The Universe Works in Mysterious Ways - July 11

After sleeping like a baby, I woke up bright and early for day 2. It started off with an absolutely incredible breakfast in the hotel. The food was incredible – chocolate croissants, fresh fruit, charcuterie with goat cheese, and the best French toast I have ever had. Once we all ate a ton of items from the wide assortment, the family and I headed out for our first excursion of the day.

We took an Uber over to the quintessential Paris tourist destination: the Eiffel Tower. As we got closer and closer to the base, I realized that the structure is massive and much bigger than I had expected. We booked a tour and I was quite impressed with all the fun history I learned.

Eiffel Tower fun facts

• It was designed by a man named Gustave Eiffel in the 1880s

• Eiffel also designed the Statue of Liberty

• The tower was originally built for the World’s Fair in 1889

• At the time it was built, it was the tallest building in the world (1,083 feet!)

• Originally, it was a bright red color

• Every seven years, it is repainted by hand by only 25 people in a process that takes 36 months

• It is all held together by over 2.5 million rivets

Once the tour portion of our visit concluded, we headed up the tower. The first elevator actually moves at a diagonal angle parallel to the tower itself. After snapping many pictures on the second floor of the tower, we made our way to the peak. I won’t lie, it is a bit terrifying to go up that high in an elevator, but the view at the end of it all is breathtaking. Seeing the entirety of Paris from THE EIFFEL TOWER is truly such an incredible experience.

After our fun at the Eiffel Tower concluded, we had lunch at a cute cafe and then went to our next destination. We walked around and made our way to the banks of the River Seine. We hopped aboard a tour boat and set sail on the water. We saw so many of the notable sites from a unique vantage point – The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre exterior, and the Notre Dame to name a few. Although the boat ride made me sleepy, I loved it and had an amazing time.

We left the Seine and went to the shopping district. Although we didn’t look around too much, it was so interesting to see the luxury shops filled with big-name brands. That’s definitely something I’m looking forward to in the near future. We finished shopping and rested in our hotel for a few minutes. While in the hotel, we searched online for unique things to do and found something truly amazing.

The Shakespeare and Company bookstore opened in 1951 in the heart of Paris. Its founder, George Whitman, named the shop after one with the same name created by Sylvia Beach in 1919. Today, people from all over the world stand outside its doors and wait for a turn to look around the shop. I got to be one of those people. As we waited in line, we saw the shopkeepers setting up for an event outside. Out of curiosity, we asked what the event was about. This unique event was designed for MFA \ writing students from NYU and three famous poets were going to be reading their works, one of them being Sandra Cisneros!

For those who don’t know, Sandra Cisneros is a famous author, performer, poet, and the genius behind The House On Mango Street. I read that book in AP Spanish, delve into its contents for months, and even used it as a source for my AP Literature test. I fell in love with that book and the way that she articulated her thoughts throughout the book. I knew that I had to see her perform live.

As I waited for her performance, I toured the cramped bookshop and explored what it had to offer. I ended up picking out a collection of Shakespearean sonnets as a way to commemorate my trip to the shop. After my time in the shop ended, I went outside to stand and wait for the poets to begin.

Despite waiting for over an hour, I knew that I had to see Sandra Cisneros. The poetry reading began with an introduction and was followed by readings from the other authors. Alex Dimitrov, a poet known for his Twitter account, began by reading some of his works about New York and his experiences. Another poet, whose name I am unfortunately blanking on right now, read about Dante’s Inferno and his life in Louisiana. Once these two authors finished their performances, it was time for the big ticket item. Sandra Cisneros is truly such an inspirational person and the way she performs her work is truly incredible. She had so much zeal and talked about her life experiences in both English and Spanish. I started to get emotional watching her. This was truly something I will never forget.

The universe truly works in mysterious ways. What are the odds of being in a small Parisian bookstore unknowingly at the exact date and time as your favorite poet? I am truly so lucky for every opportunity that has come my way and I am still pretty awestruck by it all.

We ended off the night with a nice dinner and then an Uber ride back to our hotel. Our day was truly incredible and I am seriously so grateful for everything that has led up to this moment. I have loved it all and I know that more amazing things are yet to come.

♡ Katie