Things That Cheer Me Up When I'm Feeling Blue

I'm going to be quite honest: I've been feeling a little blue lately (pssst! That's code for "depressed"). Without getting into it too deeply (because then anyone who reads this would literally have to bill me because this would technically be a therapy session and I don't have the money for that! But nice *free* comments in the comment section are always appreciated), I've been feeling a little stuck and directionless in where I am in life and frankly where I want to be in life. I just have no idea what job or career or even LIFE is right for me now. So I'm a bit discouraged and kind of low right now, hence the blues.

I hate feeling this way: some days I feel okay and can put the blues on the back burner, but other days, my whole world is a dark cerulean hue and I just want to wallow in my own self pity. But I'm determined to get out of this depressive rut, which leads me to this post. I have compiled a list of all of the ways that help cheer me up when I have the blues. Sometimes these tips help, sometimes they don't, but honestly, just trying one or several of them is distraction enough to help pull me out of the well from The Ring (just call me Samara. Oh my god, that's kind of a genius analogy. Screw my original analogy of depression being like you're stuck under water, I'm going with my Ring analogy from now on! The creepy vibe suits me better anyway) and get me sort-of-kind-of back on track (or at least near the track). I hope my tips can help you too, if you've been feeling a little down lately as well. Maybe you've tried all of my suggestions or maybe you haven't, but honestly, it doesn't hurt to try any of those listed below! (Especially the cuddling with a furry animal one. We all deserve more cuddles with cute, furry pets!)

So here is my list of all the things I do when I'm feeling blue! ☔

1) Cuddle With a Cute Furry Animal*
What's the point of having a pet if you can't cuddle with it in times of need? I've lost count of the times I've held my cat Harriet and cried, as she tries to crawl out of my arms and then eventually just settles in because she knows I need it ("I'm feeling sad, why won't you let me just cuddle with you???"). But she also has that sixth sense of knowing when I need company. There have been many times where I've been in my room, feeling sad, and she comes sauntering in and rubs up against me like, "you feeling sad? It's okay, human, I'm here now. Pet me and you'll feel better." And you know what? It always helps!

*Or whatever textured pet you have

2) Read An Old Favorite Book
There's nothing like diving into a book you've never read and experiencing a brand new story and adventure, but usually when I'm feeling down about life, an old favorite is the way to go. Reading a Harry Potter book is my go to (especially the new illustrated versions!), but I also love re-reading old childhood and tween favorites like A Series of Unfortunate Events (because you'll probably never have it quite as bad as the Baudelaire orphans), the Georgia Nicolson series (who doesn't like Angus the cat and little sister Libby? Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait!), and anything by Louis Sachar, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, Bruce Coville, and Sharon Creech, just to name a few! Those books instantly transport me back to my childhood, even just for a half hour or so. But  sometimes a little nostalgic literary break from your current gloomy mood is all you need to help you get through the day.

3) Hang Out With Friends
This is an obvious one, but it's easy to retreat from others when you're feeling down. Which is the complete opposite of what you should be doing, because once I drag myself out of the house and I'm with my friends, I forget about my worries for however long I'm with them and it's such a nice vacation from my worrying mind and troubles. Plus, I always feel lighter after I've had a catch up sesh/gab session/heart to heart and I feel much more determined after to feel better so I can see them even more. My friends know that I struggle sometimes but they don't have to say a word to let me know that they're there for me. And after you hang out with your friends, you start to believe that old saying that laughter really IS the best medicine. (Honestly, is there anything better than your stomach being sore from laughing so much? That's the only sort of pain I'd wish on someone!)

4) Go For a Walk
Exercise is like, my third least favorite thing to do (behind going to the dentist and taking tests), but I have to admit, doing any kind of exercise makes you feel a whole lot better. Doing anything active when you're feeling glum will definitely help raise your spirits, especially if you change your location by going for a walk or a run (plus, it's free!). Getting out and getting active (as annoying as it is. Seriously, do some really athletic people just love sweating or something??) is key and will help more than you realize. And you don't even have to sign up for Crossfit or any other expensive, borderline cult exercise program to do it!

