Paris, France Part 6
Now for the big question:
Is all of Paris a bed of roses? No! Many people go to Paris and are disappointed. They’ve only seen the romanticized side of Paris in movies and such. Paris is a city after all. A typical large, dirty, crowded, expensive and noisy city!
Paris stinks. Literally. Much of the city smells of cigarettes and urine which you can see frequently on the sidewalks. Whether from man or dog I’m not entirely sure but I did unfortunately see men doing their thing in public. It must not be illegal like it is in the United States. Although, I can’t say as I blame people all that much having seen how bad some of the public toilettes are! Not to mention some charge you as much as 2 Euros per use! A homeless person is certainly not going to pay that. Yes, there are plenty of homeless present.
You much watch out for pickpockets and scammers! Especially on the Metro and in the high tourist areas. Learn to ignore or walk away from people trying to get you to take a survey (they ask if you speak English) or people selling cheap wares. I hear some will even try to tie a bracelet on you and then make you pay for it (a tour guide told us which street to avoid that particular experience).
Another thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of people think the French are rude. I think perhaps much of that is misunderstanding their culture. I actually found most of them to be quite pleasant! Again, I think its that typical big city mentality of everyone being in a rush, trying to get where they are going and if you are too friendly, they think you are up to something! Gotta watch out for those scammers! However, if you go into a place of business, greet them with bonjour and a respect for their culture and language, they appreciate that you are making an effort and will respect you for it. Most individuals we met were friendly and wanted to be helpful.
Don’t be in a rush at a restaurant! Many Americans are used to fast food and a quick bite. The French see meal time as an experience. You are meant to take your time, relax and visit. Don’t expect to get your bill anytime soon! Even when you politely ask for it, it may take them quite a while to bring it around (or you may be expected to go pay at a register). If you want fast food, go to fast food. There were tons of American fast food places around, but why go to another country to skip the cultural experience?
Yes, Paris is expensive! As I mentioned earlier, most toilettes charge you 1 to 2 Euros. Carry coins with you! Many also accept a credit card. Sometimes this is because the tourist attractions have bathroom attendants. On the one hand it’s nice, but on the other it can be annoying. The lady at the Louvre (or was it Notre Dame?) didn’t want to let me in even though Hubby had paid for both of us. You have to enter as soon as you pay and she didn’t want to let me in yet. She finally understood that Hubby had already paid for me and let me in. Oh, and don’t think just because they have attendants that your stall will have toilet paper. They might not have gotten to it yet. At the Eiffel Tower (no extra charge), I ended up waiting a loooong time at the ladies’ room because the gal wouldn’t let anyone use the toilettes while she was very slowly wiping down sinks (in a separate area). Thankfully I was only second in line!
Drinks can be quite pricey too! However, learn to ask for tap water! It’s free and safe to drink!
Another annoyance was the times our Metro cards wouldn’t scan. This happened to both of us but usually it was me. Sometimes we had to walk to a completely different station! I had this problem with my passport at the airport as well! Hubby breezed through while mine wouldn’t scan and I had to get airport personnel to help me.
I’m glad Hubby was with me to figure out the Metro! I never did make much sense of those maps vs which train we should take! I never want to try to figure all that out alone! It was a fast paced world! People pushing and shoving to get on and off as fast as possible and packing as many people in as we could fit! I can see why people are targeted by pickpockets there! People were trying to open the train doors before we were even stopped and the doors unlocked! Even Hubby was caught up in the rush rush, gotta get there mentality most of the time. I was generally trying to catch up! Wait for meeeeeeeeeeeee!
Paris is also a city of stairs. Stairs everywhere!!! It’s wonderful exercise, but I can see how it could be a problem for mobility challenged people. I was definitely a hurting girl on this trip!
I have learned over the years that you really do need to keep an open mind and drop your expectations. You never know what you’re going to get! Life is an adventure for sure!
Our final day, we got up early, had breakfast and decided to take one last walk to the river and the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful morning! We walked across the bridge and saw the Olympic Rings. Pretty cool!
Then it was time for the long trip home.
