It's been a long day. But we packed as much action as we could into those 42 hours, making for an exciting first day.
I started off this morning in my own bed, peacefully enjoying some sleep. But once I got up, it was a frenzied scramble to finish packing my backpack, eat some breakfast, and drop me off at the school for departure. Everyone was helping to load the buses, which made leaving Downers Grove the least stressful part of the day.
Once we arrived at O'Hare, we realized an essential truth that greatly impacted our travel plan: Two is company, but 80 is a crowd. So we spent a few hours waiting in various lines, but it was never dull or really unpleasant. We spent those hours telling stories, laughing at jokes, and celebrating small mile stones, like Mr. Teague obtaining his boarding pass or someone locating really cool bathrooms.
Now that we had all become friends, it was time to finally board the airplane. We buckled up, listened to the announcement about how we need to buckle our seatbelts and not panic if the cabin suddenly depressurizes (y'all have probably heard this speech before a lot), panicked as the airplane took off, and then some of us promptly fell asleep. The rest of us diddled about: reading, crossword puzzles, video games, talking with new friends, etc. But then supper came. The flight attendants were very attentive to everyone's' needs, including all types of dietary restrictions. It was reassuring to know that even at 13,000 feet (but who's counting?) these awesome people were willing to consider the individual and not just the collective whole. The supper conversation ranged from debating current geographical location to an intense discussion on the rapture (see Emily D's post).
After supper, many of us dozed, including myself. I awoke to a small green box poking my arm. Further investigation revealed that this was another gift from the lovely flight attendants: breakfast. Breakfast is always worth waking up for.
Landing in Dublin left me with several impressions. One: it was very early. Two: Dublin is very foggy at 5:30 in the morning. Three: it was cold and mysterious. So not my type. But we were all grateful for a chance to stretch our legs before the next flight to Paris and enjoyed exploring the Dublin airport.
I don't know how the flight to Paris was. Like most of the band, I fell asleep almost immediately after takeoff.
Paris itself is amazing. As we were flying, somebody remarked that France is a whole lot like Illinois. She's not wrong. There's a great number of fields, the gothic architecture of the cities mirror each other, there are a lot of bridges, and pedestrians see no need to stop for oncoming traffic. But France is also different than Illinois. France has a much deeper history that you breath in with the air (which is a little gross if you think about it too much). The houses are built in a more classical style, the gothic is bigger, and the motorcycles have complete rule of the roads. We drove through much of East Paris today, listening to our tour guide explain the history the oldest city I have ever set foot in.
We even explored the Notre Dame Cathedral (for more factual information, try this link: http://www.notredamecathedralparis.com/history). It was epic. Crowded, but epic. The vaulted ceilings soared above us as we wandered from exhibit to exhibit along the edge of the pews. There were beautiful paintings, stunning sculptures, and amazing stain glass windows that brightened the spaces with sparkles of blue, red, and gold (among many other colors).
The only thing we didn't get to do was climb the Tour de Montparnasse today. There was a protest organized against new labor laws in France, and they made it impossible to approach the tower. While people were initially disappointed, the promise of climbing on Thursday and nap time quickly won over the hearts of us all.
Dinner was at a traditional French restaurant, and I will forever cherish the time we had to grow closer with friends over a good meal. But now I am preparing to sleep in a bed that I do not know, in a country I have never been to, surrounded by a language I do not speak. And I am excited to wake up tomorrow to do it all over again. What else could possible be better than exploring Paris with 74 of your best friends?
