At noon we left Château-Thierry and headed to Paris with the band.
I was warned about the driving situation in Paris, but it was a little more tight than expected a couple times. Roundabouts were stressful. I also learned that roundabouts are different in this city than anywhere else – people entering the roundabout have the right away. Weird.
We drove straight to a small place where the 1st Marine Division brass quintet met with a French military BQ to play. After timing, gate entrance, and parking issues (this becomes a trend) we all got inside for the military-to-military engagement. Our band warmed up and played a few things, then the French band played a few things; including the 007 theme music; which was epic. Then they all played together, each instrument by on another. It was really cool to see them explaining sheet music to each other and work through portions before all playing as one. These types of events are small and unheard of typically but are really cool!
After the meet & greet, we made our way to the Renaissance Hotel. We got to the hotel after the mess of finding street parking close enough to get all our bags out of the cars, checked in, and then tried to figure out where we were going to park the vehicles. Turns out they don’t have valet like we were banking on. So we had to get all our bags into our rooms before we could take the cars to a parking garage. I had just booked rooms for myself and my corporal the night before so we weren’t really booked ‘with’ the band, but when the hotel lady said ‘your rooms are ..’ and gave directions to our rooms, I also grabbed all of my bags and walked that way (which was not close by). Turns out, I really should have verified because I was NOT by the band members and I had just carried a carry-on roller, a garment bag, a duffel bag, a camera bag, a backpack, a laptop, a purse, and a water bottle from one end of the hotel to the other, which was the wrong place and then I had to carry it all back. I was soaked by the time I got everything to my own room. The fun doesn’t end there because we had to figure out parking still.
So we had a car, an SUV, and a nine person Mercedes van to fit into a parking garage. It was really intense driving behind the large van into the parking garage. Mega kudos to G for making that happen and finding literally the very first parking spot was open and the best case scenario for marking that monster fit anywhere. Eventually a couple levels down, me and the other car found parking.
The band was ready to go out and enjoy Paris but we had a bit of work to do before we could enjoy all the fun. My Marine and I stayed behind a bit to finish editing and reviewing a video to get it posted to social media to highlight the ceremonies to end Memorial Day.
We finally headed out for dinner but got lost along the way and walked by the Eiffel Tower..because that’s just a casual thing to do in Paris 🤙🏼.. since it was a few blocks down the road from our hotel. COVID rules were a lot more relaxed here than expected them to be and we explained to the band what life has been like in Germany. They were pretty shocked and glad they came at a good time to enjoy Paris like this.
On the way to dinner I got a call from the one and only Mark Lowe. He FaceTimed me from Mexico to tell me he got accepted into his top choice school! He’s going to college to become the best film director you’ve ever heard of and I couldn’t be more proud. Writing him letters of recommendation years after working with him is an honor and it’s so awesome to see your previous Marines grow and develop, and its especially sweet when they keep you involved along the way.
Moms 52nd Happy Birthday!
Most importantly today was moms birthday which I selfishly enjoyed site-seeing around Paris.
We had half a day to do whatever before we had to be back at the hotel ready to leave for the next band engagement event. I had to get a COVID test in the morning because they said you needed one to get back in Germany (I never needed it). So that was an hour+ adventure to wait around and get tested. I was told they’d speak good English (they did not). When I was done I headed back to the hotel and drug my Marine on a packed day of adventure, what a trooper to follow along. We set out for the Eiffel Tower, walked across the bridge, got crepes, walked around the tower, and got some good photos.
Then we set out to the Arc de Triomphe but it was nearly two miles away. Luckily we found these handy bike rental stations and this nice young French guy helped us get two bikes and off we went. Riding a bike in Paris traffic takes some guts; Especially when you don’t know where you’re going and you have someone following you.
We made it, put away our bikes, and walked to the Arc. Luckily after my experience in Berlin at the victory column I knew there were stairs somewhere to go underground to get to the center of it (never run across the circle of traffic). We found the tunnel and after a bit of confusion, I figured out you can go up for free, but you can also pay for the tour to get into the actual Arc. We got through the tunnel and came out next to the Arc. It’s beautiful (like most things around Europe, yes) but it was ornate details on the structure like things I saw in Athens and I enjoyed taking it all in. There was an eternal fire for a tomb of the unknown soldier. I was surprised to see it here but it was nice to recognize in such a popular area.
