Parisians Love Bicycles

Current status: in Astrid's guest bed in her new flat outside Zurich. Mom is to my left reading a book. We decided to pose as a cuddly mother daughter duo by sharing the guest bed. More on Zurich next entry. "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think," is among the quotations from Mom's book, she always reads the funniest ones aloud. I originally heard the quote as "You can lead a whore to culture..."

The flight to Paris was mainly enjoyable due to the food (I know, right?). It was a ham, cheese and lettuce sandwich with this delightfully light pastry dessert. It had the diameter of an oreo and the top and bottom were like a chewier pound cake with a chilled vanilla creme in the middle. My first "disaster," (perhaps mishap is a more appropriate word) was when I exited the baggage terminal trying to find the right one - luckily, I negotiated my way back into the baggage claim in less than a minute. Thanks to whoever the less skeptical passport checker was/is. After I had my luggage (which I had never intended to check), I walked briskly toward the RER so I could drop my stuff at Kai's and meet Julian for dinner. On the train, I sat across from an attractive Brit who was in town to visit his brother and watch the rugby game, France vs. England. We had an interesting conversation about sports, college majors, and geography.

The second mishap of the evening was due to a miscommunication via txt messaging with Julian. Julian is from Switzerland and I know him from Sarah Lawrence. He's been a dancer, a bartender, and an all around bad ass. No really, he's been an all around bad ass. He has also been known for womanizing, though I find him and Anna to be an adorable couple (womanizing days over?). Anyway, due to the miscommunication, he rushed to meet me at Saint Michel and I then had to rush to meet him. After walking around Rue Huchlette (sp?) for ten minutes, we settled on one of the quieter restaurants and both had raclette (one of my absolute favorite dinners). For those who don't know, Raclette is a dinner composed of cheese, potatoes, raw meats (like cold cuts) and sometimes bread. Raclette is eaten by melting the cheese above a flame or hot plate, then when properly melted, you pour it over your bread/potatoes/meat. It's positively delicious. I always eat it beyond my fill point because it's so wonderful.

Here's something I wrote during our dinner together: "Return to Paris." After spending a lonely month in Paris almost three years ago, I found it surprising that I was more than willing to return during my year abroad. Catching the RER wasn't difficult, I even met someone from the UK along the way. Once I got off the 11 Metro line at Pyrenees, something beyond my memory led me through the familiar haunts of my cousin's neighborhood and I found his apartment without even trying. When I rushed back onto the metro to meet Julian, the smell of the metro caught me offguard, I was instantly flooded with memories from years before. I was slightly overwhelmed with sadness, I had forgotten how unhappy I had been the last time.

Anyway, back to actual events...

Julian and I shared stories of our programs and relationships/love lives and plans for the future. It was refreshing to have a conversation with someone I knew before this crazy experience began. Unfortunately, our conversation ran so long that before we knew it, it was 12.30 and that's around the time the metro stops running. Julian and I raced for his RER and the metro station. In the process of waiting for his RER, he told me the RER coming along the opposite track was going to Chatlet (which was closer to Kai's apartment) so I ran to the other track and got on without even thinking. I was reminded why I don't trust what anyone says whole heartedly. I ended up going way south of where I wanted to go, some obscure train station that began with the letter "A." I quickly found a bus (more like luckily) that was heading toward Gare de L'est, after consulting a map, I realized how close that was to Kai's and jumped on. I only had 10 Euros and my credit card was frozen, so I had to get close enough to Kai's to take a taxi. After riding the bus for about 30 minutes, I realized I should have gotten on a bus going the other way, it would have been loads faster. By the time I realized this, there was no point in changing lines. Once I got to Gare de L'est, I jumped in the first taxi and we had to consult a map to get to Kai's.

By the time I got to Kai's, it was well after 2 in the morning and I was just thankful to have finally gotten there. For those of you who don't know, Kai is one of my Mom's cousins. He was raised in France and lives in Paris just a block away from Parc des Buttes Chaumont. The next day, I woke at 9, but stayed in bed until noon. Kai had left around 9 and when I woke, I set off to find a hostel (especially once I found I couldn't connect to Kai's internet). I first headed to a hostel in Montmartre. After checking the internet, I realized that the place was fully booked and I would have to find another place to stay (I made the mistake of not placing a reservation for a bed). The concierge was spectacular, he helped me find another hostel within walking distance and was all smiles with everyone he attended. After checking into the hostel I stayed in for Friday night, I set off for Sacre Coeur, mostly by accident.

