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Published: September 4th 2013
After having unhappy feet all day yesterday, and not sleeping much last night due to the nap I took in the afternoon, I decided to take the lazy way today. I walked to the Notre Dame area and got on L'Open Bus. It's a hop-on-hop-off bus that has 4 different routes and takes you all around the different areas of the city. There was a decent narration explaining things as we drove along. It was a hot, but beautiful day, and I rode around the city seeing most everything! Paris is beautiful, and it looks "so Parisian". Silly? Well, it looks just like I expected, based on seeing it in movies all of my life. Instead of telling you everything I saw, just figure if it's a sightseeing spot in Paris, then I saw it. Instead, I'm going to tell you some interesting things that I've noticed:
Paris has a bike rental program where they have hundreds of bikes placed strategically around the city. Using a credit card, you can rent one on the spot and ride away!
Paris still has some of the sidewalk restrooms. You can smell them, just walking past. I can't imagine what it must
be like inside!
If you see someone who is really heavy, wearing a fanny pack and a baseball cap...he/she is probably American.
If you see a woman wearing a scarf as an accessory...she's probably French.
Restaurants want you to buy bottled water with a meal. When you insist on tap water, they get snooty.
Toilets are kind of like the ones Americans have in travel trailers. They smell the same too.
Paris has a huge percentage of residents riding bikes or scooters everywhere they go.
Motorcycles and scooters park on the sidewalk. In order to get to the parking spots, they drive right down the sidewalks.
I suffered from "cathedral overload" way back in 1996 after spending 17 days traveling in Italy. Apparently, I still have it, because I just couldn't get excited when I visited Notre Dame. I'm sorry; I really feel awful about it.
Tomorrow it's Versailles!
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Noel Lane
non-member comment
misc.
Sally, do they still have the little "pissoirs" for guys only. My family, being French (Dad's side) still refers to the John as the pissoir. Have you seen a movie called "After Midnight". If not, put it on your list. Paris and time travel; a great combination. When I think of Paris, I think of "Day of the Jackal" and the Tour de France, last day, with a hundred fifty bikers racing up and down the Champs Elysee at thirty miles per. Noel