Bon Journee, Paris

9 Key Take-Aways After 23 Days of Travel

1. People LIVE here

I am struck by this everytime I see a jogger running under the Eiffel Tower, through the gardens of Versailles, down the river Sienne. It was also true in Spain where the popular jogging spots included the river-bed-built-into-a-park in Valencia, insane joggers taking on the stairs at Placa de Espanya before the fountain show in Barcelona, joggers sweating through the 10km of picturesque beach in Cadiz, or the most insane joggers tackling the cobblestone of Grenada.

2. The Mona Lisa is... kind of a rock star

I don't want to say that she is over-rated. That would surely be a reflection of my complete artistic ignorance. However, her set-up is pretty rock-star-esque: She is adored by a mosh pit of tourists, scrambling to take a picture of her. For some, aka the tall Austrians, the task is easier. For myself and many other vertically challenged asian souls, it is more difficult to hold one's camera high enough over the crowd to take a good picture of her.
Seeing her was pretty cool once I got in a good position, but I couldn't really let it sink in with the mosh pit around me. It's kind of a shame. I know that I am complaining about tourists and I AM a tourist, but I can't help but think that there must be a better way?
The Louvre is, after all, the world's most visited museum. And it shows. Swarming with tourists is the word, however our host tells us that locals go too. Sarkozy instated a brilliant policy in that 18-24 year old members of the EU can go to any museum for free (I think in some museums it extends to all age groups but I am not certain)! Thus, while I am stuck shelling out 9 euros, Amelie whips out her French passport and saschays in. I don't begrudge her because I think the policy is brilliant. However, I don't think it would work in Canada because it would slash their skinflint ticket revenues even further. But I do think that if the Glenbow in Calgary did that I would go more often, and down the road be more likely to become involved with the museum and donate. Surely the cost benefit analysis would support the idea when you think of it that way.
Nonetheless, I really liked the Louvre once we got away from the crowds. I spent a good two hours in the French paintings section, apparently skipping the potrait section and observing them like a rouge pong mallet - much to Amelie's chagrin. I counter that some paintings seem interesting and deserve further scrutiny, while others do not. I know when I glance at them. It's like shopping. I can glance at a store and know right away whether or not I want to browse or if the store isn't for me. In the latter category I put most of the religious paintings... apparently Jesus died people, and the only source of moolah for painters at one point in history was the church. I mostly liked the ones that told a story with an ensemble cast, if you will. And lots of the explanations on the sheets the museum had available in English were very enlightening.

3. Sightseeing is SO MUCH BETTER when you have prior, in-depth knowledge!

When I was 17 I wrote my second pracice IB historical inquiry essay answering the question "To what extent did Marie Antoinette contribute to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789?". Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Versailles! I devoted a good two pages just to her little farm hamlet that she built on the estates, away from the prying eyes of the court... and on Saturday I got to see them in person! Wow! At one point, I actually started explaining the stuff to this American couple and I sounded like a downright tour guide. Yes, I was being a know-it-all, but I actually heard this woman say: "Hank! Now look at this little house. Isn't it cute? But wait, is this before or after the revolution? It must have been after, look at the architecture. Hank, look it up. When was the French Revolution again?" This woman was in the middle of the Versailles gardens, in Marie Antoinette's hamlet, and she thinks this place was built after her death. Also, all she had to do was read the guide they give to everyone at the door to know this really basic stuff. That said, my indignation was not called for, I have been very similarly under-informed in many sites of historical significance over the years (although ever since being completely clueless at Ankor Wat and jealousy observing overexcited-informed people, I have made a point to get the basics down for any historical site I am visiting... even if it is a quick wikipedia browse before I leave), so I politely asked her if she wanted some help and she took me up on it so I gave her Marie Antoinette's hamlet 101 and once I was done I took back to wandering in Marie's excesses.
After about ten minutes of wandering around, looking at these little houses, I actually burst out laughing. Yes, I was that insane solo tourist, laughing on her own. But it was just ridiculous. 'What was she thinking!' played like a broken record in my head. I know that she probably wasn't really thinking about how her hamlet would be received by the millions of disgruntled peasants under her rule... but laugh I did.
Also, seeing the main palace... my French history is better than most of my other history, and to SEE the Hall of Mirrors where WWI ended, and the Hercules Ball Room and the Reception Hall, and the main courtyard, and the Grand Canal and sweeping symmetrical gardens... history geek's delight

4. Music is the same everywhere.

It is kind of comforting to hear Miley Cyrus when you have been away from home for weeks. And luckily for North American travellers, American music is everywhere - stores, elevators, malls, cafeterias, train stations, post offices, restaurants.

5. In Paris, it is easier to be an Anglophone Canadian than a Francophone one

I have heard many stories about rude Parisians making fun of French Canadians, and now I have seen it in person. When we were out on Saturday, a chick from South France (which also has a distinct accent) burst out laughing when Amelie started speaking French... and Amelie learned to speak French in Ottawa in a Parisian-French school, which means she does NOT have a Quebecker accent and this girl was being rude just for the sake of it. She burst out laughing, covered her mouth in feigned restraint, then said, ' Sorry, I just wasn't ready for THAT' in English. Then once Amelie had composed herself she started speaking to her again in French, to which the girl started laughing at her again. I overheard this, and in disgust I commented, 'Yeah you know it's funny... I can't imagine going to Australia and having someone make

The Hall of Mirrors

fun of my English... I mean really, who does that?'
While Amelie has had her French 'corrected' and repeated by a handful of locals, I have yet to encounter any rudeness. Parisians have been nothing but pleasant as I apologetically stumble with my French or sheepishly ask if they speak any English. I have an excellent impression of them. My friend Walid noted that the difference between Parisian shopkeepers and North American ones is that the latter will be overfriendly - greet you, ask if they can help, ask what you are looking for, recommend outfits - while the former will ignore you until you ask for something, then they will briskly fetch your size, answer your questions, and then disappear. To be honest, those North American nicieties are that aspects that I hate about shopping, thus I am perfectly content to be ignored.

6. Waffles really are that good.

Enough said.

7. Paris is expensive.

10 euro ($16CND) mojito? Yikes!

8. The gift of exchange keeps on giving.

My friends from exchange, Walid and Oliver, have been gracious tour guides and hosts. The great thing about my network from exchange is that all I have to do is type 'paris' into the facebook search engine and I get a list of all of my friends living there! I feel a little badly because I doubt that I am going to ever get to reciprocate (as Calgary isn't exactly a hot locale) especially when I hear about the huge number of people the two of them have hosted here. Nonetheless, it is a great way to get an insider view of the city and Amelie and I have very much enjoyed going out with the two of them.

9. European cities are easier on the eyes than their North American counterparts.

I'm sorry and some may disagree, however, 1970s architecture wasn't doing anyone favors and North America has far too much of it. I am pretty much taking pictures of the garbage dumpsters here, everything is so beautiful and so many years of work and planning went into most of these buildings. Granted, Europe has a millenia or two on us North Americans, and I still think we have better nature than they do...

Today we are off to Toulouse! On Saturday we part ways and I am off to Poland... it is hard to believe that in a week I won't be travelling with Amelie anymore. I will miss her and her well-planned travel itinerary and local hosts. Anyway, I should go and wake her up, I think that today we are going to go and see where Jim Morrison is buried. Creepy? Definitely.

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Part of trip: Back to the Mother Continent

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