Yesterday we rode the Metro which wasn't all that strange for us because it is an underground version of Colorado's light rail system. Luckily Scott is skilled at reading line maps and we found our way around with little problem. We went to the Musée de l'Armée where Napoleon's tomb is held. It was really incredible to see all of the armor that has graced this world! Some of the decoration and effort put into various guns, swords, cannons and armor were just beyond comprehension! The museum had so much stuff that it actually had a storage area you could see inside. It was filled with rows upon rows of armor and weapons. The most incredible part of the whole museum was the end where you entered the building housing Napoleon's tomb. His tomb is probably the most ridiculously grandiose thing I have ever seen. His tomb alone was huge but the building itself was enormous. It had gold plated everything, biblical paintings on the walls and ceilings in the style of Greek and Roman gods, more marble than you could fathom and windows that allowed in the most spectacular amount of light.
After we finished with the tomb, we realized a few things were oddly going on. First of all we heard noise in a cathedral but we had no clue how to get into the cathedral. We finally figured it out to stumble upon a group of French Polynesian rugby players doing a practice dancing session in the cathedral. They are having a mass today at 11 and it was just a funny scene to stumble upon. We left the cathedral only to notice that on the courtyard of the museum were some military folk. They were obviously French but then Scott noticed a man in military gear that had Asian print on his sleeve. Shortly after that he saw some American soldiers! I was super excited! We found out from listening that they were there for the military parade for Bastille Day on Monday the 14th! We thanked them for their service and went on our way.
Outside of the museum was another spectacle. Hundreds of people were standing around as even more people on bikes rode up. Everyone was wearing yellow and flying various flags. We realized that the flags were all Dutch and (randomly) Australian! Still we were confused. The Tour de France wasn't going to be in Paris at all until the 27th and these guys did not look like elite athletes to be honest. We wandered around a bit and then stumbled upon some people speaking in an Australian accent. Apparently the bikers were there because they had ridden from Denmark to Paris over 7 days to raise money for a cancer foundation! How random that we are in Paris when so many cool things are going on! Of course I was just thrilled! We even had a pleasant conversation with some American girls studying in Germany!
I am just in heaven here and we are having such a splendid time! Here are a few pictures for you all to enjoy! My laptop is almost dead so I will post more pictures at a later time!
A Claire's in a French mall!
The view of the Eiffel Tower from the outside of the museum
Napoleon Bonaparte
Tiny guns!
10
July 2014
The
View From My Window
My
forehead sits against the glass,
As
I peer out onto the rainy street.
My
hart softly beats within my chest
and
my eyes graze out across the scene.
Down
below children play in a daycare,
Tossing
a ball on a rooftop play yard.
Umbrellas
dot the cobblestone roads,
A
scooter races on past to a destination unknown.
The
drizzle of the rain pelts the iron fences,
It
chills the brightly painted doors
As
patrons in cafés quietly read their papers.
My
breath warms the window I lean on
and
my eyes cannot be deceived,
The
most beautiful sight has befallen me.
It
charges up high as if it is gracing the heavens,
Fog
filters the view of the iron symbol.
I
close my eyes and imagine all the people,
Enjoying
the Eiffel Tower despite the rain,
“This
is just Paris” they say as they snap pictures.
I
relish in my scenic vision of this romantic city
And
am pleased to have such a coveted site,
This
is the view from my window,
I
hold it deep within my heart.
11
July 2014
The
Cobblestone
The
little sparrow was feeling quite sad this day and wanted to feel much
better. Unfortunately for the little sparrow, the sun was not shining
and the day was cloudy at best. The little sparrow could not find
delight and flitted around the city. He ate bread from a lady and
watched as the sky stayed gray. By the afternoon, the little sparrow
had had just about enough, he walked along the cobblestone and kicked
around some pebbles. A puddle had formed where a piece of stone had
once been. The little sparrow was staring at his reflection when he
realized a wonderful sight! A small yellow orb had appeared in the
water and sparrow could not be happier for the sun had shown it's
face! The little sparrow splashed around the cobblestone puddles,
joyous now that the day had become brighter.
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