces of art that I recognized.

It's physically impossible to travel The Louvre all in one day, so my friends and I decided to go our separate ways and see the exhibits we wanted to see and then meet back at a certain time and place and then we would leave.

Two other girls and myself decided we all wanted to see Ancient Greek works of art and the Mona Lisa, so we set off in that direction.

I love the Classics and I love Ancient Greek and Roman Mythology. It's one of the reasons why I studied Latin for five years. The legends fascinate me, and there are so many morals to each story that explain "why things are."

For example, I'm currently reading Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E.M Berens right now, and in his chapter about Apollo he describes why the Crow has black plumage. Apparently, the once white crow used to be Apollo's favorite animal. And one day the crow came to him and told him that his wife Larissa was being unfaithful to him. Enraged, Apollo destroyed Larissa with one of his fatal arrows. Later Apollo regretted his quick and rash decision and he "punished the crow for its garrulity by  changing the colour of its plumage from pure white to intense black, and forbade it to fly any longer among other birds."

The gods, man, they're fickled characters I tell ya...

Anyway, I literally can't get enough of this sort of thing and I was in heaven...err, on Mount Olympus...when I was walking through the garden of marble statues.

However, there was one statue in particular that I was incredibly keen on seeing in person.

Nike. The Goddess of Victory.

We discussed Nike extensively in my Art History class that I took this past semester at UNH, and this statue in particular. I was so happy when I turned the corner and I saw this faceless beauty ahead of me. I literally walked towards it, mouth-gaping and zombie-like until I forged my way toward the front to admire her. She is so incredibly breathtaking in real life -- truly awe-inspiring.

Oh yeah, the Mona Lisa wasn't half-bad either.

You see these people in this picture?

They have no idea they're even on this blog right now. And I often wonder how many pictures I'm in the background of in other people's photo. 

My friend Jess and I discussed this topic in depth when we lived in Manhattan this summer, and we were thinking of all the possibilities we had to be a part of family photos and Christmas cards with all the tourists we saw take pictures every day. 

"We could be on somebody's fridge for Christ's sake!!!"

Anyway, this short day trip was incredible, and I look forward to going back. I have a friend from home and family friends that are living in Paris currently, and I have trips planned to see them in the upcoming weeks. I can't wait to go back.

I love cities. Each one is alive with a unique soul and energy, and it's a very cool feeling to be a part of.

And if you don't stop at a local cafe and grab a drink before you board the train to go home...then you're doin' something wrong.