Bonjour!

Paris, right outside the Louvre (above)

Eiffel Tower during  a hazy afternoon (left)

This past summer I went on a family trip to Paris. Right outside The Louvre, the famous art museum that holds work such as the Mona Lisa, was a park that fed into an assembly square with a ferris wheel. Without a doubt the scenery was outstanding, however, this photograph does not present the sweat dripping down my forehead from the unbearable heat we experienced that day or the two men who were at a violent verbal joust (speaking in French however, which was good because it provided relief, especially for my younger sister, from all the profanity they were surely using) right near us. Don't get me wrong, my first day in France was breathtaking; being exposed to a different culture and an unfamiliar scenery was a life changing experience.

Later that day I had a taste of my first real French coffee and rode on the Metro (compare it to BART during commute hours, cramped, but also swarming with chatter and live music) and then made a visit to the Eiffel Tower, where you get the a magnificent view of the city, able to spot out the ferris wheel to the left, now decorated with an assortment of lights, and then turning around to be greeted by the famed Arc de Triomphe.

The rest of the five-day trip was spent touring the city, visiting the Sacred Heart and Notre Dame Cathedrals, visiting the French markets, where you can buy anything from clothing and fresh produce to pirated movies and other black market items. Evenings were spent near the hotel, a small two-room suite with an unbelievably heavy door (violation of fire codes, no?), watching television, especially soccer (the Women's World Cup was taking place during the time), and marveling at the view from the hotel balcony.

In the end, the day was a success, and again, being introduced to a different part of the world had been my favorite part of the day.