Paris Day 3--Something Old, Something New

First, if someone was trying to see the Vines that I had linked to the previous post and that weren't working...sorry.  I'll fix them soon, I promise.

So just like yesterday today consisted of me just (re)discovering the city.  I started out by walking along the river.  I found the infamous lock bridge. My understanding is that this tradition started on the Pont des Arts, where lovers would attach a lock to the bridge and then throw the key into the Seine to represent that their love could never be unlocked.  But as I walked around the city (and even in London) I saw that this tradition had spread far past its original location.  

And this year, due to the weight of so many locks a part of the bridge actually collapsed.  The city had to ask people to stop adding locks to the bridge to avoid structural damage. (I don't think this is the city approved sign, well I hope it isn't).  

I made my way to the Latin Quarter, so named because when the universities there were first set up all of the classes were taught in Latin.  It is on the Left Bank of the Seine, which has the reputation for being the artsy/bohemian area of Paris.  I made sure to stop by Gilles Jeune which is this massive bookstore. Five stories of a ton of books.  It's like a mix of a university bookstore and the Strand in New York.  

In the last few trips I've really come to look forward to going to the bookstores in Paris because I like the Bande Désinée (just figured out how to get accents--hellz yeah!!!).  What we would call graphic novels in the states.  It is an interesting cultural difference between the US and France (well, at least Paris) in that I feel like there is a larger number of graphic novels (BD in France) that just deal with the everyday.  And that are geared towards adults.  I am far from being an expert on graphic novels and comics, so I'm sure those with more knowledge might easily dispute my claims, but I feel like we would never see a Miss Pas Touche in the US.  Or an Ordinaray Victories.  My favorite comic that I have discovered is Les Nombrils.  It is fun, and comedic in the sense that in real life what happens would be too outrageous, but also it is extremely real and honest in its way.

                      

I stopped at a restaurant for a snack--pommes frites et une bière (fench fries and a beer) where I sat outside and wrote postcards.  I was trying to find a restaurant that Gus and I had been too where we got ginormous beers and sat outside, but I don't know if it isn't there anymore or they redecorated because I wasn't sure that any of the places around was it.

After my mini-break I went towards the Louvre.  I wanted to see if I could find the first hotel that I had stayed at in Paris when I came by myself.  The Hotel du Lion D'Or.  I couldn't find it (but I was close).  I remember it was in the 1st arrondisement because I was nervous to be too far out from the city central.  (The arrondisements are municipal sections of Paris with 1 being in the center and the arrondisements spiraling out from the center to the edge of the city (no 20)).  

Anyway, I went to the Louvre to take pictures.  They have actually set up platforms for tourists to stand on so that they can take pictures that look like they are touching the top of the pyramid that acts an entrance to the Louvre.  (It's one of those optical illusion photos, like people "holding up" the Leaning Tower of Pisa).  

As I was walking away from the Louvre I ran into a protest of lawyers.  If there is one thing the french know how to do, it's how to protest.  I had apparently just missed a transit strike the week before my visit!  

Once I had waded through the protest I made my way to the Canal St. Martin.  This is one of the areas of Paris I have never visited before.  I was made aware of the area from the movie "Amelie".

After the Canal St. Martin, I made my way back closer to the neighborhood I was staying in and I met my mom's friends Rich and Sandy.  They live in Paris and my mom met them when she lived there in the late 60's/early 70's.  I got to the meeting spot really early and just wandered around for a while waiting for them.  I wasn't sure if I had to worry about being too early or too late.  I wasn't sure what the etiquette for that is.  hahaha.  Like do people always get to things late, or is it rude and I needed to be there on time?  Anyway, I probably looked a little like a crazy person just wandering around the same We went out to dinner and just talked about stuff.  I told them all about roller derby. 

After dinner I met Charlotte and she walked me around the 14th arrondisement (where I was staying). It was cool to be out at night just walking around and talking about stuff.  I saw some great street art.

This was the end of my last night in Paris.  It was a great experience.  A mix of the old and the new.  I made new friends, connected with my mom's old ones.  Visited my standard tourist traps and found some new ones.  Paris never gets old.  It is a beautiful city to just be in.  Just walk around and look at how amazingly stunning it is.  There is no city in the world like it (well, I haven't been to all of the cities in the world...) If you gave me a plane ticket back there right now, I would jump up and down with joy and be ready to experience the city all over again.

