A little housecleaning before I get going. First off, it has been brought to my attention courtesy of my two travelling companions that some of my comments re: the esteemed probate judge could be interpreted as negative, i.e. she and I don't get along and I'm talking behind her back. Andy's said he didn't realize that she reads this and thought I was just unloading on her. Well she does and I'm not. For the record, I get along great with her. Don't tell, but I actually enjoy working with her and think we may a darn good team. I do all the work, she gets all the credit. Kidding. I guess I shouldn't have assumed the world knows how we operate; there's a lot of playful digs at one another. One of her favorite things to tell me: "Jerms, don't be a smart ass." I'm pretty sure Madeline and Maureen (the fake names of the real duo across the hall in the courthouse--how's that for a mention ladies?) would know that also were I ever to mention them.
Currently, we're back in Paris in room 507 of the Hotel Elysees Ceramic, which as you may have guessed is somewhat near the famed Champs-Elysees. The Arc du Triumph is right down the street; were I to walk out into the street right now, I could even see it. But being as I've got my Mickey Mouse pj's (yeah, what of it) on and have settled in for the evening, I think I shall not. Far from enjoying the Parisian nightlife, we came in, ate our Subway sandwiches and plopped down to watch some good ol' CNN International. The channel selection this evening being 3 French stations, 1 German, 1 Italian and CNNI. I don't expect much better the rest of the week, but most of the channels should at least be in English.
After taking the train back to Paris from Bayeux this morning we got here around noon. Stopped by our hotel to drop off our bags and I was yet again amazed at the ability of some of those in these parts to carry on two conversations in two different languages simultaneously. An ability, I must admit, I only wish I possessed.
Since we only had today, our touring plans were pretty much limited to the biggies and some general roaming. So that meant the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the aforementioned Arc and whatever was interesting on the way to/from these places. While I was glad to spend a little time at these places and actually see them rather than zoom by them as we did before, I just enjoyed walking around and taking everything in, experiencing a different city and all that jazz. I've always been interested in observing more than interacting. (wallflowers of the world, unite) A trait which some probably mistake for arrogance but is in fact borne from extreme shyness, but this is hardly
the place for self-analysis. Herein a few observations from a day in Paris.
1. If you want to find the Americans in Paris, head directly to the Eiffel Tower. Whilst this is probably somewhat true of all the local biggies, the ET seemed to have the highest concentration of Yanks I've yet seen. In fact, we got our tickets for the elevator because a group from St. Louis recognized Andy's Cardinals t-shirt and mistook him for a fan. Andy was all jazzed to go up, but Daddy wasn't that keen and I had no desire at all. Heights being yet another of my phobias though unlike Monk I've yet to take the time to rank them all. Nevertheless, I'm a trooper and after our new friends insisted we were going anyway, we did. A side note, if I look a tad uncomfortable in any Eiffel photos I can assure you it's most accurate. Another side note, yes Chris I did make a Superman II reference whilst there and after so doing offered to go jump in front of a bus as penance. Thankfully, Andy said that wouldn't be necessary. As for the tower, it's massive. Be assured as big as it looks in pictures, the reality is much larger. Whether this will delight or disappoint is a choice best left to the individual.
2. Scarves are the in thing for the ladies. Young and old, fashionista and whatever the opposite of fashionista is. It seems to be the great uniter here, the Obama if you will. Like most trends, the first two or three hundred times one sees it, one thinks, "Zounds, there goes a really hip person. I wonder if he/she likes peanut butter." After a while, however, the whole thing gets a bit fishy and one wonders if anybody actually likes the trend or that's all the store had. I should point out these scarves aren't the typical winter deal that most sensible folk have always worn. Nope. These are the kind that I would best describe as looking like something the PLO used to wear. Or maybe they still do--The PLO have sort of fallen off my radar lately. These are clearly intended to be fashion accessory and are not worn cause there's a slight nip in the air. Being as I don't really follow fashion, particularly women's, apologies if some of the more so inclined readers are screaming at me via their computers that these trend has been around for years.
3. Notre Dame Cathedral has a giant underground magnet that draws peoples of all nations. Per square area, I'd wager there was a larger crowd there than the ET. We had to stand in line to enter. Though the line moved very quickly, the fact remained that we were standing in line to get into a church. Famous. Beautiful. Etc. But a church nonetheless. And as always, no disrespect intended to Notre Dame but I couldn't help but think of the King Crimson lyric, "Cigarettes, ice cream, figurines of the Virgin Mary" in regards to the area around it. It's all one huge tacky gift shop.
4. The Champs-Elysses is the Paris equivalent of Times Square. Once again, this is probably not a shock to most but I was quite surprised at the sheer number of people walking along. Should I have decided I was sick of walking I could have popped in to the a)Merc dealer, b)Peugot dealer, c)Renault dealer and spent various amounts of money on a suitably sleek and eggy
European car. Along the route we also got to see the new Picasso which judging by the line to get in was a terribly big deal. Apparently, it's some sort of new vehicle, perhaps it flies or comes equipped with an ejector seat like a Bond car. Maybe you get a book of coupons good for the cinema. Dunno. Just know that this was big news for the Parisians. Not so big that we were intrigued though. Well, actually I was but Andy was on a mission to get back to the hotel so we didn't stop. I guess I'll never know. If only there was some way to search worldwide on items that are unknown to me.
