Paris: Take 2

So, as it was our last night in the City of Lights, we mustered up the courage and strength to go into Paris to see at least the Eiffel Tower!  Well, the truth is I begged my mom to go and she said (VERY RELUCTANTLY) yes.  :)

The train ride is was easy, minus the two drug deals and non-stop pot smoking going on around us.  I just looked out the window and tried to take it all in, looking for the positive.  As we arrived at night fall, it was really wonderful to walk up to the Eiffel Tower all lit up.  I ate a crepe from a food truck, snapped a few photos with my mom, and then as we were about to walk back the tower began to sparkle.  It had a little bit of a magical feel to it, and despite the last week in Paris being so awful, I liked it for this moment.

After enjoying the magic of Paris for about 3 minutes in 3 days, we decided to head back to the hotel.  As we rode our train back towards the airport, it came to an unexpected and very LONG stop.  We looked at one another, a bit concerned as it was almost 1 a.m., and then she attempted to ask the man across from me if he spoke English and knew what was going on.  Quickly, everyone seemed so eager to help!  "Amazing!" I thought,  "here are all of these Parisians making up for the bad reputation."  My mom began to explain where we were going and talking like she does, a million miles per hour.  Everyone looked a bit confused, but still willing to help.  "Slower, mom", I told her.  She explained again, and that is when everyone looked a little discouraged/disappointed/I am projecting because it was how I felt- who KNOWS what they were thinking honestly.  

Well, the train stops running at midnight, and so we would have to take a connecting bus to get to the airport.  The last one was to leave in about 10 minutes and we would need to get off, walk a block in the dark, in some RANDOM neighborhood in Paris, in order to make it back.  The fact that I am writing this now means we made it.  But really Paris?  Really? 

The next day we could not get to the train station early enough to head to Spain!  We arrived about 4 hours early.  I told my mom, as it was the middle of the day and I was in the center of Paris, that I was going to at least peek around a bit.  I found myself strolling the streets, checking out Notre Dame, buying a key chain (dear God, who knows why!?!?), and then heading back to the station to sit with my mom and her new British friends she had met during the hours sitting there.  At this moment, I am SO looking forward to meeting up with Jessie, Peter, and Aunt Serena and enjoying the Mediterranean by boat.  

Au revior France!!!  Au revior!!