A Glimpse of God’s Glory - Paris Day One Pt. 2

PREFACE

(If you spend time in church or read scripture, you hear God’s glory mentioned all the time. As believers, we are often reminded that God has all good things in greater quantity and quality than we can ever imagine. He is the source of all good things, and he actually shares his glory with us. On the night of February 22, I believe I was able to preview a glimpse of God’s Glory.)

WARNING: The content below contains sappy and dramatic material. This is your official disclaimer.

Friday – February 22, 2013 – 5 PM

After briefly resting our bones, we suited backed up to catch the metro to the Invalides arrondissement (district) to see the much anticipated Eiffel Tower. As we stepped off the train and walked up the many steps to return to street level, an odd surge of nerves shot through me. I mean, I was excited to see the Eiffel Tower and all, but I didn’t expect to react physically. As we continued walking, I remember seeing an open space between two buildings up ahead, knowing a gap that wide could only be vacant for the viewing of the Tower. Butterflies began to flutter in my stomach as we approached the final turn, and as I made my way around the last building, a grin slowly grew wider across my face. My breath was taken away. I, little ole Marissa, was finally standing in front of the famous landmark to take in the impressive structure. Wow, what a moment.

Seeming to be rushed, J took a few quick pictures of me, and I of him before we raced to the Champs de Mars (the expansive lawn that stretches from the Eiffel Tower to École Militaire). “We have 20 minutes before the lighting of the Tower,” he said.  “I want to make sure I can get the tripod set up for our pictures in front of it before then.” Because he seemed insistent, I obliged and hurried behind him toward the grass. Other couples and families had already staked claim on their spots, so we blazed past them. “Here’s a good spot,” I would yell pointing toward a gap with only but a few people standing by. “No, let’s keep going,” he responded. “I think I see a spot up here.”

This continued for a good ten minutes before we found a spot suitable for the both of us. As he unloaded the camera bag to set up the tripod for pictures, I stood with my back turned and eyes locked on the Eiffel Tower once again. After he was done fidgeting with the camera lens and tripod, J joined me in my gawking. “We have a few minutes left,” he said. “Let’s dance”.  As we two-stepped to a song playing from the Ipod in Juston’s pocket, I silently said a prayer and thanked the Lord for the moment I was in, with the man I was in it with. Paris. Paris, France. I kept repeating it over and over again in my head. Was this real life? Was I really here dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower with the man I’m in love with? Did he really surprise me with this amazing anniversary trip?

My thoughts and rhetorical questions were interrupted when I felt the trembling of Juston’s hand as he started to spin me in the middle of our dance. It WAS about 20 degrees out that night, so in the moment I didn’t think much of it mid-spin. But as I came back around and full circle to our starting positions, I saw him slowly bend to one knee. “What are doing?” I inquired. He didn’t respond, only smiled. Again I asked, “What are you doing?” This had to be some sort of sick joke. He was assuming the position that every girl across the universe recognizes and waits for. He couldn’t possible be doing that tonight, right here, and right now, I thought. I pride myself on having a somewhat decent sense of humor, so I could somehow see how he thought it would be chuckle-worthy to act as if he was going to propose in Paris on our three-year anniversary.

So, I stood waiting, face bowed and pulse racing, for him to get to the part where he said that this WAS or WAS NOT a prank. Still silent, I watched him reach for his coat pocket to retrieve and open a small cushioned box, holding it one hand and my hand in the other. My lip began to quiver realizing on my own this had been a genuine execution of something from the start. When he opened the box and extended his hand in order for me to view the beautiful piece of hardware, he also commenced his proposal speech to me. For the second time that evening, my breath was taken away. Like literally, I was not breathing. I stood blank-faced and motionless, with tears running down my face while he proposed we spend the rest of our lives together. 

To be honest, I couldn’t tell you verbatim what he said that night, or how long it went on for. I do know it was beautiful, that he meant every word, and that I already knew my answer to his question even before he started talking. But, it was only courteous for me to let him in on my decision as well, being that he was down there on bended knee and all. “Yes, of course,” I jubilantly replied through the tears. Once my final word rolled of my tongue and J slipped the beautiful ring on my finger, the Eiffel Tower lit up, as if on cue and in celebration. (Unbeknownst to me, he was filming and taking still shots of all of this)

Wow. Wow. WOW. It’s impossible to articulate what we, I especially, was feeling in that moment. If I told you I could feel the presence of the Lord in that moment, would you believe me?  I hope so, because I did.

