The City of Light

On Easter Sunday we began our group excursion to Paris, France. We left for the Cork Airport at around 7:30 in the morning and boarded for Paris about 3 hours later. After the usual tedious and frustrating airport experience, we arrived in a city that was just a short bus ride away from The City of Lights. With our excitement built, we anxiously sat through yet another orientation about the city and what to expect.

When in Paris, do what the Parisians do! I don't think we took that approach. As a typical group of American tourists usually does, our first stop was the Eiffel Tower. On the way there though, the sights were amazing. Every building was so intricately designed and coincided so nicely with the others. I guess the best way to describe it is that instead of the usual process, where buildings are planned then built and a city is the result, it almost seemed like the city was planned and the buildings were constructed as pieces to the city's grand design. I was truly impressed. Though, at first sight of the tower i was not overly impressed. I was of course blown away by its size and presence but aesthetically it wasn't that pleasing.

About an hour later, when the sun had set and darkness set in, the tower lit up. Truly one of the most beautiful sights. Each of its tiny lights twinkled like stars against the night sky. It was majestic. Honestly, the entire city had that majestic feel. Each and every building had lights casted on it, highlighting their architectural details. The spots of shadows and glimmers of light created an ambience that explains Paris' undeniable romanticism.

Leaving the tower, we walked along the Seine River, where we could see boats pass under tremendously ornamented bridges. We made a stop at a nearby Japanese restaurant for some dinner. We snacked on Sushi as we gawked over what we had seen so far. But the night was still young, so we still had some exploring to do. Our next stop, Notre Dame Cathedral.

Have you ever giggled when you see something that just blows your mind? Well I did when we arrived at the amazing gothic structure. It exhibited an indescribable amount of detail across the entire span of its massive exterior. As I sat staring at it, I thought about the passion that its designer must of had in the process of its construction and the feeling that he had upon its completion.