It's All French to Me!

Well, judging from the title, you probably either heard or realized that I went to Paris this past weekend. And it was GREAT! I left Thursday, and came back on Sunday, and I had a great 4 day trip.

So I was supposed to go with my roommate John, but unfortunately he did not make the flight, so I was left on my own. We were flying RyanAir, and they have a rule that you have to check in 40 minutes before your flight leaves, and John got there 30 minutes before. We had not even began to board yet, by RyanAir is really strict about it. He got a voucher, but since he is leaving in 5 days like me, I don't see him being able to use it. I felt really bad for him, and it was unfortunate to have to travel by myself, but I decided to make the best of it, and live it up in Paris. Plus, luckily I have a good friend Cody there, and I was able to hang out with him a bit while I was there. But I am getting ahead of myself.

So the plane ride went well, but the minute I stepped off of the plane, I realized that I knew absolutely nothing in French. I had learned in friends the phrase "Ju ma pel Claude" which I think means my name is Claude, and "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir" from Lady Marmalade (which I found out is not something to say to people in France). Did not know how to say "Where is the bus" or "How do I get to the Louvre." Luckily, I was able to get by with pointing and grunting, and I was able to get on a bus that took me from the airport into Paris (the airport I flew into was an hour away. It was cheaper than flying directly into Paris).

I got to the hostel I was staying at, and was happy to see that it was a nice looking place. The desk people spoke English, and I was able to get in and all. My room was nice, just two other roommates, and it had a bathroom. It was pretty much like staying at a hotel room (the room had a key card lock), but just sharing it with some strangers. I got settled into the hostel around 9:30, and was able to meet up with Cody and his friends. Luckily, the metro in Paris is pretty easy to figure out, and I could get around Paris very easily. I didn't stay out too late, because I had big plans for Friday.

I woke up early on Friday, and had the complimentary breakfast at the Hostel (bread and juice). Then I was off to see Paris. I started my journey a flew blocks west of the Louvre down the Seine, and then walked east. I walked through the Louvre, taking pictures, but decided I would actually go in and see it later, since I wanted to see as much as I could during the day in Paris, and when it got darker, I would still be able to go into the Louvre. I walked through the Tuileries Gardens, and from time to time, I would use a phrase Cody taught me the first night: "Monsieur ou Madame, une photo, s'il vous plaît," and I would do what I consider to be the international gesture for take a picture of me. The first time I said it, the woman just stared at me. I figured I must have said something wrong in French, and then she said in a loud southern accent, "You want me to take a picture of you?" I sighed a relief, "english, excellent." After the gardens, I walked down the Avenue des Champs Elysees, which is that famous street, lined with trees, that leads to the Arch de Triumph. That was really cool to see, and I had to have a monsieur or madame take a picture of me.

After the arch de triumph, I headed south to the Eiffel Tower. I weaved through streets, just amazed at how beautiful all of the buildings were. It was interesting, because I would see this buidling or intersection from one angle, and then be shocked how it looked even better from another angle. I was surrounded by amazing architecture and city planning, and it was to focus on where I was going, because my eyes were just wandering. I made it to the Eiffel Tower, and waited about 30 minutes in line to climb up. I say climb up, but in fact I paid a little extra to take the elevator. It was pretty big, and I wasn't looking to impress anyone. The views from the top were amazing. You could see the entire city, and there were multiple levels too look from.

I was a little disappointed that the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre weren't quite like I remembered from the video game we used to play on Joey's Playstaion (Twisted Metal 2. Apparently Joey still remembers the code for the Awesome Tank). But luckily, it was better than the video game had portrayed it, and there were no clwon vans trying to attack me.

After the Eiffel Tower, it was about lunch time, and I decided that I was going to try some really authentic French Food. I had heard a lot of good things, and was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the area I was in was a little pricey. I went from restaurant to restaurant, reading the menu (basically just the prices, since everything else was in French). I finally found one that was resonable. 16 euros for an apetizer, entre, and desert. I could live with that. So I went in. Immediately, the man realized that I did not speak French, and was very accomodating in English. The restaurant was elegant inside, with fancy carpet, and candles. And me with my hoodie on. Oh well. I sat down, and the man brought out some flat bread, almost like a big wafer, and a menu in English. Although the discription of the food was in English, the names of the food must have been in French, because I did not understand it. I looked at the cover of the menu again, and the only word that I understood was "Pakistani."

