2003-09-07
Americans in Paris, or, How to Do Paris in One Day

6:04 p.m.

The original plan had been to meet at the Eiffel Tower. When I got off, Nick text messaged me that he was at Napolean's tomb, didn't know what metro stop, says it was on the way to the Eiffel Tower, and that he walked there. So, I assumed (wrongly) that he meant that he walked there from the airport, and as I knew that he was flying in to Charles de Gaulle, I figured that the best way to find him was to go to de Gaulle and walk to the tomb from there, especially since everyone I asked seemed to not know where the tomb was. Short story is, 3 hours and 30 Euros later, I tracked him down at the Louvre. As it turns out, he had flown into Orly at the last minute, and taken a bus to downtown, from where he had walked to the tomb. Two things which he had not bothered to tell me, so needless to say, when I finally found him, I was NOT happy.

The 30 Euros was mostly stupidity on my part because I didn't know the metro system. First, I bought a ticket for all of central Paris. Then, I realized that I needed a special one to go to de Gaulle. Then, I needed to get one back, and since there was a ticket that included Paris plus the airports, I bought that one, figuring I'd give my other one to Nick. We did use them; once, on the way back to the train station. Oh well. Lessons learned, and now I know how to get to the airport from the train station, useful to know in the future. AND, I feel comfortable with the metro system, after having ridden it in search of the elusive Mr. Skytland.

Anyway, after an inauspicious start, it turned out to be a great day. We never did make it back to Napolean's tomb even though I really wanted to see it; Nick had spent a lot of time waiting for me there, and by the time we were in that area again, it was closed. I met him at the Louvre, and we spend through the museum. It really is impressive. Nick and I are both more interested in paintings than anything else, so we spent a good deal of time in those areas. And we did see the Mona Lisa. It was impressive, but I couldn't help but wonder what is so special about that picture. I mean, yes, it's very well-done and all, but why that one? When I saw it in person, I think I may have figured it out part of the reason. It's her eyes, and her expression. She sits so demurely and so ladylike, but there's a mischevious sparkle in her eyes, and she looks so mysterious, like she knows a secret and if you lean close enough, she just might tell you. Or, she might not, just to be perverse. It's actually quite an amazing painting.

There were also a lot of Greek statues, and paintings depecting Greek mythology, as well as religious paintings, both of which I found really fascinating, since I come from a Catholic background and am fascinated with Greek mythology. There was A LOT of that there; Becca, you would have really enjoyed it, and I took pictures of the statue of Artemis for you.

There was also a special limited exhibition of the crown jewels, which were really impressive. There was a diamond that was something like a couple thousand carats. It was HUGE, but not as big as the hope diamond. They had crowns, brooches, necklaces, bracelets, etc.

After the Louvre, we went to Notre Dame. We didn't think it as impressive as the Cathedral here in Strasbourg, but it was still incredible, and we went down into the crypt, where they had some ruins of ancient Paris, with some dating from the 3rd century. It *is* an awe-inspiring church, don't get me wrong, and we were excited about being in something so famous. In fact, you can say that about all of Paris. For me, I just kept exclaiming the whole day, "I'm in Paris!". I couldn't believe it.

After Notre Dame, we went to the Conciergerie, which is where Marie Antoinette spent her last days, and housed other famous French prisoners, as well.

Then, I made antsy Nick stop long enough so that I could have some crepes. Mmm, they were goooooood.

Next stop, Eiffel Tower. We passed Napolean's tomb on the way, so I did get to see it, but not inside. Next trip. Anyway, The Eiffel Tower was INCREDIBLE. I was completely entranced, and yet, like the Mona Lisa, wondered what was so special about it. It's really just a bunch of trusses, and what purpose does it serve other than being a major tourist attraction? Well, whatever the reason, I certainly fell under its charm. We had to wait in a decent line (about an hour), and then pay 11 Euros to get to the very tippity-top, but it was worth it. Definitely. You could see the entire city spread out below. It was dark, and you could see all of the lights of the city. Paris really is the City of Lights. Breathtaking.

After we came down, we went to the Arc de Triumphe (or, "The Arch", as Nick called it) and after Nick nearly managed to get us killed crossing the roundabout to it, we took some pictures, but had to hurry as we had to make the 11:30 train if we were to leave Paris that night. I would have loved to have gone up in it, but again, that will have to be another trip.

So, from the Arc, we left the proper way (UNDER the roundabout) and caught a tram (finally using those dang tram tickets I bought) and then made it in time to catch the train back to Strasbourg. That was a bit of an experience, too. We bought 2nd class tickets, and then since noone was in first class, went up there and slept for a couple hours in the 8-seat enclosed compartments, until we were woken up and kicked out after they checked our tickets. Well, sort-of. There were two guys, and the one who spoke English was going to make us pay the difference between first and second, and I said no, no, we'll just go back to second class, no big deal, we're sorry, we didn't see the sign (which, is actually true; we didn't see it until we were already there and settled in). Finally, I talked him down and he only made us pay 13 Euros total, which, he said was for the couple hours that we had spent in first class. The sleep I got in there, compared to the sleep I got in the uncomfortable chairs in second, was worth 6-and-a-half Euros. He was a bit of a jerk, however; the other guy was arguing with him in French and was telling him to just let us go and not make us pay, but no, the first guy insisted that we needed to pay. Anyway, we made it back to Strasbourg at 6:30 AM, and stumbled back to our respective apartments and went to sleep.

So, that is Paris in a day for you. I would totally do it again, but whew! What a whirlwind. My feet hurt. Today, Nick and I were going to go to Ikea (yes, Sarah, there is one here and I have a picture for you) and to Auchan. Unfortunately, the bus that goes to Ikea doesn't run on Sundays, and Auchan was closed, prompting Nick to repeat his mantra of "France is stupid, I hate France." which he tends to say very loudly.

So, since he had no food and was starving, I went to McDonalds with him. Yes, I have to admit it, and even worse, this isn't the first time I've gone! Unfortunately, they're the only thing close to him that's open late, and on Sundays. However, they have some stuff that they don't have in the states, like these tomato and cheese or ham and cheese little sandwiches that are actually quite good, and steak fries. That's what I got last time, and this time, I just had a McFlurry with some sort of chocolate-coated corn flakes or something, and that was pretty good, too. The McDonalds restaraunts are really all over the place. There is no escape! But, I don't even eat normal McDonalds hamburgers in the US, so I'm not about to start here. The burgers are different however; they put a weird sauce on them (I tried some of Nick's) that Nick doesn't like, and which only fuels his resentment that France is not like the US. And this is after only yesterday saying that he felt that he was becoming more accustomed to France and didn't hate it anymore. Uh huh.

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