You see, Juston has all of the characteristics I have ever wanted and prayed for in a husband, life partner, best friend, and he has them in superabundance. Accordingly, I have his family and friends to thank for that. Collectively they have had a hand in making him the man he is today. I have the most gratitude, however, for our Creator. In Juston, he has blessed me with a plentiful gift. God is the source of all good things, and on that night he showed me that he not only answers prayers, he actually shares his glory with us.

I told Juston that only way I can think of to adequately describe the proposal in short is “brilliant and disgustingly wonderful”. Of course, I mean that in the most loving way. It was brilliantly planned, impeccably timed, and flawlessly executed. And to anyone outside of us, that sounds “disgustingly wonderful”. Am I right?  It sounds too good to be true and annoyingly perfect. Trust me, I get it. We are in no way trying to be boastful. But quite frankly, the story did play out as perfect as it sounds. To that end, we give all credit to where credit is due. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this glimpse of your glory.

“Then the LORD’s glory rose from above the winged creatures and moved toward the temple’s threshold. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the LORD’s glory.” -  Ezekiel 10:4

On a separate but yet related note – Days later with the oxygen fully returned to my lungs and able to breathe normally, I look down at the ring on my finger and am still in a state of shock. It still doesn’t seem real. I feel like I’m still a little girl trying on her mother’s jewelry, knowing at some point I am going to have to return the ring to the box. Ladies and Gents, but Ladies especially, we really do grow up. You really can find true love. And as a much as you dream about it, there really is no preparing for the moment of when that all comes to fruition. 

Paris - Day One Pt. 1

PARIS, France - 6 AM - Waking up to the bustling street sounds of Paris, we were bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to begin our first day in France. Layering as many clothes as we possible could, we quickly dressed and headed out the hostel doors in search for a breakfast spot.

7 AM - One hour later after we were able to comprehend the metro directions and its specific stops, we hopped a ride to the Mouffetard Quarter and Rue Mouffetard, one of Paris' oldest streets. It was here we thought is was necessary to find a bite to eat and take in the early morning scenery. Stopping to eat at Le Mouffetard, a cozy neighborhood cafe known for its breakfast fare and sweet bread, we decided to order the largest meal option on the menu. Complete with eggs, bacon, pastries, croissants with butter and jelly, coffee and orange juice, this cafe did not disappoint. In fact, the entire day we kept high-fiving each other for the delectable breakfast decision. As we sipped on our coffee and devoured our meal, we watched the local shop owners prep their shelves for the day. In aprons and chef hats, we watched them bring out their fresh breads and pastries, fill baskets with shiny red tomatoes and bell peppers, and take whole fish and lay them on neatly stacked blocks of ice. The presentation of their goods was quite impressive. You could tell they were proud of what they were selling, and that it was fresh.

Mouffetard Quarter

Next Stops: With full bellies, we went on to explore the Latin Quarter with the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens. The Pantheon, a secular mausoleum, is home to the final resting place of many great Frenchmen and women of days past. Some of those buried here include: Marie and Pierre Curie, Braille inventor Louis Braille, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Pantheon's other main attraction is Foucault's Pendulum. The pendulum's plane of oscillation stays fixed as the Earth rotates around it, confirming the Earth's rotation.

The Pantheon

Luxembourg Gardens
The Luxembourg Gardens, once a residential area to 17th-century French royalty, has now been transformed into a lush public park. Because J and I were visiting in the winter, the whole lush part was sort of lacking. Nonetheless, it was a sight to see. The Palais du Luxembourg, located within the park and built in 1615, was once a palace used by Nazis during WWII as the headquarters for the Luftwaffe.

