So I hopped the train to Paris this morning, determined to see the sights and experience the grand de jour that is Paris! The train is a high-speed Thalys from Brussels to Paris and takes just under an hour and a half to go from A to B.
When I got out of the train station in Paris, it was like arriving at a bus station in the US - Not really the first impression you want to get. So I left the terminal determined to find the Eiffel Tower. Right after I walked out, I must have had this lost American look on my face because this mid-twenties girl comes up to me and clear as day says, “Do you speak English?” Trying to be a nice guy, not thinking in “over-protected traveler mode”, I said yes. Immediately, she held up a sign that said “I just arrived in Paris from Bosnia where my mother andfather were killed. I need money to live on until I find work.” That’s when I went into “over-protected traveler mode” and just walked away. Note to self - NO, I do not speak English. Hablo Espanol solamente. I debated for a minute on whether I wanted to just grab a taxi to the tower or walk. HA! The tower was on the other side of the city - walking was out of the question. Trying to see Paris on a budget told me that a taxi was a very bad idea… so I sucked it up and walked in to the Tram station (what we all affectionately call the Subway.)
For the record, the lack of public transportation in Texas really did me a great disservice in Paris, considering it took me well over 30 minutes to figure out how the subway system worked andunderstand how I could catch the right ones and the connections to get to where I wanted to go. Now, for just a few euros, I was off to see the Eiffel Tower, The Cathedral at Notre Dame and The Louvre.
When I arrived at the Tower tram stop, I got above ground andcouldn’t find it… no where in sight. How do you miss such a massive landmark? Well, I started walking and within two blocks, there it was - bigger than life. It was so amazing! I kept taking picture after picture after picture. So I went and jummped in line to take the stairs up to the 2nd observation deck. Unfortunately, the lifts to the very top were closed today - and since everything is in French here - literally EVERYTHING - I had no idea why. So I started walking, and 700 steps later, I was at the 2nd observation deck. It was amazing! You see pictures of it all over the world, but to be standing there was surreal.
From there, I walked across to the Le Champ De Mars, which is a war memorial of sorts. A few pictures later, and I was headed for Notre Dame. By now I had the whole subway thing down, andfelt like a pro! The Cathedral was awesome. I grabbed some funny shots of people feeding pigeons - the birds were all over them! It was crazy! There was about an hour wait to get into the Cathedral, so I knew if I wanted to get more sight seeing in, the best I could do was look on the outside.
Back onto the subway, I was off to find The Louvre. What most people don’t realize is that when you say The Louvre, you’re actually referring to a fort, unless you actually say the Louvre Museum. The whole park area there was a amazing. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, they had let their last tour group in, so I didn’t get to go see it, but I did manage a picture or two with the famous glass pyramid.
While enjoying the park, I grabbed a french pastry anda cup of coffee. Argue whatever side, but I think we get coffee right, and they get it totally wrong :-) . After people watching and enjoying the amazement of being in “The City of Love”, I was headed back to catch my train to Brussels. City of Love? You bet. I felt like the lone single guy in the city - haha.
So tired from all the walking and doing, I fell asleep on the train and woke up just before we got back. A quick bite to eat, and it’s now just after midnight on Sunday morning.
Au revoir Paris.
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