From the Colosseum to the Eiffel Tower

Only in this dream trip could one gal see the Colosseum on one evening and then find herself lying beneath the Eiffel Tower the next. After a packed week of visiting Rome and its sights, we made our tough and detailed connections to fly out of Rome to Paris, France. My roomate from school, Katherine Carelock, has picked up her life and moved there for the summer to lead bike tours. She has stunned all of us with her bravery and knowledge of this huge city. This was quite a detailed trip, trying to make all of the planes, trains, and buses...but it was all so worth it when we got to the metro stop and I saw her beautiful face for the first time. She took us to a small cafe on the street corner took drink a cappuccino and catch up.

At about 1 am, we lounged underneath the sparkling tower, bundled up against the chill outside. She was gracious enough to let us stay in her tiny studio/room where she lives all alone on the fifth floor, about a mile away from the bike company she works for. We talked late into the night and woke up early on Saturday morning to go out and explore. The day in Paris began with a beautiful stroll through the quiet neighborhood area of the city. I guess we saw sides of Paris that most people do not get to see, because I did not ever see the "dirty" and crowded place that people complain about. We shopped for about two hours, taking advantage of all of the latest trends, you know...and then left our stuff at her office before finally finding some food for the first time in the day. Crepes were my top priority in this dream trip, so we sat in the park and ate our crepes from the local stand.

Then, Katherine stepped into tour guide mode and shared with us all of the details and facts about the sights of Paris. I was fascinated with her ability to speak and entertain! We saw Les Invalids, the Great Palace which was supposedly constructed as a temporary piece (like the Eiffel tower, it was supposed to be torn down eventually), the Dome Church which was full of gold and beautiful sculptures. Napolean, who I've found to be kind of a strange and intriguing character, seemed to want this church to pronounce his grandeur. If I'm not mistaken, his tomb is here.

Later, we saw the Champs De Marche park and gardens. We walked by "the Thinker" and then down the Champs E L'ysee toward the Arc de Triumphe where the tomb of the unknown soldiers is buried underneath. This quaint but busy street has several of very expensive restaraunts, artist, and crepe stands. We went inside the Louvre Museum but decided not to pay 8 euro for only an hour in the museum. Really, all I wanted to see was Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory so I just took a picture with them outside in the gift shop. I think we really were wearing Katherine out, so we took a short break outside in the park before we spent a sweet afternoon in Notre Dame Cathedral. This week, we will study Renaissance and Gothic art, so it was so cool to see the stained glasses, freizes, and another of Michaelangelo's "Pietas" (Mary holding the crucified Jesus). We spent some quiet time in prayer and were able to relax in the solitude amidst tons of tourist. In the evening, we made our way to the Latin Quarter to eat an amazing dinner of quiche, salad, fish, green beans, and chocolate mousse. This city is bustling with great food and ethnic cuisine. The weather was really chilly so we tried to stay inside as much as possible. Last night, we were a little concerned with our return trip plans for the morning, but mananged to spend one last relaxing evening drinking cappucinoes and eating Nutella filled crepes. (Can you tell that food is really a large part of this trip for me?)

Our night ended through a long walk in the city, only to be interrupted by four short hours of sleep before we woke up at 4 am to walk to the bus stop. The metros did not run and the bus was too risky, so we decided to play it safe and be on time. After a lovely stroll through Paris at 4:30 am (where we were surprised to find people out, the fruit stands open, and the sun rising over the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Couer), I think we were all encouraged by the time of fellowship and worship through song as we walked. It defintely turned out to be a highlighting story and not the damper that we thought it would be for the trip. The Lord was so gracious, once again, in helping our return trip plans to go so smoothely and we have made it back to the center for dinner and showers...finally! Praises to the King of beauty for his infinite love, sweet fufillments, and amazing times in life. I know that there is a time for everything so I am just rejoicing in these moments of such satisfaction.