When DawnO and I first started dating we often spoke of travelling. One of the few places we had in common was France. We had vastly different experiences though, as I visited during my high school band trip with 20 of my closest friends, she visited Paris during a city-wide strike. I learned how to use the metro, climbed the steps of the Eiffel Tower, and enjoyed crepes and croissants (pre-celiac). DawnO experienced a city that was miserable, with garbage piling up in the streets, and trains not moving from their stations. Suffice it to say, I wanted to show her the Paris that I remembered.
Our first full day in Paris had us riding bikes from our AirBnB to the Eiffel Tower. We decided to pay the extra Euros to go to the very top; something neither of us had done during our original trips. There was no sign of a city strike, and the locals weren’t any more miserable than usual… so far, so good.
Next, we rode to the Arc de Triomphe, which had us riding our bikes around traffic circles like pros. Nailing it!
Afterwards we made our way to Notre Dame and surveyed the damage from the fire that occurred a few months before. They have already begun reparations and the Cathedral still looks quite beautiful despite the scaffolding.
We hit up the Louvre for a quick picture or two of the iconic pyramids before heading back to the Eiffel Tower at dusk. It was quite entertaining to see all the tourists who would take that weird picture of them “holding” the monument in their hand, or “dangling” it from their fingers. This is what they look like when the camera isn’t lined up particularly well:
The Eiffel Tower was certainly impressive as the sun was setting, but it went over the top once it started sparkling with a few hundred twinkling lights. I was certain this would seal the deal and wash away the scars of Paris past.
The following day we moved on to Arras, a town outside of Paris that is in close proximity to the Vimy Ridge monument. It was built to commemorate the 66,000 Canadians died who died fighting the battle of Arras in First World War. Vimy Ridge (Canadian Memorial Park) is now considered a Dominion of Canada. The large monument has the names of 11,285 missing Canadian soldiers carved into it.
We toured one of the underground tunnels and trenches that was restored from the battle. The tours are led by young Canadians enrolled in a Canadian Federal program that has them working in the park for four months before returning home.
The town of Arras was a nice break from the French Capital. It has two main squares that provide a view to the Bellfroi, the local landmark.
Unfortunately, a few not so great incidents like a train mixup which cost us a huge ticket fee, combined with some less than friendly “customer service” still left us feeling like France wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been. But at least it was better than miserable. I’ll take that as a win.
