Day Seven
Monday, May 21st, 2007
Today we were off to Paris. To get there we had to take the TGV – the fastest train in the world. After being warned the train only stopped for a few minutes, we were prepared for the Chinese fire drill. What we didn’t know until a minute before the train pulled in was that we needed to be on platform X not S!!! As we booked it down the platform the train was rolling into the station. It was a rather stressful experience thinking we might miss the train. Everyone was yelling and pushing, but it wasn’t really necessary because the train attendants made sure everyone was on the train before the conductor took off.
All aboard the train we had three hours to relax before Paris. I read a little, listened to some music and made another necklace. I also entertained a little girl sitting on her dad’s lap in the seat in front of me. She was adorable and quite a bit of fun.
Arriving in Paris, we had to get us and our entire luggage off the train, but luckily with out the stringent time restraint. We were met by Coo, who led us on a general bus tour of the city so we could see the lay of the land. It was amazing to glimpse the sites for the first time. The Pyramid in front of the Louvre appeared smaller to me than I expected, but the Eiffel Tower was all and more than what I was thinking! I couldn’t believe I was finally standing in front of the icon of Paris. I can’t wait to go up to the top on Wednesday! All the architecture was also impressive in scale and intricate detailing. There is nothing else to really compare it to in the world.
After checking into the quaint Sorbonne Hotel, we were free to do what we wanted. While nearly the entire group ran off as soon as Ted said “Go,” Amy Lynn, Mare, Emmy and I didn’t know where to start.
Emmy decided to give us a destination. Elaina had given her a street name that had a bunch of hair salons that Emmy could finally get her hair done at. After lunch and a lot of walking, we found a place an hour before they closed, but they took her in anyway. While she was getting her hair done, we wandered around the area. Lynn got her nose pierced but that was about the extent of activity.
Earlier, we had walked by a table protesting against violence toward Iraq. Mare and Lynn signed their petition and were excited to see some political action. I hope that the poli-sci crew can get more information while they are in Paris on the politics of France.
Back at the hotel, we could see the top of the Eiffel Tower lit up in the night sky. Now, I’m not a huge fan of cities, but with all the museums, monuments and history how can you not love Paris?