The Arc was wanted by Napoleon in 1806, and was inaugurated in 1836 by French king, Louis-Philippe, who dedicated it to the armies of the Revolution and the Empire. The Unknown Soldier was buried at the base of the arch in 1921. The flame of remembrance is rekindled every day at 18:30.
– http://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/en/#
By this time we were getting hot and worn out but we needed to get to the Louvre. Luckily the 2+ mile bike ride was easy since it’s a straight shot and pretty much down all hill. Unfortunately you have to go through the Tuileries Garden, which is a large park and you can’t ride your bike in there. So we pushed our bikes and tried to stay in the shade. I had brought my backpack just for today but didn’t pack my water of course. It was 75 and sunny (I got a good tan from the day) and heat we weren’t used to yet for the year. We finally made it through, patched our bikes and walked under/through some beautiful architecture and to the Louvre. It was very anticlimactic. I was let down surprisingly. The area was smaller than I anticipated and while I was glad it wasn’t busy, it was just dull. You could sort of see inside the glass and see people taking the elevator down into the actual museum, which was under where we were standing. It was cool to know the Mona Lisa was in there but no way I was going to spend the time or money to go see just it.
There was a cafe right there in the courtyard so we got a table at Le Cafe Marly, and ordered something quick. We both downed a large water, ordered more, and were grateful for shade and a breeze. I ordered a regular club sandwich for a very expensive price. I started getting anxious about making it back in time since the hotel was now 3+ miles away and we still didn’t have food. Nearly as soon as the thought left my head the food was delivered. It was good, luckily Lewis took one the slices because it turned out to be a good amount, still very overpriced though. We hurried and paid and made it to the bikes (I’m weird and want to get the same bike I just had if it was good) and set out to get to the hotel quickly. The ride along the river was actually really nice and pretty. It’s great how well taken care of their bike routes are.
The last bit of getting up a hill from the Eiffel Tower to the main intersection by our hotel was tough. I somehow made it up still riding but not without serious leg cramps. A couple blocks to go and we dropped off the bikes and walked the last few blocks to the hotel. I was drenched. I was wearing what I’d planned to wear later in the day for our coverage event but was so sweaty. I got to my room and immediately got in a cold shower to cool down. The departure time moved up 30 minutes (conveniently) so it was back into clothes, put on a heavy camera bag, and grabbing all the little things to get outside ASAP. Luckily we rode with the band to the event because I didn’t want to have to get the car and drive again.
The venue for the day was the Les Invalides. It has a beautiful gold dome and is the home of museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, and serves as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the buildings’ original purpose. It was super hot and the band was in their full dress blues (bless their efforts for public performances). We got there and had to quickly get set up and the band barely got to warm up. It was not what I was expecting but was a good experience. The crowd was receptive and clearly enjoyed the music and entertainment.
After the event, the Paris Marine Attache was getting promoted to colonel, so I stuck around to take some photos for him and his family.
Once everything was said and done we headed back to the hotel and while we wanted to go out to dinner, it was late and many places needed reservations around. My Marine and I ended up ordering room service to our rooms because the hotels restaurant was booked themselves for reservations but we could get the same food delivered to our rooms, score. We also got these great buy one, get one free drink cards when we checked in so those came in handy tonight to get a couple glasses of refreshing white wines. I spent most of the evening editing until the band returned from their dinner and I met them out in the hotel center courtyard area where we opened another couple bottles of wine they had purchased and talked all evening. Finally at 11:30 we decided it was time to go to bed since they had to be at the airport super early and I had to drive all the way back to Stuttgart.
The next day, my Marine and I got up, tried for hours, on multiple computers and with multiple internet sources, to upload content but finally had to get on the road. It was a long drive back but again, I like driving and a good playlist and some snacks never fail.
We got back to Stuttgart and I immediately started another 10 day quarantine.
Things of note: people didn’t speak great English in France. Maybe I just kept running into the wrong people but even with their military band it was hard to communicate. Besides our hotel receptionist and one waiter it wasn’t like in Germany where you can get by pretty well without trying too hard. Luckily one of the Marine band members spoke fluent French and interpreted everything for the couple of days when we needed it. What a great experience.
In the short time I was there I got to eat good food, see the top sites I was interested in, and enjoy some good weather for the day; I’d go back to actually do a couple things and really enjoy the culture in the side streets out of the busy tourist areas, but its not high on my list now.
So, Live; Through Travel 