The next morning started out very similar. My wife was up before me, or at least active before me. I watched music videos and news clips of the protests the day before. Again, the only news from the Americas was the Trump trial, and yes, everyone thought it made the USA look dumb. Our breakfast again was a Parisian breakfast, which I still love. Meat, cheese, fruits, and coffee. This morning was a lesson in being early. We had a tour of the Louvre that morning. Google Maps said it was a 20-minute car ride to the Louvre from the hotel. We had a cab called 45 minutes early, 5 for the cab to get there, 20 for the drive, and 20 for safety. Tours don't wait for you. To be fair, they MAY give a tiny grace period while they get organized, but they aren't about to wait too long. We got in the cab and watched the clock. A pro tip is to check drive times when you are actually going, not the night before. Rush hour is going to be a lot slower than nighttime. In the end, the 20-minute grace we gave ourselves saved us, it was 10 miutes all we arrived early. Another grey day, standing outside in the gloom, wasn't fun. Still, we got a couple nice pictures, and then, being prebooked, we did not have to wait in the massive line that is at the Louvre at opening. I am not an organized guy; in general, that hasn't been too bad for me, BUT here it would be. Had we not booked in, it would have been hours outside. In the gloom, which is not a great way to start a day.
The Louvre is very impressive. That's not even the right word for it. I think there are various entrances, but the one we went to looked like a moat. That the museum was guarded by. I was impressed and intimidated, to be honest. Then you come to the main area, where you can go off into the wings of the Louvre. I should start with our tour guide, Francois. He sounds super French, but his English was actually pretty good. He was, for sure, an art major. I am sure he had done the tour a thousand times before, but he still guided like he loved it. While he did a great job with everything, he loved paintings. I am not a huge painting fan but having someone explain what is going on does help. Some of them have amazing stories behind them, and he knew them all. So we started our tour and saw the big ticket items. Venus De Milo. A million paintings, including Napoleon's coronation, which is fucking massive. Liberty Leading the People. Which I guess had just gotten reunveiled. So you don't have to google it's the French Revolution painting where the chick is leading with her tits out. Of course, the Mona Lisa. I walked into its room, and it was packed with people lined up deep, and no one was getting a good picture; just no room to. It is worse than a mosh pit. People crammed in and jostling each other. Francois said we could have a few minutes here to try to get good pics. I literally threw my hands up in the air and said screw it, walking away. A French security guard noticed this, and I am not sure. Maybe it was a thing of pride that everyone who comes to France has to see Mona, but he grabbed me and pulled me through the crowd to the front. Meaning I got a great picture. I scurried away afterward, letting someone else get a good shot, and I would like to say thank you, but I have no idea why he did that. It is a tiny painting, even if Hollywood makes it look normal-sized. Later, I learned why it is so famous. Or at least I was told by someone from France that it isn't even the painting that is that famous. It was the theft and search and recovery that made it famous. I assume that is right, considering it really is just a small but decent painting. We wandered through some statues and into various rooms. Seeing things from the ancient worlds of Greece and Egypt. It is crazy to see things that old still in mint condition. The paint is still on them. We build cheap things that fall apart within years now, but some of this is a thousand years old. If the world makes it a thousand years from now, do you think an iPhone 20 will be in a museum? Or better yet, is the artwork called comedian. A fucking banana ducted taped to a wall. Sold for over $6 million. The current art world calls it conceptual. I call it fucking crap. It doesn't make a person think like they claim it does. If it does, the thought is, what the fuck is wrong with people?? Between social media, poor education, and a lack of attention spans, this is what the world has come to? I will say it, maybe I already have. I am not an art guy, but modern art insults actual art. The veiled lady statue in the Louvre is art; how do you make marble appear see-through? We saw the Venus de Milo, which I am only familiar with because of the Simpsons, but it, too, is impressive.
I would think this should go without being said BUT don't touch shit! As a group, we were walking through an area of statues and such, not paintings, and someone decided they needed to feel a statue. I can forgive one of my nephews under 2 for trying that. A full-grown ass man, though, what the fuck is in your head?? This is a world-famous museum. Everything in it has historical value, and you want to feel it? Jebus, I fear for this world.
