Final day in Paris

It was finally here, the day I was dreading. Our final day in Paris.


We began by getting up and skipping breakfast again. This had become the norm when we would get started earlier than the restaurants would. We hopped on to the metro bound for the Eiffel Tower and most importantly, with a full camera battery.


When you get off of the metro and come out on to the street, you see it. I do not care how many times I had seen the tower, it always made me tear up. All my life I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in person, and for the first, and maybe only, time I will get to go to the top. The best part is that I was going to the top with my best friend!

We waited in line underneath the Eiffel Tower for nearly two hours. When ticket office finally opened, we noticed that there were soldiers walking around with these huge machine guns. We had seen these guys before on the Versailles stop and sometimes during rush hour in the metro stations. Snoopy told me that I probably should not take a picture of them, but I did anyway.

We finally purchased our tickets and we were herded through a security line, then again herded into a little area where we waited for our elevator. When the elevator arrived, I tried to get a good view from the windows on the way up.

We went through more lines at the second level, and waited even longer for the much smaller elevator that took us all the way to the top.


There are no words to describe what we saw at the top!

Me @ Top of Eiffel Tower!! (and it was very cold!)

Arc de Triomphe

After our time admiring Paris from the top of the tower had finished, we took the elevator back down and continued our journey.




Our next stop was to see the Arc de Triomphe and the nearby Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The arc was huge! It sat alone on this grand intersection - which Snoopy grew to despise simply because they are a complete nightmare to cross! - and to walk right up to it, you have to take an underground tunnel. We finally found the tunnel and made our way underneath the steady stream of cars and came out right in front of the arc. The Arc de Triomphe was built to honor those who fought in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. It was completed in 1840 and the remains of Napoleon himself had passed under the arc on the way to his final resting place at the Invalides.

Names of soldiers inscribed inside the arc

Joan of Arc, pointing her sword towards Freedom

Joan of Arc, "Freedom this way!" 

ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANÇAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914–1918

Underneath the arc lies the tomb of the unknown solider. The text reads "ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANÇAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914–1918" - English: "Here lies a French soldier who died for the fatherland 1914–1918"


We went to many places that honored the unknown soldiers who did not get proper burials and died fighting for the good of their countries. In Europe, they use a lot of poppies to adorn the tombs. An eternal flame burns in memory of the dead. In 1963 after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy requested an eternal flame be placed next to her husbands grave, which was inspired by her trip to France. 


Next, we backtracked through the noisy tunnel and prepared for the shopping trip of a lifetime! Or so we thought.


We walked over to begin our shopping adventure on Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the most famous streets for shopping and entertainment in the world. Snoopy actually was going to let me purchase what I wanted and had pulled out some extra cash so that I could purchase something truly French. Unfortunately, lining Avenue des Champs-Élysées was a Gap, Old Navy, Louis Vuitton, Mercedes, American Eagle and 4 McDonalds. I was very upset. Everything that I saw on Avenue des Champs-Élysées are the same stores that I can walk across the street to the Galleria and see any day if the week. I was truly disappointed. I wanted to walk into a French store and purchase a French dress or something that I could not purchase during any other day. What was worse was Snoopy was even going to allow it! We walked away from Avenue des Champs-Élysées empty-handed and made our way to the Invalides. 


Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides did not disappoint and my spirits rose at the site of the giant golden dome and stone courtyard filled with cannons.

Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides

Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides

Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides

Pigeons standing guard

Snoopy and I made our way through the stone courtyard filled with cannons. Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides houses the Tomb of Napoleon and Snoopy and I were determined to find it! But first, we had to check things out. 

Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides

We found Napoleon's tomb which was marked by the oversized gold dome and we had to venture through the hallways of Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides to find it. 

Napoleon's tomb is big. Wait, not big, oversized and possibly suffering from little-man syndrome!

Napoleon's tomb

Using the people in the picture as perspective, you can gain an idea of how large the tomb was. Napoleon is buried inside 27 coffins and resting eternally right here. I had the same sense of awe coming here. I had heard about Napoleon and had read about his accomplishments, but it always felt like it wasn't real to me because it happened "over there." Now I was "over there."

After seeing Napoleon's tomb, Snoopy and I made our way back to the lovely Marais to see if the Holocaust Museum, or Mémorial de la Shoah, was open. It was.


Walking in, we had to go through unusual amount of security including metal detectors and had all of our items searched. We were then permitted to enter the museum and were guided downstairs. The place was quiet and cold. I had seen many holocaust museums in my life, but absolutely nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Out of rules and respect, I did not take any pictures at all. 


Inside, we walked slowly through the timeline of how events came to pass. It was nearly unbearable to begin with, but I owed it to all of the victims and their families to hear their stories. I made every attempt to understand their pain, but I couldn't even bring myself to think about my friends, family and neighbors being in a similar position. I couldn't imagine myself being on a train bound to my own final destination. The sentence where I couldn't hold back the tears any longer was when they discussed how mothers with infants, pregnant women and little children were gassed immediately. I knew this, but to see the pictures of women holding their sweet little children, I couldn't take it. I had to keep going for them, I had to read through the timeline and see the pictures. 


I came to a video testimony from an elderly woman who survived. She spoke nothing but French and I didn't understand a lot of what she said. I didn't need to understand the words. Sometimes, it's the message in the eyes, the tone in the voice and that some messages are greater than language barriers. Everyone knows a friendly smile, a hateful visage, and tears of unimaginable sorrow. No words are really necessary. 


I had to hold on to Snoopy as I watched videos from the Allies coming in for the first time. I saw the excitement that was only muted by malnutrition. I watched as the American and British soldiers came in and saw the mass graves. To this day, those videos give me nightmares. I could ask myself over and over about how someone thought it was all right, but I have to remind myself that sometimes, people do things that I cannot understand. I will never understand this one thing. 


The last thing that Snoopy and I gazed upon was a tiny flame. Underneath that flame rested ashes of victims. Nearby, the words Pardonne, n'oublie pas, "Forgive, but never forget." I can honestly say that I left that museum changed. I think about it nearly everyday. I think about the woman telling her story in French an the tiny flame of eternal life. I think about the people who journeyed to the end of the world and never returned. 


That night, Snoopy and I finished our final evening in Paris by looking for the things that we wanted as souvenirs. We made our way to Pasha, our favorite Turkish restaurant down the street from our hotel. Snoopy actually watched Turkish   football (soccer!) with the other Turkish who were in the cafe with us. I enjoyed the camaraderie, the schwarmas with french fries, and the lovely French wine for one last sunset and one last night in Paris. 


Even today, I miss Paris and the electricity in the air. J'laime. 


The next morning, we made our way back home. Back to life as we knew it. But neither of us have been really the same.