The Chattanooga Girls Choir

Day 7
Sun., July 4, 1999

Happy 4th of July! (Not exactly a day of celebration in England, where we started our day.)

The wake-up calls came at 5:30 this morning ...for those few rooms that actually got a wake-up call. (The phone system at this hotel has been having some problems.) Fortunately, the chaperones gave a follow-up call (or visit, if their phone wasn't working) to make sure the girls were up and finishing their packing. Breakfast was at 6:15, served by the wonderful staff who came to work two hours early to be sure we had a proper send-off. An hour later, we were waving good-bye as we headed for France.

After about a three-and-a-half-hour drive to the east coast (including one quick snack stop), we arrived at customs at the entrance to the Chunnel (the tunnel under the English Channel -- Channel Tunnel, hence "Chunnel"). We were prepared for anything from a brief passport display to a thorough examination of our luggage, but the French officials waved our buses through without even a "bonjour." So after a brief wait, our buses drove onto the Chunnel train, each in its own compartment. It took about half an hour to make the crossing, during which time the girls were free to leave the bus and stare out the windows into the black tunnel. We emerged near Calais just after noon -- correction, 1 p.m., since we had crossed into another time zone (6 hours different from Chattanooga). Paris was still another 4 - 5 hours drive away. We stopped partway there for lunch, and discovered that even French "fast food" is delicious. When we arrived in Paris, we went straight to our hotel and settled in. The rooms are definitely small (two twin beds pushed together, with just enough space to put a suitcase on the floor and still walk around), but the rooms are modern and clean, and they have TVs and a corner desk. The hotel is really attractive and the staff is helpful (and speaks a smattering of English). Also, the dinner we were served was quite good. Even our vegetarians finally got to eat a full meal. (The British idea of vegetarianism is a little different than our own!)

As dusk was falling, we left on the buses for our night tour of the city. Our tour guide, Malcolm, donned a beret and put on a little mustache for the occasion! We drove past most of the major sights of Paris, including Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, and of course, the Eiffel Tower, which was absolutely breathtaking in the light of the setting sun. We got out several times to allow for picture taking, but tomorrow will be the day we get to investigate some of these places in greater detail. By the time we returned to the hotel, the girls were buzzing with excitement as they planned their free afternoon time tomorrow. We will be going to Notre Dame and the Louvre first tomorrow, then the choir will separate to explore Paris in smaller groups. Then tomorrow night we plan to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We'll let you know how the day goes!

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Crossing to France via the Chunnel was fast, but not very exciting.

From the clean plates, it appears that Charity, Mandy, and Alicia enjoyed their dessert!

At a photo stop, our guides (center) clown with the girls. Brendon ("Bushy") is the one on the left, and that's Malcolm in the French get-up.

The Eiffel Tower at sunset.

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