I haven’t had time to write about some of the special things we did in Paris.
Our dinner in the Eiffel Tower was a romantic night out, with the added excitement of the pickpocket chase and the follow-up of a sunset cruise on the Seine. When we looked out at Paris from the Eiffel Tower, my first words were “It’s a white city!” In honor of the Bastille Day holiday, the Tower was lit in red, white, and blue–the colors of the French flag.
Late sunsets this far north put the Bastille Day fireworks show at 11:00 pm. There was a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower from the Tuilleries, and the park was across the street from our hotel, so we walked over and joined thousands of others to watch the display. Since the Eiffel Tower’s design uses the structural components as its form, it’s possible to shoot fireworks out of the Tower. To begin the show, the entire Tower twinkled with light. It was like the magic of Disneyland. Then, in addition to the typical fireworks in the sky, some were shot in succession out of the sides of the Tower from the top down, while others swirled around the Tower. Lighting would change the color of the Tower, sometimes in bands of different colors. It was really beautiful and different from any other display we’ve seen.
One evening, as we walked in the Tuilleries along the Seine, we heard the sound of bagpipes–reminiscent of our recent time in Scotland. We looked around to find the piper and saw him standing on a bridge, wearing the kilt, and piping his Scottish heart out.
Au revoir, Paris. We’ll definitely be back to see more of you.