When I arrived Wednesday night in Paris, I asked the front desk to give me a wakeup call at 7:30 AM. I awoke Thursday morning surprised to see it was already 8:30. I was supposed to be at the office at 9, so I quickly showered, didn't shave and realized there was no iron for my clothes. On the way out I asked why I didn't get the wakeup call. They smiled and said in a deep french accent, "we are so sorry."
Arriving at the office (thank you Google Maps) by foot, I realized I was pretty much the first person at the office. I had to wait for someone to show up since I don't have a key to get in. I set up for my training and then was told that the trains were backed up so I didn't get to start training until about 10:30. This was the start of a trend while in Paris. This is perhaps one reason Paris reminded me so much of Brazil last time I was here.
I ate a quick lunch by going to a bakery down the street and getting a wonderful sandwich on a bagguette, an orangina, and a vanilla e'claire. After finishing training at the office I returned to the hotel, quickly changed and headed out to catch the train to Paris. Where I am staying in France is called Maisons Lafitte. It is a suburb of Paris and reminds me of like Scarsdale in NY. They have a train (similar to Metro North in NY) that you get to go into the city. It took me a while to figure out how to buy a ticket. I noticed a kiosk that appeared to sell tickets but I couldn't figure out how it worked at first. After watching a few people I finally realized what I had to do and was able to get a ticket. I boarded the next train and set off for Paris.
I stopped at the Arc de Triomphe which is about where I had stayed last time in Paris. I was once again amazed at the beauty and size of this structure. I then decided to walk down to the Eiffel Tower. I had visited it briefly last time I was here, but only saw it at night. I must say that the last time I was in Paris I wasn’t very impressed with the structure. This time I was. I could see it from time to time as I walked down to its location. It was even better up close. I sat and just looked at the amazing tower and watched all of the people, speaking dozens of languages, taking photos and queuing up to ascend the tower.
At first I had no desire to go up the tower. But then I noticed you could go up stairs – and it was pretty cheap (about 5 Euros - $7 USD). So I decided to do it. It was about 9 when I began the climb and was glad to get some exercise. It actually wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had anticipated. The sun was about setting around 10 PM and I was able to see the whole city bathed in a golden sunlight. I tried calling my mom – but nobody was home. I then called Tevia and told her how much I wish she was here. Paris is for lovers. I was starving at the top (actually the 2nd tier – you have to take the elevator to the 3rd tier). So I went to buy a sandwich and the couple in front of me (speaking French) bought a hot dog. I thought who would possibly buy a hot dog on top of the Eiffel Tower? And then I saw the hot dog – and I quickly ordered the same. This was no American hot dog. It was a baguette with some European sausages stuffed in the middle with mayo. It was wonderful. I ate as I watched the sun set and looked for the sites in Paris I could recognize. Afterwards I took the subway to the train and headed home. I got home very late. Before heading up to my room I asked for a wakeup call again.
The next morning I awoke and noticed it was 8:00. No wakeup call! I arrived at work at 9 AM again, and was again one of the first people there. My training went well. Afterwards one the director of the France office and another manager asked if I was free for dinner. I was. So after they finished working (around 7:30 or 8) we went to a little café near the office. I ordered a steak and fries (typical French meal) and it was pretty good. I don’t love steak, but it was a good change of pace. We then ordered dessert and I ordered the house special which was French toast with a chocolate sauce on top. This dessert was one of the best I have ever eaten. It was amazing. I hope to get it again before I leave. Dinner lasted quite long and afterwards I went home to go to bed.
Saturday I slept in pretty late (didn’t ask for a wakeup call). I got some quick breakfast at the hotel and set off for Paris again. This time I walked down the Champs Ellysee. I stopped at a few stores looking for something to buy for people I care about, but nothing caught my eye. Eventually I ended up at the Louvre Museum. I entered the pyramid and went down to buy tickets. Tickets are 9 Euros, but as I was standing in line two cute girls came up to me and started talking to me in French. (This always makes me happy that people think I speak French). I politely told them in French that I really don’t speak French. They asked if I speak English and I said yes. They then told me they had accidentally purchased one too many tickets and would sell me a ticket for 4.5 Euros. I told them I’d gladly pay 5, so I got a good discount. I was hungry so before I went into the museum (the main part) I went to a café and bought a curry chicken wrap and noticed they had Magnum ice cream bars. These were something I had fallen in love with in Hong Kong (as had Tevia). So I took advantage and bought one. It was awesome. It made me laugh that some of the highlights of my European trip were memories (food) of Hong Kong.
The museum was as cool as ever. They moved the picture of La Jaconde (Mona Lisa) from the last time I was here. I enjoyed seeing the paintings – and it always amazes me how many of the paintings that so many people admire are of our Lord Jesus Christ. I also enjoyed the sculptures and was able to spend a little more time looking at them this time. I particularly enjoyed Michelangelo’s “Dying Slave’ or something like that.
After the Louvre I walked to Notre Dame. I spent quite a bit of time looking around this area. I went into the church this time, too. It was beautiful. There was a mass going (which seemed weird to have a mass with visitors walking around – how distracting!). But the whole chapel was awe-inspiring and certainly made me reflect on my religion.
As the day was coming to an end (though the sun still up – though Saturday was mostly cloudy and lightly rained at times) I headed home. This time when I took the subway to the train station I forgot to buy the train ticket and just got directly on the train. Remembering once it started I had to make a decision. Do I just take it to the end and jump the bars (or sometimes you just can walk through anyway) or get off and buy a ticket. I decided to get off and buy a ticket at the next stop. Bad choice! Security was set up at this exit (as this is the first exit out of Paris and I guess a lot of people purposely don’t pay for the train ticket). They stopped me and told me I had to pay a fine of 25 EUROs. I tried to explain that I had made a mistake and that 25 EUROs was a ridiculous amount to pay. They patiently listened to me and kept saying “25 Euros”. The same thing had happened to a couple of other people, too. In the end I could not talk my way out of it and I had to pay the fine! I was mad. I got back on the next train and of course when I got off at my stop the gates were just wide open to leave. I would have had no problems getting out – wouldn’t have even had to jump the gate. I guess it makes for a good story. That was the end of Saturday.
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