Study Abroad with Penn State

I came visiting the city of Paris expecting to be regaled by the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, and other famous sites. I did love these areas but there was one tourist destination that I did not expect, and later decided it was one of my favorite travel location during my studying abroad experience. A friend of my roommate's was studying abroad in Paris and she was wonderful by taking us around on a tour of the city. Montmartre was not the first stop of our tour, but I wish it had been our first and last. I could have stayed here for at least a week, camping out on the royally ascending steps, metaphorically similar to what I would have imagined as steps to heaven, to the white-domed Basilica Sacre Coeur. From the top of this hill you can see the beautiful city scattered in every direction as far as the horizon. The destination was not special only for the beauty and majesty of the hill and its architecture, but for the people and the music that surrounded it. Tourists of every nationality alongside locals visit this destination in droves of thousands. Some choose to walk through the hill and beyond to the cafes and clubs sitting behind the basilica, like a secret village protected by the great church. Many choose to sit on the white steps, soak in the sunshine, and listen to the music being played from artists on the bottom of the highest tier. The music projects out over the hill and around the basilica, enticing travelers to stop and pay attention. This is what my roommate and I did. We were transfixed with the musicians who played music in every language they knew, which was many. People visiting sang along, not only with the French or English songs, but with the Spanish, Prsi, and many others. Songs ranged from rock to the blues, fast and comical to slow and gentle. People clapped, cried, cheered, jeered, laughed, and had an overall good time. As we sat there for a few hours the sun began to set over the city, the music welcoming the splendid colors that lit up the sky. It was a place of magic. A place that I recommend to any traveler looking for a good spot to find a common feeling of peace among international strangers.