A Birthday in the City of Light

On the afternoon of my birthday, it rained. Not a light drizzle, but a heavy rain that came down in sheets. I looked out of the window at my work and resented the weather for being so miserable on my birthday.

Luckily, the day improved. Yes, I was in a foreign city without my family, but that did not mean I was without friends. In fact, throughout the day, my friends kept giving each other meaningful glances. When nothing happened at dinner, I felt slightly disappointed until they hinted that something was going to happen later. At 9:30, they hustled me out of our foyer. I had no idea where we what we were going to do, until we crossed one of the bridges and started to rush along the river.

For my birthday, I got to take a boat ride along the Seine at night. My friends presented me with a bottle of champagne, which we sipped as we passed by all of Paris’ famous monuments. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Pont Neuf all are beautiful by day, but when they are illuminated and the lights are reflected in the river, they are stunning.



In addition to the champagne, we also ate macarons. They are little French pastries made from almonds and come in a variety of colors depending on their flavor. They are nothing like macaroons, which are made from coconut and do not come in pink, purple, or green. The ones we ate were from Laduré, one of the two famous places to get macarons in Paris.



The boat trip also included a guided tour of all the monuments in Paris. Among other facts, I learned that there are 37 bridges in Paris and the one I cross everyday to get to work, the Pont Marie, is the most romantic bridge in Paris. The woman provided the information in both French and English, but the English sections were completely translated versions of the French ones. For example, “le Petit Pont est le plus petit bridge à Paris” became “the Little Bridge is the smallest bridge in Paris.” Last time I checked, Americans still referred to places in Paris by their French names.

Sadly, my camera batteries died when we were on the river. My friends have promised to give me their pictures, so I’ll add those hopefully tomorrow.


I was able to get this picture for free. A photographer was taking pictures on the boat and gave us this one, because it was my birthday. I had to prove it with my driver's license first though.