We'll Always Have Paris

The fireworks for Bastille Day were amazing!!! We headed down to the Louvre on the Metro and walked up to a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. Within minutes the fireworks started. They shot off the top and sides of the tower and exploded in the sky above. It was incredible to turn one way and see the Eiffel Tower bathed in the light of fireworks, turn 30 degrees and see the Louvre, then turn another 30 degrees and see lights of a giant ferris wheel and a carnival. It was gorgeous and we had a great view.

After the fireworks we decided to check out the carnival. I ran around snapping shots of all the crazy French carnival games and rides. It made for great material. Heather and Dillan hopped on a couple of rides and we ate cotton candy and crepes to our hearts content. The midway was lined with dusty white gravel and all of us were covered in dust from head to toe by the time we left. My black sneakers and jeans looked white from all the dust and when I stomped my feet they looked like they were smoking.

By the time we finished with the carnival it was past 1 am. We headed to the Metro and were relieved to see the trains were still running. The train was crowded but we were exhausted and hopped on. We managed to make it smoothly for a while but when we stopped at a station along the way, the train stopped moving. We were stopped at the station for more than five minutes which is a very long time considering that most stops last less than 15 seconds. Of course there was some explanation for the stop broadcast over the PA but it was in French and none of us had any idea what they were saying. We weighed our options. Getting off the train proved to be a problem because we didn’t know the neighborhood at all. There were tons of other people on the train who were speaking French and they were staying on so we decided to as well.

Finally the train started to move and we were relieved. But about 30 seconds in to the tunnel to our horror the train stopped dead on the tracks. The lights flickered and we all stared at one another aghast. All these crazy thoughts raced through my head about us being stuck there for hours. Would they let us off the train and walk along the tracks back to the station? What if they do and we get electrocuted? I couldn’t breathe. About 1 minute in the wait of terror the strain started moving. But from then on we didn’t trust it. We decided to get off early and walked the rest of the way to avoid the possibility of getting stuck again. Disaster averted. I got home and collapsed into bed after a great night.

This morning we headed to Notre Dame Cathedral. It was beautiful and I got some great shots. We walked around the neighborhood for a while and stopped by Shakespeare and Company Book Store. They had an Anais Nin 1st edition in the window and I was tempted but the rare book store was closed.

Next up, week boarded a lovely 1 hour cruise down the Seine to take in the sights of beautiful Paris. Now this is the romantic Paris that I’ve heard so much about. We cruised from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower and back passing under graceful bridges and past houseboats, museums, and stunning architecture. We also saw the gilded flame-shaped monument dedicated to Princess Diana near the location of her death. It was great.

Unfortunately, this was our last night together. All of us are splitting up tomorrow, some headed for home and others, like me, for more traveling. We had a farewell dinner complete with live accordion music, French onion soup, and chocolate mousse. We were separated into two tables which made it hard to say our goodbyes but it was a good way to end our trip.

It’s been a great experience traveling with all my new found friends. I’m especially going to miss the 11A-ers and the clan from Flat 14. Thank you to everyone for making this such a fun and exciting experience - wouldn’t change a thing.