Last night in Paris - Notre Dame

This is it. I have been here almost a week now and I am really getting a feel for Paris. Once again, just as I am getting comfortable where I am at, I am leaving my comfort zone! :)

Tomorrow morning I fly to Rome. I am very excited about this. Its a bit warmer there and I am excited to see the sites. I fly from Beauvais Paris(BVA) which is about an hours drive (at least) from Paris. I found a shuttle for 13 Euros on a Metro (train) station on the west side of town. So, to make sure I am prepared, I actually got up this morning, bought Metro tickets and rode the Metro to the shuttle location and bought my shuttle ticket. It takes about 30 minutes (when you get on the right train) to get from here (Republique station) to there (Porte Maillot station). So, now I know I need to get up tomorrow around 5am, be on the train by 5:30am, at the shuttle station by 6am to make my 9am flight. So I am now prepared.

Also, I was told at Hotel Notre Dame, that I would be able to keep my room another day if I wanted. When I went to the desk to stay another day, no good. They sold the room out from under me. So I went up, squeezed in a quick shower, packed my goods and headed out. I wasnt too disappointed as I knew I would be able to find something nearby. Turns out I just walked next door back to the Hotel de Nevers and got a cheaper room without a shower, which is fine cause I doubt I would have time to take one in the morning anyhow. It does have a toilet and sink though but has the hardest bed I have had yet. First time I have had a toilet in my room since I got to Paris. Also it is on the ground floor, so no more steep stairwells, its big, and I have wifi in the room again. So its all good. But I do sort of feel like I am playing musical hotel rooms.

Now that I am leaving Paris, I have been thinking about the city itself. There is that stereotype that the French are rude. I can say that so far, I have not found that to be completely true. Sometimes I think they can get frustrated that you can not speak their language but that would happen in the US a lot as well. I have met some very friendly and patient people here though, so for the most part, I would say my stay in Paris has been welcoming.

I think I could live in Paris. Especially if I had money. The architecture is similar to London, but I think I prefer it here. There are more gates that open up into the center of a building. There are less parks here then London, but I wasn't all that impressed with London parks anyhow. The Paris parks are usually a tiny little spot with gravel instead of grass. There are many more dogs here in Paris than London. I tend to think the French love their dogs and their cigarettes. They smoke here as much as people in Indiana! The bars reek of smoke and I blame that for my cough. The French bring their dogs into restaurants and bars. They often walk their dogs without a leash (which I like). And I tend to see dog shit on the sidewalks everywhere. Also, almost every homeless person has at least one dog with them... strange.

Another thing the French like is their bicycles, scooters and motorcycles. Seems like just about everyone has one. I think part of this is because gas is so expensive. Also I would not be surprised if there are huge fees for having a car in the city. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was really impressed with the Paris biking system, where you can use your Metro pass to take a bike and then drop it off at another bike center. Very cool and progressive thinking and the people here use them.

Liquids in Paris are expensive. Its not uncommon to spend 8 Euros ($12US) for a beer here. For a heavy drinking American, I could easily spend $150 on a night out on the town if not careful. Even a coke here costs at least 1.5 Euros ($2.25US). A green tea from Starbucks costs over 3 Euros ($4.50US), back home that costs me $2 dollars.

Electronics are expensive. Computer equipment is expensive. I saw an ethernet cord for sale for 20 Euros ($30US). I could get one of those back home for say $6.

There aren't any Walmarts in the city centers. Like London, because of all the old architecture, all the stores are smaller and tend to focus on one type of product. Possibly, if you lived in Paris, you would do most your buying online and only buy from these shops as a last resort.

The language barrier is definitely there for me still. But, as one of the women I met here my 2nd night told me, you must get bold to exist here when you do not speak French. And I am seeing that. I used to be hesitant to order a panini, especially when a lot of people were around me. Its like I was embarrassed to speak and ask if they can speak english. Now, I do not hesitate. I have the greeting and the questions down pat. Often the person I am greeting can tell that I do not speak French and will immediately start speaking in English.

I do not think I stand out too much though as a foreigner. Often people come up to me asking for directions and such. I actually was even able to help one of them cause I had a map.

As for Rome, I am excited to get there. I just booked my room and must say, I splurged a bit. It will probably be the nicest place I have stayed in. There were cheaper options but they were farther away from the sites and did not have wifi internet. I am staying at the Hotel XX Settembre.


So, as you can see at the top of this post, for my last day here in Paris I decided to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. I jumped on the Metro (no more walking for gimpy me). I was very happy I went. A stunning structure.



I was very happy with the sunny blue sky for my last day of traveling. :)

Lastly, I bought 6 postcards just outside Notre Dame Cathedral. I will send them to the first 6 people who send me an address through email or by posting a response on this blog. You can even choose which one you want! Here they are:


What a mix! Not sure which ones I like the best. I might have to send them from Italy.

On that note, its 7:30 pm and I am going to need to get my last dinner in Paris.

Have to admit that walking through the city today, I sort of had a sad feeling about leaving. I like Paris. I hope I make it back here sometime.