Paris--day 2... will it ever stop raining?

So today started with a trip to Starbucks...yes, I know, not very Parisian, but it is one of the few places where I could get free wifi access outside of the apartment to check emails, facebook, post pictures, etc.  Plus I needed something for breakfast.  You had to provide a lot of information to get to the free wifi (name, address, first born...) but it gave me a chance to eat and catch up on things.  Plus today was very on-again, off-again with the rain, so it was drizzling a little bit so I was waiting it out to get a little nicer.

Once I started out the first thing I did was head to Sacre Coeur.  This is in the northern section of Paris and it sits at the top of a hill.  It's a really touristy area, but very photogenic.

Tourists, tourists everywhere (including me)

The view of Paris from Sacre Coeur 

On the way to Sacre Coeur I saw ton of interesting, quirky graffiti.  On the whole there was so much interesting street art.  It's not just people tagging their name or words like you often see in the US.  There is a lot of artistry in the graffiti.  Or I guess I should say a different kind of artistry that really appeals to me.  ON the other hand, I don't spend nearly as much time walking the streets of New York, so who knows what I am missing.  I know that I love walking in Paris.  It seems a shame to ever take the subway unless you are going some place very far from where you currently are.  It's just such a beautiful city.

It started drizzling again when I got to the top of the hill.  And then I saw this guy!!  He was in the exact same spot the last time Gus and I came to visit.  He makes these little dog keychains out wire and fuzzy piping.  He didn't want people taking video so I just took this photograph of him (and bought a little dog of course).

Sacre Coeur

Once you go around Sacre Coeur you will see the Place du Tertre which is where all of the artists are gathered and selling their art.  Some of it is really amazing.  There are also a lot of the typical caricature artists there making sketches of the tourists.  I wish the art weren't so expensive--relatively speaking of course.  Most if it is pretty standard or cheap for original art work, I would guess.

I walked around the area looking for pictures to take.  It can be pretty challenging to get the kinds of pictures I like (without strangers in them) because there are ALWAYS people walking into your picture frame.  That is definitely the best part of having a digital camera.  You don't have to worry about losing a frame because some dingbell walked right into your shot at the last second.  You can just delete it and keeping going.  But you do sometimes have to be patient about getting the picture you want.  I did still end up taking a ton of pictures with my phone because those could more immediately be uploaded to Facebook or instagram.

It started raining pretty heavily while I was walking around Place du Tertre, so I decided to have lunch at one of the cafes.  The central square is surrounded by cafes and each of those cafes has a section of covered outdoor seating in the middle of the square (which the artists encircle).  I managed to kill some time and get some reading done until the rain subsided... (I was reading Neither Here Nor There, by Bill Bryson).

Once it was safe to walk around again I headed back towards the center of Paris to walk the Champs-Elysees.  I started at the Tuileries Gardens.  The Tuileries are right next to the Louvre and isn't really a garden as much as it is a large park.

The last time I was here, there were a couple dozen cymbals sticking out of the water like metallic water lilies

From the Tuileries I walked up the Champs-Elysees with these beautiful sights all around me.

The Champs-Elysees is a huge boulevard with shops and restaurants lining the street.  There are fancy stores and cheap touristy places, nice restaurants with outdoor seating next to the French equivalent of McDonald's.  I always get the feeling that in some previous time this street was much more fashionable.  But I feel like it has succumbed a little to the Disneyfication that has also happened in Time Square.  It feels a little less authentic than it should.  BUT, one of my favorite stores is on this street (I think it also has another location in Paris, and it also has a location in Barcelona) FNAC.  It's like a reverse Barnes & Noble.  Where B & N focuses mainly on books and has a little bit of multimedia, FNAC is mostly multimedia with a smattering of books.  I don't know why, but I always have to go to a FNAC when I am in Paris.  I feel like I will discover something new there.  Whether it is a new band, or a new graphic novel.  I always get excited by the thought of FNAC.

Store that sells multimedia and books.  I HAVE to stop in here every trip.

