Blog #7: Paris in One Day - August 1

Our one-day in Paris was frustrating and exhilarating at the same time.  We arrived hours after we had attended the wedding in Toulouse and were beyond exhausted, to the point that we could not keep our eyes open.

After arriving at our hotel near the Charles de Gaulles airport, we crashed, and slept for two hours before we could move again. Thanks to a few sips of strong coffee I bought at the bar we were able to shake the slumber off our eyes and make our way to Paris’ Tour Eiffel by bus and train. We did not realize that the Charles de Gaulle airport is not in Paris, and that the drive would eat up another one and a half hour of our day. Nonetheless, we arrived in Paris around 5:00pm. It was cold and rainy, but that did not stop us from walking from Notre Dame to The Eiffel Tower.

This icon did not really come to life until we stood in front of it. The massive four-legged iron giant left us speechless. We were proud to climb up by foot, 700 steps to the second level, where we were told the view is at its best. The journey was as exciting as the destination, given the changing views from various heights and angles, including the evening light filtering through the threads of metalwork. At the second level, we enjoyed a 365-degree view that gradually dressed Paris with an evening gown of lights. Words are short to express our emotion being there together and ending our 21-day vacation at such a majestic height. 

That night we had great difficulty getting home. It was getting late, we were starving, and the rain was coming down hard. On our way to the train station, we managed to have a nice dinner at a Couscous Restaurant. To our dismay, that night the train had changed routes, as they were repairing the tracks and blocking off access to our destination. We joined several other tourists in our quest to find our way to our hotel near the airport. It was another ordeal getting home, showering and setting our alarm clocks for an early morning departure, I to Israel and Nadia to Vancouver.  Above all, we were grateful to come home safe and sound.