Always, Hannah: Monday 5/16/2011

Again, I am transcribing this entry directly from the journal I kept while I was on my trip.

Monday 5/16/11

It is 8:48 p.m. in Paris. Today we basically got straight off the plane, onto a bus, to our quaint little hotel with twin mattresses and spiral staircases covered with old purple carpeting, then straight to our activities. We grabbed lunch at a cafe. I had a jambon et fromage ( ham and cheese) sandwich. Then we got groceries at a Carrefour City store around the corner. We were all falling asleep, but I took a quick nap on the floor of two other girls' rooms since mine and Chantal's room had yet to be assigned. Then we were off to a boat tour on the Seine River. The cold air and beautiful bridges woke me up and made me able to stay awak for our dinner at Chez Francoise at the Air France building downtown. We had eggplant which everyone at my table could not choke down, then chicken with potatoes, and poached pears with ice cream. Chantal and I also ordered a glass of red wine which was spicy and strong. Our waiter was young (22 ish) and seemed very embarrassed because he could barely speak English. But who cares? We are the ones who can't speak French in France.
This morning when I was tired and we were walking around the area of Paris where our hotel was located, I was not impressed. It seemed dirty & crowded and the men were lewd, making breast grabbing gestures at our group. Once we went on the boat tour and saw the nicer parts of Paris, I was much more enthralled with the potential of Paris. The buildings are old and beautiful with cafes at every corner and adorable French couples cuddling and kissing by the Seine and on the sidewalks. I loved seeing the bridge where couples bring little padlocks and "lock their love on the bridge for eternity and throw the key into the Seine" according to our boat tour guide. Oh Paris, je t'aime!