Afternoon in Paris

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 Well, I am back. I have been having the worse time getting caught up. I know it isn't jet lag. I think it is just being old. No, not me!

Ok, luckily, my memory isn't gone yet.

We took our final picture with Harry before we got on the bus. Everyone was tired but excited. It is near the end - some are ready to go home and others are curious. The conversation is never dull. It is amazing what teenagers can think of and it is also amazing how affective an empty plastic bottle is. :-)  (Ask Greg on that one) We took this time to call the students back in groups of three and explain how the next few days would play out. This allowed us to answer any individual questions and concerns. It looks like we will be able to see what everyone wants. Yippee!

Harry arrives in record time and there is almost no traffic. We are lucky!

He parks on a main road because the road our hotel is on is way too narrow to navigate the bus. So we have to hurry. We grab all our stuff, say a tearful farewell to Harry - give him his tip - and walk the 20 feet to our hotel. Check-in goes smoothly and we take an hour to orientate ourselves and eat lunch. Food is good.

We are close enough to the Moulin Rouge district to walk. It was just as the movies depict - very red. Then up - and I mean up!- we go to Montemarte.  Montemarte is the art district of Paris. It has always been the art district of Paris. Once up top - you can tell why. The view was spectacular. The students broke up into 4 groups and looked around for 1.5 hours. Jenn and I sat at a small cafe table and enjoyed the scene. The aroma of coffee and ice cream, the sounds of so many languages and the artwork - were intoxicating. Jenn bought a piece of art and it will fit beautifully in her room. (The one I wanted were very expensive, absolutely gorgeous and out of my budget. Not to mention my husband would have been very confused as to where to put it in the house. :0 )

Then we split into two groups. One went to the church on the hill and the rest of us went to the largest cemetery in Paris. Jenn stayed with the group on the hill. They loved the church and were totally enthralled with it. I went with the group to the cemetery.

We encountered the Metro for the first time. (I am so happy that I have experienced the subway system in Boston) We made it straight there - walked out in front of the cemetery. Joshua had great faith in me that I could get us there. Not everyone did. As we entered, Connie bought a map of the cemetery in english with an American dollar. It was cheaper that way. Then we entered the maze. The cemetery is definitely a place of ghosts and ghouls. You can just see them there -especially in the broken crypts. There was one that just creeped us out - the arms....

After much confusion, and many others joining our group - it seems our brochure was the most accurate - we found the grave. Jim Morrison was hidden among many others but flowers, cigarettes and alcohol bottles were strewn upon him in memory. We took a group picture and the kids were happy. Strange. (Of course, I visited the cemetery in New Orleans and Boston. You can tell alot about a place in old cemeteries) 

As we exited the stadium of a cemetery, the kids decided that they really needed a bathroom. So where to find one?  Well in the road of course. In the mediums are public restrooms. They are quite..interesting. I will never in this lifetime forget the yell from across the street  

                    "How do I do this Frau !?"

    (I never thought I would have to tell an eighteen year old how to go the bathroom. It is just one of those phrases you never expect to hear.)

Then back on the Metro - and the hotel.

We met up with everyone and exchanged information. What we saw and the like. Then back out we went and we all experienced "The Metro". We landed at the Seine and the golden statues. The clouds were dark and it looked like a typical French Evening. I purchased the tickets for our boat  tour and then we took a walk for a bit. The kids were hungry again, so we looked for fast, cheap food. Neither was to be found. As we entered the boat, we were able to grab some chips and sandwiches. The tour lasted three hours. What an amazing three hours. It started with daylight. It continued with a barrage of rain and finished with dark and calm. WOW!  DId you know that the Eiffel Tower is like a giant sparkler at night?  And Notre Dame goes on forever on the river side and that even the bridges are in such detail as to be pieces of artwork? During the rainstorm, several went up on top to "experience" it. I heard so many gales  of laughter within the gales of wind.

Arafel said it best "I was ready  to go home, but now I have to see everything!" 

On the walk back to the Metro, singing commenced. We, ok they did (I just listened), sang through the streets of Paris. It was exhilarating.

After exiting the Metro - those with tired legs walked back to the Hotel. On the way, the rest of us picked up some food to eat in our rooms. KFC has made it to Paris.

And so ends the first day in Paris. The rest are just as splendid and eventful.

Frau