The trip to Paris almost didn't happen. During the weeks in which we were busy putting together the itinerary, the idea of Paris was tossed about, mulled over, decided against, and eventually at the last moment was added to the agenda. It was one of the best decisions we made for the time in Europe. While Paris always gets mixed reviews, and while it wasn't without its fair share of challenges, it completely enchanted us. Part of its charm came from experiencing it with a dear friend. Some of life's greatest gifts are the friendships we make along the way, and this particular friendship is going on ten years strong. As women, I don't think we can ever take for granted the joy that we receive from our friendships with other women. No matter where life takes us, or the joys and strength we receive from significant others, there are things that we can only receive from other women who are also striving to live lives of virtue and joy...
... and what a joy it was to begin and end one of our days with the Eiffel Tower. We took time to slowly sip coffee under its shadow, caught glimpses of it over our shoulder as we explored the city that day, and after our tired feet could carry us no longer, we found our way back to warm up with hot chocolate while we watched it sparkle in the night. And it was then that realized that we couldn't face people back home if we didn't at least try to make it to the top. So we stood in line, bought our tickets, stood in line again, and waited until we could board the elevator and be whisked away. I don't think either one of us will forget stepping through those doors and immediately having our breath taken away not only by the cold, gusty wind, but by the beauty of the city lights twinkling hundreds of feet below us. We could only stare, and laugh, and circle the tower again and again attempting to soak it all in...
Now for the reality of the situation... it's not wise to stay too late at night in the area if you are women traveling by yourselves. The metro stop for the tower is not in the best area, so just be sure to be walking back to the metro when there are a good number of other tourists walking with you.