It was than the it hit me that all the waiters in the restaurant had a middle eastern look. I had unknowingly chosen to eat at a Pakistani Restaurant in Paris. I wanted to leave, but fealt it would be rude since they had been so polite. I found the cheapest appetizer on the menu, something similar to potstickers, and ordered that, and some tap water (you have to pay if you don't specify tap water). The man was upset that that was all I wanted, but I figured he would have been more upset if I had left. He brought out two fried things of vegitables, and some dipping sauces. One was kind of tastey - bananas in a cherry sauce. The other was similar to wasabee sauce, and pretty good. I figured I should try the last one, even though it didn't look appealing. I instantly regreted it: the most pugent, awful taste hit my mouth, and I had to force myself to eat it (I didn't want to be rude). I went to reach for my tap-water, but unfortunately he had not brought it out yet. How foolish was I to try something interestingly looking at a pakistani restaurant, without even some water to flush out the taste. I guess I've always been a risk taker, but some things are juts foolish. The only thing I could do to get rid of the taste, which some how felt like it had gotten stronger, was nibble on some of the wafer. Even that tasted terrible. I could not wait to leave. I am not sure if the food had anything to do with it, but after I left the restaurant, I could not stop hiccuping for and hour, and felt terrible. I grabbed a quick sandwich, and was disappointed I did not get any French cuisine for lunch.

After that, I headed back east, to go see the Hotel de Ville, and Notre Dame. The hotel was quite large and impressive from the outside, as was Notre Dame. I got to go in for free, which I was excited about, since most cathedrals in Europe usually charge an entrance fee. They were saying mass in the Cathedral, which was slightly uncomfortable, because tourists did not seem to mind. In fact, they took it as some kind of a bonus, and were taking pictures of people receiving communion, and I guess for them it added to the greatness of the cathedral. I was kind of annoyed by it. The inside was great, and I took some time walking around the entire cathedral, trying to take in the art and sculptures and detail, and not pay attention to the crowd that was gathering near the alter, chatting, and snapping pictures.

Afterward, I walked down the other side of the Seine, exploring the Latin Quarter a bit, and made my way to the Louvre. The Louvre was fantastic. By that point, my hiccups were gone, and I was ready to see some of the most famous pieces of art in the world. I saw the three biggest things the Louvre has to offer: The Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. I was disappointed, as most people I hear, by the Mona Lisa, but only because of the way it is presented. It's behind glass, roped off, and you have to see it from 15 feet away, with people snapping pictures all around you. It is also only 30 inches by 21 inches, yet is on a wall that was as big as the wall that held The Wedding at Cana, which is 33 feet by 22 feet. I understand the significance of the painting, and how Da Vinci revolutionize the portrait, but unfortunately, from the distance I was standing, I could not see those details. I could only see her smile, which I do not think could ever be replicated again by any other artist.

The next day, I woke up at 6:30 in order to go to Normandy Beach, but unfortunately because I was the only one interested in going with this travel group, they canceled the trip for that day. I could have taken a train, but the train station is far from the beaches, and you would have to rent a car. I decided that there was a lot that I wanted to do in Paris still, and I would just enjoy the city instead of going to Normandy. I decided to go on this walking tour through Paris. Unfortunately it covered a lot that I had done already, but it was nice to hear some information about what I was seeing. And I went on a Spanish tour, so I was able to talk with some Spanish speaking people. Halfway through the tour, I decided to duck out early (it was a free tour, so it wasn't a big deal). I went to go get lunch, and this time I dedicated myself to finding a REAL French restaurant. I found this really fancy looking place, and decided to try it (I was in an expensive area). I didn't know what to get from the menu, so I decided to ask the waiter what he recommended. I went with the Fillet Mignon, although it was expensive (we are not going to talk about prices), because he recommended it, and told me how it had a very French sauce and seasoning to it. It was SO good. One of the best meals I had ever had. It's also rude not to take the waiter's recommendation.

After that, I walked around the Seine some more, and then made my way down to the Museum D'Orsay. It was FANTASTIC. I really love French Impressionist Art, and that had a ton of it. Many of the paintings I saw there (Manet, Toulouse Lautrec, Monet, Jean-Francois Millet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir to name a few). I spent a while there, and than went back to my hostel to grab a nap. Afterward, I had dinner at this diner like place near my hostel. Again, REALLY good food. I had the best Crème brûlée (also my first, but it was good). I went out with Cody and his friends that night, to this Jazz Club that was really cool (we went to the Latin Quarter, and they seemed to have a lot of live music venues).

The last day, I decided to meet up with some Vincetian contacts that I had from DePaul, and go see the Church where DePaul is buried. I met an American priest, Fr. Hugh O'Donnell, who had actually grown up in Chicago on Kenmore and Webster his whole life, and was now living at the Vincentian Mother house in France. He gave me a really cool tour, showing me tons of stuff, and then I was able to have lunch there for free (which was good, cause I had spent a lot of money on food already). Afterwards, I went to the Luxembourg Gardens, and the Pantheon, before having to go back to the bus station, and to the airport. My plane was a little delayed, but nothing too bad. And I was reading the first Harry Potter book in Spanish, and finished it while waiting. It was really good to read, since I knew the story in English, and I could figure out the meanings of words quite easily, with context clues and my previous knowledge.

It was an amazing trip, but also exhausting, and I was happy to get back to Madrid, and relax a bit.