5) Organize!
Go through old clothes, trinkets, photos in your room/closet/home/junk drawer. It'll stir up fun and nostalgic memories and remind you that there's life outside your depression- even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. Also, if you find something you don't wear or use, give it away! The less cluttered you are, the more put together your life will feel, trust me. Plus, there's something sort of cathartic about giving your unused stuff away. Begone tickets stubs from all the movies I saw with my ex! Goodbye favorite sweater from three years ago that doesn't fit anymore and I have no use for but I kept it just in case! Organizing is a seriously underrated therapeutic exercise.

6) Watch A Favorite TV Show Episode (or Two)
Binge-watching may not be the cure for what ails you (apparently not being productive doesn't help being depressed, go figure), but small doses can help. There are a few TV shows that never fail to put a smile on my face, and just re-watching a favorite episode can be enough to give me that warm, fuzzy feeling, or to make my sad tears turn into the happy tears you get from laughing. The Office (the US version), Parks & Recreation, and I Love Lucy, and Gilmore Girls are all shows I turn to when I need to turn my frown upside down (I really hate that I just typed that. I really, really do) and provide the perfect distraction for maybe just a half hour or at least 42 minutes. Also, how can you feel sad when you're watching the perfect couple that is April and Andy from Parks & Rec? They are seriously (weird) couple goals! (Ben and Leslie are a close second, don't worry!)

7) Do Something Thoughtful For Someone Else
This is something I always forget to do when I'm feeling blue. I just get so focused on myself and my own troubles that I sometimes forget that there are other people in the world (that's an exaggeration, by the way), going through their own struggles. Which is why when I get too down on myself, I try to shift my focus on others instead of myself. From planning the perfect birthday or Christmas present for someone, reaching out to a friend I haven't talked to in a while via text or Facebook to just say "hey, I've been thinking of you!" and volunteering (I've recently started volunteering at a food bank, boxing up food for those in need), taking a break from thinking of yourself and your gloomy thoughts and putting others first is a great way to regain your perspective on yourself and life. Plus, it's productive and you're being thoughtful at the same time! Wouldn't you want to receive a little random act of kindness every once in a while? You never know who else may need a pick me up! It's amazing how one little gesture can change your whole day. And I bet you that after doing something good for someone else, that karma will come back around to you. So spread that love and be thoughtful!

8) Look At Real Estate Online

Hear me out! I know this sounds super weird, but it literally never fails to cheer me up. Looking up houses on real estate sites in other cities or even other countries, is so much fun. Yes, everything I look at I could never afford and are located in places I'll probably never even visit- but it sure is fun to look at the super fancy, super expensive ones that are for sale and think, "Well, I never would have spent thousands of dollars and made it look like that!" or "I totally would have done this instead! Ugh, rich people." Plus, I love looking at cottages in picturesque country towns in England and imagining a quiet, simple English life, where I'm just a train ride away from London- where, of course, I also have a house. And don't get me started on French chateaus and castles! (Because I totally own at least one French chateau and castle in my imaginary, unlimited income life) Plus, it's fun to pretend how you'd decorate said home (or castle, cottage, or chateau). Add a Beauty and the Beast-esque library? Of course! Build a secret passageway? Duh! Design a large hedge maze in your giant backyard? Sign me up! Is this all silly and unrealistic? Totally! But fun, creative, and distracting? Heck yeah! Because sometimes that's all you need in a dark moment. A look into the bright, not-so-distant future, even if the one you're currently thinking of is imaginary.

But just remember: you may feel down now, but I promise you, it won't last forever and it will get better (That's been my new mantra lately). I promise. 😘

*If you're feeling depressed, please find someone to talk to, whether it's an understanding family member, friends, or health professional. There's no reason to feel alone when you're feeling depressed and it's totally okay to ask for help or support!*

What did you think of my list of things that cheer me up? What do you do to get yourself out of a gloomy mood? Let me know in the comments!

Stay Weird,
Emily

What Do You Do If Your Pottermore Patronus Result Doesn't Fit Your Personality?

