I'm in Paris!
After spending 19 hours on a bus from Bratislava, I finally got off at Gallieni with my two oversized suitcases (one of them bursting with food) and a hurting back. I miraculously made my way through the escalator-free metro to Ledru Rollin to my temporary accommodation spot.
The first week I will be staying at Auberge International des Jeunes, a cozy and not pricey student hostel near Bastille. I recommend it to all young and adventurous travelers to Paris who are limited by their budget. It costs me 14 euros a night with breakfast and a nice staff in the high of the tourist season. Each night I get new roommates since I am in a 4-bed room and the people change around. So far I've met a Japanese, three Germans, some British girls and a Norwegian. The whole hostel is bursting with international youth which is definitely an environment I love moving in. Pas grave, eh?
I am exploring the beauties of Paris while looking for an apartment (I spend most of the day hooked up to the internet browsing through petites annonces that are mostly very much above my budget). Visiting the flats takes me to weird parts of town as well, such as the east 18th arrondisement which looks a bit like a post-war zone the closer you move to Gare du Nord. On one side you find bustling streets full of tourists wanting to see Sacre Coeur on Montmartre, one kilometer away you think you're no longer in Paris since most of the buildings are run down and predominantly inhabited by immigrants. There are several parts in the city that I'd definitely not call "tourist-friendly". Not that they don't appreciate tourists. The tourists wouldn't appreciate the lack of high-class glamour in parts like these. In fact, most of Paris' 12 million inhabitants live in places that are not at all chic. It just depends on what kind of Paris one comes to see.
School starts in a week and I'm a bit nervous because I opted out of the Welcome Program (hence I am generally lost in the things academic at Sciences Po) and because all my classes are going to be in French. But it makes me excited with anticipation at the same time. I'll finally get to experience a European university life with all its ups and downs for a whole year!
So here the French university&life journey began.
After spending 19 hours on a bus from Bratislava, I finally got off at Gallieni with my two oversized suitcases (one of them bursting with food) and a hurting back. I miraculously made my way through the escalator-free metro to Ledru Rollin to my temporary accommodation spot.
The first week I will be staying at Auberge International des Jeunes, a cozy and not pricey student hostel near Bastille. I recommend it to all young and adventurous travelers to Paris who are limited by their budget. It costs me 14 euros a night with breakfast and a nice staff in the high of the tourist season. Each night I get new roommates since I am in a 4-bed room and the people change around. So far I've met a Japanese, three Germans, some British girls and a Norwegian. The whole hostel is bursting with international youth which is definitely an environment I love moving in. Pas grave, eh?
I am exploring the beauties of Paris while looking for an apartment (I spend most of the day hooked up to the internet browsing through petites annonces that are mostly very much above my budget). Visiting the flats takes me to weird parts of town as well, such as the east 18th arrondisement which looks a bit like a post-war zone the closer you move to Gare du Nord. On one side you find bustling streets full of tourists wanting to see Sacre Coeur on Montmartre, one kilometer away you think you're no longer in Paris since most of the buildings are run down and predominantly inhabited by immigrants. There are several parts in the city that I'd definitely not call "tourist-friendly". Not that they don't appreciate tourists. The tourists wouldn't appreciate the lack of high-class glamour in parts like these. In fact, most of Paris' 12 million inhabitants live in places that are not at all chic. It just depends on what kind of Paris one comes to see.
School starts in a week and I'm a bit nervous because I opted out of the Welcome Program (hence I am generally lost in the things academic at Sciences Po) and because all my classes are going to be in French. But it makes me excited with anticipation at the same time. I'll finally get to experience a European university life with all its ups and downs for a whole year!
So here the French university&life journey began.
No comments:
Post a Comment