As I walked up many flights of stairs along different blocks, I passed a small park to the rear of Sacre Coeur. I then found myself in a street fair that surrounds the place. Most of the stands were food related, so there was a lot of excellent things to smell. I regret not buying something to eat, especially given all the options that were available. I only took a picture of the chocolate stand because it was so colorful and it smelled amazing. As I circled the entrance facing the park that is carved out of the hill, I saw Paris, heavy with a wet fog. I ended up going into the crypts before the church itself, not realizing that in order to get to the crypt, you have to go up to the main dome. I'm actually kind of glad that decision was made by mistake, because the view was spectacular. I can only imagine how much more beautiful it is on a clear day. The crypt was more of a museum, very different than what I was expecting. That being said, I did come across two elaborate glass and gold cases that had specific bones in them. I didn't find out who they belonged to. The most striking feature was this one lifelike bronze (?) statue of Jesus (post-cross). It was so realistic, I half expected him to blink and wake up. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture.

Once out of the crypt, I made my way to the entrance. The signs indicate no photography permitted and silence is strongly encouraged. In fact, there is staff monitoring tourists to prevent them from breaking these rules. When first entering Sacre Coeur, you're immediately struck by the change in temperature as well as the lighting. I believe the lack of artificial lighting contributes to the low temperature. You're not cold, you're just aware that it's colder inside. The interior does not appear as brilliantly white, even when it is bright outside. It feels gray. The only light comes in through the stained glass windows or from the hundreds of candles lit in prayer. The interior is different from any of the others I've visited thus far, perhaps mostly due to it's building material and architecture. Above the main alter is a mosaic, it contains brilliant blues and golds and is a picture of Jesus Christ, and others I cannot recall (or probably name). Just above the entrance opposite the mosaic is the main organ (sorry Alanna, no pictures of this one) and it is surrounded by Saints and Angels carved into the wood around it. In the center of the balcony where the organ sits, there are two sculpted Angels holding a beautiful wooden clock. The other architecture I noticed were the pillars holding up the central tower. There are four pillars just under the dome and in the corner where the pillars connect to the dome, there are four statues of Angels looking down on the church. Sacre Coeur is definitely among my favorites of religious sites visited thus far. It's absolutely breathtaking.

Paris LP.1 has pictures from Thursday night and Friday afternoon. They continue into the next album listed below.

When I left Sacre Coeur, I decided to circle through the street fair once more before heading down the park in the front of Sacre Coeur. I also visited another chuch beside Sacre Coeur. It was tiny in comparison, but still pretty. I actually stopped to watch the service for a while before heading back down the hill where Sacre Coeur sits. The park in front is still very green and many people were lounging about, enjoying the gray day. When I reached the final stair case just above a carosel, I got stopped by someone that was trying to sell me something...I didn't walk fast enough I guess. I ended up having a decent conversation, then paying 5 Euros for a bracelet he made. It's not worth 5 Euros, but I wear it anyway. After that, I passed another street preformer who was balancing a glass container with fish on his head. As I continued down hill past the tourist shops, water was rushing down the street corners and I had to take care not to get wet. Once I reached the bottom, I found a metro stop and heading toward Saint Michel again. Notre Dame was now closed, so I took pictures of the exterior as the I walked through the park between Notre Dame and the Seine River. Night was beginning to fall, so were the leaves, especially whenever the Seine kicked up wind. I love autumn so much. I basically continued to walk, at one point stopping to buy a croissant to hold me over before finding a suitable restaurant. I passed Hotel de Ville and got turned around on my way to Chatlet, but was redirected by some friendly store clerks. I found a lovely little restaurant and indulged in a salad, french bread, roast duck, and scalloped potatoes.

