Paris Day 2

The second day in Paris started off when we met our tour guide for the day, Tierry. I don't think I've ever had so much fun with an older Parisian guy as I did with him. Because I was basically one of the only kids who was comfortable enough speaking French during our stay, I got to share some good jokes and stories with Tierry. He was energetic and easy-going and we got along with him great. He kept us entertained while we were on the verge of falling asleep on the bus.

After taking the bus tour, we headed over to the Palace of Versailles, which met every one of my standards. We were split into groups of two so that we could all get to see the Palace and the garden.

I couldn't get enough of the intricate details in the paintings on all of the ceilings.

Tierry taught us that flash photography takes away the colour and liveliness of the original wallpapers in the Palace. Surprisingly, there was more vandalism in the Palace than I thought there would be.

What made me laugh the most was when Tierry tanked through a group of French primary school kids to get right up to this painting to tell the hilarious story behind it.

We all met for a group photo outside of the golden gates before heading off to go to the Eiffel Tower.

We waited in line for about forty five minutes before getting on the elevator. I'm petrified of heights, but I have a deep and indescribable adoration for city lights at night. There was no way I was going to miss out on this because of my fear. I was shaking pretty hard when we got closer and closer to the elevator and when we were riding it. Luckily, a kid named Quinn in my grade shared the same anxiety with me and we stuck close once we got to the top.

At this point, I was crying because of how beautiful the view was and how one of my dreams came true, and because of how high up I was. More and more people came up to the top and didn't help calm my nerves whatsoever. A man had proposed to his girlfriend with all of his family members up there and started break dancing when she said yes, which cause the platform to shake a little and completely freaked me out. 

The wind was blowing so hard I really didn't think I would have been able to get good pictures.

Anxiety-filled, I ran to the elevator to the second platform (where there's no fencing at all like in the previous pictures) and ran into the gift shop in a panic. I spotted a cute little dachshund with a barrette and bought him on a whim, considering I had forgotten my comfort item at home (my plush red panda named Hugo that my friend Lamess got me for my birthday at the Calgary Zoo). Quinn pointed it out when he saw me rush out of the shop and we stayed together for the remainder of our night. We didn't talk after that, but I'm glad I got to freak out with him over something we had wanted to cross off of our bucket lists.

Just a side note: I don't think most of these pictures are in order, but hopefully that doesn't matter. Also, sorry for not keeping up. Grad weekend is coming to a close and this is the only time I've had to myself to blog.