The Eiffel Tower: a global cultural icon of France reaching over one thousand feet tall and constructed from wrought iron lattice. It was built in 1889 as the entrance to the World's Fair, an enormous exposition that was held at the 100th year anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, which started the French Revolution.
I took an embarrassing number of pictures while Fritz and I walk around the structure.
Although I have seen a million pictures and sketches of the Eiffel Tower, none of them depicted the little park under it. Who knew there was a duck pond under the Eiffel Tower?
As I continue to share a smattering of my Eiffel photos with you, I thought I'd include my written correspondence with an old friend from college. She contacted me knowing I was in Paris and had been traveling throughout Europe. After EgyptAir Flight 804 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea less than a week ago and bombs were detonated in the Brussels airport two months prior to that, my friend was understandably nervous about flying to France and wanted to hear my perspective on the matter. I've made a few minor changes to my messages to maintain her anonymity and to fill in any gaps as I am not including the messages she wrote to me.
My dear friend,
It's great to hear from you! So exciting that you are planning a trip to Paris! It is my first time here and I have to say, it's amazing! We are only here for a few more days. There is so much to do and see, you are going to have an awesome time!
As for safety, I personally feel very safe. I've been living and traveling throughout Europe for almost 8 months and although I sometimes get a little uncomfortable twinge in my stomach if I start thinking too hard about terrorism, I generally feel much safer in European cities than I do in US cities. That said, the decision to come or not come is totally up to you. If you feel like you are going to be scared the whole time, maybe it's not worth it. I made a conscious decision to keep living my life the way I can live it and the way I want to live it, because if I don't, then I'm basically just another victim of terrorism myself.
Paris has been a targeted spot in the past 2 years, but the chances of being here if a terrorist attack were to occur again and then to be physically affected by an act of terror are sooooo minuscule. Statistically, I am WAY more times likely to be shot in the US from gun violence than to be a victim of a terrorist attack. Now, walking around Paris, there is military personnel in every neighborhood carrying machine guns, there is extra security at train stations, there are undercover cops checking IDs on all the trains coming into Paris, and there are metal detectors going into every museum. Paris doesn't seem to be taking terrorism lightly from my point of view. Seeing all the guns and extra security is a reminder that scary things have happened here, but it's also a reminder that there are many many people working to keep everyone safe. I flew through Paris on my way to Poland in the fall and was in the Paris airport just two days after the terrorist attack in November. I was admittedly nervous, but I'm really glad I didn't stay home. Some members of my family came to visit us in Germany a month ago and they actually almost canceled their trip because they were scared. They came anyway and were very glad they did.
At the end of the day, the decision is completely yours as I said. You do what makes you comfortable. If that means skipping some of the super heavy tourist spots in Paris, skip them. If it means walking to get around the city rather than taking the subway, walk. If it means saving your trip to Paris for another year, save it. It's your call. I won't lie and say I don't ever think about terrorism. I do. I suppose there is some risk that I could be in the presence of an attack just like anyone else, but I refuse to willingly let myself be a victim of the past terrorist attacks. Paris is beautiful and unlike any city I have ever been in! It's huge and the architecture is amazing. The weather is great. The people are friendly and happy. I'm so glad I'm here! I feel really really lucky to be here actually. It might just be my new favorite city in the world! And my enjoyment of Paris is FAR outweighing any fear I had about coming here.
I've never flown on the airline you have booked with, but there are undercover US Air Marshalls on every single international flight that is going to or coming from the US. The security in all airports is so high right now so in some ways, being on the other side of the security check might be the safest place anyone can be at the moment. I still wouldn't fly to Cairo or countries that are known to be occupied by ISIS, but as I said, I'm very happy to be in Paris this week.
I hope my long-winded reflection is helpful. Let me know what you decide to do or if you have any other questions.
Hugs to you,
Amanda
My friend wrote back saying she was feeling much better about being in Paris. She shared a quote worth repeating because I think the sentiment rings true for many fellow travelers: "I'm not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world." Even though my friend was feeling better about being in Paris, the idea of flying and being in the airport made her nervous. I wrote to her again.
Hello my friend,
I'm so glad to hear that my perspective was helpful and made you feel a bit better about traveling to Paris. As for the airport and the airline you are flying, from what I can find through internet searches, your airline has no history of many issues so that's a good sign. It's a French airline which I think is a good thing. Knowing there is an undercover air marshall on board makes me feel a lot better about flying too. Security in the French airports is certainly as high as it could possibly be. The truth is, it's really hard these days to get any kind of weapon in past the security gates. That's why the last airport attack happened before the attackers could even get all the way into the airport. And now, every European airport I have been in recently has armed military personnel posted at each entrance into the airport and they walk around the baggage check and the entrance areas in groups of 2 and 3. Like you, I also have a mild anxiety about flying that kicks in the most during take-off and landing. During those times, I try to have a really good book that I can get absorbed in so I don't think too hard about my own irrational fears.
When I flew through the Paris airport after the Paris attacks in the fall, I wrote some reflections if you want to read them. Anytime I find myself getting nervous, I just try to "find the stillpoint" within myself. It helps me relax and reminds me that I am the one who is ultimately in control of my own mind. It's almost like my own little private meditation in the middle of a very public space. I'm not sure I can say much more than that. I obviously can't guarantee your safety or mine or anyone else's. But I will say that the world has been full of problems and dangers since the dawn of time. Terrorism is the latest topic, although even that is a lot older than people realize. Paris had some pretty major issues with bombings and attacks back in the 90s, but people seem to forget that and we get so wrapped up in the present beliving that this is the scariest time there has ever been. It's actually not.
A really great writer, Adam Gopnik, made the decision to move from NYC to Paris in 1995 for 5 years. He wrote something along the lines of, "Terrorism is a part of life. An apartment in Paris is a miracle." You can substitute the "apartment" for "a weekend" if you want. That's what I'm doing in my mind. And even though there has been danger since forever, there is also so much beauty, and joy, and love all over the place. Paris, in particular, is a place for love. I have never seen a more beautiful city; nor have I seen a city that is so dedicated to love. If you do decide to fly to Paris, I hope you will be able to find that stillpoint within yourself so you can fully absorb all the beauty and love the gorgeous city has to offer. Even in the rain, which is the forecast for today, Paris is shimmering with love.
Amanda
loved that you shared these deep thoughts, though it makes me sad to think about the whole situation.
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