you've come a long way baby

i remember my very first day in paris (after we returned from the south of france) and all the girls from the study abroad group met at the eiffel tower for a picnic. i had only been with these girls for ten days, and even though i was just barely getting to know them, i knew i was going to have a really good time with them for the next three months.

whitney, me, tiffany, kelly, michelle (eiffel tower picnic)

 i remember it being the perfect french afternoon. it was slightly cloudy, but it was warm. we could see the eiffel tower, towering in all it's parisian glory above us. and just a stone's throw away was a man playing the accordion. honestly, i don't think it could have gotten any more french. and it was perfect.

today was my last day in paris.

and honestly, i couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.
most of the girls were stressing about getting things done today and making sure they did everything they wanted to do before they left. i probably should have stressed about doing things and cared that my last day in paris was absolutely perfect. but to my surprise, i didn't really care. nothing really sounded fun. and to be quite honest, i just wanted to go home and sleep.
so, not caring what i did, i decided to just follow tiff and michelle around.

we went to laduree (splurged on two macarons - vanille et noix de coco) and then we went to the notre dame area so we could go sit by the seine.
next to the parks, the seine is my other favorite part about paris. there's nothing better than just sitting at the edge of the water and not worrying about anything in world, except maybe falling in. but other than that, it's pretty much perfection.
where we sat was at the fork of the seine, where isle st. louis divides the seine into two, right at the point. honestly, i don't think i can describe to you how beautiful it was. not even my pictures can make up for the beauty. but we probably sat there for a good half hour, just talking, reflecting, pondering, thinking. it was so peaceful. so relaxing. exactly what i need to do on my last day in paris.

after sitting by the seine, we walked michelle to notre dame, where she was meeting brynn to climb notre dame. on our walk there, we crossed a bridge and that's when i heard it. a man with his accordion, serenading those who passed by. i don't know what he was playing, but i immediately thought back to my very first day in paris, when we were sitting at the eiffel tower, listening to the man and his accordion. it was all too perfect. the perfect way to end my trip. just they way that it started.

i'm truly going to miss paris.
being abroad has helped me grow in ways i didn't think would actually happen. i feel like i've become more independent (good riddance, since i'm such a mama's baby) and a lot more "cultured". i feel more outgoing, a little more confidant, and a lot more adventurous.
this has been the best three months of my life and i couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to spend it with. we had our good days and our bad days, but in the long run, the 25 of us really know how to have a good time.
i love you guys!

about half of the greatest girls you'll ever meet.