Harry & Tish: "We Will Always Have Paris!"

Step, step, step.... I stepped it up yesterday and logged 5,000 steps on my treadmill at home, but I still haven't had a minute to get to my brand new gym - Brick Fitness. Geographically speaking, I'm just all over the place between 3 states four days a week (NJ, NY & PA) and I'm out of Pt. Pleasant from at least 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on those days. This reality definitely makes the scheduled gym commitment hard. I know TishTrek - my 51/51 Challenge is a lifestyle change that has to align with my desired personal goals, so give me a little more time and I know I'll figure out how to do this.

In the meantime, I plan on traveling abroad again in the near future so this Health and Wellness Journey is important to make sure I can maximize my enjoyment wherever I land in the world. You see - in the Summer of 2007, when Harry and I visited France and England, I had no clue that my original pacemaker was on the last bar of its battery pack until I started climbing the 284 steps of the stunning Paris landmark called the Arc de Triomphe De l'Etolile which stands 264 feet in height, 150feet wide and 72 feet deep. The Arc has one elevator, but it was out-of-service for repairs that day.

As Harry and I made our way up the extremely narrow and dark stairwell, to my surprise I had to stop many times and stick my behind into these small cement cubby holes to rest (ok - they weren't that small) and catch my breath while other tourists passed me by. I could feel my heart racing... "Please God," I prayed. "Don't let me land in a hospital on this side of the pond. Don't let this happen to my Harry on our dream vacation." This difficult sweat-producing effort seemed odd for a girl who had jogged for thirty years, but I had waited my whole adult life to walk up these steps, so there was simply no stopping me... Onward and upward had to be the focus. I did not look back.

As you know, the monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806 and the triumphal arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the Arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. All this history we had brushed up on, but none of it could prepare us for the range of experiences that would play out...

When we arrived at the top, the first magnificent moments exceeded everything we had ever dreamed of. This awesome monument stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle and it is at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, so Harry and I felt like we were actually standing in the center of the universe! The spectacular panoramic view from the roof of the Arc on this beautiful clear summer day moved Harry and I to complete silence. We imagined what it would have been like to absorb this country's history and to see this view for the very first time with our Kate and Scott in tow. For a moment, (albeit a brief one...) we really missed them very much. We knew they would have loved everything about Paris.

With our arms around each other we looked eastward, down the Champs Elysées, toward the Louvre, there was the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens, and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. We had visited all of these historic places before making our way to the Arc, so observing these French treasures from on top of the world created one of those unbelievable shared moments in our married life. When we looked westward - the Arc's larger and newer cousin, La Grande Arche de la Défense stared back at us; and there was my Eiffel Tower and the Tour Montparnasse in a distance! For the rest of our lives - "Harry and I would always have Paris" because our two beating hearts finally lived this timeless dream as one.

Some practical advice for the 1st time traveler to Paris: The area in and around the Arc de Triomphe will remind you of New York City's Times Square before it was turned into a Pedestrian Mall. It is surrounded by reckless French drivers (like the ones on the NJ Turnpike every morning...) traveling in their cars at high speeds on twelve major avenues leading to the Place de l'Étoile and to the exceptionally busy roundabout in which the Arc stands. My message: Pedestrians beware! Use the underground passages when you can!

It was our Summer of 2007, when we left Paris to take the high speed Eurostar passenger train through the Channel Tunnel (The Chunnel!) from France to England with the goal of making more great memories! Harry used to work for the American Society of Civil Engineers which in 1996 had identified this undersea rail tunnel as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Like two kids in a candy shop, we were absolutely ecstatic that seeing this wonder first hand could be crossed off our Bucket Lists!

Obviously, I enjoyed myself on both sides of the English Channel and - with the help of God - after that little scare on the steps inside the Arc De Triomphe, my pacemaker issue stayed calm for the rest of our vacation. I got another Tish Reprieve until November and felt truly blessed.


Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 16/51

Quote of the Day: "We will always have Paris."
- Casablanca, 1942 (One of Harry's Favorite Movies!)