Paris, France
April 3-6, 2012
“Ah, Paris in the spring- what could be more delightful?”
Lut mused as she walked us out of the B&B and helped us into the cab.
But my first experience in Paris was overwhelming. We’d made our way from Bruges to Paris by high-speed
train and waited outside the station in a long queue for a taxi. Finally
we climbed into the back of a car and were quickly weaving in and out of
bumper-to-bumper traffic, guys on motorcycles speeding past us on both sides,
our taxi driver occasionally rolling down his window to yell out to a fellow driver,
pedestrian or even police officer. He also
pointed out various landmarks- the city’s first hospital, the flower market,
many different churches-but they all
went by in a blur. My first few moments
in Paris were jarring and I was intimidated.
Our taxi driver called out that we were now on Rue de La
Montagne Sainte Genevieve in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondssement).The street had recently been featured in
Woody Allen’s movie ‘Midnight in Paris’.
I took in the neighborhood as we climbed up the narrow sloping street-
there was a group of food shops at a main intersection, a small market on the
same street, a laundromat at the bottom of the hill- everything we needed to
survive. Our taxi driver pulled over,
declared ‘This is it… somewhere around here’ and started unloading our
bags.
We found our apartment building, entered an ancient
looking stone walled hallway and made our way up four flights of uneven
stairs. We were pleased when we entered
the well-decorated apartment (VRBO Listing #336072- $540/3 days). Although small, it was all that we needed to
live for a few days- a kitchen with
high-tech appliances, a dining area, a sleeper futon and a queen size bed in
the studio apartment. Best of all- we
had big windows and a view of the towers of Notre Dame.
We decided to stock the kitchen and walked down to the
collection of food shops. They had a
produce stand, bakery, meat market, fishmonger, cheese shop and wine
store. We now faced our first real
language challenge- buying food. I
walked into the bakery, said ‘Bonjour!’ and was greeted with a smile. I pointed to items in the case, said ‘Un
quiche Lorraine, et un baguette, et
trios croissants s'il vous plait.” When
the clerk asked me something I did not understand I said ‘Parlez-vous anglais?’
to which she responded ‘Of course!’ As
she wrapped up our purchases she asked us if were sisters and chatted with us
about where we were from. The next time
we saw her to purchase breakfast items and macarons she greeted us warmly and gave us a bag
full of tiny little pastries- something like light little croissants with sugar
sprinkled on top- it was such a kind gesture. The woman working in the Paris
bakery made us feel welcome.
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We moved on to the meat
market where I attempted to purchase a rotisserie chicken. I think I said something like ‘I’d like a
chicken of the rotisserie, please.’ The
man laughed but said ‘Oh, you try!’ and motioned for me to pick one. We found a nice bottle of French wine for €6,
I chose a reasonably priced wedge of brie from a fine selection in the cheese
shop. We all took turns asking and
paying for items to get acquainted with the language. We were met with kindness
and appreciation for our attempt at using French, if not with a little
amusement at what I’m sure was a choppy stab at their language. But for all we’d heard about how the French
are rude and hate Americans, we were met with smiles, helpful service and
friendly conversation. 
It was a beautifully sunny afternoon and we were ready to head out and explore. We walked down the hill, past art displays and trinket vendors, crossed the River Seine and came upon the Notre Dame Cathedral. We strolled around a bit, then continued on to the Conciergierie complex which houses La Sainte Chapelle (€8/pp), a chapel with unbelievably dazzling stained glass windows. Even undergoing restoration with scaffolding erected, the view of the gleaming windows was just gorgeous.
As we walked around the area we encountered something we
anxiously awaited on our Parisian adventure, something we were all too eager to
partake in- we found a crepes stand! We
love crepes! We L-O-V-E crepes. And now we were going to have them. In Paris.
Really. We ordered a plain sugar
crepe and one with chocolate and banana.
They were delectable.
We made our way up the Left Bank of the River Seine,
walking from the Pont Neuf to the Pont des Arts, a bridge covered with padlocks
of every size and shape, many displaying the names of a couple, often with a
date included. Jo asked someone if they
could explain the meaning and they responded that this was a love bridge and
the padlocks were locks of love. Couples
seal their love on the bridge, tighten a lock around the chain-link and throw
the key into the river, a resounding symbol of never ending devotion to one
another. 