After dinner, I felt my exhaustion and headed toward a metro stop so I could return to my hostel. Given how I had gotten to the hostel before (traveling from another one closer to a different metro stop), I decided it would be best if I just got off at the recommended metro stop and consult a map to find the hostel. I ended up lost for an hour or more looking for the hostel. I asked for directions a number of times and was relieved when I finally found it. Luckily, I had kept returning to the same metro stop, so I knew if I had to, I could get back on and re-walk to my hostel the way I had that afternoon. But everyone knows I'm too stubborn for that. When I got back, my stuff had been moved to another bed and a girl was reading beneath my bunk. I began doing homework and she began to sleep shortly thereafter. Not long after her attempt to sleep, one of my other roommates came in and introduced himself. Charlie is from Austrailia and was in town with a group of friends for the Rugby finals. After Paris, he was going to London for a week, then home again. Charlie and I ended up chatting and Pia admitted she had been awake and joined the conversation. Lou then came in and he and Charlie started getting ready for clubbing, when they left, Pia and I continued to chat. I found out Pia is from South Africa and was traveling through France after visiting family before heading home. I showed her my pictures of Prague before we went to sleep.

I left the next morning for my second hostel and said farewell to Pia, unfortunately not getting to tell the guys good-bye. I actually slept very well in this "dorm-style" room, the beds were fairly comfortable. Also, the guys weren't too noisy when they came in to sleep. My next hostel was near Republique. After leaving my suitcase, I went back to Saint Michel for the third time. This time, I viewed the ruins beneath the courtyard in front of Notre Dame. It was interesting to see the history of previous Parisian society recovered. After that, I wandered into the church after waiting for a few minutes in line. While inside, I caught a rehearsal of some kind, there were lots of children practicing a dance of some kind in the central part of the building. I also saw a child attempting to cross himself at an alter, I actually found that adorable. I also saw some guy wearing a Micheal Vic Jersey, and I almost went up to him and said "Dude, really? That guys?" I also couldn't find the organ in Notre Dame, sorry again Alanna. Once again, another beautiful church, and I can't remember if I had been there before.

After that, I walked past Hotel de Ville again. They had a large screen set up for the Rugby final between Britain and France, they even dressed the statues in opposing Jerseys. I continued toward Chatelet, stopping in several quirky stores that kept me occupied for close to two hours. Growing hungry, I stopped in a rather colorful and modern restaurant. I felt the most "lost in translation" there because I can't speak a lick of French and there were no English menus. Turns out the restaurant was famous for it's pasta (though their buffet style spread on the way in featured next to zero pasta). I ended up having this excellent salad with seasoned chicken and a slightly sweet dressing. I left as quickly as I could because I was embarassed that I had picked a pasta restaurant and hadn't intended to eat pasta. At least the restaurant was close to Chatelet.

Paris LP.2 contains the rest of Friday afternoon/evening and most of Saturday afternoon.

Once I got toward the fountains alongside Centre Georges Pompidou (this crazy building that looks like a cross between a hamster cage and a colorful plumbing system) it was starting to get dark again. I walked alongside the foutains, then the church beyond it before circling back to this Centre Pompidou Museum. There was a street performer attracting a sizeable crowd, merchants sitting at various points along the angled courtyard, as well as many other people sketching or simply enjoying the late afternoon. I actually know very little about this Museum, I still haven't seen anything of it besides the lobby and the bookstore. The bookstore is fantastic and has several books, art postcards, stationary, etc. After venturing through the bookstore, I went back outside and discoverd the crowd around the street performer had more than doubled, his crowd took up the entire right quarter of the square.

After that, I quickly walked toward the Chatelet metro entrances and wound up taking photos of a jugglers and a church across the way at the opposite entrance to the shopping center beneath my feet. After noticeing the length of the lines to buy metro tickets (I had just run out) I decided to walk to the other end and visit the church. I just made it in, unfortunately, most of the photos were dark and I was kicked out fairly quickly because it was closing. I did manage to make the rounds though, it was essentially a larger version of what I had seen just outside Sacre Coeur. Although, the exterior reminded me of the one church I found in Kutna Hora. While sitting in the park outside, I kept taking pictures of this adorable South Asian family, particularly because their son kept climbing into the hand of the sculpture outside the church and because his mother was wearing a beautiful sari. After I started to get cold, I decided it was best to head to my hostel and officially check in. I waited in line behind several Brits who couldn't figure out how to buy metro tickets, needless to say, it took me a while to get back. I then met one of my roomates who was traveling from Mexico. I feel badly for forgetting his name, but he was friendly and I enjoyed his company during the hour I was checking mail and Parisian addresses. I also decided it was best to have a light dinner and hit up a patisserie across from the hostel and had an excellent slice of quiche.