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

If you're a Harry Potter fan, it's more than likely that you have a Pottermore account. Because if you're a fan, why wouldn't you want extra information about the characters, creatures, and events of the wizarding world? But the biggest draw for fans? The quizzes to see which Hogwarts house you'd be sorted into (you know, if you were actually a witch or wizard and lived in the British wizarding world), what wand you'd have, what Ilvermorny house you'd be sorted into (you know, if you were actually a witch or wizard and lived in the American wizarding world), and now what animal your Patronus would take it's shape as! (Would it be your favorite animal? An animal that represents you? Who knows but we were about to find out!!) I, along with every other HP fan, was ecstatic and had to take the quiz RIGHT THIS SECOND. Even though I was actually in my hotel's lobby/lounge area/bar in Paris at the time, trying to talk to my father and also trying to take the quiz in a very loud and crowded hotel lobby.

But when I took the quiz, something bad happened. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to the quiz, maybe I was paying attention, but my results were... unexpectedly bad, in my opinion. Let me walk you through it.

Let's start with my original Pottermore account. I joined Pottermore back when you could explore it chapter by chapter and you could collect items, duel with other users, and brew potions (which were super hard to do. You have no idea how many times I tried to make the Polyjuice potion so I could advance to the next chapter. It took months. MONTHS! And then Pottermore stopped with the whole exploring each book's chapters thing so all of my hard work was lost). But before I joined Pottermore I didn't have a Hogwarts house I even identified with, so I was so eager to find out which house I truly belonged to. Because you can take as many unauthorized online sorting quizzes but everyone knows that the Pottermore quiz is the only true definite quiz of it's kind, mainly because it was conceived by JK Rowling herself.

Here are the results from my original Pottermore account from years back!

My Original Pottermore Account

My Wand:

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

Not knowing anything really about wands, I was perfectly happy with my results. Unicorn hair? Cool! (Ethically sourced at least, I hoped. Do they just yank those hairs out of a unicorn's mane or tail??) Quite Bendy and flexible? Whatever, I HAVE A WAND!!

My Hogwarts House:

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

I remembered being a little disappointed when I was first sorted into Ravenclaw. After reading the books, who didn't want to be a Gryffindor? But after remembering the most memorable and unique Ravenclaw of them all aka the magnificent Luna Lovegood, I was totally okay with everything that being a Ravenclaw stood for: being intelligent (I wish), sharp (sometimes, but only in humor, not meanness), wise (only when giving advice to friends but never taking the advice myself), and individuality (aka being weird. Totally me!!). But I do have some rather Hufflepuff qualities like patience (towards others, not myself), loyalty, and fairness (I hate cheating of any kind). But I think being placed in Ravenclaw really identifies with my odd spirit and interests. I think it's safe to say that if Luna and I had gone to Hogwarts together, we totally would have been best friends. No one would call her Loony on MY watch!

My Ilvermorny House:

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

Since the news of the American wizarding school Ilvermorny was just announced last year, we've only had JK Rowling's writing to go on about the qualities of each house. Each of Ilvermorny's houses is named after a magical creature from North America. The Horned Serpent, the house I was sorted into, represents the mind of a wizard or witch, and favors scholars. Even though JK Rowling wrote that the Ilvermorny houses are totally different from the Hogwarts houses, I feel like the Horned Serpent house is the American version of Ravenclaw. Which I'm perfectly fine with, because that means if I were actually a witch I would have gone to a wizarding school right here in the good ol' US of A! Though I'd still be down to be a foreign exchange student studying abroad at Hogwarts..

Which leads me to last September, on that fateful night in Paris where I tried to take the Patronus quiz on my phone. I was distracted, tired, jet lagged, but so eager to figure out what my Patronus would be (who doesn't need protection from dementors?). But I had no idea there was a time limit (sort of) and I may have not been paying close enough attention to the questions that were given to me. And so I ended up with THIS as my Patronus:

My *sob* Patronus:

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

WHAT??? What. The. NOOOO! A blackbird? A BLACKBIRD???

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

No. No. No. No. This will not stand! A bird? My Patronus is a freaking BIRD? This is the magical animal guardian produced by the Patronus spell that will protect me from dementors? Um, I think not. I'm sure a blackbird is a fine Patronus for some other witch or wizard, but for me? Nope. Not at all.

