At last, we rolled into Paris and pulled up to our home for the next few days — the Le Méridien Paris Arc de Triomphe. This was where the choir group was staying, and in many ways, the reason this entire trip had come together. The highlight ahead would be hearing our Minnetonka Choral Society perform in one of Paris’s magnificent churches.
As seems to happen whenever a busload of travelers arrives, many of the rooms were not ready. We unloaded our mountain of luggage and joined what felt like a small city of singers in the lobby. Nearly 450 choir members (plus a full orchestra) from around the US were all being processed and checked-in through our travel arranger, Perform International, creating a lively chorus of conversations before anyone had even sung a note.
While Arne and Susan headed off to return the Bigster, our rental car, Richard and I decided we’d earned a relaxing gin and tonic. We settled in, took that first refreshing sip and life was good … until the bill arrived. About $25 per drink. Welcome to Paris!
Since Arne was singing with the group, he and Susan were off to attend the welcome dinner with the other performers. That left Richard and me with the perfect excuse to slip away and enjoy the City of Light. We headed into the Latin Quarter to make the most of this first evening in Paris. At the top of our list was one iconic destination — the Eiffel Tower.
Saturday evening at the Eiffel Tower is not for anyone looking for peace and quiet. The place was absolutely packed — thousands of people soaking up a warm Paris evening, picnicking on the lawns, strolling along the Seine and waiting for the tower to sparkle.
Richard’s back and leg were still giving him trouble, so once we reached the sprawling lawn beneath the Eiffel Tower, I parked him on a patch of grass to rest while I set off on what I thought would be a quick mission: find a restroom.
Little did I know.
I wandered around the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine, and through wave after wave of people … and never found one. I’d always heard that public restrooms in Paris can be hard to come by, and this evening certainly wasn’t proving that rumor wrong. It was so hot that I finally decided my body must have simply evaporated every drop of fluid I’d been carrying.
When I gave up and headed back, I discovered a new challenge — finding Richard again. The crowds had only grown larger. Families, couples, tourists, musicians and countless roaming vendors selling everything from wine to miniature Eiffel Towers filled every pathway and lawn. Every direction looked exactly the same.
Thankfully, Richard was exactly where I’d left him — and just in time, because the Eiffel Tower was about to begin its nightly performance.
The show starts long before the lights come on. As the sun slowly slips below the Paris skyline, the tower becomes a striking silhouette against the golden and pink hues of the evening sky. Then, as dusk settles in, the tower is bathed in its warm golden lights.
But the real magic happens on the hour.
For five dazzling minutes, thousands of sparkling lights dance across the Eiffel Tower, transforming one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks into something even more enchanting. The crowd pauses, conversations quiet and nearly every phone points skyward to capture the moment.
It was the perfect ending to a lovely evening in Paris — a warm summer night, the Seine nearby, the Eiffel Tower sparkling overhead and a reminder that some sights really do live up to the hype.
Sometimes the best travel days aren’t the ones packed with attractions — they’re the ones where you slow down, soak it all in and realize just how lucky you are to be exactly where you are. This was one of those days.
Jane in Spain 