Thursday, June 10, 2004
Paris 101
My plane landed in the City of Lights at midday. I met Nancy at the airport, and more than an hour later, rendezvoused with Naomi and Tim at his apartment.
That afternoon, Tim took us on a tour of a few sights. First was the Tuileries, a park that connects the Louvre Museum with the Champs Elysées. I thought it was quite busy for a Thursday afternoon, but as I would soon find out, Europeans love to take a break any time of day.
We continued on to the Champs Elysées. This avenue felt like Paris. There were trees and cafés everywhere I turned and young couples walking hand-in-hand, speaking in melodic tones. We came close to reaching the Arc de Triomphe, but a sudden burst of rain stopped us in our tracks.
Champs Elysées
We took the Metro back to the Musée d'Orsay. This art museum across the Seine from the Louvre houses a large collection of 19th and 20th-century European art. The Impressionist collection is notable. It includes Manet's Olympia and many well-known works that I did not get a chance to see.
Musée d'Orsay: cooler than a polar bear's toenails
The rain let up when we left the museum, letting us continue our tour. Our next stop was Montmartre, a district at the north of town. Marked by small buildings, narrow and winding alleys, and a cathedral at the top of a hill, Montmartre is quaint and teems with visitors and locals alike. Tim showed us the Basilique du Sacré Coeur and its impressive view, and the Place du Tertre, a square full of tourists and entertainers. We winded down the hill and stopped at a café for a short time. (There I discovered that a bottle of Coke in Paris costs more than beer.) Not long after, we dined at a very good Mediterranean restaurant called Casa Lola. After dinner we met up with Tim's roommate Engin and friend Maria for drinks at a neighborhood bar. We returned to Tim's apartment at 12:30 AM. I had been awake for 36 hours.
 Sacred Heart Cathedral |
 Those crazy kids are at it again |
Montmartre
Overall, I was impressed by the friendly service at restaurants, markets and Metro stations. In general, I thought Parisians to be more polite than Americans.
What's French for "Coca-Cola"?