My main question: how does a blackbird represent me?? How?? The quiz doesn't give an explanation at all for WHY a blackbird would be my Patronus. So for that reason alone and for the fact that the only use for blackbirds is in a nursery rhyme about having four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie and LITERALLY NO ONE WANTS BLACKBIRD PIE, I reject the idea/conclusion that a blackbird of all animals is my Patronus!!!

Basically, I was just a tad bit upset about my Pottermore Patronus results (I'm sure you may have noticed). I knew in my heart of hearts that a blackbird was surely NOT my Patronus, so after waiting a while and ruminating over this very (not) serious problem, I decided to do the unthinkable: make a new Pottermore account and take the damn quiz again.

Here are the (hopefully) better results from the Patronus quiz that I took, where I made sure that I was NOT distracted nor in a foreign country (that honestly the best way to take an important quiz, anyway):

My New Pottermore Account

My Wand:

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

First it was a unicorn hair that was my wand core and now it's a Phoenix feather? Whatever, it's a wand. As long as the Phoenix feather didn't come from the same bird as a Dark Lord, I think I'm good. The first wand seems more girly and honestly looks prettier so I think I'm going to stick with my first wand (but of course my ideal wand looks-wise would be a mix of Hermione's and Luna's from the HP movies, duh).

My Hogwarts House:

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

Now, THIS was interesting! I've always felt like in some ways I was quite a Ravenpuff, but now it has been officially confirmed! I bet if the Sorting Hat had been placed on my head, I would have been one of those hat stalls, where it takes the Sorting Hat forever to place a student. Because if the Sorting Hat would have asked me if I'd rather live in a tower with fellow weirdos or live near the kitchens behind a giant portrait of fruit that you have to tickle the pear to get into the common room, I'd be incredibly torn and it would just have to make the decision for me. Thank goodness I'm not in charge of things! But in all honesty, I do now identify with being a Ravenclaw, with some Hufflepuff qualities. The two most underrated Hogwarts houses, IMHO. (Don't hex me, Slytherins and Gryffindors!)

My Ilvermorny House:

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

Hmmm.... Pottermore sorted me into the Pukwudgie Ilvermorny house. Pukwudgie represents the heart of a witch or wizard and favors healers. Again, no offense JK, but Pukwudgie also seems to be the American counterpart to another Hogwarts house, only this time Hufflepuff. Doesn't that description of Pukwudgie exactly describe a fair and loyal Hufflepuff? I don't know about this "healer" thing because honestly I tend to faint at the sight of blood (my own and others). But the whole representing the heart I'm here for!

I took all of the other quizzes first and saved this for last. My Patronus. My REAL Patronus, not a dumb blackbird. And for now...the moment of truth:

My Patronus (aaaaaahhhh it better not be a bird and if it is a bird it better at least be a frickin' cute Kiwi bird!!):

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

Oh em gee it's a kitty cat!!!! Yay!!! And not just any cat, a GINGER cat! Soooo much better than a boring ol' blackbird!

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

Look how cute it is, leaping about all misty and stuff! I wonder what having a ginger cat represents. Does it mean I'm secretly scrappy or that I need a scrappy magical creature guardian to protect me? Or did the quiz somehow know that I was a cat person and that just any old animal wouldn't do because honestly I'm always covered in cat hair and I get excited and squeal whenever I see a cat, even it's a stray and have to make it's acquaintance and that cats just make everything in life better so it obviously had to be a cat?? 

But who cares, I have a GINGER CAT as my Patronus!!

Pottermore/That Weird Girl Life

So is this my official Patronus? I have no idea. The Pottermore quizzes are probably the most definitive on the internet, as JK Rowling had a hand in coming up with them (being the mastermind of the wizarding world that she is), but we'll never truly know what our actual wands, houses, and Patronuses we'd actually have unless we actually lived in the wizarding world. So until JK finally outs the wizarding world and most of us HP fans finally realize we're all actually wizards and witches, we'll just have to settle for our Pottermore versions and what we actually feel in our hearts.

Did I cheat to find a Patronus that I actually identified with? Hell yes. Do I feel bad for doing it? Hell no. It was completely worth it. I love my cute lil ginger cat Patronus! As long as I have it and a pocketful of chocolate, I'll be prepared for any dementor that I come into contact with!

