Lady in Paris
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
It's a cold morning in Paris. I'm sitting in the Place des Vosges taking advantage of the city's free wi-fi network and feeling rather embarrassed that the French got a city-wide wi-fi network up and running before San Francisco! That aside, I'm loving that I can sit in one of my favorite parks and be on the internet at the same time.
My time in Paris has been great so far. I arrived on Monday afternoon after a long trip from San Francisco (via London). After standing in line forever to buy a ticket on the RER, my two heavy suicases (42.5 kg!) and I made the long journey to Gare du Nord to exchange my Eurostar youth voucher (can't believe I'm still a 'youth' here!) for a ticket. After forty minutes of waiting in line (don't let the free wi-fi deceive you; Paris is still a land of gross inefficiency and laberinthine beauracracy), I accomplished my mission and my luggage and I took the metro to the Marais. I needed help with my bags at pretty much every juncture, and the Parisians were very helpful to me. Three people helped me get my bags off the RER, two helped me get them up the stairs in the metro stations, and countless others stopped to ask if I needed help. Never let it be said that Parisians are rude to Americans!
I arrived in the Marais in time to meet my friend as she was getting home, and she helped me schlep my suitcases up the six flights of stairs to her apartment. It was a great feeling to finally arrive at her place three hours aftert my flight landed.
We woke up around 9am yesterday and headed to the Latin Quarter. The day was sunny and clear, and we walked with her three month old puppy to rue Mouffetard. We ate gigantic crepes for lunch and then sat at a cafe to boire un verre and enjoy the sun before heading off to the Jardin de Luxembourg. The Jardin was just as beautiful as I remember it, and it made me miss living here.
We walked around by Invalides and then I wandered around the Marais for awhile brefore meeting my friend again for moules frites for dinner. A bottle of wine and a lot of good conversation later, we were ready for bed.
I'm so happy to be in Paris!
My time in Paris has been great so far. I arrived on Monday afternoon after a long trip from San Francisco (via London). After standing in line forever to buy a ticket on the RER, my two heavy suicases (42.5 kg!) and I made the long journey to Gare du Nord to exchange my Eurostar youth voucher (can't believe I'm still a 'youth' here!) for a ticket. After forty minutes of waiting in line (don't let the free wi-fi deceive you; Paris is still a land of gross inefficiency and laberinthine beauracracy), I accomplished my mission and my luggage and I took the metro to the Marais. I needed help with my bags at pretty much every juncture, and the Parisians were very helpful to me. Three people helped me get my bags off the RER, two helped me get them up the stairs in the metro stations, and countless others stopped to ask if I needed help. Never let it be said that Parisians are rude to Americans!
I arrived in the Marais in time to meet my friend as she was getting home, and she helped me schlep my suitcases up the six flights of stairs to her apartment. It was a great feeling to finally arrive at her place three hours aftert my flight landed.
We woke up around 9am yesterday and headed to the Latin Quarter. The day was sunny and clear, and we walked with her three month old puppy to rue Mouffetard. We ate gigantic crepes for lunch and then sat at a cafe to boire un verre and enjoy the sun before heading off to the Jardin de Luxembourg. The Jardin was just as beautiful as I remember it, and it made me miss living here.
We walked around by Invalides and then I wandered around the Marais for awhile brefore meeting my friend again for moules frites for dinner. A bottle of wine and a lot of good conversation later, we were ready for bed.
I'm so happy to be in Paris!
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