I'm starting to annoy myself with how much I talk about this, so I'll keep it sweet. Here's some tips, however helpful they may be and some of my experiences from my trip in Paris. 

My (more or less) week begins on the 4th of September and ends on the 10th. 

So like I said in a previous post, I suggested making a plan before you go if you're like me and plan on seeing the entire city in such a short period of time. 

There's just a quick photo of the torture that I had planned for my poor poor feet, most of which I managed to tick off. I brought this book literally every time we left the apartment because I didn't want to miss a single thing. Before I go on, I'll shamefully admit that maybe I planned to see a little too much and overestimated the durability of my legs. 

Petit Ceinture  

An abandoned railway that lies just under the streets in the 14th arrondissement. It's completely hidden and looks entirely illegal to enter, but sure enough no one bothered us. I would definitely suggest going here, because it's so unlike any other place in Paris.

Butte-Aux-Cailles
Located in the the 13th arrondissement, is a really trendy neighborhood littered with street art that's entirely popular with the locals and the few tourists that ventured this far from the typical, well, tourist spots.
The neighborhood is called Butte-Aux-Cailles, and if you're into anything creative, like I am, then you'll love this place. There's a handful of contemporary bars that fit in perfectly among the street art, that looked particularly inviting.



Le Jairdin du Luxembourg
These gardens are amazing and entirely overwhelming. Every few
meters, there's a statue to see and a game of bowls or tennis to watch. Bring some lunch with you, sit down and take it all in. It's huge, but not to be mistaken for just a park, every corner is different; ranging from orchards to miniature sailing in it's huge pond.


Saint Sulpice 
My most anticipated place to visit. Literally one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Unfortunately for us, there was a huge marquee sitting between the fontaine Saint Sulpice and the
actual Church, so if you're planning on visiting, make sure nothing's going on. The sheer size of this construction is more than enough to satisfy you, but climb the steps and have a closer look at the pillars and the statues alongside the main door.


Panthéon
Architecturally, probably the most aesthetic thing that I saw on my trip. Adjacent to the Panthéon itself is a University of Law and the Townhall of the 5th arrondissement, and between those buildings you have a view of the Eiffel Tower. If you're into symmetrics, this place will make you cry (happy tears). I was happy enough to see the outside of this building, but was otherwise persuaded to go inside, which may have been the best idea of all. In the crypts below the Panthéon, you'll find the tombs of Marie Curie and her husband Pierre, Louis Braille, and a number of other people that the French regard spectacular.

St. Étienne du Mont
St. Genevieve is the patron saint of Paris, and almost all of the
religious edifices we visited praised her. So naturally she was put onto our list. Her gold sarcophagus resides in the rightmost part of the St. Étienne du Mont, where a shrine is set up for the public to visit. It is located towards the back of the Panthéon and so I feel it doesn't get as much attention as it should. By far the most ethereal place I have ever visited.

The Louvre
Outside the Louvre, there is constant bustle. Hoards of people taking in the scenery and lines and lines of people anxious to get through security and inside this monument. Inside however, it may be one of the most serene and calm places I've ever been, that is until you near the Mona Lisa. Also something I want to touch on, yes she's amazing but she's not the only amazing thing in there. My favourite part of the Louvre had to be the abundance of French and European sculptures that was on exhibition. Nothing in the museum took my breath away quite like these huge phenomenal statues.

Ladurée
If the walk from the Louvre all the way down the Champs-Élysées didn't nearly get you hospitalized, then I applaud you. However there is a light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time in my life and hopefully not the last, I had a real 'Blair Waldorf' moment. I sat in Ladurée - one of France's most luxurious bakeries, sipped on a Kir and ate the most amazing macaroons. Do it, if not for the love of delicious little pink cakes or alcohol, then for the Blair Waldorf moment.

Arc de Triomphe 
For something so painful, I figured it had to be worth it. Never in my life, had I ever thought that one day I would be begging for a double leg amputation. In Paris, it occurred to me a lot that I presumed things to be a lot smaller than they actually were. As a matter of fact, they're all huge. The Arc de Triomphe near enough killed me. The worst calf pain I have ever felt in my life. My lungs felt like they were about to burst and the whole walking around in circles certainly didn't help. With buckling legs, I managed to make it to the top to find the most amazing view of Paris. Definitely worth the suffering.

Parc de Zoologique 
Never before had it occurred to me to visit a zoo while I'm abroad. Once again, I was persuaded by the tales of a mystical monkey mountain and a dome full of exotic birds that could roam free (as free as a zoo can get). I certainly wasn't disappointed. However, none of the above were the highlight of this trip. I have never interacted with sea life as much as I did in this park. I was coaxed
by penguins, whereby I was in touching distance. By far, the best thing there though was definitely the Manatees. I had only ever seen these animals in videos or photos, and to see two of these seacows breach right in front of me was amazing.

The Eiffel Tower at night 
It goes without saying that the Eiffel Tower is sensational, but it is unparalleled to anything else I've ever seen. Once again, as ridiculous as it sounds, I did not expect this superstructure to be as humongous as it was in person. Even more impressive though, is the orange glow that is cast upon the iron frames as the evening closes. I distinctly remember an American shouting to her friend to take photos if the Eiffel Tower starts to twinkle, because that was kind of rare. Sure enough, as we ascended to the first floor and got out onto the platform, the tower did start to flash and twinkle. It was amazing. Plus, if you really want to see the city of lights, don't you want to see it from the top of the Eiffel Tower?


