The seniors in front of the Eiffel Tower.  • Europe Trip Index Page

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Nous sommes arrive a Paris Aujourd' hui et il fait froid. Je suis tres fatigue! Il est tres beau ici et j'adore cette ville.

I just want you all to know that I took French for 7 years and that is about all I could come up with! Thank goodness there has only been one time that I was forced to actually speak French and that was when I went into a Chinese restaurant to use the restroom and the lady spoke NO English! She asked "Vous parlez francais?" (Do you speak French?) And I replied, "Oui, un peu...ou est le WC?" (Yes, a little...where is the bathroom?) She wouldn't let me go because it was for employees only but once she saw the look of pain on my face she felt sorry for me! I must say, it is quite amazing how the majority of people here do speak more than one language fluently, yet we Americans can hardly ask to use the restroom in any language other than our own!

Until now, I've never understood why Europeans don't have a great deal of patience for Americans. Could it be because when anybody speaks a foreign language to us we all look at each other and just shrug our shoulders? Or maybe it's because we tend to eat quite a bit more than all these Europeans, and the waiter can't quite keep the bread coming quickly enough for us! It might be because I walked out of a very nice/expensive dessert store in Zurich with strawberries and whip cream all over my face! I figured, "hey, who needs a spoon anyway!" Another good example is when a 5-foot, 90 year old woman shoved Kim Lancaster out of the way on the train yelling "Excusez-moi!" because we just stood there trying to figure out if we needed a ticket to go through town or not! We may not know what we are doing, but we are having a good time and that is all that matters!

Today was definitely an interesting day, although, as you can see, everyday has been rather adventurous! We left from Strasbourg around 9 a.m. and arrived in Paris around 5:30 p.m. We kept ourselves busy for a bit doing a little team bonding. We went around and said something we liked, disliked, and something we have learned so far on the trip. It was neat to hear everyone's opinion on the different tours and experiences. The bus ride took us a little longer than expected due to our stop for lunch, a little bus trouble and a lot of traffic and crazy drivers in Paris.

Yes, our bus broke down! All of the sudden our bus slowed down on the interstate to the point where we were barely moving. Luckily, we made it to the side of the road where Henry, our awesome bus driver, got us moving within 20 to 30 minutes! Once we got to Paris, we saw about three wrecks and some very angry French people. After a little time to unload and get settled in, we went to eat dinner at a French restaurant, where I finally got some chicken! This food is quite an adjustment for me!

At around 10:15 p.m. we headed to our boat tour on the Seine River. It was extremely neat to view the Eiffel Tower lit up at nighttime as well as the Louvre, Notre-Dame and other interesting sites. It was about a 45-minute tour and we saw more than just famous buildings of Paris. There were a group of people standing on the bank of the Seine and as our large boat drove by, a teenage boy decided to yell, get our attention, then moon us! It was a surprise but pretty funny! On our stroll back to the hotel we encountered a man that we believed was attempting to pickpocket us! He soon learned that he didn't want to mess with us!

I have always wanted to visit Paris and I have enjoyed it so far, but the real tour is tomorrow morning and then we are on our own to shop and enjoy ourselves. I just don't know if anything can beat Switzerland! This trip has been amazing and full of numerous memories including diving off of the boat into Lake Geneva, walking through a castle, listening to Jess sing German songs, going to the club in Freiburg, watching Kim and Kim dance to 60's and 70's music, watching the World Cup game in Germany, dancing and taking pictures with the violinists in Strasbourg, riding the carousel, the anticipation of Jess' next outfit because she left her luggage in Oxford, and most of all the numerous laughs with the team!

I have had an unbelievable time so far, although there are a few things that we are all excited to get back to such as being around people that wear deodorant, having ice in our drinks, and having more than just MTV to watch because nothing is in English! Oh, and Kim Smith can't wait to have a salad that doesn't taste like a tree! Mom and dad, just so you know...I did very well on the plane! There was no screeching and minimal leg twitching! I will feel much more at ease once we land safely in Cincy!

Before I go, I must say that I have enjoyed my late night talks with my splendid roomie, Kimmy! Oh, and like I promised...here is a shout out to all my Formal Garden pals! I know it isn't the same at work without me, but I shall return in a few days. I can't wait to see the great holes that mole man has dug up! Goodnight everyone!

Auvoir,
Beth Roederer #21

Thanks to Lois and Austin Gleason for contributing toward today's meals!