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Published: June 16th 2007
Paris
Friday, June 15/Saturday, June 16 “Sorry for the delay—we have had some mechanical problems. Right now they are just filling out the paperwork. It wasn’t fixed but don’t worry we don’t need it anyway,” the pilot announced as we were waiting on the airplane to take off for Paris. After a full hour of sitting on the tarmac we were finally prepared to start our journey to France. At that point we were ready to face the world.
Because of our late departure we were not able to park the plane at a terminal so we had to crawl down a set of stairs to catch a bus to take us to customs. Our passports were stamped, we had our luggage, and now we were actually fulfilling our dreams of going to London and Paris as a Girl Scout Troop. Needless to say it took a lot of time for this to set in.
Going through customs was a breeze. The man working the booth stamped my passport and without further question we were free to roam the country. We were now up against the French locals waiting for their own friends and family and
were quickly brushed off without a second glance for we were the Americans.
Lesleyanne and I were both frightened as we walked through the airport; two men dressed in army uniforms were stomping about. The first man was stern and the second man was caring a machine gun. The gun was something that would scare anyone away…and we wanted to run as far away from them as possible.
After that kind of fright, it was encouraging to know there was someone who was waiting for us. Our driver greeted us as we came out of our terminal. It was nice to see a smiling face, someone who was excited to see us, because we knew that we wouldn’t be very popular in a city that is know to have an unwelcoming attitude towards Americans. Our driver was very lively. He was trying to make jokes as he took us to our hotel. Although he hardly spoke English he was trying his best to talk and with the help of Mrs. Drake’s two years of French in high school we were communicating pretty well.
We arrived at the hotel too early to check in so we dropped off our baggage and went to a local café. Our first outing in France was something to be forgotten. We were all drained from traveling and wanted to eat something—quick. In France meals are times to be enjoyed, not rushed. We were very anxious with the waiter as he took his time waiting on us. We all got very frustrated when we tried to order water. At first he brought out a water bottle, then sparkling water, and then finally a glass of water from the tap. We got off to a rocky start but it all picked up after we went back to the hotel and took a nap.
After freshening up we gathered enough courage to go out on the town. We started off by viewing Diana’s memorial flame. From there we got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. We then headed down the river for a boat ride. This was a great way to see a lot of the city in a short amount of time. The rain was very discouraging as we sat on the vessel looking at the sites, but like Florida weather it had cleared up by the time we got off the float.
We found a corner café to get dinner. We had a very different experience with this waiter. He was willing to work with us—he tried his best take our order and make sure we were pleased. We started off dinner with French onion soup, a delicious appetizer. We were all very happy with our entrees. I had a steak and French fries for dinner and I was impressed.
The Eiffel tower was calling our name so we adventured toward it. The area was filled with tourist; it was a pickpocket’s heaven. We waited in line for forty-five minutes to get on the elevator. As we were pulled up the tower we were shocked by what we saw. Pictures fail to show how incredible the city from atop a world landmark. We explored the second floor before going to the very top. The wind picked up, making the whole experience feel like it was in November. Even in the middle of June we were all dressed in long pants and sweaters. After waiting in another line we were finally on top of the world. The 360-degree view of the city was breathtaking. The wind was so bad on the third level it was hard to stand on certain sides. After taking the classic pictures we decided to head back for the hotel.
It was hard to believe that it was already midnight. The day went by so fast. The sun was also playing games with our heads; when it was nine o’clock the sun made it feel like six or seven.
After being scared that we might not make it to the metro before it shut down for the night we hustled our way to the nearest station. It was difficult to get clear directions although these people live in the city and ride the metro constantly they were terrible at pointing out where the stops were.
Our metro ride was perfect to end the night. A gang of kids sporting dread locks and baggy clothes accompanied us. They weren’t very rowdy but it was obvious they had been up to no good. It was all a coincidence that we got off at the same stop. As we were transferring to another train they were heading to their next destination. A girl of the group pulled out a bottle of liquor from her bag and started to drink from the bottle. Only a minute later a boy walking parallel with us lit up a joint in the middle of the station. He didn’t care where he was but he was lighting up wherever he wanted.
After all the commotion it was wonderful to go sleep. The bed was comfortable and the first shower in however many hours was very enjoyable.
Sunday, June 17 We got a late start on the day. Mrs. Drake called our room at nine o’clock to wake us up. Because Ashleigh answered the phone and I didn’t have to get out of bed I went back to sleep. At ten Mrs. Drake came into the room to get us up. Mom and I scrambled to throw clothes on to be presentable for breakfast. We all indulged in breads, fruits, and drinks. The croissants I had drizzled in honey were delicious.
We didn’t leave the hotel until noon. We hopped on the metro to go to the Louver. We saw the beautiful works of artists hundred of years ago. We saw many things from the Venus de Milo to the Mona Lisa. As we all soon figured out the Mona Lisa is overrated, yet Lesleyanne still tried to take an illegal picture of the painting. It was a beautiful piece of work but Lesleyanne and I couldn’t understand what made that painting any better than the others.
After grabbing a bite to eat at the museum we went to the Notre Dame. We had to push and shove to get back on to the metro but we finally made it to the church after running through the rain. It was incredible how beautiful the place was. Its towers were sculpted with many designs and the building was framed with glass mosaics. We were lucky enough to just make it into the church when the last session was starting. We walked around looking at the religious statues while taking in the church service. Candles lined both sides of the church. Together we lit a candle for our grandmas. The church was dark and dreary but the multi-colored light seeping in from the mosaics and the glow of the hundreds of candles created a warm atmosphere.
While walking away from the church we came upon a patch of shrubbery in the courtyard. We were all amazed to see snails sliding across the leaves. Of course this scene provoked many escargot jokes, but it was all fun.
We then went back to the metro to go see the Arc de Triumph. The thing was huge; so big it wouldn’t all fit in my camera screen no matter how hard I tried. We had to go through an underground tunnel to get up close to it. The circle surrounding the Arc was incredibly busy. It is so busy that no insurance company will insure a car while it is in there because of how many accidents occur there a year. The Arc was interesting. It had many sculptures and names engraved on the sides and that is about all I know about it. The downside to not having a tour guide is that you don’t get the history or stories of the city. France has also been a horrible place for English speakers. They don’t accommodate us by translating captions or things of that nature.
On the same street as the Arc we went to a tourist store. I got a shirt and an oil painting of the Tower. The little store was fun and it had some out there items.
Farther down the road we stopped into a Micky D’s for a late night snack (it was about 10:30). I had a chocolate chip muffin with a chocolate filling, a coke, and some kind of fancy French fries that were like potato wedges. They also offered beer. I asked my helper if I could order it and he said I was allowed but only if I order food to go along with. Then the oddest thing happened when Coral tried to take pictures while we were in there. The manager came over and yelled at her for having her camera out. We were all very confused as to why he didn’t want pictures taken but we weren’t going to risk a camera.
We were exhausted by this time and ready to hit the hay. We didn’t get to bed until about three and weren’t looking forward to getting up at six to leave the hotel at seven.
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Barbara
non-member comment
J'aime Paris
Sounds like you're having a great time. Have fun!