05.24.05
Settled in Paris
Tuesday, May 24, 2005, 10:00AM
Paris, France
Got into Paris yesterday morning. I tried to get lost a few times on my way into town but never quite managed it. The train ride from the airport into town was a great chance to sit down and look at the Parisian countryside. The car I was in had two kids playing accordion for coin, they were both very good and I was inclined to give to the cause but was only carrying Euro bills. I ran into Himelda on the metro (subway) car close to the apartment. She was quite shocked to run into me like that, I told her you run into all kinds of people on the Paris subway and should not be terribly surprised to find odd and strange people there.
The apartment is classical Parisian style in the middle of the Latin Quarter (near Notre Dame), a very good location for getting around town and in a neighborhood with a lot of nearby restaurants. Lunch was at a little Italian joint where I had a delicious lasagna with noticeably fresh ingredients. After lunch we picked up Opera tickets at La Bastille and then at the Opéra Garnier. We took a minute at a restaurant across from Garnier (Himelda claims it is the most expensive restaurant in Paris, I don’t know about that but I do know it was badly over-priced) to sit down for a glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice then went for a walk along the Place de la Concorde. By the time we got back that evening I was utterly confused about what time and for that matter what day it was (that is what you get for changing time zones with no sleep along the way).
On the way out we stopped by a Metro office to get me a one-week pass. The guy in the booth was serving people fine but threw a major fit when he say the US dollars in my wallet and refused to help us. I was wondering how long it would take until the snooty attitude came out; the answer seems to be about four hours.
I am surprised how much of my high-school French I remember. I can make out most the written French, understand about half of what is being said and bumble my way through simple questions. People kept telling me that most Parisians speak English but so I haven’t seen that, though this could be because we are starting the conversations in French. My dad’s French is quite a bit better than mine and Himelda’s is quite a bit better than either of ours.