At 11 a.m. this morning, we finally arrived in Paris, France, after a 12 hour overnight ride from Florence, Italy. When most of us woke up on the train, we were startled to see snow on the ground, but as we traveled farther away from the Alps, it disappeared, leaving a sunny, blue sky in Paris. Due to our delayed arrival, our trip to Versailles was postponed a few days, so we made our way to the hotel first. After much appreciated showers, it was time to head out and explore the city! We grabbed a quick lunch near the hotel, which meant I got to experience delicious French crepes for the first time, and then we jumped on the underground Metro headed to the Eiffel Tower. So far, we have been doing good with not leaving people behind, but today, as we all rushed off the Metro, Mitch and Kyle got stuck as the doors closed. We watched them ride away, and laughed together as we waited for them to arrive on the opposite platform.
The view of Paris from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower, which is the highest tourists can go during the winter, was beautiful and the weather was perfect, though a little chilly. This famous metal tower is very massive, yet still very impressive, especially to imagine how it was built. After numerous pictures, on top and from across the river, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, which now serves as the tomb of the unknown soldier. The Arc is located at the intersection of twelve main roads, making for some very scary traffic, and numerous accidents, as Forrest has witnessed on past trips.
The main road leading out from the Arc is the ritzy Champs Elysees, where the Tour de France actually ends. We got to experience Forrest’s strolling pace as we meandered down the street, admiring the fancy cars and expensive jewelry in the windows. We then made our way back to the hotel, where all nineteen of us squeezed into a small bedroom for lecture time.
Our group dinner at 6:30 was just down the street, at a place called Le Bourbon. After a delicious three course dinner, complete with escargot for a few brave souls, we are ready for a good night’s sleep!
--Abby Langbehn
