It would simply be expected on a trip to a new that at least one day began with a panic as some of us ran late to the opening event. The undying stress as you race across the streets, watching each second tick away on the clock knowing that at any moment the group will depart without you and you may never experience such an event again. It is a pain most intolerable but still forced upon us by our own mistakes. Yet, for all of us, any fears that we may have felt arriving melted away the instant we boarded the ship. The gentle breeze flowing through out hair and the warm sunlight shimmering on the water’s surface made it all worth it.

Before we departed, we met our guide for the trip, Paul. A Paris resident himself, he seemed excited to share what knew about the city’s two islands and everything in between. He seemed particularly thrilled to tell the story of the dozen bridges that we passed beneath which no one can blame him for. While there is not enough time to discuss every single one, a quite notable bridge was the Pont de la Concorde. It was built from the remains of the Bastille, the infamous prison that was stormed and marks the start of the French Revolution. It is quite appropriately now the pathway between the Place de la Concorde and the National Assembly. Another bridge was Pont Marie which is said to grant a wish if you kiss the person next to you while going beneath. Of course a lot of us were sitting next to strangers so we did not, but instead we looked at each other and had a good laugh.Of course, it was not just talk about bridges. Paul talked about everything from the Zouave statue that is used to gauge the height of the river, to the Palace that inspired the look of the White House back in the US. Every stone was turned in his discussion!

We took a quick break by the Eiffel Tower, where we all collectively stood up and took pictures of its glory. We tried our best to include ourselves in them but the boat was so crowded with people that it was difficult. Paul went around answering people’s questions. He was especially keen share the location of his favorite ice cream place, Berthillion. After trying it myself with Elliott and Kaylah, he was correct. It was amazing. Sadly, no pictures were taken because it was melting too fast, but I personally recommend the banana flavor.

As the boat turned around we got one final look at the likes of the Louvre that seemed to stretch for miles and the large clock of the Musée d’Orsay. It was a shame that it was already ending, it was an occasion that we wanted to last forever. However, the boat was docked and so we departed from it.

We gathered in the nearby park together to discuss what we saw before landing on a talk on the Bastille and the French Revolution. The storming of the Bastille was actually done in the hope of getting the gunpowder inside as the revolutionaries had already stormed the armory. Yet, the prison was still a symbol of the injustice that plagued the French people and so its demise marks the beginning of the revolution. Originally a good thing, as the revolution grew the people became overzealous and executed more and more including some of the first revolutionaries who were against this. Then, the Reign of Terror began when more people were massacred. Then finally came Bonaparte who began to conquer Europe and beyond and who crowned himself Emperor.

This not to say that the French Revolution was bad or wrong. The royalty and bourgeoisie controlled the country with a firm grip and imprisoned anyone who tried to speak against it without trial. So, the people finally grabbed their pitchforks and torches and got to work.

Our discussions led to how Paris was not always the way it is today. It was formed and molded by its bloody history. In the words of Jean-Paul Sartre in his work Existentialism is Humanism, “existence precedes essence.” The world is shaped by our actions and so we are shaped by the world. While we as a group have only been in Paris for three days, we can already feel the affects of this experience. The awe and wonder that comes the towering architecture, to the foreign yet familiar foods, and the welcoming attitudes of the locals who live here. This existence is incredible and so our essence shall be shaped.