5. A Quarter Pounder at a French McDonald's actually is a Royal Cheese so kudos to Quentin Tarrantino for doing a brief bit of actual research in between ripping off various obscure films. And the french fries and coke is indeed better. Sorry for little else but the Eurostar is arriving at the station and I must go. On to London.
Currently, we're back in Paris in room 507 of the Hotel Elysees Ceramic, which as you may have guessed is somewhat near the famed Champs-Elysees. The Arc du Triumph is right down the street; were I to walk out into the street right now, I could even see it. But being as I've got my Mickey Mouse pj's (yeah, what of it) on and have settled in for the evening, I think I shall not. Far from enjoying the Parisian nightlife, we came in, ate our Subway sandwiches and plopped down to watch some good ol' CNN International. The channel selection this evening being 3 French stations, 1 German, 1 Italian and CNNI. I don't expect much better the rest of the week, but most of the channels should at least be in English.
After taking the train back to Paris from Bayeux this morning we got here around noon. Stopped by our hotel to drop off our bags and I was yet again amazed at the ability of some of those in these parts to carry on two conversations in two different languages simultaneously. An ability, I must admit, I only wish I possessed.
Since we only had today, our touring plans were pretty much limited to the biggies and some general roaming. So that meant the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the aforementioned Arc and whatever was interesting on the way to/from these places. While I was glad to spend a little time at these places and actually see them rather than zoom by them as we did before, I just enjoyed walking around and taking everything in, experiencing a different city and all that jazz. I've always been interested in observing more than interacting. (wallflowers of the world, unite) A trait which some probably mistake for arrogance but is in fact borne from extreme shyness, but this is hardly
the place for self-analysis. Herein a few observations from a day in Paris.1. If you want to find the Americans in Paris, head directly to the Eiffel Tower. Whilst this is probably somewhat true of all the local biggies, the ET seemed to have the highest concentration of Yanks I've yet seen. In fact, we got our tickets for the elevator because a group from St. Louis recognized Andy's Cardinals t-shirt and mistook him for a fan. Andy was all jazzed to go up, but Daddy wasn't that keen and I had no desire at all. Heights being yet another of my phobias though unlike Monk I've yet to take the time to rank them all. Nevertheless, I'm a trooper and after our new friends insisted we were going anyway, we did. A side note, if I look a tad uncomfortable in any Eiffel photos I can assure you it's most accurate. Another side note, yes Chris I did make a Superman II reference whilst there and after so doing offered to go jump in front of a bus as penance. Thankfully, Andy said that wouldn't be necessary. As for the tower, it's massive. Be assured as big as it looks in pictures, the reality is much larger. Whether this will delight or disappoint is a choice best left to the individual.
2. Scarves are the in thing for the ladies. Young and old, fashionista and whatever the opposite of fashionista is. It seems to be the great uniter here, the Obama if you will. Like most trends, the first two or three hundred times one sees it, one thinks, "Zounds, there goes a really hip person. I wonder if he/she likes peanut butter." After a while, however, the whole thing gets a bit fishy and one wonders if anybody actually likes the trend or that's all the store had. I should point out these scarves aren't the typical winter deal that most sensible folk have always worn. Nope. These are the kind that I would best describe as looking like something the PLO used to wear. Or maybe they still do--The PLO have sort of fallen off my radar lately. These are clearly intended to be fashion accessory and are not worn cause there's a slight nip in the air. Being as I don't really follow fashion, particularly women's, apologies if some of the more so inclined readers are screaming at me via their computers that these trend has been around for years.
3. Notre Dame Cathedral has a giant underground magnet that draws peoples of all nations. Per square area, I'd wager there was a larger crowd there than the ET. We had to stand in line to enter. Though the line moved very quickly, the fact remained that we were standing in line to get into a church. Famous. Beautiful. Etc. But a church nonetheless. And as always, no disrespect intended to Notre Dame but I couldn't help but think of the King Crimson lyric, "Cigarettes, ice cream, figurines of the Virgin Mary" in regards to the area around it. It's all one huge tacky gift shop.
4. The Champs-Elysses is the Paris equivalent of Times Square. Once again, this is probably not a shock to most but I was quite surprised at the sheer number of people walking along. Should I have decided I was sick of walking I could have popped in to the a)Merc dealer, b)Peugot dealer, c)Renault dealer and spent various amounts of money on a suitably sleek and eggy
European car. Along the route we also got to see the new Picasso which judging by the line to get in was a terribly big deal. Apparently, it's some sort of new vehicle, perhaps it flies or comes equipped with an ejector seat like a Bond car. Maybe you get a book of coupons good for the cinema. Dunno. Just know that this was big news for the Parisians. Not so big that we were intrigued though. Well, actually I was but Andy was on a mission to get back to the hotel so we didn't stop. I guess I'll never know. If only there was some way to search worldwide on items that are unknown to me.5. A Quarter Pounder at a French McDonald's actually is a Royal Cheese so kudos to Quentin Tarrantino for doing a brief bit of actual research in between ripping off various obscure films. And the french fries and coke is indeed better. Sorry for little else but the Eurostar is arriving at the station and I must go. On to London.
Apologies if this post doesn't end to well. Andy's standing over ready to go to Greenwich.
2 comments:
Pam and I want to know who is Madeline and who is Maureen?
I am glad you wrote about the scarf's role in French society. Now I can wear scarves all the time and be hip and French. Merci Beaucoup!
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