Sweet Paris

I spent a semester in Germany while I was in college and while I was there, I had the opportunity to go to Paris for the weekend with a friend who knew the city and spoke French, so it was a no brainer. It was the most amazing whirlwind experience I’ve ever had. I don’t think I slept at all. There was so much to see and it all had to be seen, regardless of daylight, in about 72 hours.

One of my favorite things though was drinking a bottle of wine under the Eiffel Tower at about 2am. The friend who had taken me, G, told me a story that has stuck with me about the man who built the Eiffel Tower and how by the time he finished the monolithic project, he was sick at the sight of it. So every day after its completion, he ate his lunch in the only place in the city where you can’t see the Eiffel Tower. Directly underneath it.

Now mind you, I’ve never done my homework to see if this story was indeed true, but at this point I don’t much care. I just love the story. And I love that the view of the Eiffel Tower from directly underneath it, is still my favorite way to see the landmark. It’s a memory that always brings a smile to my face.

Most people cluck their tongues at me for not having been able to ride to the top, to see the city of Paris from its best vantage point. But given my terror of heights, there was no way I was riding to the top of that sucker anyway, even if we had made it there during business hours.

No I prefer to remember it, looking straight up, the lights around glowing almost blue with the spider web effect of the buttresses making me dizzy. Or maybe that was the wine. Whatever. Even though it’s been more than 10 years since I was there, I have that image permanently etched into my memory.

And it’s a memory I cherish. For the friends that were with me. For the absolute joy of finding myself in Paris.