Merci Paris, Merci

So the day started out at 3:30 a.m. We prepared in a record five minutes and drove to the long-term parking at the airport. Today was the 13th of June, the day we were to start our long trek to Iceland to join Papa. We took a shuttle to the airport, and then took a one and a half hour flight to Paris. We were to spend a day in Paris. From the airport in France we took a shuttle to our hotel. We had breakfast while waiting for our room to be cleaned. During that time Mamma explained to us what we were going to do that day; we would take the train into Paris, then get off at Notre Dame, and eat lunch. I was stuck on escargot (snails) after my French friend Guillome and my other friend Matteo told me that if I went to France, that was one dish I had to get But unfortunately I never got the chance. Then we would get on a double decker bus and ride around the city. Hopefully seeing all the sites we needed to see.

So once our room was ready, we dropped our bags off and the journey began. We started out having issues with the automatic ticket booth for the train, so we went to the manual one and bought tickets there, and then we got on the train. After a short ride we got off at Notre Dame. The stunning cathedral was beautiful from the outside and even more exuberant from the inside. The 13th being a Sunday they were having mass, and the deep voiced chorus made the experience more memorable. My favorite part of the whole cathedral was the stained glass windows, every little detail was made out in little pieces of glass, and the whole thing was stunning. We exited the church and headed for lunch. We stopped at a restaurant that had all sorts of flags hanging from the ceiling. I had a Blanquette due veau, Mamma had a boeuf Bourguignon, and Paolo had a sandwich with duck breast and something else on it. The waiter was a bit of a flirt and sat down with us to take our order, he also use hand signals and sound effects more than actual words. After that, we hopped on to a double decker bus and went to tour Paris! We started out going along the Seine River. There were stops at various building, and the audio guide gave lots of history and explanations for these things. We didn't get off at any of these stops though. Down the Seine I had such a feeling of happiness, I almost cried. I had finally realized I was actually in Paris.

Then we crossed the Seine and went down to the Champs-Elysees toward the Arc de Triomphe. Then on to the Eiffel Tower There was a soccer game showing for the world cup near there. The team with all the fans won, so there was lots of partying and cheering and so on going on, the bus took a small detour and we got off at the Eiffel Tower. There we walked around for a while, and listened to the fans (who had now moved to under the tower) cheering. Then we got back on to the bus and the bus tried to take a small detour to avoid the roller skaters (I don't exactly know what was going on, but there were a bunch of roller skaters going around Paris), but we still managed to get blocked by them. Then we went down to the Hotel Des Invalides, across the Pont Alexander 111, back down the Champs-Elysees, then to the Madeline, around the opera, and then we went through the Louvre, down the Quai du Louvre, across Pont neuf, and back to Notre dame. You may be surprised at how tiring it is to sit on top of a bus for a long time, right after the opera Paolo fell asleep. I'd have to say though, my favorite part was along the Seine, the sun shining brightly, and that satisfying happiness knowing that I was sitting in the city of my dreams, Paris. I can't explain to you that feeling, but I wish I could share it with you. And I have one thing to say to Paris, because I may never know why I love this city or why along the Seine I was so happy but regardless of all of that, I must say:

Merci Paris, Merci.

-Elena

p.s. Sorry, my camera's battery died so we couldn't take any pictures.