The End Approaches

Despite the heat and lack of air conditioning, these past few weeks have been some of the best of my trip.  Last weekend I spent my birthday with the best friends I could have asked for here in Paris.  We had dinner at my favorite pasta place and then spent the rest of the night hanging out in the park at the Eiffel Tower.  The next day, some of us took the train to Deauville in Normandy and spent the day at the beach.  Then, on Sunday, we watched fireworks at the Eiffel Tower for Bastille Day which is France's equivalent to Independence Day.  

This weekend was our last one in Paris, so those of us who were not traveling did our best to have fun without dying in the heat.  On Saturday, we went to an exhibit about the little black dress and then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and exploring parts of Paris that we don't usually go to.  On Sunday, we got up bright and early to rent bikes because we were participating in a celebration of the 100th Tour de France.  The public was given the chance to ride the final route of the Tour de France when it arrives in Paris, a few hours before the professionals.  We got our bikes at 9am because we didn't want them to be sold out, and we spent our morning riding across Paris to the Champs-Elysées where the ride began.  All the participants were given yellow t-shirts and we rode the route in a giant mass as people cheered us on from the sides.  It was really cool to be able to participate in this event and to ride down such a famous road that was closed to all vehicles for the race.  I also went back at night to watch the actual race arrive around 8:30.  It was hard to tell what countries any of the bikers were from because they zoomed by so fast, but it was fun to watch and to be part of the huge crowds cheering them on.  

This week is my last before I head to the airport on Saturday... quel dommage.