Scenes from Paris
So much has happened in the past couple of weeks since I last wrote. Among the exciting events, was my first trip to Paris! I spent six days there with a couple of friends and classmates. By my last day I was certainly sad to leave. There are a couple of Parisian oddities and other things I noticed and thought I would share some of those with you just in case you happen to be traveling there anytime soon:
Hailing taxis - unbelievably one of the hardest things to do in this city! Especially late at night when trains have stopped or running on infrequent schedules. One night we waited for at least a half hour out in the cold for a taxi. We were in a line on a street corner near a lit taxi sign and watched as perfectly available and empty taxis passed up the line of would-be passengers. This would never have happened in NYC, where a cabi will cut clear across 4 lanes of traffic to get a fare.
- Smoking - So it's no longer allowed for you to smoke in the airport and subways and soon (apparently in January 2008) smoking will be outlawed in cafes and bars...I wonder how much this will actually be enforced. In any case, if you are a smoker, you'll want to know that you can't just purchase cigarettes anywhere. You actually have to find an establishment that has the words "tabac" posted outside.
Subway - the trains were absolutely awesome! That is, of course once the transit strike was over. Though you might still choose to walk everywhere, weather and distancepermitting, because the city really is amazing! I'd hate for you to miss the fabulous architecture of the buildings and city planning. If you do decide to take ride the train, be prepared because on some of the older trains you actually have to pull a handle to open the door. Speaking of trains, I noticed one other subtle difference in the escalators that take you up and down. They move slightly faster in Paris!
- Suitcases - For some reason, we saw tons of people walking the streets with suitcases (the carry-on size. We started to come up with creative explanations...my favorite was they have suitcases full of US dollars to cash in for Euros.
Public Toilettes - never used them but these things are everywhere! And can save you from breaking any public urination laws that might exist. I included of photo of my friend who is posing inside one :)
- City of Love - One of my friends on the trip was skeptical of Paris' label as the city of love so we decided to conduct a little sociological study to test his theory that Paris couples show no more public affection for one another than any typical American city's couples. We averaged that you might see 35 couples in a 1-hour time frame show affection in an American city, so in order for Paris to keep its title we would have to see more than 35 couples showing affection in 1-hour. We decided to conduct the study one Sunday afternoon near Notre Dame. We sat ourselves at a window seat and began counting. Within the hour we found 75 couples show affection. The most common was holding hands. We began to appreciate the varietal displays like unique hand holding, stealing kisses at a stop light before crossing the street and even a little a little tush grabbing! Of course, a true researcher would find many flaws to our study but it was truly fun to conduct!
So as I started out saying, lots of things have been happening in the last couple of weeks. But this entry is already getting to be a little long, so you'll have to tune in again later when I'll update you on the end of the semester and my job offers!!!
