Icing on the Tower

Paris in less than two days - Episode Eight

"It is so cold!" That was the typical refrain for a "hardy" bunch of Canadian prairie people waiting in line for the next elevator to the upper level of the Eiffel Tower. But, up we all went, braving the ice and cold breezes at the highest level for tourists on the tower. It was a great feeling being up so high, but the view just wasn't there, due to heavy fog. The middle level was much better.

We circumnavigated the centre level for that perfect snapshot of the Seine, the ships, the spires and the impressive Parliament. The view here was just awesome. The Fleuve du Seine just shimmered under the overcast sky. The bridges were beautiful and the classic edifices scattered about the area were simply majestic.

One particular fan of Billy Joel took the opportunity to coerce another team member into videotaping him "singing" the old hit song Second Wind, which the original artist recorded at the Eiffel Tower. It must have been the extreme cold that prevented the current singer from remembering most of the lyrics and basically getting the tune wrong. The videographer was most gracious in reassuring the singer that the performance was "all right."

Another prairie born couple took the opportunity for a few romantic moments on the tower, as this day was their anniversary. As they say, "when in Paris do as the Parisians do."

Coming down from the great heights, our team was satisfied and still in great awe at having experienced the sensation of seeing the world from the Eiffel Tower.

More to read, later...

Awesome l'Arc de Triomphe

Paris in less than two days - Episode Seven

Only a short metro ride north of the Eiffel Tower is the Arc de Triomphe. I remember seeing a slide of it when I was a kid. My school principal had been there and taken a picture of the edifice from the street when there was a break in traffic. Crazy fool. But more about that later.

I was just thrilled to see this awesome archway. It was after dark and the floodlights gave it a mysterious appearance. The Eiffel Tower's searchlight penetrated the dark sky from a distance, but was greatly dwarfed by this colossus, at the head of le Champs d'Elysees. From the metro exit, we then found our way under the street through a tunnel to the foot of the arch.

Along the tunnel pedway artists hawked their masterpieces and found willing purchasers in our group. I didn't blame them for buying; the sketches and paintings were just beautiful. I resisted the temptation to buy as I couldn't figure out a good way to transport the works home, via Africa. The tunnel itself was nifty with its dimly lit hallway and eclectic pedestrians.

Exiting the tunnel, we walked up to the edifice and could venture inside to gaze upward at the equisite architecture. It was solid and steadfast, but charming and lovely. Standing outside the arch, and nearest to the Champs d'Elysees, you could stand over a lightsource beaming up from below the pavement. The effect was surreal and funny, seeing the dark shadows over our rosy cheeks.

But, back to the busy street. From across the north east intersection, as I stared in wonder at the gorgeous arch, our team leader remarked to me about the fascinating traffic around the Arc de Triomphe. As I watched I could not believe what I was seeing. From five intersections surrounding the arch, five or so lanes circumnavigated the archway. The traffic was simply crazy.

A car would enter from our left and would aim itself towards the arch waiting for an opening on the outer lane. It inched forward as a couple of lanes suddenly moved to its outside. Finally it would accelerate into an inner lane in the same direction as the rest of the vehicles. There seemed to be no order to the circular traffic. You just drove into the maze of automobiles and navigated your way through the bedlam.

To a mesmerized western Canadian boy this appeared to be utter chaos. However, there was no horn honking and everyone seemed to function with the madness of entering, negotiating lane changes, and somehow exiting. Despite all appearances, everything was in complete control. Seems like a good lesson for a travelling cross-cultural team.

More on day two later...

Le diner

Paris in less than two days - Episode Six

After wandering about in our new neighborhood, our team happened upon a nifty petite Parisien restaurant. A group of 12 mostly unilingual English persons sitting at a long table right in the middle of the main room was surely most conspicuous. But the enjoyment was all ours.

You start with the bread (le pain) and enjoy that while your mind debates over duck (canard) versus foie gras (goose liver). Well, not a tough choice there. However, if you are the adventurous male roommates, you try the escargots for an appetizer.

Again, kudos to Barb for her tireless assistance in placing orders (did she ever receive a tip?). Eventually, all were happy with their choices taken off the wall menus. The bread kept coming and the water (l'eau) kept flowing.

At the end, we had to sample the authentic french custard desserts. Scrumptious. Then, after fighting over the bill (to make sure the other team member didn't pay too much) we were off to see more of the Paris nightlife.

The night is still young yet...