Today we began our adventures at the Trocadero Square, which is where one can take the money shots of the La Tour Eiffel! We took our obligatory pics of the whole group, the leaping in the air with joy pic, the selfies, and the artistic turning the camera at funky angles pics. So, check! Eiffel Tower pics done. On to the bus tour!
The bus took us all around the major sites of Paris to show us what's what. We had a professional guide to tell us all the stories and all the history of France--and no matter how many times I've taken the bus tour, I always learn new stuff. Delightful! We went down the Champs Elysees, which is an amazing view--like in the movies, but in real life! :-) Both sides are lined with sycamore trees and FABULOUS shops (Louis Vuitton, etc.) which we could only admire from the bus. Sigh. The Arc de Triomphe is the jewel at the end of the Champs Elysees, and we got a good look at it from the bus as it circled... and circled again... in the big floaty-boat bus.... Deep breath of relief as we got out of the circle and onto the lovely straight streets. :-) It really is easier to see the Medieval structure of the city from the bus rather than on foot.
Notre-Dame was our stopping place, and it was as powerfuĺ today as it was the first time I stepped in there with Mandy O'Halloran nine summers ago. The smell of the church is a mix of insense, candles, aged wood and stone, and something indefinable and French. There is a hush in the sanctuary as people shuffle around, looking invariably upwards. There is much to see upwards--the Rose windows, the Gothic arches, the blue paint with the gold-leaf stars that twinkle with the candles.... It is easy to miss the art at eye level in the effort to absorb all the beauty on the ceiling. I always take a moment to myself in Notre Dame, away from the group, to spend some time with my sister and my God. I light my candle for her and take a moment to reflect on the fact that it is because of her that I travel; losing her at 25 was a wake-up call: life is very short. Life is too short not to travel and to do those things you've been yearning to do and to see what God and great men have given our world. Go get your passports! Get on a plane! Pray in Medieval churches--God has been listening to prayers there for centuries. I'm sure he hears us better there....
Because the church is so close, I (along with one of my precious students and my Michaeĺann) hopped across the bridge and went into the SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY BOOKSTORE!!! That's been on my to-do list for YEARS. Pics and treasures purchased to follow. Lunch today: a crepe with ham and Emmenthal cheese that I ordered all by myself in French! With a fizzy Orangina. Yum. Eaten outside across from the bookstore with a view of the cathedral and with the smell of lavender from flower garden.... Not a bad for a summer Thursday. :-)
Next, we visited the Louvre! Which was, as always, overwhelming and all too quick, and which is where my camera ran out of juice! In my best French, I asked everywhere if they had my kind of battery, but no luck. Ah, well. My rìde on the Bateaux-Mouches was made more pleasant by just watching and relaxing and enjoying the moment.
Dinner was weird! But good! Au Bon Couscous--Moroccan food and drink: couscous with chicken, raisins, chickpeas, and a super-spicy sauce on the side (thank goodness!). Dessert was yummy--sticky and figgy? With maybe cassis? Anyway, it was good pastry, served with a hot tea with MUCH sugar (or maybe honey?) And mint.
Just another day in paradise! Wake-up call at 7:30! Bonne nuit de Paris!!
What a extraordinary day!! Buy, eat and describe real crusty french bread tomorrow. I MUST hear about it!
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