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Published: August 19th 2007
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Mona Lisa at the Louvre
That was my best imitation. I’m sitting in a laundry mat in Paris. Why? Haha, because yesterday I really had to urinate so I went into a bar and used a broken urinal. Let me explain. I finally got sick…I was able to avoid all the ill persons in Florence, but I finally caught the bug; so I’ve been drinking tons of water which has caused my urinary system to act abnormally. I was dumb enough to try to flush it which caused it to splatter sewage water all over me. And my first instinct was to protect my camera instead of running away, then again, I was still unzipped. Other than that minor incident, this has been my favorite city as of yet. Hey, doing laundry gives me time to write this blog.
Paris is BEAUTIFUL. Paris is the MOST beautiful city in the entire world. I would love to be proved wrong so I can put that city on the top of my list of places to visit. For those of you who know me, you know that a statement like that is very difficult for me to make. Up until this Paris trip, I would’ve picked Los Angeles over any of the cities
in Italy in a heartbeat (well, maybe I’d have a yacht in Venice). I simply can’t deal with how emotional the Italians are. Just look at their soccer players who flop once they get touched. I now encourage Zidane-headbutting of any kind now. Anyways, I love LA, I would do anything for the City of Angels, but man, do we have a long ways to go. Paris is almost perfect. The parks, the monuments, the seamless integration of old and new, the oh so convenient and oh so affordable public transportation, the city layout… This city would make any civil engineer orgasm. I marveled at how the Italians were able to use water, and I marvel at how the Parisians are able to use space. Open air, simple as that. A park here and there, a fountain, conjures up so much romance as one strolls under the bright (but not ostentatious Tokyo bright) streets. AND TREES!!! It’s nice to see something other than concrete and marble once in a while.
That cliché of how the “French are rude” is (excuse my French) complete bullshit. I have yet to see it. I’ve spotted arrogance, but shoot, who hasn’t seen that?
Slide
That little punk, excuse me, that little girl was hogging the slide. But don't worry, I eventually got my turn. I really question people who say the French are rude; these are probably the same people who think New Yorkers (well, they kinda are) and Los Angeles residents are “meanies”. Well, softy… people in these cities actually have lives and their entire day and business doesn’t revolve around tourists. If Paris had no tourists, I honestly think this city could still survive. It wouldn’t do nearly as well, but what I’m trying to get at is that the city isn’t just about tourisms (ahem, unlike all the cities in Italy). I love the culture here, I simply can’t get over how large of a city this is yet the people are very soft-spoken; for instance, on the 2nd day, I went into a grocery store, and you couldn’t hear a thing. As I went up to the cash register, there was a simple, yet sincere “bon jour”. I feel in love, no not with the worker but the city. I’m so glad I came here. All of those cliché comments about the people and the city were immediately tossed out; and I honestly think that the food, like the day-to-day food not the steaks and bourgeois stuff, is cheaper here
A Book Store
I was messing around with my camera settings than it is in many other parts of Europe.
I have another anecdote to give you an idea of how the people are here. So there are these public bikes all across town which are connected to these hubs and anyone can rent them (except for me because the machines won’t take my credit card!). I was having trouble and this one woman was looking at me. First off, in Italy, the girls don’t give you the time of day. And rightfully so, they have to deal with horny ass Italian men who have nothing better to do than to hit on women in the streets. Well, this French woman probably watched me for 3 minutes before coming up to me and asked if I needed help. I replied in English saying how it’s probably just my credit card but thanks for the offer. She went on her way. I struggled for another couple of minutes before I gave up (man, I really wanted to ride a bike, it had a cool light and basket!). As I was walking away, I noticed that the woman was just around the corner looking after me to see if all went well. Now
Beautiful Flowers
No, I'm not wearing lipstick. you might joke around and comment on how that could be stalker-like behavior, but I would have to disagree. She was probably in her 30’s and I was looking THAT sexy at that particular moment. (My readers might disagree.)
I’ve done a lot so far: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, the Dali Museum, Jewish Quarter, La Seine, etc. But the important thing to note is that I’m not trying to hit every monument and rush to the next. I’m here for a week, 7 whole days. Thanks Cliff for recommending a longer stay. I think if I just rushed through everything in 2 days, I would’ve felt like I missed out on the important parts of the culture. And like he always says, “we’ll be staying long enough to enjoy it, but not too long enough to the point in which we’ll start hating it”.
SIDEBAR: As I was typing, a French woman (man, am I popular here or what, haha, j/k) spoke to me in French. Now, what can one infer from that? There is a diverse culture here; some consider it the cultural capital of the world. In other words, I don’t stick out like a
Rental Bikes
Too bad my credit cards wouldn't work. They have these rental stations all across Paris, now. Those Parisians are so brilliant. sore thumb even with my rainbows on. It probably has to do with how liberal the city is, too.
I kind of can see why the French and Americans dislike each other. It’s not hate, it’s just envy. Before the great American superpower, there were the French (let’s just skip the British for a second because they’ve come and gone). The city of Paris has been infiltrated by McDonald’s and Mickey Mouse. That is a slap in the face. It’s like mixing Grey Goose with Miller Lite. And I think the U.S. is envious of France because it has an amazing city that actually works and is clean.
Well, I’m going to keep this blog relatively short for a few reasons: 1) I’m enticing you to visit the City of Lights for yourself 2) I can’t express how I feel about this city in written form, you simply can’t see the grin on my face as I type. Feel free to ask me in person, I would love to share my experiences and 3) it’s the called the City of Lights for a reason, so I hope my photos do justice to this city that it deserves.
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