I can't believe the past 24+ hours! Lots of emotion and excitement. A long flight (especially with an hour layover in Quebec City!!) but an uneventful one. Someone was watching over me because my whole row was empty so I was able to actually lie down and close my eyes for a bit! Didn't sleep but I got more rest than the poor people who had to sleep sitting up!
No trouble getting through customs - 3 min. max! No questions or paperwork like we had in Britain and not as nice a stamp on my passport either!! But I do like when lines move quickly! Too bad the baggage didn't move as efficiently. I guess there are disadvantages to being at the airport 4 hours ahead of flight time - first bag on, last bag off!!
When we landed I couldn't quite put my finger on what was strange to me. Fields, runways - much like Canada. Then it hit me. GREEN GRASS!!!! Trees are beginning to leaf out and there were blossoms all along the highway and dandelions!! There was even a patch of pansies in one of the medians!! Spring has definitely hit Paris!! It was 14 degrees and sunny and I found I was warm with just my windbreaker!
I caught a bus into the heart of Paris - a 50 min. ride. Some of the trip was more like going into Toronto via the Gardiner...graffiti, slums, typical highway sights...but then we hit Montmarte and the markets and cafes and bistros screamed Paris!! The wrought iron balconies were everywhere and I kept expecting to see Toulouse Lautrec or some such character come out the front door!! Then we'd "slip" (this was one of those huge accordian buses!!) into an alleyway and see a seedier side of the city. The scooters, motorbikes and mopeds almost seem to outnumber the cars! They zip in and out of traffic...because they can! There are scads of them parked along the streets like we would park bikes in bike racks! Even on the sidewalks, children challenge pedestrians with their scooters! In training for their adult years?!
My French is much better than I thought it would be! Contrary to what many people told me before I left, people do NOT all speak English - or at least if they do, it's only under duress or when they realize that the person they are speaking to is totally inept!! Maybe it's because I am making an attempt and they are graciously trying to help - but only a couple of people have switched over when I've asked for something - and I've done it all....directions, information, food, drink, tickets... I've found that hand gestures help a lot too!!
I'm in a lovely little hotel just off Avenue de l'Opera. The elevator is under construction so I have been climbing the 135 steps to my "artist's loft-esque" room on the top floor...and down to ask questions and back up again... (FYI - To reach the first level of the Eiffel Tower, you must climb 260 stairs!! I am all set!) I have a little suite with a cushy, bugandy divan and a couple of toille covered chairs at the desk and in the dormer window in the sitting room! There's even a bed for a third person! The bedroom is simple but has the beams the rest of the suite has and the twin beds are tucked under the eaves. Makes me want to get out my paints!
I had some trouble getting the Internet hookup here...i.e. COULDN'T hook up to the hotel's provider!! I tried the Starbucks just down the street and got a connection but none of my programs would work. Frustrating!! If anyone knows why this is, feel free to email me. I am going to continue to be positive and hope that the computer will work in other places. So, for now, I will keep saving my reports and will hopefully be able to post them soon!!
I needed to walk off my frustration with technology (or lack thereof!)so headed out to the Louvre just before 6. I wasn't prepared for the vastness of the site or the intricate architecture of both the old and the new structures. I know there has been much controversy over the construction of the Pyramids but I quite like the contrast with the old buildings. It made for some interesting shots, I think...from MANY different angles!! I went inside the complex to get advance tickets so we can visit at the end of May when Mom and Dad are here. The two inverted pyramids in the lower lobby were awash with rainbows!! Such a spectacular sight - but tough to film with a doting father trying to get his toddler to sit on every angle to shoot him from every angle and other children just wanting to climb etc.!! I just wanted an uninterrupted shot of "the moment"! Sure enough, after a couple of quick shots, a cloud rolled by and the colours were gone! I did capture "the moment" though - people free!
It was a long day but a wonderful one. I am not an 18 year old backpacking across Europe but I am quite competently adjusting to these new challenges and experiences and looking forward to the coming weeks!
