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Published: October 29th 2008
DAY 2
I got up early to get a head start on my first full day in Paris. I joined the Regard family downstairs for breakfast, finally meeting Daniel, Lucile's father. I was treated to a crispy chocolate croissant and fresh brewed coffee. On my way out Lucile accompanied me into the city taking me to see the famous Catholic Catherdral, Notre Dame. Another gorgeous church in Paris. We made our way inside to marvel at the French gothic architecture, but were limited to the perimeter not to disturb the service taking place at the same time. It felt odd and a bit rude snapping photos and gawking during worship.
After Notre Dame, Lucile escorted me to the Catacombs and went on her way to school to get some studying done. The Catacombs is a must see if you're ever in Paris, but I should warn you it may not be for the claustrophobic type. To give you some history, back in the late 1700's Paris had a problem with overflowing cemeteries. The solution was exhuming the bones and storing them underground in unused quarries. To get to the quarries, I had to make a 65 foot
descent (130 steps) down a narrow and dizzying spiral staircase. Once at the bottom the skulls and bones are not immediate. I first had to walk through a cold, dimly lit passage way, turning left, right, straight, and around, more than long enough to build my anticipation in seeing the dead until finally reaching the
Memorale Majorum. The walls surrounding me were no longer the carved passageway of underground dirt but were now layer upon layer of human bones and skulls stacked on top of another from head to toe. Surrounded by millions of dead Parisians displaced from their original graves. Creepy yet at the same time very fascinating.
I ascended back to the light of day and the refreshing presence of human life. Next stop - Paris's most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower. I arrived and waited in line for a good 45 minutes just to get a ticket. Then depending on how high you want to go up the tower, it takes more time as well. I decided to deal with the wait and go all the way to the top. It was worth the amazing 360 view of Paris and beyond.
The rest of my
day I spent walking around window shopping, enjoyed a fresh ham and cheese crepe, and stopped at the Arc du Triomphe. But before heading back to Lucile's I wanted to pick up a gift for the family as a "thank you" for their hospitality. It was getting dark and and wanted to move quickly thus my thoughts were rushed in what I should get them. In true American thought, getting a gift certificate came to mind. Quick and convenient, right? Not quite and of course I learned my lesson the hard way.
Attempt #1: I stopped at a movie theater and timidly practiced my "Parlez-vous anglais?" (
parlay-voo ahnglay/ Do you speak English?). The man spoke very little so I attempted to explain wanting to buy movies tickets to use for a later day. I gave up after my second attempt to explain after his response to me was pointing his finger at the showtime for the next movie that evening.
Attempt #2: I walked into a restaurant straight to the bar and asked again in French "Parlez-vous anglais?". He looked at me and said "no" and walked away. That was it. No attempts at trying to find someone who
could help me. Jackass.
Attempt #3: I walked into a second restaurant, this time, with a little bit of better luck at communication and far better customer service. The waiter I approached tried to help, but understood little English, so he asked the bartender to assist. The bartender appeared to understand me but said they had nothing of the kind.
Attempt #4: At this point, the rejection had fueled my persistence and oddly minimized my fears in trying to speak phrase-book French. "Parlez-vous anglais" was now becoming second nature to me. But despite my new found confidence, my attempts at my last and final restaurant proved no luck. I was able to speak to someone with moderate English skills, but when I tried to explain the gift certificate concept, he handed me their business card and said in his cute French accent, "Sure, you can come back here a later time to eat. No problem." That was the best I was going to get out of him.
So there are NO gift certificates in France. Or maybe there are and they call them something else that I'm not aware of. Silly me. Anyway, I was already in an alley
Ummm...
Fresh crepes off the streets...way of a busy market place, and a bread shop caught my eye and suddenly I remembered that Daniel and Christine were eating a baguette with butter during breakfast that morning. I picked up a couple of loafs as well as a box of mixed pastries. It was perfect and so simple.
Back at the Regards, they were happy and thankful for the bread and pastries. Later in the evening, I had my first home cooked French dinner. Daniel put his french culinary skills to work and served us braised pork with some kind of wine sauce, complimented with mash potatoes. As he fixed me a plate, I observed in awe watching him press down the mash potatoes with a serving spoon to properly drown them in the wine sauce like it was a form of art. I was delighted to see that the baguettes I bought were sliced and in a basket on the table for us to enjoy. Dinner was as good as it looked and smelled and just when I thought it was over, Daniel brought out a big salad bowl, a plate of swiss, brie, and gruyere cheese, and a bottle of wine. I love
the way French eat! I thought it was strange though that salad was served after the main course, but according to Lucile, salad can be served before or after. Either way, the salad, cheese, and wine were good too!. At first during dinner it was a little awkward sitting there listening to the family speak French, but that was soon dispelled with Lucile's parents attempts to communicate with me in what very little English they spoke, their simple gestures in offering me more water or more food, and even their warm smiles were enough to make me feel quite comfortable.
The next morning I left and said my good-byes to the Regard family. I was actually very sad to leave having felt so welcomed in their home. The person I was when I arrived two days before, nervous to be in a foreign environment was no more. I was now just getting use to things, and wanted to stay and learn more about the French culture and language. I know I'll be back. Hopefully sooner than later.
For more Paris Sightseeing pictures click here -----> Paris Sightseeing Where in the world is Lynn now? Click here -----> Lynn's Twitter Pager
FRENCH TID
BITS
FRENCH FRIES: The French don't claim
french fries as French but instead attribute fries or
frites to the Belgians.
HOLIDAY (Vacation) TIME: The French get 6 weeks of holiday versus our standard 2 weeks. 😞
NIGHT LIFE: Most Parisians don't head out until midnight and night clubs typically don't close until 6am - 7am
SMOKING: Recently banned from public places including restaurants effective last January.
DRINKING: The legal drink age is 16. The US is the only country with the highest legal drinking age of 21.
SCHOOL:
- The US equivalent to Junior High School is called College in France. High school is referred to as Lycee. In Lycee, the way in which their system is structured, especially a students last two years is equivalent to two years of college General Education course. So those at 18 who choose to go to University can immediately start their major courses.
- A French University Education is CHEAP! Lucile pays just 236 Euro (305 US Dollars) a semester for medical school. Her fees include books, free public transportation, miscellaneous student fees. Sickening, isn't it?
HEALTHCARE Have you seen Sicko? It's true people. Healthcare is
FREE in France. Health Insurance in not in the French vocabulary. There is such thing in France as
private insurance that reimburses French citizens whenever they go to a private practice versus a public hospital. So basically, healthcare its
still FREE!!
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Rose
non-member comment
in awe............
My head is spinning with delight just reading about your adventures. I'm just sitting here smiling and thinking of you!