It is the eve of my departure and I wanted to offer my final thoughts as I'm watching Law and Order in French (no subtitles), and waiting for the KU-KState game to start (which I probably won't be able to stay awake to keep track on the internet).
First involves my review of French cuisine. Our first two nights, our dinners were spent...at Asian places. They were both little stop-in shops, and were quite tasty (although one was considerably more expenive than the other). We did actually have quiche today and it pretty much tasted like quiche in America. I did roll heavy with some Pain du Chocolat, which can be had at the local vendor down the street, 2 for €1,20. That was almost the easiest money spent all trip. Along with Chocolate, I'm pretty sure the French put crack in there because I've eaten like 6 of them the two full days I've been here.
Despite what you may have heard about the French being rude, all the ones we encountered were very nice and cordial. There is a theory that they are nice to us usually because we are paying them money in exchange for something, but they have been pretty helpful when we have questions or can't understand what they are trying to say. Usually when Katie struggles saying something in French, they bail us out and switch over to English.
There are beggars everywhere, and they all have similar angles. At the Eiffel Tower, a lady came up to me and asked me if I spoke English (I KNEW I should have said, "no"), then handed me a card telling me of her tumultuous life and how I could make it better by giving her money. I told her I had none and was paying for my lift ticket by Credit Card (lie) and I was really sorry but I couldn't help her. As she walked off, I could see her going back to her people huddling and plotting their next plan of attack. The next time someone came up to me and asked me if I spoke English, I said "no" (not being able to explain, how then I understood her question). Today, in the train there was a dude walking up and down the car handing cards telling of an equally tragic tale, then walked by later looking at us for money. We said we didn't have any (lie) and he kind of just stood there. Again, the cards were in English making me think that I really need to learn another language so that I can pretend I know that instead of English.
You may as well buy the Coke product while at the cafe, because the water is going to cost you just as much if not more. While on that note (I will include this as part of my 'tips' post that I'll make later), go buy soft drinks at the market. A Coca-Light at the quiche place today cost €3,50 for a small glass bottle. A 1.5 litre beast at the supermarket cost 2 Euro less than that. When I saw that, I feltfucking retarded foolish for not having stocked up when I had the chance.
Here are a few random photos taken over the last few days. Enjoy them, because they are the last I have of Paris:
There is a reason the French Militarie went included in the making of Call of Duty 4. Look at the wimpy weapons! FAMAS, FTL.
The Grand Palais. Not a great angle, the view from the Seine gives you a better idea of its size.
First involves my review of French cuisine. Our first two nights, our dinners were spent...at Asian places. They were both little stop-in shops, and were quite tasty (although one was considerably more expenive than the other). We did actually have quiche today and it pretty much tasted like quiche in America. I did roll heavy with some Pain du Chocolat, which can be had at the local vendor down the street, 2 for €1,20. That was almost the easiest money spent all trip. Along with Chocolate, I'm pretty sure the French put crack in there because I've eaten like 6 of them the two full days I've been here.
Despite what you may have heard about the French being rude, all the ones we encountered were very nice and cordial. There is a theory that they are nice to us usually because we are paying them money in exchange for something, but they have been pretty helpful when we have questions or can't understand what they are trying to say. Usually when Katie struggles saying something in French, they bail us out and switch over to English.
There are beggars everywhere, and they all have similar angles. At the Eiffel Tower, a lady came up to me and asked me if I spoke English (I KNEW I should have said, "no"), then handed me a card telling me of her tumultuous life and how I could make it better by giving her money. I told her I had none and was paying for my lift ticket by Credit Card (lie) and I was really sorry but I couldn't help her. As she walked off, I could see her going back to her people huddling and plotting their next plan of attack. The next time someone came up to me and asked me if I spoke English, I said "no" (not being able to explain, how then I understood her question). Today, in the train there was a dude walking up and down the car handing cards telling of an equally tragic tale, then walked by later looking at us for money. We said we didn't have any (lie) and he kind of just stood there. Again, the cards were in English making me think that I really need to learn another language so that I can pretend I know that instead of English.
You may as well buy the Coke product while at the cafe, because the water is going to cost you just as much if not more. While on that note (I will include this as part of my 'tips' post that I'll make later), go buy soft drinks at the market. A Coca-Light at the quiche place today cost €3,50 for a small glass bottle. A 1.5 litre beast at the supermarket cost 2 Euro less than that. When I saw that, I felt
Here are a few random photos taken over the last few days. Enjoy them, because they are the last I have of Paris:
There is a reason the French Militarie went included in the making of Call of Duty 4. Look at the wimpy weapons! FAMAS, FTL.
The Grand Palais. Not a great angle, the view from the Seine gives you a better idea of its size.
The Hotel Muguet, 11 Rue Chevert, Paris. Our home away from home for a few days, the rooms here were the nicest of the three cities we stayed. Very nice considering its supposed to be a "Two Star" hotel.
The Assembilee Nationale. We were in the Place De La Concorde when we took this pic.
A view of the Trocadero from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
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