We wandered around the Saint Germain neighborhood,
weaving in and out of narrow streets full of restaurants and shops as we made
our way back toward the Latin Quarter that evening. Roaming about, relaxing in the squares and
sitting in courtyards, we got a little taste of the surrounding
neighborhoods. On foot the city was so
much less daunting. It was charming and
warm. The little details were more
noticeable- the landmarks weren’t just zooming by. I realized that while it crept up slowly,
I was becoming enchanted with Paris.
We were waiting in line the next morning to climb 387
steps up the Towers of Notre Dame (€8.50/pp). When we were let in, we made our way up a
winding spiral staircase, the treads of the steps rubbed away by centuries of
foot traffic. When we finally emerged at
the top, the dramatic sight of all of Paris, including our first view of the
Eiffel Tower, with the gargoyles of Norte Dame in the foreground dominating the
scene was a cathartic experience. Like
many teenage girls I was enamored with Paris.
Two decades later, I was fulfilling a dream.
From Notre Dame we walked down steps along the Seine to
the Batobus stop. The Batobus (€15/pp)
is a hop-on, hop-off boat that transports tourists to eight different stops
around Paris via the Seine. There is
usually about 10-15 minutes between stops, a great way to get off your feet,
organize your thoughts and relax just a little before exploring a new
area. We rode the Batobus to the
Louvre stop. Fortress turned palace
turned museum, the Louvre was grandiose, opulent, and excessive. The walls stretched around a vast expanse
with a huge courtyard displaying the glass pyramids that house the entrance to
the museum. Because of our limited time
we did not enter but instead walked around the courtyard and grounds viewing the
sculptures and monuments displayed within the complex. 
We hopped back on the Batobus and hopped off at the Champs
Elysées stop. We walked past the Grand
Palais to the Place de la Concorde, a vast city square with spectacular
fountains and a large Egyptian obelisk that was given as a gift to France
around 1830. The obelisk stands on the
place where a guillotine was once used during the French Revolution to execute
thousands of French nobles, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Nearby we saw a movie being filmed along the
banks of the Seine- they had a director, actors, a crew, everything. It was pretty exciting- I plan to watch for
myself in every independent French movie I come across. 
Our next stop was the Eiffel Tower. When we arrived under the massive supports of
the tower it was striking just how colossal the tower really is. We purchased tickets to climb the steps (€5/pp)
and started the ascent. There are
approximately 670 steps to the 2nd level- we climbed to the first
level, walked around a bit, then continued on to the 2nd level. The views were breathtaking. We purchased postcards from the gift shop,
stamps from an automated machine and mailed them out from the on-site mailbox which
marks each letter with a special Eiffel Tower postmark.
The next morning we decided to brave the Paris Metro System. Using my handy Streetwise Paris Map, I
plotted our course to Gare St. Lazare to catch the train for our trip to Bayeux
and the tour of the Normandy D-Day Beaches.
As it turns out, it really was not that hard- everything is well marked,
there are signs posted, etc. We just
walked down to our nearest Metro station, purchased a carnet of 10 tickets from
an automated machine, passed through the turnstile and entered the network of
hallways leading to the platforms. We
just had to be sure to follow the signs displaying the name of the last stop in
the direction we were going and we easily found the correct place. Really, it
was simple, but we were still pretty proud of ourselves for figuring it out and
making it to the train station that morning.
We rode the same route in reverse on our way back that evening.
Happily, there was a crepe stand near the exit of the
Metro on our walk up the hill to our apartment.
We ordered a Nutella and banana crepe- scrumptious! It was the last crepe we had in Paris. We stuffed our packs, cleaned the apartment
and moved out the next morning. We rode
the Metro to Gare de L’Est and boarded the train to Mannheim, Germany.
Paris is a city with a million views- everywhere you turn
there is some fascinating sight, whether it is a fountain, or building, or bridge.
It is a captivating city with an
atmosphere that is romantic and enticing.
Everyone we encountered was warm and hospitable . In the short time we were there, Paris had
gone from being intimidating to inviting.
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