Yipee Skippee!

Back to the first internet cafe with an english keyboard. It's worth the extra euros.

Well, it's my last full day in Paris. I will be sad to say goodbye. Tonight, Lindsay and I are going to take a ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and try to eat as much good food as possible before we go. Considering my slight fear of heights, I'm hoping this won't be like my space needle experience, where I ended up clinging to the wall until I could find the next door back inside. I think it was the slanted floors that did it to me. Still, I can't be in Paris and not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, so this whole experience could lead to its very own blog.

What else can I say about Paris? Recap, recap.

1. Fashion & Shopping
Basically, you see a little bit of everything here. I heard a lot about what not to wear before coming on this trip, but I've seen people in tons of different outfits, some fashion disasters and others not (hot pink fanny packs, purple pants with green spots, you name it), and I'd say nearly anything goes. There are definitely people who look like they just stepped off the runway, and you see a lot more of that in the nice department stores, but casualwear is widely acceptable. I never felt out of place. And, I've seen lots of jeans. French women do tend to wear fashion scarves, pants or capris (rather than jeans) and very pointy shoes.

One noticeable difference to me is how people dress for work. You see a lot of men in business suits, and it seems like people dress up a lot more overall for work.

If you come to Paris thinking you'll want to buy clothes, be prepared for very high prices. I loved looking at everything and seeing all the different styles and designers. Some of the materials are gorgeous and most of it is very well made. Due to the pointyness of the shoes, I didn't find any I liked, and I looked at a lot! I wish I had endless supplies of money so I could buy the clothes, though. Gorgeous!

2. Paying to Pee
If you gotta go to the bathroom when you're out and about, you learn to have the 41 cents (most places are 40, but one seriously was 41) you need to get in the bathroom before you get there. It's pay in advance, and, although the attendants patiently wait for the money, it's uncomfortable doing the Gotta Pee Bad Shuffle while you scramble around in your wallet for loose change.

3. Food
This could be a very long blog of its own, but I will sum it up by saying that the food is excellent here. Very tasty baguette. Lindsay and I ate and some great places (we stuck to cafes), a couple of so-so spots, but no bad ones. We mostly just picked places as we passed them, if we liked the feel, and ended up satisfied every time. I had an almond croissant yesterday, Elizabeth, and loved that too! The coffee is amazing, and I drink that whenever I can. I found that I really liked the very simple sandwiches made of baguettes and cheese. The house wines at the restaurants tastes great; Lindsay and I usually get a small pitcher. French fries are better too. They taste different than American french fries. I think it may have something to do with the oil. Coke is very expensive. It costs about 3 or 4 euros at a cafe and only slightly less at the store. If you get it out, they don't put in ice, but one cafe we went to put ice in the orange juice. Go figure.

4. Language & Communication
I started using more French as time went on. I was worried about not being able to communicate, but mostly everyone I encountered spoke at least a little English for my little bit of French. The only awkward encounter I had was when I stepped out of the bathroom after a morning shower and found the hotel maid already in the room ready to clean. She spoke no English, so we had an interesting conversation consisting mostly of hand gestures and me trying to act out how long it would be before we left the room for the day. Very good practice for charades. Overall, people are really friendly. I've had good experiences and started to like trying to speak French.

5. Eiffel Tower Obsession
This sounds so corny, but my favorite spot is the Eiffel Tower. I've visited it every day I think. To me, the look of it changes with the shifts in daylight, and it really is one of the most beautiful structures I've ever seen. At night, on the hour, little racing lights turn on and the whole thing sparkles for about 10 minutes. Linday and I have discussed me setting up a model Eiffel Tower on the table in my office. I could lace it with racing twinkle lights, and, on the hour, turn off my overheads and turn it on for 10 minutes. I can see me explaining this to a student in for advising session, "Pardon me for interrupting, but it's Eiffel Tower time."

One important note is that this is really a place to be aware of pickpockets. Very nice French people informed me when a few people were eyeing my bag at a stop light near the tower, and we've seen a few thiefs being chased by police. Carrying the right kind of bag is very important.

6. Transportation
I wish I could total about the number of miles Lindsay and I have walked on this trip. The streets can be confusing, but it is fairly easy to get around on foot. The Metro is good for getting around. Some stations are nice and clean. Others are dark and kinda creepy, not to mention smelly. There is quite a bit of police and military presence there and around the city. The military men carry what I consider to be really big guns, and I don't like that.

We encountered many musical performers in the stations and on the actual trains. It's nice to walk through the station to the faint sounds of an accordian tune. It's another to have an accordian playing in your ear while you wait for your stop.

7. Hotel
Finally, the hotel. The Rive Gauche is a small, charming hotel on a quiet street near Rue Cler. All the rooms have windows to the outside, with little flower boxes, but our hotel is slightly cheezy in the fact that they put fake flowers out there. We wake up each morning to birds singing, and there appear to be very few bugs in Paris. We keep the windows open all night, and the only bug I've ever seen come in was a tiny moth. The lift is teeny tiny and fits about 2 medium-sized people, although it says it can fit four. Ha! You better like the 3 other people with you in there, because you're going to be plastered to them. There is a spiral staircase that leads up to our 4th floor room, but it's very tight and can make you dizzy quickly. As I mentioned before, the room is incredibly tiny, and our shower is about the size of an apartment linen closet. I'm doing ballet-type moves and bends to lower myself down to retrieve shampoo, soap, etc. when I need it. Usually end up with the faucet pressed into my back at one point. Despite all that, I've grown attached to the place. It is clean, in a great location, with very friendly service.

There is tons more to tell, but I'll have to save it for when I get home. All I can say is that I've had an amazing time, and I can't wait to return! Next blog stop - London.