Paris

What does one say about Paris?
Paris is big. Everything about Paris is big. Start with the Eiffel Tower. I have seen images of the Eiffel Tower all my life, in print, on television and in movies. Still, when I came up from le Metro at Trocadero, I was impressed by the enormity of the Tower. Add to that its elegance and you begin to get a sense of the experience of seeing it for the first time. It is truly a beautiful sight to behold. When I first saw the Eiffel Tower, it was drenched in sunlight with black thunderclouds looming behind it, adding to the dramatic affect.



When I explored Paris, the weather was cold and rainy, not the best way to meet this grand city. In order to see as much as possible in the few days we were there, we hopped on and off an open tour bus that circulated through the different parts of the city. We saw the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, Les Invalides, the church where Napoleon's ashes are interred, the Champs Elysees, the Louvre Museum, Trocadero, Place de la Concord and much more. Paris boasts many grand monuments and statues commemorating it's victories and its heroes. The city displays a powerful sense of pride in its victories and history. Paris reflects the visions of many great Kings and military heroes, elevating them to godlike status in its memory of them. The scale on which many of the buildings and monuments were built conveys a sense of might and majesty.

The streets were full of people visiting the city from all over the world. In that sense, it reminded me of New York and London. We heard the sounds of many American accents and said hello to them along the way. The visitors often spoke English. We did encounter a number of French people who spoke some English, but also a few that were rude in their response to the questions we might pose in English. I understand that the French are very proud of their history and culture, but I have difficulty understanding why they would want to alienate visitors. I would think they would want visitors to appreciate their country and its people, not have visitors go away with a sense of having been rebuffed. I certainly would not patronize establishments where I was treated rudely. I will happily take my euros elsewhere. For my part, I greeted the French with a bonjour or bonsoir and a smile and always made my requests with a s'il vous plait.

It is challenging to get around Paris. By the time we were ready to leave, we were finally getting the hang of taking le Metro and reading its maps. There is no comparison with how easily we got around in Amsterdam; like day and night.

The Louvre




We devoted one day to visiting the Louvre. It's an amazing complex on a grand scale. We each got the multimedia guides to assist us with our exploration of the museum, but even those took a while to figure out. I finally wandered around on my own and punched in whatever numbers I could find to hear the commentary of the paintings. I stayed mostly with paintings and did not explore the sculptures or the objets d'art. I did visit the Mona Lisa. It wasn't hard to find. There was a huge crowd where the Mona Lisa was on display, a dense crowd difficult to penetrate to get close enough to get a look. My perseverance paid off and I was rewarded with a view good enough to take a photo.



All around the city there are lovely outdoor cafes with chairs facing the street so that the patrons can watch the city and its people. It was so cold that when we stopped at cafes, we went indoors. We enjoyed crepes that you can get anywhere - cafes, stands near the base of the Eiffel Tower, walk-up snack kiosks throughout the city. Very tasty! The crepes are sweet. You can choose your filling. I had mine with cheese. My friend had one with apricot jam and another one later with ice cream and whipped cream. Crepes are tasty without anything in them! We had dinner at a few different restaurants in Paris, but they both served Italian food. My first dish was l'aubergine parmagiana, eggplant parmiagian. Delicious! I ordered a veggie pizza in one restaurant. It came with a fried egg in the middle. The pizza was very good and the egg in the center was an interesting surprise.

Not surprising that we had Italian food in Paris. We also had Mexican/Argentinan food in Amsterdam which was incredibly good. Come to think of it, we also had Asian food in Paris. Also very good. One evening, we just picked up les baguettes et du fromage for our evening meal. That seemed a very French thing to do. The baguettes were the best I ever tasted. And what do I need to say about camembert? It's my favorite cheese even when I'm not in Paris!

I will remember my brief tour of Paris. It is an amazing city with many beautiful sights and pleasant surprises. Those are what I will remember.