I love Paris in the Spring time
I love Paris in the Fall
I love Paris in the Winter- when it drizzles
I love Paris in the Summer-when it sizzles...
-Words sung so sweetly by Ella Fitzgerald.
We arrived in Pairs this afternoon. After getting settled in, I was ready to explore the city. Paris has a great municipal transportation system. We were situated only 15 minutes by rail to the city center, making for a stress-free journey into town. Well the stress-free part never happened. Trying to figure out the subway became a major issue but with the help of the local Parisians, everything turned out OK.
Paris overwhelms my senses and puts me in some sort of trance. It's as though I'm having an out-of-body experience. With camera in hand, we walked from neighborhood to neighborhood. At every corner there were new sights to see. I shot over 500 photos of Paris and I could shoot 500 more and never tire. The incredible statues, Old churches, and fountains, seemed to blend in effortlessly among the cafes and restaurants. And the people... these must be the sexiest people on earth. They carry themselves in a manner that I would soon be imitating. Stylish, together, happy, and gracious. The people were just as much a part of the city as the Tour de Eiffel or the Arch de Triomphe. How could you not feel full of life when every street offered a new way of looking at life?
The first thing you do when you arrive in Paris is eat. As soon as we jumped off the subway and hit the streets, we were immediately overwhelmed by the vast amount of choices. It is said that, "You can't get a bad meal in Paris". Being budget minded in such an expensive city, I plan to put this theory to the test. We found a great little restaurant near the Marais district. The food was fantastic and reasonable. The thing to do is to search for hidden treasures. The more glossy and attention grabbing the place is, the more it will be geared towards the tourists and their dollars.
Travelers hint: Ask around. The locals know where the good places are. I received great advice from a number of different people. Although Paris is a big city the people are very approachable. My best restaurant advice came from people who I happened to be sitting next to in a cafe or just people on the street. This salad of heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and roasted peppers was delicious, and at only 5 euros, I was surprised at the size.
This has been a soggy Summer for Europe and from what the forecast says it will be raining for most of our time in Paris. Luckily, the rain has broken enough for us to take a boat ride on the Seine River. This is such a nice way to see Paris. Especially at night as the lights of the city come alive. The Eiffel Tower does a special lighting that looks like stars falling down it's side. I can't think of a better way to see this engineering marvel.
The heavy rains are continuing to deluge the city of lights. Somehow this doesn't seem to bother me at all. Maybe I would wish for a cloudless and dry day but I would miss seeing Paris in the rain. We got up early once again around 11, that's early for world travelers. We decided to go to the cite science museum since it was indoors and we could one up the rain. Once we arrived the rain was replaced with hundreds upon hundreds of school age children and tired looking parents. The lovely angels were crying, screaming, running wild, and having fun. As much as I love the little ones, I think I preferred the rain. The planetarium at the museum was a must see for me. Reclining in suede chairs, you look out into the universe and it was a quite realistic journey.
Now back to the rain. This evening I decided to explore the city by foot and in the rain. Just me an my umbrella set out to have the best night I could have in Paris. Since it was my last night here I had a simple agenda. Find a great restaurant, hear some live jazz, make some new friends and explore at least 3 neighborhoods. "Let the rain pitter patter it really doesn't matter." It didn't mater one bit. Paris has a sway on me that is oh so sweet. Everything in the world seems so perfectly sweet when I am here. In my experience I have only had the fortune to meet sincere and very helpful people. Everyone I met went out of their way to help with directions, some even walked me to the places I was looking for. If anyone has an opinion that Paris is rude. I can say in no uncertain terms that the people are some of the nicest and most endearing that I have ever met. To make your Paris experience fuller, Do as the locals do . Slow down a bit, breathe the air, sip on your favorite beverage and realize life is good. Ive been here 3 times and never tire of this magical city. You could spend a year hear and not see it all.
I met all 3 of my criteria, traveling is about challenging yourself while learning and having fun. I found a sweet jazz club in the Latin Quarter. The club was located downstairs from a hip restaurant that played R&B and served food with a French West Indies flair. The vibe was hip, trendy,and a bit Bohemian. As I walked down a dingy stair case, I could hear the rim taps of the drums and a melodic saxophone singing sweetly. It was the coolest place I have ever been. Painted on all the ceilings were the faces of the greats - Ella, Miles, Louie, Sarah, Coltrane, Sir Duke, and on and on. The audience was appreciative and there were even a few children sitting on the floor with their full attention towards the stage. The band was a mix of older, seasoned players and younger up and coming musicians. They played straight ahead jazz and they swung.
The Jazz trance made me stay out longer than I had planned. I looked down at my watch and realized I better get moving fast if I want to catch the last train. I ran full speed for four blocks. I surprised myself with the intensity of my pace. I jumped the gate, ran down two flights of stairs and just as the doors were closing I jumped on the train! I was feeling pretty good about my accomplishment. I was sweaty, breathing hard and feeling relieved when I looked up and realized I was on the wrong train. All that adrenaline instantly left my body. I got off at the next stop, but the last train of the night had already left. I hailed a cab, but I couldn't remember the name of the campground, a major duh moment. I couldn't even catch a bus because I didn't know which one to get on. Man, it's 2 in the morning and I'm all alone tired, wet and lost in Paris. I have no cell phone and have lost my sense of direction. I began walking, not really knowing quite yet what my next move was going to be, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a red Isuzu going the wrong way down a one- way street. This was no ordinary SUV, it had California plates. I ran across 5 lanes of traffic and began whistling and yelling at the top of my lungs, finally the SUV stopped. Miraculously, it was Bruce. The odds of running into him in a city of millions was staggering. We started miles apart and ended up, both lost, 5 miles from where we originally had started. I hopped in the truck, happy and relieved that I now had a ride home. The only problem now was that we were still on a one-way street and driving in the wrong direction. We found a place to turn around but the gates to the main streets were all shut. We circled the neighborhood going in and out of alleyways for almost 20 minutes, trying to find a main street. We were driving through throngs of people and shop owners closing their shops for the evening. We finally found an exit just as we in an area where no cars were allowed. Alls well that ends well. I had a great Paris adventure. I'm ready for a good nights' rest and an early start towards the next destination.
©2007 EasyOnThePalate.com More about Winston | Thank you's | Contact us | Other great sites: Savvy Cellar