![\"201311leecafe1\"](\"http:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/11\/201311leecafe1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThey serve macaroons at McDonald\u2019s in France. No kidding; we couldn\u2019t believe it! Just to clarify we only went into McDonald\u2019s in Paris in the first place because we heard about the macaroons and just had to try. Now I\u2019m no macaroon connoisseur, but we had one in the group and she said they were actually pretty legit. I thought they were delicious! The whole experience was crazy; I posted one picture from the bakery case at this McDonald\u2019s\u2013it\u2019s really haphazard compared to other bakeries in Paris, but it\u2019s still pretty crazy that they have a legitimate bakery at McDonald\u2019s here. Anyway, enough about Micky D\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, we actually had some disappointing experiences at other restaurants. At one, two of the girls only ordered hot chocolate, so the waiter just disgustedly threw their belongings to the side, ripped the table cloth and cutlery off of their table and stormed away. The food turned out to be unsatisfying and overpriced. The hot chocolate was delicious though, I\u2019ll give them that. At another restaurant, we were half way through our salads when Cherish found a hair lodged under a piece of smoked salmon that definitely did not belong to her. Well the salmon belonged to her, but not the hair. That kind of threw the experience off at that place as well; every time someone came out of the kitchen I kept thinking \u201cWas it you?\u201d Anyway, my food was tasty at that place\u2013a goat cheese and apple sandwich and a bacon salad. Nice flavor combinations\u2013savory and <\/i>sweet\u2026 Goat cheese just melty enough to contrast with the crisp apple slice … Mmmmm. Believe it or not though, there was more to the experience than a goat cheese and apple sandwich.<\/p>\n Altogether, Paris was beautiful. Included in our trip was a night-time boat cruise, multiple walking tours, a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral and a trip to the Louvre, where the Mona Lisa is housed along with loads of other masterpieces. The place is unbelievable! It\u2019s humbling to be surrounded by such expansive beauty as the Eiffel Tower, cathedrals, massive marble arches and world-renowned paintings. I\u2019m very thankful for the experience on the whole; there is certainly a great deal to see and experience in Paris and we didn\u2019t even scratch the surface. It would be a nice place to make it back to, but if not I\u2019m grateful to have least have seen it at least once. To be honest though, the one thing I\u2019ll always remember is those macaroons. Bon jour.<\/p>\n -Lee<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>First off, one thing that really seemed to strike everybody was just how strange it is to be in a country where your language is not spoken primarily. You can\u2019t read street signs, menus, newspapers, nutrition labels or most anything else. It\u2019s difficult communicating with waiters or getting directions. And you just feel like a total outcast. Every time I tried to communicate with someone at a store or restaurant, I wanted to apologize, like, \u201cSorry, I shouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d I used profess the somewhat ignorant belief that Mexican people coming to America should just all learn English, but I think this experience has made me rethink my stance on that. Why not just put Spanish on the labels too; it\u2019s not like it\u2019s hurting anybody. Plus, most people don\u2019t have time to just pick up and learn a new language.<\/p>\n<\/a>Also, it\u2019s nice just to walk through the city and get a feel for things outside of the main tourist attractions. Lindsey, Cherish and I hiked three miles across the city to pay a visit to Jim Morrison\u2019s grave. I mean, it was a grave, but along the way we just got to see some awesome architecture and monuments and feel what the streets of Paris are like. It was also just a great opportunity to reconnect with a few of the UW-Stevens Point students I haven\u2019t spent time with for awhile and also meet some new students from other London universities.<\/p>\n