LUSH and GREEN

WINTER

Afternoon: Still full from breakfast, we decided to press on in our journey and cover more ground. We stopped briefly for a cup of coffee and connected to wifi to plan out our next attraction stop. With our fuel in hand, we headed toward the Seine River. Notre Dame Cathedral was up to bat on our list, with The Lourve on deck.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a 13th-century gothic cathedral that has hosted a series of pivotal events in Western history. Home to the fictional resident, Quasimodo the Hunchback, the cathedral seats over 10,000 churchgoers and houses a 13-ton bell that requires eight people to ring. More impressively, the Notre Dame houses the Crown of Thorns, believed to have been worn by Christ himself. Bought along with a  section of Cross by the Emperor of Constantinople in 1239, the Crown of Thorns was King Louis IX's most precious possession. On the first Friday of every month at 3 PM, it is said the Crown of Thorns is taken out of treasury for display. Talk about awesome, right? Totally worth going back to see.

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great

Emperor of the Frankish Kingdom

Crown of Thorns Display

Mona Lisa
Speaking of things well preserved, let's talk about a gal named Mona Lisa. Believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, the Mona Lisa has survived over 500 years in conservation. This half-lengthed portrait of a woman by Italian artist Leonardo di Vinci, is the size of a mini-magazine. As Juston and I fought our way to the front to catch a glimpse of this rather small painting, we attempted several times to snap a picture of ourselves without getting a shot of other people and their cameras held up. Below is the best we could come up with. Additionally, a shot just had to be taken with our alma mater being repped. Entertaining side note: Mona, or Lisa rather, has no eyebrows. The fascial aesthetics of the lady in question reflects the style of an era when it was considered fashionable for women to shave off the only follicular decoration on their face. I don't know about you, but I would be lost without my eyebrows. By that I mean, rather unfortunate looking.

Mona Lisa at the Lourve

Musee du Lourve 
Successful trips to the Lourve require two things: a good sense of direction and a great plan of attack. The cultural importance of the Lourve cannot be overstated, but this thing is m-a-s-s-i-v-e.  The museum's collection spans thousands of years, six continents, and countless artistic styles. Honestly, we didn't even make a dent in what the Lourve has to offer. Knowing we had two days to see Paris, we prioritized and saw what we came to see and then bounced. No dilly dally.

The Lourve

2 PM: Alright, we're famished. Time to chow. Not far away we stopped for a Döner Kebab. Don't let the hanging meat scare you. Döner meat (lamb, beef, chicken) is sliced into crisp shavings from the rotating vertical rotisserie that is used to cook the meat. Served wrapped in a flatbread, or as a sandwich, Döners are common fast food options in Europe and other countries. The dish is also widely known by its Arabic name, shawarma, or in Greek as gyro. 

Chicken Döner Kebab

To please the sweet tooth we both occasionally suffer from, we needed something French. Ah ha! A crêpe would do the trick! After leaving the Kebab restaurant, we literally went right into the café next door to sit down for dessert. Us Texans gotta eat. With many choices on their menu, J chose a citron crêpe (lemon crepe), while I opted for one of the chocolate variety - Crêpe au Nutella.

Crêpes, one of the quintessential and classic French dishes, are made simply with flour, eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of salt… in addition to your savory fillings, of course. We usually adhere to a pretty tight diet of clean eating, but it is nice to relax and indulge at times that are absolutely necessary. We’re in France, c’mon now. You can’t leave without a Crêpe, or two.

Crêpes for all

4 PM: Splurge over. Time to burn some calories and do a little shopping, or “browsing” is what I tell J. The word shopping tends to spook him, but “browse” sits much better. Guys. Can you blame them?  Once the browsing concluded, we made our way to the Arc De Triomphe. Today, the arch is dedicated to all French army soldiers and veterans. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, illuminated by an eternal flame, is situated under the arch, and was added to the structure in 1920. The memorial honors 1.5 million Frenchmen who died during WWI.

Arc De Triomphe

5 PM: At this point, the dogs are barking after spending an entire day walking the streets the of Paris. As the blog title suggests, the day was not quite over either. We went back to our room, sat down for what felt like 5 minutes, and started to dress again for our date to see the Eiffel Tower that evening. As you may or may not know, that evening turned into much more than an attraction stop. It was the night our life changed forever. Stay tuned for Paris - Day One Pt. 2    :)

Two Texans.

