[This is a transcript of a handwritten document.]
Paris
Aug 21 - Sept 4, 2024
[photos]
I didn't expect the French Air Force to show up, but show up they did! My "if I can make it happen" tradition for my birthday over the past decade has been to find a boat and a body of water. This year it was a river cruise down the Seine - I never expect anything mind-blowing, I merely enjoy waving to people on the banks and bridges as I float by. This year, however, my birthday coincided with the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies which, unexpectedly, included a fly-by from the French Air Force just as we were passing Notre Dame. It was surprisingly magical and really cemented Paris as one of my favorite cities.
I had visited Paris for a couple days back in 2016 at the tail end of the "banger rally" I had taken part in. With such little experience there and lots of whispers of how dirty and dangerous the city was, I was a little worried that my memory had failed me - what should I expect? What sort of city is Paris really? Were folks rude and the city an absolute terror? Of course not! Within hours of landing I'd net with an old friend (a coincidental overlap of vacations with a friend from high school) and made a half-dozen new friends. It turns out that being friendly and open and having a big smile opens many doors - a lesson I learned during my Big Trip and, being a bit self-conscious, had doubted prior to this one.
To get a common question out of the way: I did not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I did go to the Louvre and I feel like what enjoyment I derived from the visit was from the idea of a box being checked off - I'm not much of an art scholar and I dislike sweaty, crowded places. The Catacombs were interesting in a volumetric sense - like walking through dozens of cemeteries at once - but I had a small expectation of tunnels and chambers where I should have expected a never-ending hallway of bones. I know there are other entrances/tours - perhaps I should have done one of those? The company I kept, however, made the trek through the tunnels worth it.
The biggest delight of Paris was, well, being in Paris! Sitting in sidewalk cafes sipping coffee or local beer while people-watching (and counting the number of baguettes I saw folks carrying). The second biggest delight was seeing friends in different contexts. I mentioned my high-school friend I met up with on my first day, but she was not the only person I connected with. I planned the trip with the expectation of meeting with a couple I'm good friends with in Philly as they were going to be overseas anyway for a wedding. I also knew a bartender from a local watering hole had moved to Paris to pursue his doctorate. I spent a fair deal of time with these three - including in the Catacombs and on my boat trip down the Seine!
I think the overall theme of the trip was "having a delightful time despite the plans." While I realize this describes my approach to life, generally, I feel it was particularly acute on this adventure. To start a few months prior, half the vacation had been planned as a couples' trip. We purchased four tickets to the Catacombs, the river tour, and Versailles. Promises of luxury lodgings and a spa visit had been made. I'd been a little wary of making such plans in a new relationship, but love is love.
As you may have guessed by that lead-in, the relationship did not last. Not to worry, however! The fourth ticket for the boat and Catacombs was used by my bartender friend and Versailles was done as a trio. Other little things "went wrong" throughout - including a running gag that if I was craving any specific food item it would mysteriously vanish from every restaurants' menus. The apex of this came during my side trip to Brest - I wanted any food for dinner and the first three places I stopped didn't serve hot food on Sundays!
Speaking of Brest, I should mention my "side trips." Partially motivated to visit Mont Saint Michel, I figured I should get out of Paris proper for a few days. I didn't get to that particular destination (a common refrain this trip was "next time"), but I did go to...
BREST! Why? I knew it had some maritime history and it seemed like a spot few friends would have visited. Also so I could take a picture with a sign and caption it "I'm a Brest man!" (lol) It was a nice change of pace from Paris, if a little sleepy. I saw the Maritime Museum, took the cable car, and explored the insides of a bunch of Irish pubs before heading to...
RENNES! Why? It was on the way back to Paris and I figured there might be a way to do a day trip to Mont Saint Michel. It's the first place in quite some time I felt "I will definitely get hit by a car." I had a delightful time people watching, but did not do anything of note like visiting a museum such as...
VERSAILLES! The couple from Philly and I figured we had to see it, so we did - unfortunately on a rainy day. The palace was spectacular (though we got museum fatigue fairly quickly - "oh, another golden room") and well worth the visit. The Olympics had all the dressage events on the grounds, so the rotating exhibit spaces had all been taken over by paintings of horses. I have nothing against horses, but I found it funny we'd made the trek and it was 60% of the display. The rain prevented us from wandering around in the gardens (which are free, FYI)... "next time."
While we're on the subject of museums - the Louvre was, as mentioned, mostly a box-check for me. The Arab Institute had some interesting stuff on display - it's worth a visit if you can find the entrance. The Delacroix house was not one tenth as cool as the Rembrandt house (in Amsterdam). The Maritime Museum (in Brest) was worth the price of admission if you like crawling around castles.
To end, let's do some Parisian Potpourri! My bartender friend helps run an English-language pub quiz that my team won (the prize? Champaign!). The second place I stayed at had a Murphy bed and now I want one for my house. When I was relaxing at a bar I watched the bar staff disappear and reappear with unusual items - the first thing was when the three staff members disappeared for ten minutes and emerged with an empty can of whipped cream; the second was a bag of mystery food (not a to-go order, but something else); the third time there was a huddle in the back the manager emerged and gave a customer an oil painting! There's a short story in there somewhere.
I'm sure there's more to report and a dozen stories to tell, but that's the big stuff. I'm looking forward to "next time" someday - and always up for your birthday travel recommendations.
Thanks for reading!
Flight: $750
Ground transit: $400
Lodging: $1650
Food, Tourism, Experiences, &c.: $1400
TOTAL: $4200
No comments:
Post a Comment