Bonjour tous et a tous!
J'adore Paris. Ok, so I don't actually speak much French, but I know enough to get by. In fact, I know enough to cause the locals to respond to my comments with a long string of sounds that I cannot usually identify. I've also had a few of the other group leaders (you know, the non-WHS ones I may have mentioned before) demand that I translate something for them. I do my best...I haven't formally studied French since I was six. I suppose even then it isn't fair to call that "formal" is it? Nevertheless, my brain gets some props for dredging up old information and making do with what's in there. Let's see how well it deals with Italian...
La Tour Eiffel. Its ubiquitous spire finds itself in art and on clothing and in movies and while we've all seen it...we haven't all really seen it. I saw it the first time I came to Paris. I was genuinely surprised by how exciting it was to see it and then I didn't actually get to stand at the base of it let alone climb it. This time, though, I did both. 2.5 million rivets, roughly 1,000 feet high, overlooking what I am now certain is my favorite city - incredible. Standing at the top was breathtaking. Well worth the 11.5 Euros and the events leading up to the climb. Ever see the running of the bulls in Pamplona? Imagine that but substitute a group primarily of teenagers for the bulls and add a few random photo stops. They will forget what the tour guide said about the Bastille, in fact, I'm sure they already have, but they will never forget huffing it through Paris to have enough time to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, snapping photos along the way.
Today we visited Le Sacre Coer and surrounding Montmartre, my favorite. Period. I had a moment when we arrived and I recognized a few choice spots from my previous visits. It's funny how we assume a sense of ownership over public places when they strike us and create a lasting memory. Those experiences are magical. The entire place seems magical. It's too perfect to be real. Well, the dudes selling various items all laden with little I <3 Paris logos and various landmarks can spoil the surrealism of the place, but not much.
Louvre tomorrow..I can't believe we're leaving Paris tomorrow afternoon already. It went by too fast. Perhaps we could time travel back and steal a day from London to add to Paris. S'il vous plait? Oui? No, I suppose not. More later...if we have WiFi.
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