Surprise! Paris!- Friday 8/26

Just over two weeks ago, Tony came into the room and said, "I bought you a flight to Paris." And so began our Paris adventure. The backstory: Tony was working in the UK and, given my current sabbatical state, saw an opportunity for a long weekend in Paris. We don't plan international trips two weeks in advance. And, Tony had always been a little "meh" on the idea of Paris, so I didn't have an immediate list of Paris dream spots. Those two weeks were spent cramming for Paris (and finding the right shoes). 

I arrived on Friday morning after a sleepless flight. I got my luggage and found my way to a completely non-English speaking Uber driver. Along the way, all I could think of was the shower. Oh, the shower was ever so needed after the long flight and the hot airport, and the running from door to door because the Uber driver picked up at a different place than the signs suggested. Anyway, when I came out of my shower daydream, I realized it was time to take it all in. Before you know it, we were on Paris streets, weaving and turning and bending and then, on one of the turns, she caught a glimpse of the Arc du Triomphe and her heart started racing. A few more twists and turns and the driver stopped in front of the hotel. Of course, she was distracted because of the view (see photo). 

I won't go into great detail about the shower (you're welcome) and will only say that, in true European fashion, it confounded me. It was one that had a half wall of glass attached to the tub. Okay, I have done that before, but it also had a shower head on a hose that attached to the wall. The problem was, it attached parallel to the glass, not on the wall perpendicular to it. There was no way not to get the bathroom wet with that setup, but I found a way to completely flood it. So, in my first half hour in the room, I used all of the towels. With subsequent showers have learned that I can hug the wall and only lightly spritz the room. 

Refreshed, I began to wander. I got lunch at the closest café, Schwartz's New York Deli. Clearly, authentic French food was not the goal. I wandered the neighborhood, found the more Parisian cafés, wound through the streets and found my way back for a nap. I had planned on three hours, but one hour in, a maintenance man came to check on the shower. The poor guy was as shocked to find me in the bed as I was in the room (apparently, I didn't hear him knocking and he didn't see the sleep sign on the door). I was able to nod off again and restore the rest of my nap, rising surprisingly refreshed. 

Again, I set out on foot, this time to Trocadero Gardens and the Eiffel Tower. It is warm here, not hot, but it was in the high 70s at 7 p.m. Pleasant, but still a little sticky. So the fountains at Trocadero were a refreshing natural air conditioner and hundreds of people agreed. To my fellow crowd-adverse people, hundreds of people may sound like a nightmare, but everyone was so spread out it was ample space. I
walked to the Eiffel Tower and then along the Seine river, all while sharing it on video chat with Mom. 

Then, in anticipation of the tower lighting up, I hit the rooftop bar at my hotel for an amazing sunset, a bite to eat, and a glass of champagne. It was spectacular. As predicted, the Eiffel Tower started its glittering light show at 9. It runs for 5 minutes like this every hour until 1 a.m. It was dreamy. Tony arrived around 10. We slept nearly 12 hours, only to be awakened late the next morning by our friendly maintenance man who was hoping to check on the shower.