A crêpe dinner with a view of Paris

One of the best things about going abroad through a university is that a lot of things are already planned out for you. At the beginning of the semester, we were able to sign up for a multitude of inexpensive trips planned by the ACCENT center. Last night was a crêpe dinner followed by going to the top of the Tour Montparnasse, one of the tallest points in Paris. When I sat down at the crêperie and looked at the set menu with a few choices of savory crêpes and dessert crêpes, I had a small internal crisis: do I choose a something savory, perhaps stuffed with cheese and meat or should I go for something fluffy and topped with ice cream? Thankfully, I didn't have to make that life-altering decision because our dinner included a choice of both kids of crêpes. So, I went with a dinner of potato, onion, and chicken stuffed crêpe and, for my favorite meal of the day, a squishy crêpe filled with warm apple purée and topped with almonds and vanilla ice cream. The French version of American apple pie. Is the word "crêpe" starting to look weird to anyone else?

Next was a short walk to the Tour Montparnasse, which I had never heard of before that night. As we walked up to it, I was astonished by the sheer height of it. The buildings in Paris are generally pretty short; it's kind of the opposite of NYC with its huge skyscrapers surrounding you at all times. So to see this 59-story building looming over the landscape of Paris was very jarring. Also, unnerving. I'm not too keen on heights and the image of myself standing near the ledge of the 59th floor made me a bit green in the face. Luckily, I am a courageous woman and I braved the terrifyingly fast elevator to the top so I could finally glimpse Paris at night. (Spoiler alert: it was worth the fear).

Unfortunately and fortunately, the top level had a tall glass wall protecting/blocking us from the perilous heights as we gazed over the 360 degree views of the city. It made picture taking a bit difficult, but I was grateful for the protection, especially while using my camera. I have a (not so) irrational fear of dropping precious items off of high places. I once had a second story incident with my phone at a Dodger game, now I'm scarred for life. It's interesting how similar cities look when lit up at night - if I ignored the Eiffel Tower, I could almost pretend I was looking out over LA. Seeing the city from a new perspective made it more real to me. Walking around the city, you can't see the labyrinth of complicated streets or the millions of lights that comprise this "city of light." The highlight of the night was when the hour struck and the Eiffel Tower sparkled for exactly five minutes. It was the prettiest sight I've seen since I've been in Paris and I can't wait to go back and see it again. It was even worth the elevator ride down - 59 stories in 30 seconds?! I am just thankful I'm still alive.

P.S. it took me ages to figure out how to put this video in here. Technologically challenged.