Finally I ended up at the Arc de Triomphe.  It is in the center of an insane traffic circle known as L'Etoile, where like 12 streets converge.  They had to build an underground passage from the sidewalks to the Arc so that a million tourists weren't getting killed every year trying to cross the street. Underneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and an eternal flame.  You can also go to the top of the Arc, which I have never done.

Arc de Triomphe

After the Arc I made my way to the Eiffel Tower.  I'm pretty sure that I have been to the Eiffel Tower on every visit and have gone up at least once, but I couldn't not go and take pictures with my new camera and just see it again.  It's such an iconic part of the image of Paris.  It's hard to believe that when it was being built there were people that hated it and thought it was an eyesore.

Duh, the Eiffel Tower, obviously!

                                           

Right next to the tower there was an outdoor crafts market happening.  And street performers (as there are at every tourist spot I think).  

So I took some pictures of the tower (and of course had some cotton candy.  In French it is known as a "barbe a papa)

and then as I was walking back decided to stop by Notre Dame and take some night photos.

The Seine at night.  

Notre Dame at night.

It was an amazingly long day, but when you've only got 4 days to see Paris, you've got to make shit count.  Even though I have visited this city plenty of times, there is still always something new to see and I always want to visit the old classics.  It's just so friggin' beautiful.  

Walking to the Eiffel Tower

Random alley on the way back to the apartment after a long day.

  

It's the recap--Paris day 1

Okay, so trip is long since over, but as usual I have procrastinated and am finally getting around to writing a bit about the trip and posting some pictures up here.  I'm sure it will be 2015 before I finish.


PARIS day 1

After getting settled in to Crapule's apartment I met Charlotte to go to a roller derby bout in the Parisian suburbs.

It was a bout between skaters from Paris Roller Girls and a newer league called La Boucherie de Paris. It was mostly an exhibition game I think. There were not that many people there, but I think there was also a big tournament or something going on that weekend as well.  I did meet some of the coaches and a couple of men's skaters from Panam Roller derby (Paname being a nickname for Paris. Which from what I could gather on the internet started at the beginning of the 20th cent. and has something to do with Panama hats becoming fashionable? ).

What I found interesting is that all of the penalties and technicalites of roller derby were in English.  So the jammer timer said "5 seconds" and there would be "no pack".  I wasn't expecting that. But I guess that is what the rules say you have to do and considering most leagues right now are English speaking, it is probably easier to just learn it that way.

After the bout we went to the after party which was back in the city proper in a very English looking pub. It was fun.  I didn't talk a lot because I speak French, but not enough to follow the conversations of native speakers.  They talk a mile a minute.  But I did have some nice chats with people in English.  Made sure to catch the metro before it closed for the night.

 

Welcome back

It's Sunday morning in Paris. I'm in a cafe waiting for the rain to slow down so I can rediscover this city.

I left Newark Friday evening- 4th of July and got into Paris Saturday morning. The flight was uneventful (once we actually got off the ground).

I got to watch Muppets Most Wanted. And got out of sitting in my cramped middle seat. There was a woman who was sitting in the window seat and she was apparently on the plane with a friend but they couldnt get seats together.  The aisle seat in our row was open.  About 10 minutes before take off she asks me if I wouldn't mind taking her window seat so she and her friend could sit together.  SCORE!! So she sits in my middle seat and her friend takes the unoccupied aisle.  Seriously like two minutes before take off the person who had the aisle seat showed up, so her friend had to go back to her original seat.  I'm glad she didn't ask me to go back to the middle.

After getting off of the plane I went through border control. The woman at the desk barely looked at me or my passport. But I did get my first stamp in my new passport.

The first person I speak to is a guy from Texas who is trying to figure out how to meet his girlfriend out at Versailles. I feel bad for him that he thinks I might be able to help him out. He mentions that no one seems to speak English. I tell him, "Yes, they do."  Maybe not out in the world, but I would be surprised if most of the airport staff didn't have basic English at least. Anyway, I hope he made it out there without too much trouble. 

I'm staying in the apartment of one of the Paris Rollergirls, Crapule. This is the view from her  balcony. 

Nice!  She lives in the 14th arrondissement just around the corner from a métro stop. 

Okay. Rain is lightening up. More later. 

Last day

Today is our last day in Barcelona...our last day of vacation. :(

I titled one of the previous posts "Shop, Shop, Shop, Spend, Spend, Spend" well that was a bit premature. Today, I think, I spent the most money the whole trip.

