Champions du Monde! World Cup 2018

The day before we were to fly out of the U.S., I got notice that the Eiffel Tower tickets I purchased had been cancelled because France was a finalist to compete in the World Cup. Since we were arriving on Bastille Day, I already knew everything was going to be closed when we got there, but since I was only getting 2 days in Paris on this vacation, I was pretty pissed that the trip I had my heart set on for the past 25 years was about to be ruined by a soccer match. Not only were we not going to get to go up in the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre was scheduled to close early and all of the shops and most of the cafes were going to be closed as well. My heart was broken and I admit, I let my petty side come out and secretly prayed that France would lose the match since I was losing out on my trip. But, thank God for unanswered prayers because as we all know, France did indeed win the 2018 World Cup. Had they lost, I still would have missed out on visiting the sites and the mood would have been somber across the city, putting an even bigger gray cloud on my day. Fortunately, I was in the heart of the country and got to experience the overwhelming joy of the Parisians once their country brought home the win.

The day started out on a festive note. Most of the city was up bright and early walking towards the Eiffel Tower to unite and cheer on their team. Patriotism was out in full force, as almost everyone we saw was decked out in blue, white, and red. "Allez les Bleus !"

The fans would start spontaneously singing as they marched through the streets, flags were waving everywhere, cars blasted their horns as they flew down the roads, and spirits were high. Since most of the city was glued to their screens watching the match, we didn't have large crowds to fight through while we explored Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, or our very short stop into The Louvre, but once we were done being tourists and France brought home the win, the energy levels in the city skyrocketed.

Even though most of the streets were closed to traffic, it didn't stop cars and motorcycles from flying through, horns blaring, high 5's being tossed to close by pedestrians, and flags wildly waving.

I remember when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, excitement was high, but I don't think us Americans could even hold a candle to how the French celebrated their victory. The noise levels alone were through the roof! While many opted to celebrate on the ground, there were plenty celebrating from their terraces, waving their flags and pouring water and wine on the pedestrians below and clanging their pots and pans together.

The energy was almost tangible, and I actually did have a few people grab my arm and ask me to take their photo. Probably because I was one of the few walking around with my bulky dslr camera, they might have thought I was a reporter or something? They'll probably be disappointed to know they'll just get a small feature on my tiny little blog lol ;)

Even though I am not French and am not a soccer fan, for a short time we were welcomed into the fold, hooting and hollering, passing out our own high 5's, and just living in this once in a lifetime moment. We joined the throngs of fans walking through the streets from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe where motorcycles were doing burnouts and fireworks were flying through the sky.

While my once in a lifetime trip didn't turn out how I expected it to, I feel really blessed we just happened to be in Paris for this amazing event. It was truly incredible experience that my family will remember forever. Congrats to France for being the Champions du Monde!

Did you watch any of the World Cup? If so, which team were you rooting for?