But in my opinion, Paris, like most things, is better when you experience it with someone you care about. Not just because it's known as one of the best places for romance, but also because traveling and experiences are meant to be shared. Creating these connections with people makes us feel closer to friends and loved ones. There is nothing sadder than to be on the metro when it turns a corner to reveal the grandness of the Eiffel Tower only to turn to your neighbor in excitement and have it be an disinterested stranger. Maybe I need a witness who can confirm that yes, I am indeed living in Paris, and that without this witness it could all be a dream. Or maybe because I want to gush about the view, and you can't really gush to yourself. I can be independent and travel all by my lonesome. But why if you don't have to?
Last weekend was a treat. Thomas and a friend stopped by on their way to Geneva. Thomas and I gave his friend a whirl wind (five hour) tour of Paris. And despite the cold and rainy weather today, we managed to hit most of the items on the the tourist must see checklist.
The weekend started with me spending about 6 hours on Saturday going to Charles de Gaulle airport picking up Thomas first and then returning 3 hours later with Thomas to pick up his friend. After riding the RER B this many times, I must lament that this is probably a low point on most people's trip to Paris. It is unfortunate that the first and last memories of this beautiful city is the hour train ride through a comely section of France. The route is long and far from scenic and the neighborhoods somewhat rough. On my second trip to CDG on Saturday I witnessed a group of teens giving a man a hard time (this lasted for an uncomfortable thirty minutes). Not sure who started it (the man or the girls), but it made me wish their was a bit more supervision/security on these trains.
The upside of the CDG trips, is that I understand the layout of the airport better, so we'll be ready for the next time we have to go pick up visitors... or at least write up a how to guide to send to folks so that they can navigate the trip themselves.
The plan was to pick up Thomas, head to Paris to hang out for a few hours, head back to CDG to pick up his friend, ride back to Paris , tour the sites at night and then do a bit more the next morning. Unfortunately, the friend's flight was delayed which caused him to miss his connection. And long story short, it was 12:30pm by the time we got him settled in his hotel. Too late for dinner or to tour the Eiffel Tower, but at least it was not too late to have a glass of sweet Vouvray at the bar next door to the hotel. Item: Have French wine in France (check).
The next morning, we were off to an early start. Thomas and Dean had a 3pm train reservation, so we have five hours to show Dean the Paris highlights. We took the 38 bus from my hood to the 1st arrondissement (tourist central). After getting off the bus, karma put a crepe stand right in front of us. So no less than 1 minute from starting our morning tour of Paris, we had our first crepe (two nutella and one sugar)- messy since the warm buttery crepe melted the filling, but well worth it. Have a yummy crepe (check).
We walked as we munched on our crepes. Though rain was forecasted for the day, it hadn't started yet. Taking advantage of the OK weather, we walked along the Seine. On Sunday's the road that runs along the river, Voie George Pompidou, is closed to traffic, and many Parisians (and tourist) take advantage of this fact. As we walked along the river, we passed families on bikes, runners, and a photography group.
As we walked along the Seine we admired the sites- the Louvre on our right, Musee d'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower on our left. We also wondered how the girls in front of us managed to walk the uneven sidewalks on such high heels - one does have to look good when in Paris. Being a tourist is no excuse. But still I don't think wearing high heels is the only way to be stylish. Walk along the Seine. See the Eiffel Tower (check and check).
We walked to the point where the Champs d'Elysee hits the entrance of the Jardin Tuileries. Once you enter the garden you can look back and see the Arc de Triompe in the distance. This public garden is probably one of the most visited garden in Paris. As we walked in to the garden we caught of the whiff of the lavender growing in one of the many small garden plots. The cold and rainy weather most likely drove the tourist indoors, so we had the garden practically to ourselves. We saw a few hardy tourists, but lots of runners. We even saw what looks like a "boot camp" type exercise group. The thought of exercising in front of the Louvre almost got me to sign up... almost.
We walked through the Louvre courtyard. We revealed at the famous pyramids designed by architect I. M. Pei who also designed the National Gallery of Art East Building. And just like the mix of old and modern throughout Paris, the juxtaposition of the contemporary sculpture and the Palais du Louvre built in the 16th century works. Because of the rain everyone wanted to go to the museum. The line spanned the length of the outdoor courtyard which made me question the logic of going to Louvre to avoid the rain.
The second to the last stop on this whirlwind tour of Paris was Notre Dame. Not only did we get to tour one of the most famous gothic cathedral in the world, but since it was Sunday we technical were there for mass (so we "went" to church too!). Since we were way past our scheduled time of departure for our whirlwind tour, we might have pushed through the cathedral a little fast. We basically walked through taking only only a few pauses to briefly admire the rose stain glass window and the altar. Sorry, Dean. Come back later when you have more time and when there are fewer tourist in Paris. This ended our monument tour of Paris. Altogether we walked a little over four miles (So future visitors beware. You need to be fit to visit Paris. There is a lot of walking and stairs!).
The conclusion of the whirlwind tour was lunch at a popular brasserie a few blocks from my apartment. It had the stereotypical outdoor patio where Parisians sit, sip coffee or wine, and look bored We sat indoors but still near the big doorway. The menu seemed pricey and without any French sounding food- so we had two BLTs and one hamburger. We also had two bottles of soda at 5,20 EUROS and a beer for 4,80 Euros. Yes, welcome to Paris where your diet coke will cost more than alcohol. And thus concludes the five hour of tour of the city.
~ Fin ~