Paris France (July 20, 21, 22)

The beginning of our trip from Manchester to Paris started on a very sad note. When we arrived in Coventry, we found out about the shooting that had happened in Colorado. I found out about the shooting only a couple hours after it happened, while most people in the US were still asleep and had no idea about it. What a sad and horrific event to happen. As if Colorado had not been through enough with all the wildfires, this event just adds to the sorrow. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.

After catching a bus in Coventry, we finally arrived in London to drop our luggage off at Nido, the dorm we will be staying in for the last two weeks of our trip. We took the Underground to go to the station for the Chunnel. The Chunnel ride was three hours, and we were finally in Paris. Immediately I noticed a major cultural difference that I had not experienced in England or Ireland, a new language. We had trouble communicating with our cab driver with giving him the address for our hotel and got a little lost on the way. We finally arrived to the hotel after over 12 hours of traveling from Manchester to Paris.

A small group of us went out to find our first French meal. We got a good bottle of wine with some bread and cheese. I tried escargot for the first time that was served with a nice pesto sauce. For dinner I had a flank steak with fries. It was a great first meal in Paris. Later that night we went out close to our hotel and had a couple drinks. We didn’t stay out too late because we wanted to be well rested for a busy tourist day the next day.

Saturday was a truly amazing day. We started by going to the Louvre, and exploring some of the galleries they had. I got to see some amazing sculptures and paintings that were hundreds of years old. The room for the Mona Lisa was packed with people trying to get a good look of the painting. It was awesome seeing such a famous and historic painting so close. After walking through parts of the Louvre, we walked towards the Eifel Tower.

Most people from our group decided to grab lunch on the way to the Eifel Tower. Three of us however decided to go to a market and buy food that we could eat on the lawn in front of the Eifel Tower. I got a 2006 bottle of wine, some great couscous with chicken, and some slices of salami. We took our meal and sat right near the base of the Eifel Tower, it was one of the best and most memorable meals of the trip thus far. After a great lunch, we headed back to the hotel to shower up and rest for a bit.

Later that night, a big group headed to spend the evening at the Eifel Tower. We sat on the grass and drank bottles of wine that people were going around and selling. Every hour, the Eifel Tower would have a five-minute light show that was beautiful. We stayed there for hours just drinking wine and socializing with each other and locals. It was a great way to spend a night in Paris.

Sunday morning we headed out to see the scene at Le Tour de France. Although we were unable to see any of the bikers come through because of the time of our train back to London, it was awesome being a part of the environment. There was a parade before the bikers came with hundreds of different floats. After walking all around the last stage of Le Tour de France, we headed back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and head to the station to catch the Chunnel. What a great weekend in Paris it was!!

I am currently on the Chunnel heading back to London. Next week is going to be a busy and exciting week. On Monday, I will start my volunteering for the United States Olympic Committee. I will be a member of the USA Processing Team, and will be welcoming the athletes when they arrive in London. I will be giving the athletes their Ceremonies clothing, Medals Stand outfits, and various other items from Ralph Lauren and Nike. The athletes will also be getting their photos taken, and filling out all the necessary medical forms. This is really going to be a great opportunity, and will offer me great experience. I have to give some thanks to Crissy Perham, for helping me get in contact with people within the USOC. I will make sure to let everyone know how this goes, and will update the blog again when I have time. Thanks again for following me on this journey, I hope you are all enjoying keeping up with my experiences.