Paris At Night on Segway (photo essay)

Photo Essay Contest--

It was a cold, rainy evening—that’s not how you want the script for your first night in Paris to read.

We’d toured Notre Dame Cathedral which was in walking distance from our Latin Quarter hotel.  Paris is big and I found out that a good pair of comfortable shoes is worth their weight in gold.  Since we knew our time was limited, we had scheduled a segway tour of Paris at night. We figured we could see a lot and not wear out our tootsies any more than necessary.  Unfortunately, we hadn’t bargained on the rain.

We’re intrepid souls, Rob and I.  We weren’t about to let a little rain stop us.  Or a lot of rain. Or the cold.  Didn’t anyone tell this climate that May is supposed to be warm?  Dressed in layers, jeans, closed toed shoes and hooded jackets.  The shoes and jackets had been purchased just for this trip since we don’t need that sort of thing in Barbados.

We took the metro to our stop which right next to the Eiffel Tower.  The usual crowd that clogs the paved area under the tour was reduced to a few hardy souls huddled and dripping with their cameras shrouded in plastic bags so that only the lens stuck out like disembodied eyes.  Everything was gray—not a very impressive start for our tour of the city of lights.  We spotted our guide immediately as he glided across the wet pavement on his segway. 

For those of you who don’t know what a segway is, it’s an electric two wheeled device with handle bars much like a scooter.  You stand on the platform, grasp the handlebars and lean in the direction that you want the segway to go.  There are a series of gyroscopes inside this wonderful device that make it almost impossible to tip over--good news for me since I’m about as athletic as a duck.

Our guide greeted us and we were surprised to learn that he was actually an American college student from Texas.  His name was Austin which is also the name of the city in Texas where my husband and I lived before we moved to the West Indies.  He was very friendly and laid back.  He told us that the owner of Fat Tire Tours is a Texan and that he hires college students from Texas to run his tours in Europe.  I made a mental note to make sure we move back to Texas before the kids get to college age. 

We went back to the tour office to sign all of the forms so that if we get hit by a crazy Parisian motorist or mow down an unsuspecting pedestrian, the company is in no way responsible.  We were given rain ponchos which we stuffed in our pockets in case the rain, which has dwindled to a drizzle, came back.  Then we went out to the courtyard to get used to the segways.  We donned our helments while Austin explained how to operate the segway and had us perform some basic maneuvers like stop, start and turn until he felt confident that we could do those things quickly.  Rob took to it immediately.  I had to practice a few times before I realized that small movements worked best.  Let’s just say I was a little jerky at first.  Five minutes later, we were off.

Because the weather was so cold and wet, only three tourists had shown up for the tour:  Rob, me and a nice gentleman from Malaysia named Tom.  As we set off in a short line, we felt pretty cool.  One thing about riding a segway is that it gets you noticed.  Kids watched us open mouthed.  Pedestrians stopped, motorists craned their necks and teenagers looked on with open envy.  One middle eastern businessman even stopped our guide and asked how much it would be to buy one!  Close to famous in Paris, oh what a feeling.

Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower.  We posed in front of the Peace Monument with the tower in the background.  I applaud the sentiment of the monument, but I wasn’t too keen on the design.  It’s the, um, thingie made of panes of glass and pillars.

 

 

One of the highlights of the tour was Les Invalides.  It was once a military hospital and armory.  Now, it’s dome is trimmed with 18 kilograms of gold and it houses Napoleon’s body.  Napoleon actually planned his interment before he died and they followed his directions.  His body is halfway between the first and second floor.  If you’re on the first floor, you look up at him.  If you’re on the second floor, you’re bowing to him.  He's manipulating beyond the grave.

 

 

 

 

We were surprised to see an Egyptian obelisk on one of the main streets.  Our guide told us that Napoleon stole it from the Egyptians in one of his campaigns and then put a small pyramid of gold on top.  Apparently the disguise worked because it’s still in France.  Shhh, I won’t tell if you won’t.

 

As we toured some of the major monuments of Paris, we kept using the tower as a landmark to figure out where we were.  It was beautiful as the rain disappeared and the last pink of dusk tinted the sky.  Paris is beautiful, but the simple elegance of the tower stands out even in such a beautiful city.

 

The Seine was the other landmark that was visible from almost everywhere.  I love this photo of the Seine looking toward Notre Dame.  The lighted tour boats glided busily up and down, leaving little glowing wakes.

We ended the tour under the Eiffel Tower.  It was full dark by then and the tower was lighted.  The guide looked at his watch and then told us to look at the tower.  For 10 minutes of every hour after dark, the tower sparkles like a christmas tree.  It's one of the most magical sights I've ever seen.  It was the perfect way to end our tour and our first day in Paris.

 

Janna O'Donnell

copyright 2007