Most of the stores are closed on Sundays but, on weekends at the end of Las Ramblas they have artisans who set up temporary shop and sell jewelry, art, bags, etc. If you've ever been to the French Market in New Orleans, or to any crafts fair in New Jersey you're are probably familiar with who these are set up. Man, I bought jewelry, and gifts, and art...It was prime shopping.

Then we sat down for a couple of drinks. Then we relaxed at the apartment a little and then Gus and I walked down Las Ramblas again to the waterfront and walked along the marina. At the marina was a mini-mall, which was open. I didn't end up getting any boots on this trip, but I did at least buy a shirt and a belt.

Since then we've been at the apartment trying to eat the food that we have left over and reading the graphic novels I bought in Paris. Niether of them are available in the US but both of them are really good. One is called Miss Pas Touche and the other is Les Nombrils.

Some stats from today...

Steps walked according to my pedometer 11546 (forgot to take it on the night walk)

Number of pages I'm already into "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest" 289 (which by the way in both Spanish and French the title is "The Queen in the Palace of the Wind" or something like that)

Number of beers drunk 2.5

Number of restaurants we stopped at tonight to try and get sangria but couldn't get any because none of them took credit cards (some only if you were getting food) 4

Some concluding remarks and observations...

• This has been a great trip!
• Don't listen to people who say Europeans don't like Americans. We've had no problems.
• Doing this blog has been fun and I hope that people enjoyed it.
• Thanks to Gus for the use of his digital camera so I could have picture and video for the blog.
• Traveler's Checks are useless. Hardly anyone takes them anymore.
• Despite all my traveling, I still overpack.
• London has the cleanest, easiest to follow subways. Paris has the dirtiest.
• On this trip I tried duck, creme caramel dessert, and sangria.
• Bring an extra bag, or be prepared to go to the post office to mail back souvenirs.
• It helps to know a little bit of the language even though most times when you try people usually just start speaking to you in English.
• There is never enough time for everything. There is always something to come back for...
• Next time...
• London--See a musical or theatre production
• London--Take a day trip to Oxford or Brighton
• London--Try to catch a football match
• Paris--Visit the catacombs
• Paris--See a show at the Crazy Horse Saloon
• Barcelona--Go to a club and stay out till 3AM
• Barcelona--Parc Guell

This will probably be my last post as we have to get up painfully early tomorrow to get to the airport. Until next I can get away...

Ta-ta. Au revoir. Adios.

A Minor Disappointment

(Pictures from Montjuic)

So Halloween didn't turn out to be all that I'd expected. Most of the costumes were half-assed--witches' hats or face paint. Not a lot of real costumes. Then again, even though it's starting to spread maybe Halloween is still an American thing. Plus, Barcelona doesn't really start revving up till late at night. So maybe at midnight there was all kinds of chaos going on in the streets. I was certainly hoping for a little bit more drama and extravaganza. Next time I'll just have to bring it myself.

I forgot to mention about yesterday that one of the things we did when we walked up Montjuic is that we got to see where they'd held the Olympics here back in 1992 (I think). There were olive trees planted. So Gus of course, had to pick up one of the olives and eat it. Well, tried to anyway. It was too bitter so he spit it out.

So we went out to dinner last night. Gus and his mom had tapas and paella. We sat on Las Ramblas. Lots of the restaurants have outdoor seating. Then we went to see a flamenco show. It was only 30 minutes long but it was really good. They had a guitar player, a percussionist, two singers and a dancer. Of course, now I want to learn flamenco! The singing sounded similar to arabic or indian music. After the show we walked around some and got ice cream.

Today I think we are going to try and do some souvenir shopping and then go to Park Guell which is famous because it was designed by Antonio Gaudi.

I can't believe we leave tomorrow. Now that it's over it went by too quickly. I will enjoy getting home and seeing my cats though. And being able to wear something new. And being able to start planning the next adventure! Gus and I have been talking about making our next trip to South America!

Oh, and I found some of those crazy/cute critters here in Barcelona so I got to take pictures, which I didn't do in London.

Some stats from yesterday....

Steps taken according to my pedometer 18396

Beers drunk 3.5

Cups fo sangria drunk 3