bon voyage!

I had to, right?

Today has been quite the day. Or days I guess I should say.

Jet lag is real and hard and happening right now, so forgive me if this is a little scattered.

So I take off Friday morning at 11am Utah time, and if I must say so myself, it started out totally awesome.

Just call me the packing guru. I didn't even weigh it before hand... I have a gift. 

So I take off from SLC to New York and mind you I've never flown alone (so what if I'm 19) where my connecting flight was going to take me to Paris. I'm thinking that this is going to be a piece of cake until I find out that I'm required to switch terminals! In one of the largest airports in the world! Luckily I had enough time and was able to keep calm and get where I needed to be. Everything is still going pretty smoothly, but I should have known that with the last name of Collins, that would soon come to an end other stories for other days.

Because Paris is 8 hours ahead of Utah, I ended up flying into the Charles De Gaulle airport at 8:30 Saturday morning. But remember, that's only midnight back in Utah, which puts me in a pretty weird sleeping situation. Besides the lady sitting next to me waking me up the second I actually fell asleep so she can get out to go the restroom, the flight went without a hitch. I was supposed to meet up with a big group who were flying in right behind me and I would go with them into Paris. 

After today I have so much respect for my parents generation. How people survived and got anything done without cell phones is a mystery to me, but after a lot of anticipation and no sign of a group, I decide that I can get to Paris on my own. It may have taken me 18 years to figure out that Mount Timpanogos was north, but I saw no other option but to attempt to navigate my way around a country that I don't speak the language in. 

I follow the "RER" signs and buy a ticket. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself at this moment. I'm standing there with luggage that's half my body weight, waiting for the train, when some announcement comes on that I can't understand, but I'm getting the feeling that it isn't good. I turn to the lady next to me and say, "the train isn't coming is it?" 

Of course it isn't. So, I follow this literally god-sent girl to a shuttle, which takes us to a different terminal where we get on a bus to get on a different train. After a 20 minute bus ride, we arrive in a train station. I board the "RER B line" and head towards Paris where I get off at the Notre Dame station. I then board the metro line 10 and get off 8 stops later, where I'm thinking I'll see my hotel. Wrong again.

After a mile walk I might have sore arms after lugging my bags around Paris all day and a little bit of panic, I arrive at the Adagio hotel where the group who I should have met up with were waiting. It was such an adventure and I am totally giving myself props for my bravery and navigation skills. 

And finally... here are some pictures from the first day! (yes we all needed a shower desperately and no we couldn't check into our rooms yet)

Tomorrow a few of us are assigned to go to church in Versailles! 

J'aime Paris! Au Revoir!