Accommodation, Travel, University, International Friends and Things to do...

Accommodation

Why the extortionate Parisian rent prices are really worth every single penny when you can literally hear the bells of Notre Dame (and those ridiculous bin-men) every morning...

Disclaimer: Some people are lucky and find a living room and a space big enough to live in a decent arrondissement, some people not so much - Paris is still beautiful no matter where your bed is.

So... finding accommodation really is impossible and a struggle - I was lucky enough to live in the 5th arrondissement (8 minutes walk away from the Sorbonne University, 3 minutes from the Notre Dame, 6 minutes from Hotel de Ville and most importantly, 4 minutes from the Creperies and across the road from a boulangerie! ).

It was super expensive, but worth every penny - I lived with 2 others but the saving grace was having a kitchen big enough for more than 5 people - meaning it was perfect to invite all my new international friends over so that we could all drink cheap 1. 50 euro wine and listen to outdated French music (Yes, everyone still loves Stromae).

Attached are some photos of the view from my window and a picture of my international friends and me at one of my many "Soirées". Bills were included - hooray! I did not have to make those annoying trips to the laverie with all my washing and pay 8 euros for a cycle! Also, the snow in Paris is beautiful... but being able to use the heater and have many hot showers was priceless!

Also, a little tip, make sure you’re close-ish to a metro station, when it pouring cats and dogs (an expression that French people LOVE) or it’s 1am and you’ve just made the last train on a Saturday, you just want to skip home!

My road was stunning...

Travel

The Passe Navigo card, international travel and the Métro

Buy the student Navigo pass – it will be your super power, it gave me free reign to go everywhere and anywhere in Paris and outside. It saves money and honestly sometimes you’ll be a bit busy and just want to catch a metro one stop! It also allowed me to travel to the random outskirts that tourists never really see – I found some strange suburbs, some beautiful and quiet parks, woods and even some cheap supermarkets! – Who knew? Also... you can go to Disneyland... "Paris"

Also, the metro is the best place to see everything – find out the Parisian sense of style, work out how to look moody but sexy and also a way to look out for rats whilst travelling.

Travel is also such a beautiful thing in France, as being from the UK and not on mainland Europe, I was not used to finding €10 tickets on the bus to Amsterdam or trains to Brussels for €15! It’s an incredible opportunity to just travel – all around France and Europe in general – RIP for when Brexit comes into play and travel is a lot harder! Here I am looking wistfully at the cliffs in Marseille... Candid?

Passe Navigo

Cheap travel around Europe on buses.

University and International Friends

Backwards education systems that require written forms and some of the greatest, most open-minded people I have ever met…

The university is so beautiful, I have uploaded a photo of me outside the steps of the Sorbonne – it truly is unlike any other building I have stepped in, let alone had the opportunity to be stressed about taking exams in!

It’s super stunning and old fashioned – as are the textbooks and teaching styles of the French professors – certainly an expérience! The International Friends that you meet here will be the ones to hold your hand and giggle behind the stress as you battle through all the mysterious forms together. Although super difficult learning about 18thcentury economic policy, I really did enjoy the expérience of learning in an archaic French building, overlooking a statue of Victor Hugo and day-dreaming of getting a croissant in my break, whilst everyone else went out for a cigarette.

International friends are incredible – I spent most of my time discussing what Spanish people called Harry Potter characters and comparing national anthems but the commonalities – we were all in Paris to experience the best bits of such an incredible city, improve our pretentiousness and speak French fluently and just have the best time – really just drew us all together. That’s where the tears start – saying goodbye to international friends is a goodbye like no other. Hugging an American and promising to meet someone halfway in Asia or considering when to buy flights to New Zealand really is not that easy. I have friends from all across the world and cannot wait for future rendez-vous. In this photo, there are people from Italy, The Netherlands, Brazil, Switzerland, Austria, Peru and North America...

Things to Do

I have never ever been bored in this city…

The city is the capital city of a huge country in Europe for a reason – I volunteered at nurseries, took part in language exchanges in parks, drank wine along the Seine, sat in the most beautiful gardens and read my book, served meals for the homeless and partied hard! Taking a walk and coming back 4 hours later with no phone memory from taking photos of the narrow streets and funky cafés is something that I will not have in Birmingham – the fish and chip shops hardly rival the freshest pastries on a morning from the open-air markets!

There are the most incredible restaurants, cafés, boulangeries and bars pretty much on every corner. They vary from rooftop sky bars with extorniate cocktails to cute little bistros next to vintage shops and patisseries with the freshest of éclairs.

Another great thing is how much you can do for free, being 16-25 from the EU (#Brexit), made most museums, big, important ones as well as palaces such as Versailles and Fontainebleau were free! The Louvre (and the beautiful jardins des Tuileries), Musée d’Orsay and much more. €5 tickets to the Opéra Bastille and la Comédie Francaise, €10 tickets to the Opéra Garnier (I even sat next to some people who had spent €90 on their tickets! ), €5 fresh, delicious, woodfired pizzas at the Italian specialists ‘Pizza Popolare’, and my favourite thing - €2 fresh Nutella crepes from the stands on Rue Mouffetard!

My favourite place: The Luxembourg Gardens - Luxembourg Palace...

The food is amazing – bear in mind, for a vegetarian, one thing that I am not sad about leaving were the limited menus and for a vegan – think again! Aside from spending €5 on 1 mango, I will miss the delicious smells of beurre-cannelle (cinnamon-butter) and fresh bread every morning. Oh, I really also really really really will not miss those huge rats that scurried past my feet on an evening.

For volunteering opportunities

Attached are some photos of some great memories and some of the best moments of my entire life.

Paris – I will miss you and will be back.

¡À bientôt!

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Photo gallery