A Little Dose of Paris

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Well, this is it - the last installment of my trip to Kenya (my travel experiences to and from Africa). Don’t worry though, it has been so long and I’ve written so much already that I’m just going to give a brief summary and call it a trip.

Like every long distance trip, I had my share of long layovers, chaotic airport lines, irritable bowels and sleepless periods of total exhaustion. This time, instead of going solo, I was accompanied by my good friends Beth and Kemble (who I had just met in person for the very first time).

Beth and her husband Dave (who was supposed to be on the trip but had to cancel b/c of last minute work issues) are long time friends of my parents (who set them up on their very first date). They have played a major role in the spiritual growth of my family over the years. I’d heard many stories from my parents and had talked to them over the phone, but this was my first time to meet Beth and her daughter Kemble face to face (we met up in the Atlanta airport).

Taking advantage of an eight-hour layover in Paris (on both legs of the trip), the three of us decided to venture outside of the Charles Degalle Airport in Paris and see what kind of site-seeing we could squeeze in. We crossed paths with a young American girl who was traveling to Africa as well (Johannesburg) and would be working at an orphanage for the next six months. Beth invited her to join us on our excursion and she gladly accepted.

We made our way to the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was about 30 minutes away by train. It was absolutely massive and had architecture that my father would have loved to have seen. We toured the cathedral and all its impressive workmanship and then took a short stroll around the neighborhood. The streets were lined with fancy little cafes and the age old structures at every turn reminded us that we were not in America.

Due to the fact that we had to change our money (which was a painful loss to the ever powerful Euro) and figure out transport into the city, we had to make this first leg a short visit. Although, we did get a nice little taste of France to prepare us for the second leg of our trip. Now, I’ve been to France before, but I’d forgotten how difficult it was to communicate here. Trying to show respect, I always attempted to speak French in the beginning followed up by sign language. I don’t think we ran into one person outside of the airport that spoke English (or at least wanted to). I think they were just so disgusted by the way I slaughtered their pretty language (with my southern twang) that they couldn’t bare to converse with me any further. Oh well, what can ya do?

After twelve amazing days in Kenya, the three of us found ourselves once again in Paris, but now we were a little more knowledgeable of our surroundings. We made our way deeper into the city by train and reached the oh-so- famous Eiffel Tower. The views from the top were absolutely amazing. Paris is a magnificent city steeped in history, art and culture. We were only there for a few hours, but the Eiffel Tower brought the city to our footstep. From the great heights of the tower, we were able to look down on the Louvre museum, the Arc de
Triomphe, the Notre Dame, the Hostel des Invalides, the Gardens of Trocadero and the Seine River. It surely was a site to see.

Well, there you have a brief summary of our time in Paris. I hope to return again someday and experience more of this beautiful city. This short stay in Paris was an added bonus to a trip that I’ll never forget. This African experience has stirred up my heart for Christ and my passion for travel. What comes next I do not know, but I’m sure it will be a story to tell. Until the next journey, I bid you all farewell.

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Photos

If that tower is around here, we'll find it.
Beth and Kemble blend into Paris as if they had lived here their whole lives.

Catching a train into the city
Kemble is showing off her fancy little diary that put my blue notepad journal to shame...but look at my journal now Kemble...Ha...Ha...Ha...you lose!!!

Comments

[kemble :)]

:)
Yeah your journal is wwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy cooler than my sweet moleskin journal...