Ok, so after four chapters of my western novel, two movies and a sleepless night full of crying babies we arrived in France, Paris to be exact. It was just passed 6 am when we arrived and all of Paris was covered in darkness. The sky was turning a beautiful red ocher that was reflected in the street lamps that lined the streets. After 9 hours on a flight at 31,000 feet in the air though, any land looked gorgeous, but Paris especially. We landed about a half hour later and made our way to the shuttles that Maria had booked for us to ride to Hotel Malar. Twenty-five minutes later we arrived at the hotel, only to discover that we couldn’t check in till 2 pm. So we dumped our luggage in the corner of the lobby and headed out to sight see.
We passed the Hotel Des Invalides and made our way along the Point Alexander III Bridge and crossed the Seine River. Then we walked along the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower and the Palace De Chaillot which is just north-west of the tower. This gave us a great opportunity for tons of beautiful photo –shoots for our group. Around lunch time we headed to an awesome little market just around the corner from our hotel and got yummy French food! At this point myself and my awesome friend Mercedes got separated from the group so we decided what would be better than eating our spoils of French bread and smelly cheese right at the base of the Eiffel Tower? Not only were we camped under one of the most beautiful feats of architectural integrity but we got to PEOPLE WATCH! It’s a fun game the French play, it’s when you sit down in your fancy clothes (only were American and too focused on comfort to wear fancy clothes) and watch other people walk around in their fancy clothes. After we finished eating, we decided to explore a bit by ourselves, oh adventurers were we! We stumbled upon the Arc De Triomphe Etoile, its this huge arch with intricate designs in the middle of this huge round-about. By the time Mercedes and I made it back to the hotel it was time to check into our rooms.
I loved my room even more so because Mercedes and I got to room together, OK, so imagine a match box with two smallish beds, a TV that speaks French at you, a vanity, and a closet hutch. I felt like the Clifford in Emily’s apartment. Everything is tiny in France because you have all these people practically living on top of each other. For a country girl from the states that was a huge claustrophobic moment. Along with our bedroom we had our own bath room with our own toilet, which in France you come to appreciate very much because the French do not believe in public toilets, needless to say I didn’t drink much water. It also held a shower, also a blessing after about 14 hours of flying. J
Our hosts in Paris were amazing, Carol one our guides/mentors/translators lead us as a group to the Seine where we went on a boat ride that enabled us to see Paris from a nautical view. We traveled down and around the Ile De La Cite, or the Island of the City on which Notre Dame resides.
From there we were invited to the home of Elizbeth Hochman; she is a lawyer and real estate consultant in Paris and a member of the Center Board. She had such a beautiful home and so many yummy treats to eat, it really was a great chance to meet everyone --the students from the University of Paris, the students from North-western and the students I didn’t know from Washburn along with the entire faculty. Lee Huebner, an Airlie Professor of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, was introduced to us. Later that night we met Christian Malard, an established French television journalist who covers international affairs for France 5 television. He had a ton of stories to share with us.
Our hosts in Paris were amazing, Carol one our guides/mentors/translators lead us as a group to the Seine where we went on a boat ride that enabled us to see Paris from a nautical view. We traveled down and around the Ile De La Cite, or the Island of the City on which Notre Dame resides.
From there we were invited to the home of Elizbeth Hochman; she is a lawyer and real estate consultant in Paris and a member of the Center Board. She had such a beautiful home and so many yummy treats to eat, it really was a great chance to meet everyone --the students from the University of Paris, the students from North-western and the students I didn’t know from Washburn along with the entire faculty. Lee Huebner, an Airlie Professor of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, was introduced to us. Later that night we met Christian Malard, an established French television journalist who covers international affairs for France 5 television. He had a ton of stories to share with us.
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