Dumping Grounds

Well, here’s an update. Big headlines first.

• Internet in Paris was very hard to come by without spending massive amounts of Euros.
• Parisians are not nearly as rude as their reputations.
• One must be very careful when buying Eurostar (train) tickets, as they are on a 24 (not 12) hour clock.
• The French country-side does not honestly look that different than the Texas countryside. It really doesn’t.

The last two days have been in Paris, and I have had a good time. I already know of some vantage points I would like to take pictures from when I come back. The weather the first day was abysmal, the worst I have endured (even including the windstorm in London, which KILLED 18 people throughout Europe). It was a spectacularly uncomfortable combination of wind, rain, and a gray, dark sky that just seemed oppressive. Today could not have been a bigger contrast, as it was sunny, still cold, with a manageable breeze and not a cloud in the sky. I’m writing this from the chair of the Eurostar train from Paris Nord (North) to London Waterloo station. I hope I got some good pictures, I have been unable to look at them as of yet on anything larger than the 2″ screen of my camera. (Note: I have had a chance to load them on my computer… upon review, I am extremely hard on my own photos, and I have to admit that I am very pleased with the results from Paris)

While I said that what they say about the people in Paris I have not found to be true, what they say about the food unquestionably is. Rich, fattening, and completely wonderful. I have continued to try everything placed before me in every place I have gone to on this trip. The only thing I have found that I simply found inedible was mushy peas. Take perfectly good green peas, mash them like potatoes to bob them of every bit of texture they might have had when they were picked, and them plop it onto a plate beside fish and chips. That’s mushy peas. Didn’t care for them. However, during my time in Paris, I tried a variety of pastries, crepes (with chocolate, with ham and cheese, and even with Grand Marnier), ill-tempered sea bass with a laser beam on its head (ok, maybe there was no laser beam), scallops, escargot, more crepes, and a little delight called crunchy chocolate cake. Yes, it was. Crunchy that is. It is true that Parisians do not seem to eat anything that is not smothered in butter. Oh, and as Leah just pointed out to me, we also had a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a twist that made it distinctly European (I’m not quite sure if this is French or not) as the cheese was on the outside. I’ll be happy to make one for anyone who wants one upon my return. And I also have had French Fries. In France. And yes, that is what they call them.

I must break from my extended love-letter about French food to point out that at this very minute, I am inside the Chunnel. That’s right, I’m underneath the English Channel (and no, I don’t know if that’s what the French call it). I can’t say much for the scenery, as it’s dark, and I can’t see a darned thing outside the train. So, lacking anything interesting to say about the Chunnel other than what a wonder of modern engineering it is, and the fact that I am at the moment in it, I’ll return to the travel update.

Paris questions: Yes, I saw the Eiffel Tower. No, the idea that you can see it from anywhere in Paris is not true. there are plenty of places that you cannot see it. Yes, I saw Notre Dame, walked not only to the top but also around inside and got to take pictures. (Side note for photography geeks: Stormy European cities and gothic cathedrals are dark, dark places. Never got the camera off ISO 1600, and even with that, and an Image Stabilization lens, I expect the vast majority of pictures to be quite blurry when I review them tonight.) Saw the Arc du Triomphe, and walked up and down the Champs - Elysees where the Tour de France ends each year. Quite impressive. Yes, I did tour the grounds of the Louvre, but did not go inside, as I am sure any description would not adequately convey how large that museum complex was. Definitely comparable to the Smithsonian in Washington. No, not the Air and Space museum… ALL of the Smithsonian. the Louvre just went on, and on, and on… building after building. Took many pictures of the outside.

Contrasts between London and Paris:

• Much more driving space in Paris. However, while I am sure it is governed by rules, the rules are beyond the comprehension of a simple traveler such as myself. The roundabouts in particular seemed to be a land governed by “he who has the most guts wins.” London, despite driving on the wrong side of the street, seemed to make (slightly) more sense. for my part, I’m not driving in either place. Thanks.
• For the most part, Londoners do not smile. Parisians do much more often.
• Most disturbing: I have previously discussed the fact that London schoolchildren do not seem to have classrooms. They are always on field trip. there are lots of London schoolchildren. Walking in London, one must always be on the lookout for the rampaging new mother with a stroller, as she is probably looking to take you out. In short there are LOTS of kids in London. However, I never saw a single pregnant woman. Not one. I did see children in Paris, but comparatively few. More along the scale of the number of kids one would see in the United States. In a much shorter time, however, I saw 2 pregnant women. I used my keen deductive reasoning skills to conclude that England must be raiding France for children. I see not other logical possibility.
• There are no Hilton sisters named London.

I have just exited from the Chunnel, and it appears as though I will live to see the sun another day. I didn’t really have any doubt, but then again, I was consciously not thinking about the amount of water that was on top on me while I was hurtling along in my (non-watertight) train cabin.

When on the Eurostar… announcements are always made FIRST in the native language of the country you are currently in. While in France, announcements were always French, then English. Now that we have crossed back over, is is English, then French. Cute. Not only am I running out of battery, I’m running out of things to say. I do have a couple of things I need to add about TERRIBLE table manners, but that may warrant an entry all its own.

As always, photography highlights have been posted to Flickr.

Nope, I’m not going to make 3,000 pictures, but I have taken quite a few so far.

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