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Henrietta (16 years old, Kecskemét)

It was a great day when we set off to Paris.
Few days earlier I talked to the two wish-kids - Henrietta and Peter - about what they wanted to see in Paris most of all. They preferred the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Peter also wrote a letter before the trip about his motivations to see Paris. So based on these I prepared myself for the journey.

I picked up Peter at the railway station and we travelled together to the airport where we met Henrietta and her mother.
The flight was pleasant, and afterwards we took the airport transit bus to the city, and then the subway to the hotel.
We had a really wonderful accomodation downtown, thanks to the Marriott Hotels. It was close to Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées.
After checking in we went for a walk to explore the city and to have dinner.

On the second day we visited the Louvre. We spent most of the day there. When we arrived at the glass pyramid surrounded by historical buildings, the kids became very excited and took a lot of pictures. They were happy to be there. They were very interested in the exhibitions as well.
It was late afternoon when we joined a tour on the River Seine. It was beautiful and comfortable, after the exhausting walk in the museum.

On the third morning we headed to the Eiffel Tower.
The two kids, Henrietta and Peter enjoyed the view and took a lot of pictures. They wanted to take the stairs from the lowest level, so we climbed down from there inside the iron structure. It was quite an experience.

The last afternoon was about shopping and walking, taking in the feel of the city. Finally Peter and me climbed up to the top of Arc de Triomphe to have a last gorgeous view of the twelve avenues spreading out from that place. It was fascinating.

The next morning the kids were a bit sad about leaving so soon but they cheered themselves up by bying some delicious French chocolate and then we all rode back to the airport, and flew home with many great memories.

Judit Halmos
wish-coordinator
31.08.2009.

/ 5



We would like to thank the support given for Henrietta's wish-granting to the Marriott Hotel Budapest and the GlaxoSmithKline Hungary.


Peter's letter about his wish

Paris

Paris. Capital of France, Eiffel Tower, Louvre or the Arch of Triumph. These are the things that first come to mind when asked about Paris. Everyone is drawn to these fantastic places. I don’t know many people who haven’t been there or didn’t want to go there someday. I’m one of the latter. I’ve always been attracted to that city, ever since I was little. My dad’s an architect, and he once told me about his great-grandfather who was also an architect and was good friends with a man called Eiffel. It started to interest me and I wanted to no more about Eiffel, so I looked him up. I learned many things about him, how he designed the Western Railway Station in Budapest as well as the Statue of Liberty in New York. I also learned that the symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower was named after him.

Lots of movies and books take place in Paris, for example Dan Brown’s highly successful novel, the Da Vinci Code. This book also gave me many reasons to want to get to know the city. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa enthralled me as well. But of course Mona Lisa isn’t the only resident in the Louvre of Paris. The museum is a meeting point of many different cultures, from the sarcophagi of the egyptian pharaohs to the glass pyramids. It would be fascinating to see these works of art up close. To experience in reality the things I only read about or saw pictures of.

Furthermore this city has a symbolic significance to me. The citadel of bohemia, the symbol of revolution, the city of love, a place for artists like Toulouse-Lautrec or Van Gogh. The sights of Paris are endless. No other town has so many remarkable places. Paris is my favourite city. Paris is my city.

Péter F***

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