This is a massive museum, and we had a 3-hour tour. It flew by. So, near a central hallway, he bid us adieu, and we were free to wander for as long as we wanted. I have no doubt a person could easily spend an entire day here, But here is a regret. I was sore, my back was still pooched, and I was hungry and moody. My wife was also hungry, so let's say we were both hangry. The thing the Louvre needs is better dining. We wanted, or at least I wanted, a good meal, and she wanted water. Something to always keep in mind when traveling is to stay hydrated! So we grumbled back and forth, then we walked out. Once you are out, you are out. Sadly, I bet we didn't even see a third of this place.
Now, here was the real issue, on our bus tour the day before, we had seen a ton of pubs and wanted to go to one for lunch. I got all turned around, or maybe I never actually knew, but we started walking. I admit that I am possibly a stereotypical male; I don't need directions, and then I end up lost. We ended up surrounded not by pubs but by cheap trinket shops. So we just started walking and got way off the beaten path. We were in the residential area, or at least away from the main tourist areas. I just looked towards the tower and walked that way, jutting down different streets and keeping the tower as a guide. I will admit, we did walk by a couple pubs we probably could have stopped in, and they might have been great, likely would have been, but it wasn't the street we were looking for. Over an hour, we walked before we came back to the same square where we had met our group the day before. Both of us were hungry and cranky, so we hopped in a cab and headed back to the hotel.
We got back to our hotel and didn't look for somewhere new to go; we went back to the place across the street. This was not time for small plates but meals. Again, sadly, I'm not sure what we had, but it was good. Or maybe I was really hungry, but I remember it being good. I ordered what I thought was the same wine as the day before, but it was not. The waiter was friendly, and his English was excellent, so it was a good lupper. It was too late for lunch, but it was way too early for supper. We relaxed; it was around 230 when we got there, and we probably sat until 4. Then, we headed back to our room across the street.
When you go to Mexico, they tell you don't drink the water. Montezuma's revenge will have you wasting your day in the washroom. I was having the other issue. It was making me a bit of a bitch. My back was sore, the weather was miserable, and I needed to take a dump. Too much info, sorry, but honestly, this can affect a trip and make a guy moody. We were feeling much better after eating, but I was still grumpy, so I tried the one thing that always works. I went to Starbucks, they had one a few blocks away. We went for our last walk in Paris to the coffee shop, not the romantic Paris kind of shop, but the same as I get on Saturday mornings in Edmonton. Across the world, a Starbucks vanilla latte tastes like one in downtown Edmonton. It worked its magic within minutes. I am saying our walk was cut short so I could get back to the hotel. It was our last night, and it was an early one again. I really wanted to see Moulin Rouge, but you don't leave until 10 and get back late. We were to meet our driver to the airport at 7 AM, so too late a night might have been a bad idea. I realize that is being hypocritical. I have said to do all you can; maybe we should have. There is one you can do the city tour first, at night, then go to the show. That would be neat; either way, we didn't do it, probably would if we ever go back. I can live without it, though. The best couple of days of our trip were coming up, and it was nice to be well-rested for them. This whole paragraph, though, got longer than it was supposed to. My point was to drink water, I wasn't really, and it backed me up and made me uncomfortable. Don't make that mistake!
The next morning, we were up early. Of course, my wife wanted to get ready, and we were supposed to meet our driver at 7 AM. By 6, we had most of our stuff packed away and went down for breakfast as soon as the breakfast bar was open. Surprisingly, there was already a man sitting drinking coffee. I noticed out front a taxi waiting. We ate our last Pariasn breakfast; I still loved the bread, meats, fruits, and cheeses but grew worried we had read something wrong and were running behind. The man seemed miserable. He had that body language. You could feel the anger radiating from him, and he was clearly waiting. So I ran upstairs and checked. No, our ride was 7, and we were still okay. Either way, we went upstairs after our meal, brought down our luggage, and prepared to wait. I asked the concierge to ask the driver who he was there for; it was us. He had been there for a while and was still early. We checked out, and he slammed our bags into his car. It was a rather unpleasant cab ride. I cannot tell you why his day was so bad or why he was so miserable, but it was easily the least pleasant cab ride of our trip! I was not kidding when I said anger radiated from the man. Even his driving was aggressive. So we rode for an unpleasant hour to De Gaule airport. He took the bags out gruffly, and we walked away. Almost never, I do not tip, but this guy did not get one. I usually fret I have not given enough, but I had no issues with just walking away; while I am sure he wanted one, the worst service ever does not warrant one.
