Into Paris We Go!

This morning, we all woke up early, ready to skate a great practice. After a short 20-minute walk through the streets of Rouen, we arrived at the rink, wandering aimlessly, looking for a rink assistant, let alone a light. Then we got on the ice (loving the fact that it was blue) and prepared to get our feet back underneath ourselves. We worked really hard during our 2 hours on the ice and accomplished our goal of getting used to it. While we were taking our skates off, we passed a group of Europeans, who stared at the logos on our Team USA jackets (the first of many today).

The hotel hosted a wonderful breakfast for us and another team…a men’s futbol team (that’s soccer, by the way). Once Cheryl told us that we had a whopping 45 minutes to get ready to venture into Paris, we booked it to our rooms for showers and primping, since we knew the vast amount of pictures that would be taken.

The bus picked us up from the hotel and drove by the famous Moulin Rouge. The rather small windmill was hard to capture through the rainy windows. Then we had to depart from the bus and walked to Montmarte Hill to see the Sacre Cour. After climbing up the steps to see the cathedral, we saw an amazing view of Paris. Stephanie and Chelsea introduced us to the history and significance of Sacre Cour. It was an astounding cathedral, with beautiful architecture. We came out of the cathedral to walk into the little souvenir shops, where street artists lined up to display their art, even in the rain. Somebody discovered a crepe shop at the side of the road and suddenly there was a mob of hungry girls surrounding the shop.

Walking with our crepes, we approached the entrance of the metro station. We bought our tickets and raced onto the train, a first for many skaters. While waiting for our stop, we guarded our bags, eyeing every person who hopped onto the train. Pushing ourselves through the crowded metro car, we hurried off, worried that somebody would be left behind (luckily that didn’t happen).

Continuing our self-tour of Paris, we visited Notre Dame next. Elizabeth and Alaina talked about the background of the cathedral, especially the construction and architecture of the building. Escaping the wind and rain, we entered the gothic cathedral to see the awe inspiring stain glass windows and towering ceilings. Sadly, we didn’t go up the bell towers, mainly because we wanted to save our legs to skate. Deciding that we wanted to eat something, we wandered through the Latin Quarter, and found the Café de Flores.

Once we finished eating, we walked to the D’Orsay Museum. Caitlin and Annaleigh explained how the museum was once a train station and how it came to house the largest collection of impressionist art in the world. A quick hour later, we had covered most of the museum, claiming that the Birth of Venus was one of our favorites.

In our last stop of our self-tour, we walked for several blocks (or miles…we couldn’t tell the difference) to see the Eiffel Tower. Coach Amanda and Megan presented history and fun facts about this well-known landmark. Although it was late at night, some of the team took an elevator to the second floor. The view was SPECTACULAR! We snapped many photos, and returned to the elevator. But as the doors closed, poor Caitlin was left standing outside, sadly waving goodbye (the elevator was stuffed). Eventually everyone made it to the ground and back onto the bus for the 2-hour ride back to Rouen.

It was a fabulous start to our adventure in France :D