Parisian Appetizer

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I was not going to begin these posts until I reached Africa but I feel that I need to just to let friends and family know that I haven't drowned in the Paris flooding and that the wet weather has by no means dampened my spirits (although the continuous threat from Air France staff to go on strike has certainly tested me!). The floods are not as dramatic as other parts of France and Germany, the only affected areas are the riverside platforms where various canal boats, bars, and river boat cruises are now inaccessible. Taylor and I were lucky enough to visit the Louvre on Thursday morning, by the time we left they were starting to close it all down.

Having visited Paris a couple times before, I was more intrigued this time as to how this city would feel only a few months after the November attacks, during a time when France is still under an official 'state of emergency'. Soon after arriving, we noticed on the map that our hostel was only a few blocks away from the now infamous Bataclan theatre, and our immediate thoughts were that there would have been guests at the hostel who would not have returned to their dormitories on that night.

In all credit to Paris though, you would hardly have known such an event occurred. Although there was security carrying out bag searches in nearly every major store, this seemed to be more for show as they would barely glance at it for more than a second. The aforementioned hostel, Les Piaules, was a hub of vibrant energy in a fairly "un-picturesque" area of Paris. There were great people to meet every night at the bar, many of whom were Americans or Australians interrailing around Europe, and their stories made me wonder why more Brits don't consider doing the same rather than jetting off to far and distant lands (guilty as charged!). The sense of community was very welcoming and something that is often missing when you visit Paris; I therefore also found myself going to all the usual Paris tourist spots with a rekindled excitement and intrigue. We made the brave but economical decision to climb up the stairs of the Eiffel tower where I learnt 2 things about myself; that I need to go back to the gym (this was later confirmed by my walk down the Palace of Versailles' Hall of Mirrors); and that I get extreme vertigo when I stand on glass floors of tall buildings. Oh the irony! I also understood why I hadn't noticed any gyms in Paris; when you can climb up and down the Eiffel stairs for 5 euros and climb the Arc de Triomphe for free under the age of 26, why would you pay for a gym membership?

My next stop is Amsterdam, where I can only hope that the canals can withstand the rain and thunderstorms better than the River Seine!

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