Dancing Through Life: Better Than Christmas

Our European adventures finally led us to Paris, France. This was the city I had been waiting two weeks to see. Actually, I had been waiting five years to visit Paris. Seeing the beautiful City of Light and speaking the language I’d been learning was something I had dreamed of since high school. The night before we left for Paris was so exciting – I called it Christmas Eve.

We took the train from London to Paris and arrived in time to meet with the headquarters of the Michelin tire company. From there, we checked into our hotel and explored the city. A small group of us decided to wait until dark to go on our walk. It took us four hours to see everything, but we have some amazing photos of the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower at nighttime. They were truly beautiful sights. For me, standing under the glow of Eiffel Tower was even better than Christmas.

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One of the must-dos on my list for Paris was “go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.” However, the day we left for Paris, I found out there had been a mishap with our tickets. A company visit had been scheduled for the same time as our tickets to the top and no others could be purchased. I couldn’t even find more available online. The stunning realization hit me – I wasn’t going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I was heartbroken.

I kind of felt numb, going through the motions of our company visit when I was supposed to be fulfilling a long-held dream. Our French guide who led the tour of the city understood this was something many of us really wanted to do. She made contact with the travel company, who agreed to pay for new tickets, and she worked her magic with the employees she knew at the Tower and somehow returned with tickets for all of us to the top! It was amazing – she’s my new hero.

Reaching the top of the Eiffel Tower was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. The day we were there was truly beautiful. We could see everything a mile away. I can still remember the feeling of awe as I stood gazing at such an incredible city. Even the sky is more blue and beautiful after a moment like that.

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Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better, I turned the corner of the top of the Eiffel Tower and there stood one of my dance choreography idols – Tyce DiOrio! I gasped and slowly backed up around the corner, “oh my gosh!” Then I peeked again, getting my camera ready to sneak a photo. My day was made.

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I loved Paris. Ashley and I spent our free day visiting the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Notre Dame. We saw works of art we could have only dreamed of seeing before – the Mona Lisa, Monet’s Water Lilies, Degas’ ballerina paintings, and so much more. We shopped along the Ile de la Cite, conversing in French with shop owners and customers. For me, Paris was a city of dreams come true.

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