The French Connection
July 30, 2003

The trip to Africa was real interesting.

I flew out of Sacramento on Monday the 14th of July on my journey to Djibouti, East Africa. First stop was the Headquarters United States Central Command in Tampa, Florida. I spent a few days there getting orders and plane tickets to take me to this new assignment.

In order to get to Djibouti it was necessary to fly to Paris, France, to make a connecting flight on Air France. As it turned out I had a thirteen-hour layover in Paris. Well, what was I to do? Seemed like a good idea to catch a train from the Charles de Gaulle International Airport and head for the city.

It's been 42 years since I lived in Paris with my parents, but even as a twelve year old I would frequently take the Metro all over Paris. So traveling back to the "City of Lights" was a real treat.

There were two places in particular I wanted to revisit. First stop was the Eiffel Tower. It truly is a majestic structure and towers above the Parisian skyline. Since this was the middle of July and the height of the tourist season, I was not surprised at the large crowds. This is also why I chose not to spend the time waiting in the long lines to take the elevator to the top. I was content simply to see it all again. Paris is an impressive city, with marvelous structures wherever you look.

The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the World's Fair in 1890. However, the French people hated it, believing it to be ugly, and wanted it torn down. How ironic that it has become arguably the most recognized structure in the world.

My next stop was the Arc de Triumphe, located in the center of the Etoille (star) with its many streets radiating out from the Arc, the most famous of which is the Champs Elysees. It was here on a spring day back in 1961 that my mother and I took the Metro from our home to Paris to stand in the crowds cramming the Etoille, straining to catch a glimpse of the new American president, John F. Kennedy, as he and French president Charles de Gaulle drove by in a motorcade. Pretty exciting stuff for an American kid in a foreign country! I stood again in the same spot and imagined these two presidents riding by as they did so many years ago.

The Arc is as impressive as I remembered. I strolled up and down the Champs Elysees enjoying the moment, not wanting to leave. I found a wonderful sidewalk café called Le Paris Bar and Club. I sat at a table with an umbrella sipping a Coke, taking in the movement of people up and down the sidewalks of this famous boulevard. It would be here only a week later that the Tour de France race would end with Lance Armstrong winning for the fifth time.

I reluctantly took the train back to the airport to await my flight to Djibouti. The Air France plane was very comfortable, and I arrived at 7:00 a.m. Since it was Sunday, I was taken immediately to the chapel on base. This recently constructed wooden building is called the Enduring Freedom Chapel, and is located at Camp Lemonier, a former French Army base. Djibouti gained its independence from France in 1977.

This tiny African country has two primary languages: Arabic and French. So here I am having continued opportunity to refresh my linguistic skills. I've been pleased to see my conversational French coming back after so many years. I have many dealings with people in the community, especially since we are involved in working with a boys orphanage, a girls orphanage and a baby orphanage. I force myself to deal with the locals by speaking French and they in turn use their small grasp of English. It's all fun!

So, having lived in France, lo these many years ago, traveling through Paris, watching the Tour de France, and now serving in the former French colony, Djibouti, where I must use the language, there really is a French connection to all this.

Adieu, mes amis!