It’s been four weeks since we returned from vacation and I’m still not entirely certain the best way to report on the trip. I took a ton of notes, generally a page or two per day, but it’s organized more as a stream of consciousness than anything that can be turned into blog posts. I’m also pretty sure you don’t care to hear about a report of every meal we ate as that sort of detail can get boring quickly. I think the best option is to break it up into geographic sections and hit on the points that I feel are interesting. We’ll see how this goes.
So yeah, Paris. Paris is a city I never had a desire to visit and as such, I had no expectations going in. We knew we wanted to go to the F1 race and given the location of the trip, Paris seemed like a natural companion. Visiting a place you never really cared to see changes your perspective, I think. I felt like I was there mostly to drink it all in and not to kill myself trying to see and do all the things I thought I had to. With that in mind, here’s a peek into my thought process and a glimpse of Paris through my eyes.
- “Backpacks were the right idea.” – We took four trains to get to our hostel and I couldn’t imagine having to do it while lugging around suitcases. I guess that’s why they call it luggage, eh? If I can manage being light on supplies, I’ll definitely consider a backpack as my first choice for travel.
- The weather is great that time of year, if it doesn’t rain. Most people were wearing light jackets, but I thought it was comfortable in a t-shirt. It’s much like late September / early October in DC, which is a great time of the year. Unfortunately, we had rain 3+ days of 5.
- Life is extremely casual, with dinners taking hours. Much of the food is rich and service (relatively) slow, so dinner becomes something you do with your evening and not something you do for sustenance. Breakfast on the other hand is generally very light with the only source of protein being yogurt. Despite eating very well and sitting around a lot, there were zero fat locals. Hmm.
- English was not at all obvious. Some people could/would speak a few words, but the French are very much… French.
- The wine in France is fantastic, although that’s probably not surprising. Even the “cheap” bottles in restaurants are very, very good. I don’t think we had a bad bottle of wine while we were there and we had quite a few.
- The French were surprisingly polite and agreeable. Their reputation in America is quite the opposite, so I was pleasantly surprised. I know America has a tendency to hate on the French more than is reasonable, but they don’t deserve it. I honestly think they were far more friendly than the people in most east coast cities.
- The Louvre is HUGE. I do not understand what makes one piece of art more popular than another, besides group think. If you plan to visit Paris museums, buy the Museum Pass. It will save you a ton of time because you don’t have to stand in line (in the rain).
- I didn’t know what to do with myself in the room. My relaxation is usually defined by doing some activity so having no TV, radio, internet or computer made things interesting. I honestly had to learn how to relax without all those distractions.
- The Arc de Triomphe was much bigger than I expected. It’s something you should see in person to understand the scale.
- Portion size is a topic of conversation. The words “there’s no way that’s enough” usually come up… and then are usually proven incorrect.
It occurs to me I should dedicate an entry to our experience of hanging out with locals/strangers. I thought it was something I could touch on in a bullet or two, but I’m convinced I wouldn’t be doing it justice after reading my notes. It wasn’t one of those “life changing” experiences or anything, I just feel I owe it to those we met to explain what I learned about their country, their culture and their lives within each.
“Looking forward to moving on but sentimental about leaving Paris” – Those were my words, which is somewhat at odds with my opinion of the place. I don’t think it’s on my list of places to visit again but if someone asked me, I’d go. Given the choice, I’d probably go back to Japan 10 times out of 10 so that probably says something. I don’t mean to diminish the city because I had a great time, honestly appreciate the new experiences it afforded me and can see how others would love it. At the end of it all, I’m glad we went.
I think my opinion and experience are and would be much the same as yours. It’s really one of those places you just need to check off the list. Caitlin has been and ALWAYS wants to go back… Much like you and I are about Japan… Different strokes for different folks, I guess.