July 14, 2009: First Day in ParisWe arrived in Paris around 6:00 a.m. It had been a long flight, and we got little, if any, rest. Still, it was exciting, especially since our taxi driver seemed a bit on the insane side. J.D. snickered as I gave him half-teasing, concerned looks for our safety on the ride from the airport. Overall, J.D. appreciated the Paris drivers for making him look like an absolute saint behind the wheel.
Our taxi dropped us off near the Sofitel Arc de Triomphe, on 14 rue Beaujon. We had to walk a little way with our bags since the Champs-Élysées was closed and currently occupied by what looked like all of France's military. The streets were shockingly quiet. It seemed like just J.D. and I moving freely among the entire armed forces. Soon we dropped off our bags at our hotel, and we wandered down the Champs-Élysées to find a spot for the parade. By now, 8:30 a.m., people were crowding the streets. We found a spot that was already 4-5 people deep, but they were shorter than us, so it seemed like the best we would find. After waiting for some time, 10:00 a.m., a line of uniformed soldiers on beautiful horses rode by. They were impressive.
Then at 10:30 a.m. jets flew over with the French tricolors. Different waves of planes and jets followed. (J.D. identified them for me). We saw more tanks, military jeeps, loaders, and other equipment. There were many saluting men decorated like banana republic generals. But by this time, around 11:30 a.m. I began to feel very tired. The people were pressing in close. Many were trying to push in front, and a woman behind me kept chomping her gum right in my ear. I told J.D. I needed a break and went to stand beside a building. He joined me, and we decided we'd seen enough. We went back to the Sofitel and fell asleep for a few hours.
After resting we got ready and walked to the Arc de Triomphe. J.D. was excited, and I love seeing him so happy. We walked around the base taking pictures and then climbed the narrow, winding staircase inside to the very top. From our bird's eye view of Paris, we oriented ourselves to the layout of the city. We noticed how all the avenues shoot out like sun rays from the Arc de Triomphe. I told J.D. about what little I knew of the politics behind widening the streets, which I believe was basically to make riots and barricades more difficult and to enable marching troops down-- as we had seen illustrated earlier in the day. For dinner we found a little restaurant named Sir Winston's. We had tried another place earlier, but the waiter was chasing a little mouse out the front door, so we decided to move along. (The little mouse did get away. I was afraid for a moment that I would witness him being killed.) We learned another lesson at dinner. We learned to ask specifically for "tap water"-- otherwise we would receive a bottle of water for 5 euros!
Then we were off to see the Bastille Day fireworks. If people were crowded for the parade earlier, it seemed like nothing compared to the crowds now. However, we luckily stumbled upon a spot by the Trocadero with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. We found a spot to sit for me, although J.D. preferred to stand. He would occasionally play with my hair or rub my neck as we waited. Around 10:45 p.m. the show began when the sky was still a little light. Then in spite of the crowds, it was magic. It was easily the most lovely fireworks either of us had ever seen. The finale made me exclaim: "Beautiful!"
After the show we clung to each other as the flood of bodies began to move. We found our way home for the night and reviewed the video J.D. took of the fireworks. His video captured it much better than my pictures did, although I really tried. :)
On my pillow at the hotel was a little teddy bear. He came with a goodnight story, a quotation by Jacqueline Mabit: "Dreams are always the start of something." We ate our complimentary macarons and fell asleep quickly, looking forward to the day
ahead.