Stay Weird,
Emily

Have any of you taken the Patronus quiz on Pottermore? What animal did you get? Were you happy with your results or did you utterly hate them like I did? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

Touchstone

Book: Scrappy Little Nobody
Author: Anna Kendrick
Genre: Nonfiction
Subgenres: Memoir, short stories, humor

My Review and Thoughts: Oh, Anna Kendrick. Girl crush of so many girls, actual crush to pretty much all of the male population. You are funny, real, awkward but honest about it, and talented as hell. Stage actress, screen actress, and a talented singer to boot. Is there anything you can't do?

Well, we can't add "write a book" to the minuscule list of things you can't do now, can we? Dammit, Kendrick, why are you so relatable and real??

I was actually maybe-kinda-sort-of hoping that her book would be mediocre. I mean she's hilarious on Twitter and just plain ol' charming whenever I see her interviewed on talk shows or even at press junkets. She can't do it at all, right? But nope, Scrappy Little Nobody reads like Anna is literally your best friend, divulging all of her funny yet meaningful and wildly entertaining stories to you as you're both sitting in your living room couch drinking coffee (or maybe something with alcohol in it. I don't judge, and neither does Anna, I'm sure). And now I'm kicking myself for ever doubting Anna Kendrick in the first place. That'll show me!

Anna begins the book with the meaning of Scrappy Little Nobody, a reference to her small stature (even as a young child), her tenacity, and the fact that she works hard, but never quite believes she'll ever be that celebrity status figure; which she actually is now, but as she explains, it's all a matter of perspective. From her start as a girl who learned she had a desire to sing and act, her amazingly supportive parents (and then later her brother, who must be as hilarious and likable as she is, since apparently she stole her sense of humor from him!) took her on numerous trips from her home-state in Maine, and into New York City, to audition for commercials and plays, her trademark humor and realism showed, even in her young life. (Her descriptions of the child actors and their parents were hilarious AND terrifying) From there, she tells us amusing and hilarious stories about her younger days in school (elementary, junior high, and high school), ups and downs with friends, and boys (more like about her equal parts liking and fearing boys, which I totally get and still kind of am like now. Anna's a literal spirit animal, I tell ya!). Anna's eventual move to Los Angeles after high school to start her movie acting career is where her adventures get even more funny and crazy as she tries to settle in LA (without a car at first!), make friends, have relationships (ugh, boys, right?), and audition for movies.

Along with stories about her childhood stint on Broadway in High Society, Anna also includes tidbits about her breakout role in the indie movie Camp (where her nonunion film really felt like a camp while filming and the cast got to crash the Sundance Film Festival when the film was nominated), her roles in the Twilight movies (Pro: literally only working for a week or two on each film, plus she got to avoid all of the fan hysteria that was focused on the main cast; Con: filming in the cold), Up in the Air (yeah, she hung out with George Clooney. Your point?) and Pitch Perfect (and Pitch Perfect 2. You may have heard of those little movies). She went from pretty much picking out (and buying!) her own clothes and doing her own makeup without a stylist to go to premieres or award shows, to, as her career blew up, having a whole team of stylists, makeup artists, and hair stylists working on her dress, hair, makeup, shoes, jewelry (!!!) for award shows (like the Oscars, where she performed with Neil. Patrick. Harris!!). She also devotes a whole chapter, which I so thoroughly enjoyed, to theoretical parties she could throw if she had, you know, the time, energy, and the parking space for all of her party guests (same, girl. Same). And also how Zac Efron is literally a god (can't argue with that).

But as famous as Anna gets, one of the major themes throughout her book is her social awkwardness: never knowing quite what to say or even just saying something than immediately start questioning in your head why you ever said that, or even worse, realizing what you said hours or days later and then just obsess over that interaction for years to come (I mean, been there, done that). That fact that she's so upfront about her own social awkwardness, her doubts about herself, her normal life and her "famous" life, is incredibly refreshing and quite frankly incredibly brave in her honesty. In everyone else's eyes, she has it all, she's famous, she's an award nominated actress, but she's still just Anna, flaws and all. But she knowingly acknowledges it and twists it in her favor, adding humorous commentary to her socially awkward interactions and thoughts, which makes it an amusing quip to us, but it must be a cathartic expression of acceptance and self-awareness for her. She's taking control of something that could deeply and negatively impact her life and instead is owning it and therefore empowering herself and others who may be thinking those same worrying thoughts. If she wasn't endearing already, I think her endearing levels went through the roof.

