Day 2, Paris

What a whirlwind of a day. Our tour guide, Claire, was an energetic French woman who kept us on our feet the entire day. From the Latin Quarter to the Arc de Triumph, we saw it all. The sights and churches aside, Jill and I managed to stumble upon a number of Parisian treasures that one would not typically find in the guidebooks. Today, all of France celebrated the Ascension, an important day in Catholicism. All university students and a number of those employed enjoyed the day off. We encountered two outdoor markets of pretty good size. The first market consisted of numerous food vendors including cheese and dairy, charcuterie, seafood, breads, fruits and vegetables, olives and salads, candies, and even a local honey producer. The care and passion they have for their products/specialties is truly humbling. Honey becomes more than just a sweet treat when it is purchased directly from a man that tends to his hives each and everyday. The quality of his product determines his livelihood. This is in strict contrast to the profit-focused brand we typically see in our “one-stop” groceries back home. The second market we found was a textiles and art extravaganza. Artisans sold their handmade products and entertained market patrons in the process. Their creative and colorful marketing techniques proved to be more interesting than the actual products themselves. Perhaps the highlight of our wandering was the discovery of a beautiful park packed full of Parisian students enjoying the fantastic weather along with their day off. The grassy areas were completely covered in blankets and the lounging populace. I was amazed that all seemed perfectly content without the need of external stimulation. Not a single person was on a cell phone, ipad, or any other contraption we are commonly seen fumbling around in America. Good company, a grassy knoll, and agreeable weather was all that was needed in Paris. We rounded off our night with an evening trip to the Eiffel Tower. We rose to the top of the tower and watched the sunset over Paris. What an experience.