Not Snoring Afterall

Paris 1:20 PM

                I have finally managed to find time to blog when my body was not completely exhausted. Currently I’m writing from the seat of a high speed train from Paris (Gare du Nord) to Brussels (Midi).  It appears as if we’re moving at 200mph –cars on the highway appear still, and even the landscape seems a blur. When I wake up in the morning I still can’t believe where I am and what I’m doing. I suppose it’s a sort of “coming of age” feeling. Anyways, today was a pleasant day in Paris. Marie, our bed and breakfast owner, really seems to have warmed up to us. She greeted us warmly this morning, and we had quite a long chat about Paris, culture, and food (my favorite!).  We quickly got ourselves together and rushed off to the subway to make the trek to the train station (ours being on the far north end of the city, whereas we’re located on the far east end).

                Paris is really a gorgeous city. I am generally quite skeptical about touristy places; but it truly is beautiful. After taking the subway and winding through the Parisian streets (on the first warm and sunny day we’ve had in Paris) we arrived at our station. While approaching the entranceway, a pair of young, Turkish looking girls approached us, nicely asking if we spoke English. Being discombobulated from thoughts of the grandeur of the station and destinations beyond, I acknowledged them with a short “yes”. Normally I am prepared for such circumstances, but these girls were quite convincing. They held up a ledger and started asking questions to Becca and I individually, asking us to “sign their petition for the blind and the deaf” in broken English.  Naively thinking for a moment that it was in fact a petition, I scribbled down some random information as they asked for a “donation”, to which I promptly refused and beckoned Becca to leave.

                This sort of situation is very common in large tourist cities it seems. With my limited worldly travels, I have come to the conclusion that I am overwhelmingly and unimaginably lucky for the place I was born, the people I was born to, and the life I enjoy. Life around the world is a struggle, and we really should not take for granted how lucky we are.

Paris has been a phenomenal experience. Our first night here I felt almost inhuman. Wandering the streets in dire straits, asking random shopkeepers if they spoke English and getting a cold and shrewd “no” before immediately going back to what they were doing. In the United States I do not believe I have ever been received so rudely. It seems there is a steep learning curve to life here. Barcelona was very tourist-oriented, and so most people spoke English, and ALL signs were in Spanish and English. Paris on the other hand is almost exclusively French, and much more focused on the locals. There is very little English here save the enormous tourist hubs. This was a bit of a shock for my presumptuous American self, assuming most educated people in the world spoke at least some English. After a bit of assimilation to the city though, our experiences took a 180 degree turn.

The food is fantastic. Even the cheapest breads and wines put most American breads and wines to shame. The traffic, while being horrendous, goes out of its way to yield to pedestrians. In Chicago you’re likely to get run down by a rogue taxi if you don’t pay attention even when crossing with right of way. Public transportation is superbly convenient. I do not believe we ever waited more than 2 minutes for a subway train. Most came within seconds (and we took MANY subway rides).

The subways in the various cities have all been very efficient, but that’s not to say there’s no confusion about them. Perhaps our biggest struggle on this trip has been (obviously) finding our way from A to B. Initially we were quite timid and reserved, but you learn quickly that you just have to try hard to bridge the gaps in communication or you will never make it to your destination. Certain funny rules and renovated stops make following simple maps, at times, nearly impossible. When we exited our train from the airport in Paris to the city center, we literally walked in circles in a flurry of people rushing all about. We saw entrance after entrance to different lines, but no exits. Everyone was rushing somewhere, but it seemed as though no one was leaving. It took us awhile (and quite a bit of exacerbation) to realize that you actually have to save your ticket stub and use it to EXIT the station. It almost feels like stumbling around; “where is the subway, how do we buy tickets, oh it only accepts coins….what direction are we facing, what street is this?” It’s all overwhelming. My advice is to just stay calm and focus on the objective at hand, one step at a time. We’ve gotten REALLY good at managing subways, trains, buses, airports, and directions -albeit our horrible luck with delays and breakdowns. You have to remember that everything will work out (even if it’s by the skin of your teeth). All in all, it has been a wonderful and eye opening experience.