So basically, Anna Kendrick is talented, funny, witty, smart, honest, tenacious, hard-working, sometimes brassy, swears a bit, a bit awkward and just plain old awesome. If you don't want her to be your BFF, I think you're lying to yourself and everyone else. Anna Kendrick is all of us, and everything we should aspire to be in terms of accepting and being honest with yourself. You'll finish the book with a big smile on your face, from her frank, genuine, and just freaking funny stories and feel like you're less alone in the world and have gained a super cool new best friend.

Should You Read It: Yes! I seriously think every young teen girl, or young woman should read this book. Anna's writing style really does feel like she's talking to you, her brand new friend, as she almost reassures you that you're not alone in your socially awkward or silly ways, she understands, she GETS YOU. Plus the book is super stupid funny. Like, ridiculously funny. Have I said that enough? ANNA KENDRICK'S BOOK IS SO FUNNY AND HILARIOUS AND WITTY AND SMART THAT YOU SHOULD GO READ IT RIGHT NOW. Did I finally get the message across yet? 😉

Stay Weird,
Emily

Where to Buy:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Or, check out a copy from your local library!

Goodreads:
Scrappy Little Nobody

Check Out the Author (and singer and actress aka the jack of all trades that is Anna Kendrick):
Twitter

My First Trip to Paris aka Crepes Are My New Favorite Food (Travel Tuesday)

Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash

Bonjour, everyone! Here is my last travel blog post from Europe, all about my trip to France! Right after my trip to London, we left on the Eurostar to the City of Lights!

It was such an incredible experience. I got to tour Paris and see the Eiffel tower and see the Arc de Triomphe, and explore the Palace of Versailles and walk down the Hall of Mirrors. I visited a small French village of Chartres that has a cathedral that's almost 800 years old and has some of the most magnificent stained glass you'll ever see. I strolled along the river Seine in the rain and when it was sunny, and window-shopped (and regular shopped!) at the green bookstalls along the river and were able to avoid the pickpocketers that were sprinkled around the city (thank God!). I ate fresh French baguettes, which were life-changing, pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants), and even had real French crepes twice (because they were so good! Who knew I'd actually like a crepe that would be made out of buckwheat of all things?? Screw dessert crepes, savory French crepes are the way to eat crepes!) I got to eat dinner with my dad's French former co-worker and his family, and see how real French Parisians live and eat (his kids were Harry Potter fans as well so we had a riveting and extensive conversation about The Cursed Child. Harry Potter unites us all!) We also stayed with another former co-worker of my dad's as well, who were the most wonderful and welcoming hosts, and for breakfast had some of the freshest baked bread in the world, from their town's local boulangerie (bakery) and they took us on a tour of their small town which had Roman ruins, beautiful woods, a church that was hundreds and hundreds of years old, and thanks to them, I learned that Emmental cheese is quite delicious! And sitting in the sun in a park behind Notre Dame on a sunny, warm pleasant day and being in awe of the beauty of the Opera National de Paris (Paris Opera House) was the best way to spend our last day in beautiful Paris.

The trips was full of highlights, but of course, since there was so much to see in Paris, we couldn't see it all and we missed out on seeing: the Louvre, Monet's gardens at Giverny, and the Catacombs of Paris (which I desperately wanted to see!). Even though we did visit the Musee d'Orsay, it turned out to be a bust because we had a limited time to visit and both my mother and I had to use the restroom, but 3 out of the 4 stalls were broken and we were in the bathroom line for over 30 minutes! By the time we had both used the bathroom, it was practically time to leave but at least we got to visit the gift shop and buy some gifts for people! (It's the little things, haha)

Despite missing some of these big things in Paris, my trip was still terrific and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything else in the world! Those missed chances are just opportunities to go back and have new adventures and explore more things in Paris. There was so much that I saw and did, that I'm sure I'm missing some fun and interesting aspects from my Parisian escapades, but for now, enjoy the pictures I took from my trip to the City of Light and my funny and witty commentary* to go with it!

