City of Romance
Before I get into to much detail, I need to dispel a myth about the French. Contrary to popular opinion in Germany and America, the French are not rude, Arschlocken or unpleasant. I know this may come as a shock to many of you, and I'm sorry if its shattered your world, but its true. Although I spent several days in Paris as an American living in Germany who doesn't speak French (should be a terrible combo, right?), I did not encounter one bad look, one snide remark, or one brush off. Quite the opposite, actually: We had more locals go out of their way to help us and make us feel comfortable than anywhere else in our travels.
We found that if you try to use a couple basic terms like
hello, please, thanks, yes, no and the numbers 1-10 [In French, which takes all of 20 min to learn] you can get around pretty well w/out using English, and as a result show that you don't assume they speak English and that you respect their culture. A sincere smile and a smattering of patience go a long way too.
Now that we've straightened that out I'd like to talk about how wonderful Paris is :-).
Paris was clean (this is my perspective coming directly from Rome), had a distinct architectural theme (white stone walls, blue-grey roofs), is alive with out being too hurried (contrast with Naples, which feels as though it will spin out of control any moment and explode, launching thousands of street vendors and scooterists into the Mediterranean), has a plethora of sights to see and things to do, is home to stylish and tasteful people, takes pride in its identity and history (as opposed to Berlin, where the past feels almost taboo), and has some of the tastiest food around.
Charm abounds: Step on the metro and you might be greeted by a fiddle and accordion duo; step into the restaurant district near the Notre Dame and watch vivacious doorboys compete for your business; climb the steps of the Sacre Coeur and enjoy the street performers; snag a Nutella Crepes from a hole in the wall stand and take a walk down the Seine as the sun sets; people watch a diverse crowd from a cafe window whilst enjoying a fresh-baked baguette; take in Paris from the lighted Eiffel Tower by night; spend hours perusing the treasures of the Louvre - or watching the art students make their sketches; get lost in the vast gardens at Versailles...
This was my Paris.
A Toast!
"I'd like to propose a toast!"Let's all raise our glasses to the
Bernie Ebbers Jury, who found him guilty on all accounts yesterday.
We can only hope that the punishment meets the crime. The question remains: How does one punish the wanton destruction of the livelihoods and retirement opportunities of thousands of good people in order to further the personal gain of an already absurdly wealthy man?
For that matter, is the abuse of thousands of employees and millions of customers, the disruption to the national economy and the dishonoring of the whole business world less punishable than the pre-meditated murder of one individual?
Rome take 2
[Ed. I am back home now, and will be catching up on my backlogged adventures - look for updates daily]It is sometimes said that cities lose their luster the second time around, after the initial wonder and amazement has faded. Such was not the case with Rome. Our second visit, although markedly different in approach, was no less thrilling than the first time around.
I can attribute much of that to the people. We rolled into town with the 2 aforementioned Army men out of Iraq (
see earlier blog), who had never been, making us experts on the city by comparison - and we all know that its fun to be the "Expert". After parting ways, my original group and I met up with a longtime friend of mine, Luc Peterson.
Its crazy to meet up with figures from your past in a brand new and international setting! The world suddenly feels a lot smaller than it used to... I feel like I could hang out in Mongolia for 2 weeks and still have some sort of run-in. In anycase, Luc's choir from Vassar University were singing in cathedrals in Rome and Florence for their spring break. After I surprised him in a pizzeria, we did a 'schnell' tour of Rome (which I had a good feel for by then - its awesome to feel like you know (kind of) your way around such a bustling and international city!), people watched on the Spanish Steps, had the best cappuccino of our lives, parted ways for 2 hours, and then met back up for his first concert later that night in Basilica San Lorenzo. Despite jetlag, they sounded amazing - enhanced further by the acoustics and setting of a huge & elaborate Roman cathedral.
When not running around with other travelers we had a blast just chillin' in Rome, catching up on the smaller sights we missed in our blitz the first time around. My favorite of which was climbing to the top of the newer (1870) Vittorio Emanuele 2 building where one has a breathtaking view of the city: rooftops full of life, cathedral domes poking out in every direction, madman traffic below, and monuments rising out of plazas like tall weeds in a field. Afterwards we were able to spend more time wandering around and absorbing the feel of the city and its people whilst eating the best Gelato in the world (found in a small shop near the Trevi Fountain).
Our last morning saw us up at
3:20 AM to catch our 15Euro
Ryanair flight to Paris. We learned that nothing wakes you up quiet like the sound of 2 spring break teens having sex in a youth hostel shower at 3:30 in the morning...
Paris, here we come!
