August 02, 2011
Well, today was quite the spontaneous adventure. Less than 24 hours from the time I had the idea to go to Paris, we were actually IN Paris! We were up at 4:15 and on our first train from Cambridge to London by 6:00. We could have caught an earlier train out of there to Paris but we had non-exchangeable tickets. So, we sat at the station and drank cappuccino and read C.S. Lewis books. Then, we slept on the train a bit and looked out the window a lot. France is much more pastoral than I thought.
Once we arrived, we caught a cab to our hotel. It is very boutique quaint. Small and old, but clean and very European. (Which is so much more interesting than a chain hotel on an adventure like this.) We unloaded and then bought a two-day Metro pass. (I’ll have to say, I’m very impressed with myself. I have navigated the subways here and in London like an old pro.) We caught a few lines and went to the Eiffel Tower. It is enormous.
We found a sidewalk café and Jennifer had a delicious toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a chocolate/banana crepe. It looked and smelled divine. From there, we took a boat tour along the Seine River. It was very relaxing and gave us a nice overview. After that, we walked along the Seine until it started sprinkling.
We hopped in a cab and went to the Arc de Triumphe. What a massive piece of architecture. We headed out from there down the Champs Elysees. It is kind of like the Rodeo Drive of Paris so we didn’t actually do any shopping. But, we did stop for juice and tea. By that time it was already dusk so we headed back to the hotel via the Metro. Oh my goodness, who knew rush hour was at 8:00 at night?! It was so crowded that the doors of the subway closed and my backpack was stuck, hanging out of the train. I had to take it off in case it caught on something and ripped my arms off. Thankfully, some Parisian knew how to manually open the doors.
But, he wasn’t nice about it. We only got disgusting looks from all around. I’ll have to say, most of the people have not been particularly nice. I mean, who can cut off a blind woman just to get in a door first?! And, the stations all reek of urine! And, the streets are stinky. And, the city is dirty. And the buildings are dreary. I love England sooooo much better. I just don’t see the attraction for Paris. Maybe it is the food. Or the museums. I surely don’t know.
To view photos from this trip, visit my Facebook Page.
Posted by weblion at 06:36 PM