*What I think is "funny and witty" is more likely "gushy and filled with the words 'loved,' 'delicious,' 'gorgeous,' and 'beautiful," because Paris is stupid pretty. Like seriously. It's ridiculously pretty.

PS. And I still never really got used to paying to use the bathroom! I guess as an American I'm just used to most bathrooms being fair game and free. It was a total culture shock. The bathroom at the train station even had a time limit!

My first look at Paris from the top of the Tour Montparnasse sky scraper. Bonjour, Eiffel tower! ❤

I was eating a fresh French baguette while viewing the city. That's how everyone should sight-see in Paris.

C'est magnifique!

View from my hotel room. I really couldn't believe I was actually in Paris. I had to take photographic evidence from my hotel window, just to prove it to myself!

My hotel room bathroom had a freaking BIDET!!! And no, I did not use it. Was I tempted? Sort of. Was I more terrified than curious? Yes, yes I was.

The first night in Paris we walked to a local creperie that our tour guide recommended and I'm so glad we did! The restaurant was tiny, but the hostess was so sweet, gave us two different ciders to try with the crepes, and for someone who doesn't really drink alcohol, I fell in love with the sweet cider! I took this picture to document it and see if I could try to find it in the States (I probably won't be able to, but you never know!) We loved the crepes so much that the hostess even took us back into the kitchen to show us how they made them! It was a fantastic and delicious way to spend our first dinner in Paris. (I still dream about those crepes...I had one with cheese, scrambled eggs, and potatoes. So simple, yet so good! But of course I forgot to take a picture of my actual crepe! I was so hungry that I just started digging in!)

The beautiful river Seine. Midnight in Paris got the beauty of Paris exactly right! (Minus all the crowds, the traffic, noise. But despite all that, Paris is still beautiful!)

I love this shot I took of the Eiffel tower as we were driving over the Seine. But of course the reflection from the bus window sort of ruined it. Oh well. I still love it!

And here it is: the famous and iconic Eiffel tower! This shot makes me smile because of all the people posing in front of it, ready to take a picture and post it on Snapchat and Instagram. No shame, it was what we were all doing!!

Even the lamps in Paris are pretty! What gives??? Why can't everywhere else be just as pretty??

The Arc de Triomphe aka the busiest place in Paris (according to me). There's a traffic circle surrounding it, plus people trying to cross the street to go visit and then climb to the top, and then there's the people across the street, like my tour, just staying out of the way and taking pictures from a distance. Even from afar it was still awe-inspiring and beautiful.

The gates of Versailles. It seemed like everything was in gold. Everything. You could kind of see why the peasants revolted all those years ago.

Guady, gorgeous, and ornate! Literally everything that Versailles is and stood for. The grandiose nature and size of Versailles was literally jaw-dropping. It really must have been something to see back in the day! You know, before all the revolutions...

The Garden of Versailles is magnificent. But HUGE! We walked around maybe like one-fifth of it, and the rest was way too far to walk. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a maze somewhere on the property with a Minotaur pacing around in it.

A really crappy photo of the beautiful gardens of Versailles. Like, you can't tell in the picture but there are gorgeous topiary and lovely designed landscaped hedges. Trust me, it's gorgeous. Just blame my photography skills and lack of photographic evidence.

One of the few times I've taken a good photo and it's of this either ancient Roman or Greek god guy just lounging by a man made lake. Or is it a pond? Or a reflecting pool?

One of the MANY fountains in the gardens. None of them were running on the day we visited. Apparently they only run the fountains certain days of the years, to help prevent water erosion. But I talked to my aunt about Versailles and she said when she visited back in the 70's, they ran the fountains but because of the stagnant water that just sits there, it filled the gardens with the smell of rotting eggs. Gross.

A grotto to make Hugh Hefner jealous.

Yet another fountain! This one even bigger than the last! I'm sure you can't see, but there was a bird sitting on top of the statue at the very top. So many people were trying to take pictures and simultaneously shoo the bird off in hopes of getting a better shot. I think the bird adds a nice, how do you say, je ne sais quoi?

