Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower seems to be one of the biggest attractions of Paris. Its the one place all the tourists always go to when traveling to Paris. When going to the Eiffel Tower, it was on the day of the Paris's Jordan Classic, therefore my excitement of seeing the Eiffel Tower disappeared and focused on what was right before my eyes. Crowds of people in the stands with a great view of the Eiffel Tower, watching possibly their countries' next NBA stars or European Basketball stars. I was filled with excitement. The speakers roared DJ Khaled's song "All I do is Win" and for a second I thought I was back in the states. To hear this music, watch this game, I was in heaven, I was in total awe. 

To be around people who enjoyed the game of basketball as much as I did was an amazing feeling. Being in a foreign country and being able to find the same enjoyment amongst people from different cultures is always amazing. After cooling down my excitement of seeing basketball being for the first time in the nine days I had been in Paris already was an highlight of my trip. The group and I continued onward to setting up a little picnic area by the Eiffel Tower. Herds of people scurried around the Eiffel Tower looking for their groups, a place to eat or trying to rush to the long line of people waiting to get up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Luckily prior to our last Saturday in Paris I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately many people in my group who didn't go prior to our last day in Paris were disappointed because the line was so long that they weren't able to go up. Long lines and tourists are two things that I can not deal with. My patience is too limited to deal with both of them. Although this was my first time in Paris after about three days of being there I no longer felt like a tourist. I learned the subway station and how to read a map. Reading the maps in Paris was something i did everyday and it helped me to become more aware of my surroundings and the stops I was getting off at. I became more familiar with the streets, where to transfer at certain stops, etc. You can always tell when there is a tourist in the street because they always have a camera in their hand and a confused/amazed look on their face. At the Eiffel Tower there were so may people, and it was a little unbearable. The fact that I felt comfortable in Paris helped me to navigate the streets better. Going to a place like the Eiffel Tower is something I only need to do one because I don't like going to to many touristy places. I rather be in the heart of Paris, where the natives live, that is how you get the first hand experience of what it means to be French.