Once I recharged, I went to the Eiffel Tower to catch the pandemoniom that was the Rugby finals. The lawn behind the Eiffel Tower had several large screens and was completely packed with people. I walked on the outskirts of the crowd toward the tower and discovered a large Rugby ball and better inspected the Rugby ball balloon hanging from the Eiffel Tower between it's first and second levels. Unforunately, you can't really see what it looks like in the pictures, just that it's a large, white, Rugby shaped ball. The game ended shortly after I had arrived (I was late) and France had lost. As I wandered through the crowds, I noticed small groups of English guys singing their victory song. It was definitely interesting getting back on the metro after, several police officers were regulating the number of people that entered. I continued to see people in their Rugby jersey's and paint the rest of the evening.

Paris LP.3 has the rest of the pictures from Saturday afternoon and evening.

After the Rugby final, I headed toward an apartment belonging to a friend of Kai's. Kai's friend was having a birthday party and Kai wanted me there because everyone else there was going to be old. He thought I'd bring a spice of life or youth to the party. I doubt I did any such thing. I re-met a lot of Kai's friends (I had met a handful three years ago) and had some excellent food. Particularly macaroons (which I had never had before) and this exquisite fruit parfee (sp?) that had been made by one of the party guests. Kai scolded me for taking the kiwis instead of spoonfuls of the dish itself. It wasn't a bad way to spend a few hours, but around 2am, I decided it would be easiest if I caught the last metro back to the hostel. I missed it by about 5 minutes. I returned to the party to ask Kai what I should do (I was way to far to walk and none of the local bus stops were running). Kai then told me about this new system that had just been introduced by the French in which you can rent bicycles.

There are over 600 bicycle stations in which you can rent and return these "Velib" bicycles. We found one of the two terminals nearby the apartment and proceeded to rent them. Unless you have a monthly pass and speak French, renting the bicycles is a difficult task, given how new the system is. I think it took us about 20 minutes. My favorite part about the English option was when it returned to French halfway through the rental process. Either way, I thought the system was impressive. You pay with a credit card and pull the bike off it's lock when the kiosk releases it. The bike rental is free for 30 minutes, 1 Euro for an hour, 2 Euros for two hours, etc. However, if you don't return the bike, you get charged 150 Euros - that way, no one steals them. It took Kai and I another 30 minutes or so to get me back to Republique before we returned the bicycle. After that, I got to my hostel and found the guy occupying the bunk above mine to be an insanely loud snorer. I cursed my luck and got ready for bed, in the process of doing so, he awoke. He apologized for his snoring (he was snoring particularly worse because of a cold - which you could predict fairly easily if you had heard this guy) and introduced himself, Francisco from Buenos Aires. I took a sleeping pill and he went back to sleep. I barely slept all night. I also shook the bunk a lot whenever I woke up. Needless to say, I'm not the nicest person when I can't sleep. The worst part about snoring is that it changes to much for you to adapt to the noise and ignore it, oi. I ended up oversleeping check-out by a couple hours and quickly packed and set off for Kai's.

I had intended to spend the day walking around the Seine near the Lleuve and Champes de Elysses. However, by the time I got to Kai's, my energy was gone and I fell asleep on his futon after getting through 70 some pages of the Jurassic Park. I woke up around 6 and Kai took me to the airport. Unfortunately, none of these online flight reservations list a terminal, so I just had Kai drop me at the first one and found my way to the correct one. It took me a while to check in, I kept getting sent to the wrong line. I then made the mistake of going through security without buying food first and grew very anxious to get on the plane. The funniest part about waiting for boarding was that I ran into Josh from my AU program sitting towards the front of the waiting area. He had been in Barcelona that weekend and was redirected to Paris when his flight encountered technical difficulties with the plane. We were glad to run into one another so as to make the cabride much cheaper. Thankfully for my stomach, they did have food on the plane and I didn't starve.