Comme d'habitude, je vous remercie de lire,
As always, thank you for reading

Lauren

My Dog had HGE

If you've guessed, this post isn't scheduled and it's something that I never thought I'd be writing about, primarily because it's one of those things that, if I think about for too long I start to cry. 

I have a dog and since forever, I have loved her with all my heart. And it's only because of recently that's made me realize how important she really is to me. Here's just a few traits of her personality, for you to get to know her that bit more. Sukie is ten years old but has this whole Benjamin Button thing about her, she doesn't look older than maybe three or four. She's never understood that she's a Jack Russell and thinks herself more of this supersonic greyhound. Despite her tiny frame, she's incredibly feisty and believes she can take down any dog, no matter their size. Completely different with people though, prepare to be covered in
hairs if you meet her. If you're lucky and get her excited enough, she'll do a little wee on your shoes. When I first got her I contemplated calling her Princess (because I was a 9 year old girl),  but that's exactly what she isn't. She hates most animals, loves barking at nothing, will eat almost anything and trifles in muck.

Last Sunday (3rd of September), myself and my family woke up to some terrifying behaviour from my dog. She had vomited multiple times throughout the night. Some of which was actual food, the majority of of it, however, was a dark greenish brown liquid. I had been with her the night before, as per usual, and there had been no signs of anything indifferent about how she usually is. So understandably, we were very worried. She refused to get out of bed, she looked extremely gaunt and her breathing alternated between sounding forced and full-on whimpers. 

Immediately, we called the vet and told them we were coming up. She's one of those dogs that doesn't let you know whats wrong with her until it's nearly too late. I'm pretty sensitive when its to do with dogs so when it's my own pup that's ill, the effect is more or less tenfold. I think visually and by the sound of my voice, it was easy to tell how worried I was for her. When we brought her to the vet, we seriously knew something was wrong because of how little she reacted with the other animals in the waiting room. She barely paid them attention, which told us that she really wasn't feeling well because she's so combative when it comes to other dogs or cats on any other normal day. we were there only a few minutes before someone came to weigh her. She was supposed to weigh between 6 and 8 kg, and Sukie was coming up at just under 5 kg, which was expected to be because of all the vomiting that she had done the night before. I decided against going into the actual surgery room with her and my dad, because years before when we brought her I had to leave because I just can't really cope with seeing them prod her and whatnot. A lot of the sensitivity I was feeling, I think, was due to the fact that I was to be leaving Ireland the following morning and I knew that ultimately she would still be sick when I was doing so. It was understood that she needed urgent medical attention and so the vet took her straight into the clinic, not before she vomited all over the floor of the reception. 

We were told to go back home and just wait for them to call us, we had also been informed that they were going to put her on some fluids and take an x-ray to see if they could spot anything wrong with her. It's never happened, that I've brought her to the vet and not come back home with her, so that was extremely hard. 

Hours later, the vet rang and talked on the phone with my dad. A lot of which, I couldn't hear. However, one of the things that was mentioned was HGE. The vet had said that Sukie began to pass blood and so much of it that they were worried she wouldn't be able to recover. Her body temperature had also dropped significantly and they were struggling to get it back up. It was decided she would stay the night with them.

Probably wasn't the best thing to do, but as soon as I was able, I started looking up what HGE was, as well as declining a few worried facebook calls from Patrick that I should have answered. 

HGE is an intestinal disease, otherwise known as hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. It can occur in healthy dogs and does not vary with age, breed, size or gender. HGE can be extremely fatal to dogs, so it's important to act as quick as possible in that regard. It's a fast acting disease that plagues your dog within hours, and if given the chance will make your dog succumb to it even quicker than the symptoms start to occur. 

The following morning I left for France, to start a trip that I had been so excited for, but felt reluctant to leave. That first night in Paris, I was told over the phone that the clinic was surprised she made it through the night, however, she was still very ill and would have to stay in. The following day, my parents were told to think about putting her to sleep. She had lost a tonne of blood, her temperature was falling and there wasn't much medication they could administer to her because she was so small at this point. My parents assured me that they would go up themselves the next day and see her, but to understand that it would be cruel to make her go through any more of the pain that she has already been going through for two days. That night was probably the most difficult because I thought that I would be going on a holiday and coming back home to house where there was no Sukie. The next day, I badgered my mam to hear about how she was. And to everyone's surprise, she had picked herself up overnight and attempted to drink some water. Slowly but surely she began to make even more improvements and by the time my parents got to the clinic, she was walking around the room and jumping up to see them. 

I literally cannot tell you how elated I was, I cried when my mam sent me a video of her. 

I'm home now and so is she. Despite leaving one of the most beautiful cities in the world and spending all my time with Patrick, I was excited to get home and see my baby. Noticeably, she's extremely different to how I remember her being, but there's still a lot of recovering to do. She's quiet and more subdued. She has a decent amount of medication for such a tiny pup. She sleeps a lot now too, which I'm not used to because she's usually so full of energy. Consequently, she did lose a lot of weight and it came as a shock to me to see her when I came back. She's considerably skinnier, her ribs are visible and she just feels so weak under your hands. She's a bit apprehensive about where you touch her in comparison to the play fights she was able for, not even 10 days ago. But I am so lucky that I have the toughest little dog in the world. And the only parts of her that we've lost, will most definitely grow back. 

Lots and lots of love and kisses to my doggy and all the other HGE doggies that I have never heard of up until this point, and to their owners, who's heartbreak I have experienced and never ever ever want to again. 

Take care of your pups. 

Why aren't scientists focusing on immortalizing dogs?

Talk soon, 

Lauren & Sukie