Travel Day - Paris to Florence - Random Thoughts About Paris

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As this was a travel day for us, and we were only operating on 4 hours of sleep, not much sightseeing to report on this time. But, we did accumulate some random thoughts about Paris that we wanted to record and share:


• This is one of the cleanest cities we've ever seen. Rarely, if ever, did we see trash lying about, despite the millions of tourists passing through. It was very impressive.
• We could not believe how many people smoked. Everywhere we went, people smoked. The foyer to our apartment building reeked of it. It's sad to see such a sophisticated culture and people in so many ways still addicted to such a horrible habit.
• Most of the French people we encountered were quite nice, not condescending at all, and happy to help us in English or assist us with our attempts to learn French. Todd met one notable exception at a bank, but he was not the norm. It was refreshing to feel so welcomed.
• Almost without exception, every single person we met warned us about pickpockets. It was as if they had all been given a script and instructed to repeat it to every foreigner they met. We never saw any evidence of pick pocketing happening, and thankfully were not victims of it. But after non-stop warnings, we were almost starting to feel like everyone in Paris was the boy who cried wolf on this topic!
• No one in Paris uses ice! Even with the soaring 95 degree temperatures and record breaking heat wave, we always had to ask for ice. And hardly any of the buildings, restaurants, shops, etc. have air conditioning. Needless to say, the heat was a struggle, but we were all baffled by the Parisians seeming lack of interest in making themselves more comfortable by simply serving colder drinks!
• There almost seem to be two cities for Paris - one above ground, and one underground. The metro tunnels are so extensive and such a labyrinth that you get the feeling you could traverse the entire city underground. As the oldest metro in the world (or so we were told), it is impressive to be sure. But definitely confusing to newbies.
• Despite being one of the most visited cities on the planet, the French do not seem to have yet mastered the art of directing people. Numerous places we went suffered from a dismal lack of directional signage to help travelers figure out where to go or what to do. And DC does a much better job of simply staffing main attractions with people whose sole purpose is to offer assistance and answer questions. Whenever we got stuck, it was practically a wild goose chase to find someone who worked wherever we were to assist us.
• The sun almost never sets! We were astonished when it was still light out at 10:15pm. This made for great use of time, as we were out late every night even though it did not feel late. It definitely gave us a glimpse of what Alaskans must deal with when they have 24 hour day light!
• Four days is not nearly enough! There is so much to see and do here. Todd and I would love to come back some day. And Michelle (our tour guide) was full of great recommendations for restaurants, activities, sights, etc. Definitely should have booked her at the beginning of our visit instead of the end.


Just some random thoughts and observations about our time in Paris.

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Comments

[Kevin Joseph Koboldt]

Love the blog
We love the blog! You guys are turning into real travel troopers. It's fun to see Paris and soon Italy through your eyes. Sorry the weather isn't better! Keep up the good word! Kevin & Kathleen