A few months later, over dinner, a man who grew up in France told me Charles De Gaule is the worst airport out there. It is better and easier to use a smaller one close to Paris than to go there. I believe him, but not at this point. I liked our landing, and this time wasn't bad either. We came in, and I had a coffee at a coffee shop before security. I probably didn't need to, but I had never been past security before and wanted to make sure I got a coffee. It is a very different atmosphere than our international airport here in Edmonton. We have a few security guards walking around; maybe they have guns; off the top of my head, I can't remember, but here they are in camo and carry machine guns. I have made bad jokes at the airport and have been with friends who have made bad jokes. Here, those thoughts didn't even enter my mind; they looked like they meant business. Security and such was a breeze as I really don't have anything to hide.
Then we sat for an hour or two. I played Pokemon Go. Ya, I am 40 plus, and I sat in an airport catching fake monsters. I saw what I would call a gaggle of nuns in habits walk by. It was interesting for me; I know we have them here, but I cannot honestly say I have seen any before. Maybe I have, but they don't stick out in my mind, and here they were, moving in a large group. I found the airport clean and comfortable. Although, I was annoyed with other people waiting for a flight. Does it happen to other people? Do you get either a cough or a sneeze every time you fly? I swear I do; this time was no exception. Now in the brave new post covid world, if you sneeze, everyone looks at you like you may be dying. One woman in particular kept glaring at me as we sat waiting, and I sneezed. I will be clear: it wasn't like a cold medicine commercial where I was a mucusy mess but a sneeze now and then. I can't say why this bothered me, but it sticks out in my head. This is what the world is now, fear of a sneeze. Either way, I didn't die, and I don't think I killed her, but she seemed worried I might. We found our flight easy, and soon enough, we were in the air headed to Rome.
Paris is not what I thought it would be. I have said it a few times, I had an overly romantic vision of the city. It has major attractions, and people sit, smoke, and drink coffee or wine in the cafes. It also looked a lot like Edmonton. A big and dirty, grey city. Chalk it up to my own prejudices or lack of worldly knowledge, but it is WAY more multicultural than I thought it would be. I thought with the talk of the attitudes in Paris, it would be white bread and French, but I believe it was the most diverse of all the places we visited on this trip. The haughty French attitude isn't totally a myth. There were some rather unfriendly and arrogant people. However, I don't know if it is more than a tourist here who couldn't speak English would get. We went as they prepared for the Olympics, which had things closed down and covered for repairs, so maybe we didn't give it a fair shake. As I said, the weather was awful, which always takes away from a trip. Yes, I would go back; it isn't super high on the list of places. I would rather see something new than Paris again, but I would love to spend another day in the Louvre, seeing the catacombs and the Moulin Rouge. Versailles would be delightful to see, and we did have one more night here on our return, which made me realize it would be nice to have a day sitting in Cafes sipping something and just taking Paris in. As I said, I have a few places much higher on my list, but everyone should at least give it a look!
We boarded ITA Airways, and I believe my wife upgraded our seats. They were bigger and way more comfy than expected. I proved on this flight what a loser I am. The screens weren't just for movies; you could also play games. I went to the trivia section and spent the 2-hour flight trying to be the top score. In the end, I came in second. I don't know if it is just for that plane, that seat, or companywide, but yes, I sat for 2 hours trying to prove to the next random stranger that flew how clever I am. Looking back, it is like the Riddler, I had to prove how smart I am, and I doubt anyone will ever notice, but it did help the flight go by. The flight was great, and the service was excellent. It is hard to say much about a two-hour flight, but I would fly these guys again. I will end it here and pick it up again in Rome. Honestly, they are my favorite 24 hours on this trip!
Comments
Post a Comment