After a four-hour layover and two plane rides, I (Marissa) finally made my German debut at 7 o’ clock Friday night. Along with the rest of my fellow flyers, I collected my luggage and quickly proceeded toward the exit and toward Juston. Looking straight ahead and attempting to act German (whatever that means) as I walked in a single-file line toward the door, I was pulled aside for a little powwow with three German custom tenants.  Of course it was me who was pulled aside. How and why I stick out like a sore thumb wherever I go is quite the mystery to me.  Fortunately, one of the gentlemen spoke English and we were able to cut right to the chase. No, I did not pack any firearms, cigarettes, or alcohol. Although I wanted to say the latter didn’t sound like such a bad idea, I knew this was not the time or place for comedy. Save it, riss. Following my interrogation, my sweet blue-eyed and scarf-wrapped boyfriend greeted me with beautiful flowers.  At last, all was right in the world again.

SATURDAY - FEB. 16, 2013 - CELLE

Jet lag and restless, I started my first morning in Germany with a delicious cup of coffee and baguettes from a bakery in the heart of Celle’s city center.

Following our light breakfast, J showed me around the small, charming town of Celle. Winding me through the streets to local shops and stopping to pick up a few items from the farmer’s market, J quickly convinced me this was a town I would grow to love, as if I hadn’t already. Truth be told, I spent most of the day silently observing and listening to J speak to the locals, while fighting the urge to reply in Spanish to those who asked me anything. After spending a summer in Spain learning their language, my mouth wanted to spout out any language other than English in order to connect. Silly, I know. Far more Germans know English than Spanish, but the logic made sense to me at the time. Foreign language? I’m a one and done. If you want to practice your conversational Spanish, get at me!

Moving on………. to Bremen, Germany

SUNDAY - FEB. 17, 2013 - BREMEN

Sunday J and I took a rather quick daytrip (thanks to the autobahn) to Bremen. The city, once a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, is home to a medieval quarter, the most important examples of Brick Gothic architecture in Europe, and a unique street built completely inspired by the Art Nouveau style. Founded near the end of the eighth century, Bremen was hit hard by allied bombs during WWII and most of the monumental buildings had to be rebuilt.

Some of the sights we were able to see included:

RATHAUS

The first thing you notice when entering Bremen’s square is the Rathaus, the city hall building with a great bronze roof and decorative gables. Standing in front of the Rathaus is a sculpture of Knight Roland, a nephew of Charlemagne and famous citizen of Bremen, who stands guard as the protector of the city and its people.

KNIGHT ROLAND

On the eastern edge of the town square rise the twin towers of the imposing Dom (cathedral), dedicated to St. Peter. Initially built in 1219, the Dom has been altered and added onto over the centuries so that today it presents a mix of styles. In the Bleikeller, a lead-lined cellar beneath the cathedral, are the mummified bodies of workers killed in accidents during the construction of the building. Creepy.

ST. PETER DOM

 The famous mascots of Bremem are the rooster, cat, and dog riding piggyback on a donkey. These characters are from the Brother’s Grimm fairy tale “The Bremen Town Musicians”, and have been immortalized into a bronze statue next to the Rathaus. As the city’s most photographed attraction, the nose of the donkey is shiny golden from all the visitors who rub it for good luck.

Clearly, J was under the impression it was the ‘knees’ that meant good luck.

Boettcherstrasse is the most famous street in Bremen. Built completely in Art Nouveau style, the unique street is filled with buildings adorned in intricate facades, and colorful windows.

BOETTCHERSTRASSE 

Schnorr Quarter’s crooked lanes are filled with well-preserved medieval fisherman houses that have been transformed into cafes, shops, and art galleries.

SCHNOOR QUARTER

 The last stop of the day was at Beck’s Brewery. Brewed on the riverbanks in Bremen, Beck’s has been crafted here since 1879. Sadly, the brewery was not open for touring or imbibing on Sundays. However, I did snap a few photos of the plant.

All in all, I had a great introductory weekend to Germany. The fact that I have a handsome tour guide doesn't hurt either. These two Texans are feeling VERY BLESSED, y'all. Glory be to God.

- Marissa