Happy Wanderer: Paris 2018

3 October 2018

Paris 2018 – Day 1

Steps today: 27 568

I am trying something new for vacation posterity - Google Timeline. It’s pretty neat!

Here’s what today’s looks like, but I can’t see how to display it full screen without the side bar so it’s not as close-up as I would like… Do you know how to do it?

It was a great Day 1! the flight was nice and smooth, no turbulence and we arrived 30 minutes early. I estimated I would be at the hotel by 9AM, but in fact I was there by 8. The trains were PACKED – I was in the thick of morning rush hour. I unfortunately couldn’t sleep on the plane, but I still managed to have a full day anyway and I don’t feel that tired.

The room was predictably not ready, so off I went to start my day.

I felt a little unorganized for most of the morning. I have my map on my phone, but it took me a while to get into a sightseeing groove. By now, Paris seems SO FAMILIAR to me that in a way I think I might be overlooking the small details. I had to force myself to start taking pictures!

I started with breakfast. I had the entire terrasse to myself until the last minute when a smoker sad RIGHT next to me with the stinkiest cigarette ever! UGH! Such a shame smoking is still allowed!

I wasn’t sure what to do or where to go afterwards so I just wandered aimlessly until the planning part of my brain kicked in. I’m also very distracted by my new-to-me camera because it doesn’t have all the same bells and whistles as my previous camera. I HATE fidding with settings so after a while I said to myself that if they are too light or too dark that’s easy to fix after the fact. The most crucial factor (after having 2 vacations pictures affected) is that they are CLEAR! most of them look dark to me, what do you think? But this camera does not have a “Sunny” or “Cloudy” seeting. GRRRR. I have night and twilight, but the indoor pictures look like crap in my opinion. TOO MANY SETTINGS!

I started with the Église Saint-Augustin. The first time I saw it, it was a derelict building – but now it’s clean and gorgeous!

Next was Parc Monceau and the coolest tree! 7m diameter!

I also got a shot of the “birthplace” of the Statue of Liberty.

After this: lunch!

It was little too loud on the terrasse on such a busy street, but they had Sauternes and if l craned my neck l could almost see the Arc de Triomphe... plus there was violin music playing although the traffic drowned it out.

I then went to the Arc de Triomphe to buy my Museum Pass so I’m all ready to start Museuming! The plan for that (so far) is to start on Saturday.

Regarding my hotel room even though I was told check in was at 3PM, I thought I’d swing by to see if by chance the room was ready (it was 2PM by then) but I was just told; it’s still to early. They didn’t even check! the entire place could be empty and I don’t think they would care. Check in is 3PM and that’s that. OK Fine. I killed the time by going to take pictures of the Cordon Bleu School and other sights nearby.

I finally got in my room by 3:15. I was leery about what I would find since it was so inexpensive, but really it’s fine. The 2 biggest strikes against it are things I knew already: no elevator (broken) and spotty wifi (works on laptop, not on phone). It’s small, dated, but clean and I have a view of the Eiffel Tower!

My next idea was to go climb the steps of the Eiffel Tower, but there is so much construction going on around the base – they moved all the entrances and here is no fast track for stair climbers any more…. of it there is, I could not find it and I walked the entire perimeter.

I decided to call it quits on sightseeing after that and change my focus to where to have supper. I decided on the area around the Notre Dame since I didn’t visit that area today, and it was only 3 commuter trains stops away. While walking there, I noticed a gang of kids (teens) who seems maybe drunk to me… I’m not entirely sure. They were loud and belligerent but sometimes when teens get together that’s just the way they get when they think they’re cool. They just seemed to be acting tough. Still, I did not want to hang around them so I sped up my pace to shake them and went to the train stop. A few minutes later, I noticed them on the platform for the train going in the opposite direction. They were loud, confrontational with each other… again I would say (not really paying attention to detail) that they were just acting tough. STILL, they made me feel so uncomfortable, even separated by a double train track, that I stood far from them – behind a pillar. Even at the time I thought I was being silly, but your gut always knows….

Their train came in, and I hear an ear-piercing alarm. Not just a normal train-horn noise but louder and faster. Then SCREAMS. OH GOD. I was separated by the train now half stopped on the tracks so I could not see them, but the people around me on my side of the tracks all gasped and gaped at each other. The screams did not really set of an alarm in me at first – strangely – because it could have been interpreted as a bunch of guys exclaiming the equivalent of “Dude! that was close! dude! dude! Holy shit! that was close! Whoa!” But based on the way the people around me were acting, it wasn’t anything good. Then I realise the screams were like wails. There was a German couple near by and I asked them what happened, and she said “he’s under the train”. Another woman said “ the train is stopped just there, if it hadn’t hit him it would not have stopped”. I don’t know about that… but UGH it’s all so awful! I just left. I did not want to see anything, there was nothing I could do to help, so I just got out of the way.

I was a little traumatized, I must admit, and I didn’t want to take a train or metro anywhere after that so I got on the bus instead, but 3 stops later changed my mind and got off. I remembered Frank and I had a nice meal once at Le Vaubhan overlooking the Invalides Dome, so despite the eye soar erected in front of it, I decided to go for it.

Once I sat down and got comfortable I was told it’s just drinks. ARGH! ok fine. I had a drink and decided to head back to the hotel and have a snack\supper nearby.