A Kominar Chronicle

I arrived in Paris in the evening at the Taylor Hotel which is near Republique.  The hotel suite was very spacious and included a bath tub which was very kind to my sore feet.  I learned something about the European laissez-faire attitude while staying here as well.  The internet connection had been having trouble for a few days now (no connection), but no one was even remotely interested in doing anything about it despite me asking patiently over a two-day period.  Finally I took matters into my own hand and taught them how to reset the modem.  Voila!  I could finally plan the rest of my trip from the comfort of my room instead of an internet cafe. 

During my first few hours in town I ventured to the mean streets of Paris to see what adventures I could shake up.  A chance encounter with one of the only Parisians who speaks English who also happened to be lost and ask me for directions,and I was on my way to dinner with her friends waiting nearby at a restaurant.  Please note, although I am a gentleman, I did ‘not’ purchase the flowers in her hand, they were given to her by the restauranteur!

Dinner was delicious and we each ordered the fancy cheeseburger after overhearing others in the restaurant rave about it.  We shared a bottle of wine over our meal and I had the pleasure to interact with some France natives.  I learned a lot about French culture and the region, but probably the most culturally important thing I learned was that when toasting it is very important to look each person in the eye as you toast their glass.  It is considered very rude to “cheers” at the middle of the table as the North Americans might be prone to do and to never cross arms when toasting.   We spoke on many subjects throughout the evening,  French-elitism in schools and business, the French people’s lack of optimism, and of course of Canadian weather.    

The next day I had breakfast at a cafe on Pont Neuf catching a glimpse of the Eiffel tower for the first time.  My boat tour departed shortly after and I thought it a good way to get a sense of the city from the water.  As I approached the dock, there was a large gathering of people wearing white robes with a strange symbol on them.  They were holding a ceremony of some sort and no one nearby knew what it was about.  There were about 10-15 different countries flags represented as well.  If you recognize any of the markings let me know, I’d be very interested to know who they were.  Bag pipers played the procession onto a private boat and they cruised down the river after the ceremony. 

I visited Notre Dame the day before the protests were taking place.  The pope had recently visited Angola and some people had died in a stampede to see his holiness. Its also possible that they were protesting his ridiculous message of abstinence as the only solution to AIDS in Africa.

After a quick bite of a hotdog in baguette (Toronto listen up, you need better street foods), I ambled my way down to the Louvre.  Being too massive to appreciate in my time span, I took to idle wandering and a few key pieces.  La Jaconde, or the Monna Lisa as she is known, was actually not that busy and I had no trouble viewing the one on display.  (Note: the real painting is in storage in the basement I have heard).   I also stumbled upon the Venus de Milo, is it bad that my first thought was of Homer Simpson’s famous gummi de milo?  I made my way out of the museum after viewing some more famous paintings and Greek artefacts.   

As if my feet weren’t sore enough, I decided to keep walking all the way down Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumph.  Along the way I made a few stops at some shopping locations, Nadine you are spoiled!  About an hour later I found myself at the famous roundabout.  I was unaware that it was actually a mini-museum and visitors were permitted at the top.  Upon exiting, I was ushered round the roundabout by the local police force.  They were preparing the area for a ceremony of some kind.  I had a conversation with someone nearby, and I think it was some sort of cadet ceremony but cannot be sure with my French skills.

To finish off the evening I walked down to the Eiffel Tower.  I stayed for the light show at 20h but was a little disappointed when all it did was flash white lights on and off.  I think I have been spoiled by other light shows around the world and was expecting something more.  Although, I was reminded that they probably have a better show for special occasions.  C’est la vie.

The weather finally turned grey for the first time the next day.  A bit of pathetic fallacy as I had chosen to visit the Pere Lachais cemetery where Jim Morrison was burried along with a host of other famous and un-famous people.  I then made my way underground to the catacombs beneath Paris.  Historically the spaced was used as an ossuary when Paris was running out of space for its bodies a few centuries ago.  I would recommend a visit to anyone who also fancies Pere Lachais.

On my final night in Paris I decided to get a little adventurous and order a fancy meal of Beef Tartar at a local restaurant.  The dish comprised of prepared raw beef spiced, prepared, and shaped into a pyramid surround by onions, a raw egg, and other fix-ins.  I made it through half of my pyramid but think that I’ll be sticking with sushi for the future.  

• View all of my Paris Pictures (lots)

Tags: EuroZack, Zack

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