Paris Notes
After finally finding a kennel where we felt comfortable enough to leave the hounds, JM and I decided we would go to Paris for a few days. We wanted to combine family obligations with a few meetings, a book signing at Joseph Gibert and lunch with the crowd from European Tribune that was taking place last Saturday.
We flew, because it was actually cheaper to take Easy Jet from Toulouse than to pay gas and autoroute tolls, not to mention the hassle of trying to find parking anywhere near the 'rents in the 3rd arrondisement for four days.
I haven't flown for 2 1/2 years. It hasn't gotten any better. Even for internal flights you need to have any liquids in containers of less than 100 ml and they need to fit in a clear plastic bag that is now larger than 20 by 20 centimeters. You can put stuff in your checked baggage, but for 4 days we didn't have enough to warrant taking a suitcase that could go in the hold.
The first thing we noticed was that EVERYTHING is just damned expensive. We arrived at the airport at lunch time and it made sense to grab a bite before taking the bus/RER/metro to get to the folks' place. Combined with the coffee, bottle of water and croissant we'd bought in Toulouse while waiting for our flight, we had spent 40€ before even getting out of the airport process!
The best bargain of the weekend were the 2-day, 3-zone metro/bus passes we bought on Friday. 13€ each and unlimited use, plus they came with coupons for discounts on various tourist sites and at the Galerie Lafeyette (unfortunately NOT on books, which is what we bought). That was the only bargain for the whole time we were there.
It rained of course. Paris in the rain is not particularly fun. Still, better to have cool weather and rain than hot, humid steamy weather.
This was the first time in ages that we've been in Paris when we weren't so pressed for time that we couldn't do anything other than run from meeting to meeting. We did do some fun stuff, like wandering around the Marais, going to Brentanos and Galerie Lafeyette, taking the neat new tram line that goes around the further reaches of the city, etc.
It was also great to see friends whom we haven't seen in years.
We really enjoyed our visit to the Marais, something we almost have never had time to do in a leisurely manner. It was particularly fun for me because it is the Jewish section of Paris and I got to get look in some of the little groceries and delis. The sights and smells took me back to my childhood: all those bagels, rye breads, deli meats and Manischewitz packages were a real rush. We even ate dinner in a kosher deli, which while it was slightly different than what I'm used to, was good and fun.
The huge "new" thing in Paris is the explosion of gelato stores. They're everywhere, and all I can say is thank goodness we don't have one near here. I just adore gelato and if we had one, I'd look like the Goodyear blimp! But it was fantastic to get to eat some everyday for the 4 days of our trip. It's a good thing we walk around a lot in Paris or I would have gained more than the kilo I DID gain!
That walking, btw, can be a dangerous thing. We were really tired, it was late, our bus line had changed its route slightly and I wasn't paying attention when the tree near the Place des Vosges tripped me. Very embarrassing it was too, as we were right in front of a busy café. "Ah, a drunk lady," was probably what everyone was thinking. No serious damage to the tree. I have what I believe is a cracked rib. Nothing to do for it though but to take Advil and try not to laugh.
The worst thing about the trip was trying to deal with all the people and noise. I don't think I could cope anymore with an environment like that. It was much more crowded than I remember, probably because we're in tourist season already. But there were times when I found it almost impossible to walk around. I hated it! And the noise! Because it was warm, we needed to sleep with the windows to our bedroom open. The noise lasted all night. And it wasn't just traffic; there were people yelling, music playing, people singing, etc. That stuff lasted until well after 3 am every night. I found it all terribly stressful.
So, it was quite a relief to find ourselves back home in our lovely village. I think it was a good thing to go away for a few days because it made me realize how supremely lucky we are to live in a beautiful, calm, peaceful place like the Possum Kingdom. Vive Chalabre! Long may she reign!
Ciao for now.
Randy
We flew, because it was actually cheaper to take Easy Jet from Toulouse than to pay gas and autoroute tolls, not to mention the hassle of trying to find parking anywhere near the 'rents in the 3rd arrondisement for four days.
I haven't flown for 2 1/2 years. It hasn't gotten any better. Even for internal flights you need to have any liquids in containers of less than 100 ml and they need to fit in a clear plastic bag that is now larger than 20 by 20 centimeters. You can put stuff in your checked baggage, but for 4 days we didn't have enough to warrant taking a suitcase that could go in the hold.
The first thing we noticed was that EVERYTHING is just damned expensive. We arrived at the airport at lunch time and it made sense to grab a bite before taking the bus/RER/metro to get to the folks' place. Combined with the coffee, bottle of water and croissant we'd bought in Toulouse while waiting for our flight, we had spent 40€ before even getting out of the airport process!
The best bargain of the weekend were the 2-day, 3-zone metro/bus passes we bought on Friday. 13€ each and unlimited use, plus they came with coupons for discounts on various tourist sites and at the Galerie Lafeyette (unfortunately NOT on books, which is what we bought). That was the only bargain for the whole time we were there.
It rained of course. Paris in the rain is not particularly fun. Still, better to have cool weather and rain than hot, humid steamy weather.
This was the first time in ages that we've been in Paris when we weren't so pressed for time that we couldn't do anything other than run from meeting to meeting. We did do some fun stuff, like wandering around the Marais, going to Brentanos and Galerie Lafeyette, taking the neat new tram line that goes around the further reaches of the city, etc.
It was also great to see friends whom we haven't seen in years.
We really enjoyed our visit to the Marais, something we almost have never had time to do in a leisurely manner. It was particularly fun for me because it is the Jewish section of Paris and I got to get look in some of the little groceries and delis. The sights and smells took me back to my childhood: all those bagels, rye breads, deli meats and Manischewitz packages were a real rush. We even ate dinner in a kosher deli, which while it was slightly different than what I'm used to, was good and fun.
The huge "new" thing in Paris is the explosion of gelato stores. They're everywhere, and all I can say is thank goodness we don't have one near here. I just adore gelato and if we had one, I'd look like the Goodyear blimp! But it was fantastic to get to eat some everyday for the 4 days of our trip. It's a good thing we walk around a lot in Paris or I would have gained more than the kilo I DID gain!
That walking, btw, can be a dangerous thing. We were really tired, it was late, our bus line had changed its route slightly and I wasn't paying attention when the tree near the Place des Vosges tripped me. Very embarrassing it was too, as we were right in front of a busy café. "Ah, a drunk lady," was probably what everyone was thinking. No serious damage to the tree. I have what I believe is a cracked rib. Nothing to do for it though but to take Advil and try not to laugh.
The worst thing about the trip was trying to deal with all the people and noise. I don't think I could cope anymore with an environment like that. It was much more crowded than I remember, probably because we're in tourist season already. But there were times when I found it almost impossible to walk around. I hated it! And the noise! Because it was warm, we needed to sleep with the windows to our bedroom open. The noise lasted all night. And it wasn't just traffic; there were people yelling, music playing, people singing, etc. That stuff lasted until well after 3 am every night. I found it all terribly stressful.
So, it was quite a relief to find ourselves back home in our lovely village. I think it was a good thing to go away for a few days because it made me realize how supremely lucky we are to live in a beautiful, calm, peaceful place like the Possum Kingdom. Vive Chalabre! Long may she reign!
Ciao for now.
Randy