The turtle and frog fountain from a distance. Not pictured: a horde of school children on a field trip racing up behind me and corralling me off of the stairs as I was trying to climb up. Never underestimate the power of children out of school and on a field trip!

Pretty much the same statue as before, just on the other side of the lake/pond/body of water thing. You know you're royalty when you have MATCHING giant statues.

For some reason this panoramic shot I took has a watermark on it when I post it on here. But I still think despite the pesky watermark it's a great shot! If I do say so myself.... (just let me have this one thing!)

Just a simple entryway, welcoming us into the former French royalty's humble abode aka the PALACE of Versailles.

The Sun King: "I don't think they know I am wealthy enough just by seeing this simple door."
Architect: "My lord, I assure you they know"
The Sun King: "Make the door fancier. And more gold!"
Architect: "But sir-"
The Sun King: "Fancier, I say!!"
Architect: "But my lord, this door leads to the chamber pot storage room..."
The Sun King: "No matter! Just make it fancy!"

I forgot who is depicted in this portrait, but I took a picture of it anyway. Chances are she was royal ;)

A bed fit for a king. Or queen. Or whomever. You know it's a fancy bed if there are FOUR feather plumes on top of it!

Isn't this clock magnificent? I feel like it totally would have come alive in the Beast's castle. And would have been totally terrifying because the clock was HUGE.

The Hall of Mirrors! I have always always always wanted to see this in person and now I have! And it was just as magnificent as I thought it would be. My pictures do not in any way do it justice! I seriously couldn't stop thinking about how Marie Antoinette walked down these very halls.

This was was scroll-work done on a window shutter. A WINDOW SHUTTER!!!

The beautiful stained glass at Chartres! Even after hundreds and hundreds of years the colors are still so bright.

On a whim (aka because I had seen pictures of it on Pinterest of places to visit in Paris that weren't the Eiffel tower or any of the other typical tourist-y things) we visited the Paris Opera House and I'm so happy we did! It was huge, gorgeous, and ornate, even more so than Versailles. From all of the paintings, the statues, all the gold and scroll-work, the chandeliers and lamps, there was so much to see and it was all so lavish and elegant. In fact, I think I liked the Opera House even better than Versailles! They had costumes from different ballets scattered around and you could peek out at the stage and the grand staircase was fabulous and jaw-dropping. Plus the gift shop was ballet-centric so my mom and I had a ton of fun shopping for my ballet loving sister. We even grabbed a quick baguette to snack on and ate it outside on the front steps and just gazed up at the beautiful building. It really was so pretty that we just wanted to hang around it for as long as we could before heading elsewhere.

I just had to take a picture of the bathroom tours in the Paris Opera House! They were just so elegant with the "dames" and "messieur" yet they made me giggle knowing they were "toilettes" and looked so fancy. And even the bathrooms were pretty!

On our last day in Paris, we just strolled around, visiting the green bookstalls and doing a bit of shopping. We stumbled across this ornate clock on the corner of a building. It's amazing what you can find just walking around this fabulous city! I didn't take as many pictures on our last day, but that was because I wanted to put away my phone and just enjoy our last day in the city and just take it all in. Who knows when I'll be back again! (Hopefully sooner than I think!)

An Art Nouveau metro station entrance! Isn't it just beautiful?? I've always wanted to see one in person and on our last day in Paris we were just strolling around and came across this one! It was fate! Fate, I tell you!

After we walked around Paris a bit, we decided to visit Notre Dame and after admiring the front and the long line of people standing out front to tour the inside, we decided to rest our weary legs at the small park behind the cathedral and just enjoy the sunshine, the back of the beautiful building, and people watch. It really was quite pleasant and lovely. Plus, there was a little public restroom that was FREE! Score!

This wasn't the last picture I took in Paris, but I thought the picture I took of the Eiffel tower at night would be a nice way to end my blog post. I can't believe I went to Paris! And London! It was literally the trip of a lifetime and I cannot wait to go back and explore more of this fantastic, old, and fascinating city!

Au revoir, Paris! Je t'aime!

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