Ignite My Soul

Chapter 8 - The Tower of Painful Realizations: Day 14 in Paris CBD

Have you ever had the feeling that the odds are against you, yet you know very well that you are entirely to blame? You find yourself caught up in a pity party. When there is a choice to rejoice in the lessons rather than sink deep into a mini depression. Here I am, getting ahead of myself, so let's take a couple of steps back.

The day started with getting ready and then having breakfast. During breakfast, we were told we had a morning tour that ended at midday, and then we could do whatever we liked as long as two days from now, we were packed and ready to go back to Jozi. The suggested options were to go to the Louvre Palace, the Eiffel Tower, Paris Disney, and The Palace of Versailles. Don't forget that between all that, you provide your lunch, dinner, and transport fees, depending on your decision.

Miss Big Spender was seriously low on cash. Disney was out because I would rather go to the original American one. The Louvre Museum would be a great experience, though I wouldn't want to spend that much money when there are crepes, waffles and croissants to enjoy still. The big choice really was between taking a selfie at the Eiffel Tower or going to see the House of Queen Marie Antoinette.

Today's tour feels longer, and there are more buildings to see. I'm not sure if the tour feels longer because there are still more excursions or because my debit order alerts reminded me that the next payday is still further away. With my wary mind, I follow the group as we find more gems in Paris. Word of advice: if you are counting pennies and have FOMO like me, do not go anywhere near the Lafayette Mall. Purse filled with pieces of my broken heart, we keep walking. We get to a beautiful garden. Listen, if you want a well-manicured, eye-catching landscape kind of garden, hire a French man.

Beyond the beautiful gardens, there are bridges aligned to help you cross the channel, and one of those bridges has been dubbed the Love Bridge. This particular bridge, just like Trevi Fountain, is about faith and belief in love. Couples come here with a padlock, either write out their names or initial the padlock, attach it to the heavily overloaded railing and throw away the key into the running water. The significance is to lock away their love forever. One day, when I'm old, I'll probably be back here. For now, it's nice to know.

Our next stop passes the Louvre Palace to see Notre Dame. The Notre Dame Cathedral recently made news when it burned down, and two days later, billionaires were donating towards its revival. I want to have that kind of money. Imagine what I can do in Africa. The tour guide leaves us at the Louvre to explore the rest on our own.

We take a couple of pictures outside the Louvre Palace square. By now, I've gotten the hang of framing and playing with camera angles, so it's fun taking photos around the Louvre pyramids. Do you know what grates my titties, though? I take the best photos of everyone, and when it's my turn dololo (no) precision. I mean, what is so damn difficult to point, frame, focus and capture a picture?

Nkele: "I read that there's the portrait of Monalisa here, so let's go in."

Me: "Friend, right now, I can't even afford to pay attention, so go ahead. I'll wait for you here."

Nkele: "I would lend you the money, but I still want to go to the Eiffel Tower."

Me: "Don't worry. Just go and try to take better pictures so I know what's in there."

Off they go, and we agree to meet up at the exit in 2hrs since we still need to walk to the Eiffel Tower and queue. That is a 45-minute walk. So I get time to rest and capture more pictures. I have my Galaxy Note 1 and BlackBerry, and I'm using both to take photographs. 2hrs later, as agreed, we start the long walk to the Eiffel Tower. We get to the ticket office. The queue alone will take an hour, and then the sun will set.

We stay in the 15-minute ticket queue, and when it was time to buy, I decide that I would pass and enjoy fine French cuisine instead and go to the palace tomorrow. Once again, I have to be the lonely South African waiting on the sidelines as my crew ticks off bucket lists so much for a matching selfie with Khaya's. Well, you win some, and you lose some. I waited in the queue with the girls, passing the time until the spot where they checked tickets was open.