JULY 22

The Arch de triumph.

 

This is not just any arch, for it the grand Arch, built by Napoleon Bonaparte. Dr. Davis lead the way and a group of us went to the top. The arch displays some of Napoleon’s most famous victories so that when he would enter Paris he would enter in triumph.  If it were up to me, I would take the group to the Arch de triumph on the first day. From the top you can see the entire city. That’s all I needed to understand the layout. Once you see this you don’t feel so lost when you are 200 feet below. I felt confident that if I got lost I would be able to figure out how to get where I needed to go. Let’s just say I am good with directions and once I see something from a view like the Arch de Triumph I won’t forget it. Tell me and I may forget, but show me and I won’t miss a thing.

Next stop, Notre Dame, the NOTRE DAME! When people speak of Notre Dame they mean the one in Paris.  This was phenomenal! A group of us went on a tour with a guide which was probably the best decision we could have made. All the little details that I had bypassed before because they were described in French not English were finally brought to my attention. I learned! Not just observed. The tour was more detailed than I imagined. Apparently Notre Dame is split into two themes on the outside, heaven and hell. The left depicts heaven and the right depicts hell. The guide was French, but spoke very clearly in English. I would give her an A if I was her teacher.

 

The day was not over after Notre Dame, but now off to the Pantheon, I perused the outside the wandered over to the Luxemburg gardens, so pristine. I keep finding a new favorite. The parks in Seattle are well designed, but nothing compares to the Luxemburg gardens. No one sat on the grass, only in chairs on the dirt. The grass seems to be perfectly intact and not even a foot has stepped on it. For the French, gardens are a place of respect and quiet leisure. Gardens are to be observed, but not a place to throw a football or Frisbee like in the US.