Tuesday, October 07, 2014

We'll always have Paris . . .

We spent a month here
wandering along the Seine,
cobblestone streets in the old districts,
Montmartre, standing in awe
outside the house where Van Gogh 
discovered color.
We fell in love with crisp croissants, 
crepes made before our eyes at roadside stalls,
iconic museums, street art, 
gargoyles, church spires, stone mansions,
and then we took the elevator up the Eiffel Tower
to stare at the Seine shimmering in the sunset:
Ah, Paris, we remember you!

A blogger, writing in My Creative Wings, talked about writing a list of twenty things you love. Something or someone or an event that brings you joy. As I went through this busy day today, I found myself thinking of  that month in Paris.  

One moment reverberated. We had taken the elevator up the Eiffel Tower and stopped briefly at the first platform (190 feet above the ground). We decided not to continue on to the third platform (nearly 900 feet above the ground), because we could see this platform at the very top of the Tower swaying in the wind. Yes, I am a little uncomfortable standing on a chair, let alone ascending to the second platform. But this was unforgettable Paris. 


A View of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower
We stayed a long while at this second highest platform (376 feet above the ground) to watch the Seine shimmering as the sun set and the lights of Paris spread before us.

Tired, we descended, more than ready to go back to our apartment, when the crowd began to ooh and aah. We turned around to see a surprise of lights as the entire Eiffel Tower lit up before us. I remain grateful for this memory, captured in a 16-second video.



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