Change of Plans

I woke to the phone ringing at 8:20am.  I always answer “Bon Jour” in my Frenchest voice.  It’s fun and confusing to people. J  Which is basically even more fun.  It’s Nancy and she says she’s put out an APB for me… no joke.  As I’m talking to her someone knocks on the door, I step over a note from the hotel to answer it where a lady I don’t know (the wife of one of the people working the air show) says, call Nancy Welsh.  J  I go back to the phone finish my convo w/ Nancy, open the note from the hotel, which says to call Nancy… ok… well… I think we got this one covered.  So I open e-mail, FaceBook and blog and get started and there’s a message in my FaceBook to… you guessed it, call Nancy.  J  The moral of this story is, if Nancy calls you, you should answer.  Apparently I slept thru round one.  Crazy.  I didn’t know I was capable of that… I think she called the wrong room or something.  ;)

So,  you’d think that would have got me out the door sooner, but no such luck.  I headed down for my cutting-it-close-breakfast, sit next to the same French couple as yesterday and listen to the American women (minus the guy who’s life revolves around Tom) chit chat about their kids or something equally not interesting.  I actually am not completely sure what’s been keeping my mind busy out on my own, but I’ve been loving just ambling a long by myself.  I think I needed it.

Walked by my friend Le Bum on the street corner on the way to start my adventure.  The first day he swore at me (I think, his face was mad) for not giving him money.  Now I say, “Bon Jour” when I see him, and he shakes his cup and I smile and he says, “Merci, Madam” and smiles back.  J  My plan is to give him my money when I leave.  There aren’t a ton of homeless and the ones they have aren’t aggressive, nothing in France is aggressive it seems.  Le Michigan Ave is the heaviest populated area I’ve seen and they are all quiet and sit there.  Nothing compared to some place like Chicago.  Everyone has at least one dog here, including the homeless.  They lay passed out on pillows – I watched one homeless guy scold his dog for sitting up and he made him lay back down… it must be a better money making position.  I did have to laugh today at one of the guys begging, he was drinking a hugenormous bottle of wine.  Even the French homeless do it in style! 

So, I headed back to the Eiffel Tower!  It’s really a beautiful structure.  What is it with things like that that everyone has to get mad about it first?  I remember reading in my art class that the Parisian’s hated it when it was first constructed and one of their famous authors was quoted as saying he, “enjoyed eating in the Eiffel tower because it was the only place free from its view.”  I’m sure they feel differently now for financial reasons.  The sheer masses of people were unbelievable.  At most of the places I’ve been they were unbelievable.  I can’t really think of a place in the States where they’ve seemed as large.  For everything here, not just the Eiffel Tower.  I didn’t go up.  I didn’t want to.  I’ve never quite understood the need to go up things.  Had a gentleman take my photograph w/ the Rockwell Collins bag!  Kelly S. took hers when she was there a few weeks ago and Joel is going to take his when he goes in July.  We talked to Anne and we’re going to send them to her to post on the RC Facebook page.  That’s the plan anyway.

My knees were really bothering me when I got up today.  I left around 11:30 yesterday and got back around 6:00 and then took off again and walked to the Eiffel Tower around 8:00 and got back around 10:00, so I’m guessing I did a good 7 hours of walking yesterday.  By the time I got home tonight (around 5) I thought I was going to have to crawl.  I just left again to try and purchase tickets for Versace and it was a slow terrible walk.  L  I have bandages and ice so, I’m hoping it gets better with a little rest.  HOWEVER, this led me to conquer my fear of the metro system.  I’m directionally impaired and so I’ve been hoofing it everywhere.  So, with my knee in pain I made my way to the metro system and jumped on to head to Notre Dame.  Good news, I made it there safely, bad news, I still have my fear.  I still can’t get that map figured out.  It doesn’t say where anything is, just which line.  Guess I’ll just have to keep working at it. J

Off the metro I go and head towards Notre Dame.  The metro only went as far as Musee D’Orsey so I had a long walk ahead of me.  I think I asked roughly 300 people where Notre Dame was.  J  It was a lovely walk though.  The bridges here are awesome and the Parisian’s seem to appreciate them as well.  You often see people just basking in life on these bridges – tourists and locals alike.  Notre Dame is on an island, which I didn’t know before today (for the Iowans who here this constantly, Paris’ seat of government is on an island and the only other place in the world that is true is Cedar Rapids, IA – see – we’re just like Paris ;). There were so many people there, it was crazy.  But there was no ticket required so it was probably a 10 min line to get in – not bad at all.  I breezed thru pretty quickly.  The thought of them building it in the era they built it in is amazing and their archetecurting is interesting as well.  I’m glad I saw it, but I wasn’t in love with it.  I am hoping to get to Socrecur another church that I think will be more interesting.

From there I ambled back going thru a different part of St. Germaine then I did yesterday.  I really love that area.  It’s so lovely.  Sat in a park there for a while and absorbed the area. 

I was headed back again and it happened!!!!!!!!! A man passed me and said something in French.  I smiled and shrugged and kept walking.  He came back after me and said, madame, I want to tell you, you are very beautiful.  So, I decided I will be moving here.  J  lol.  Nancy asked if he was creepy.  I didn’t appreciate her vote of confidence.  ;) 

OK!!!!!!!!!!  I forgot to mention why Nancy is calling!  My sweet friend Jan has hooked me up and I’m heading to Amsterdam Thursday!  I’m really excited.  I have a friend there (Jan-Marie) that I’ve worked w/ for years and she is opening her home and I am going to stay w/ her!  I’m very excited.  This will be the first time meeting her in person.  I’m looking forward to seeing Amsterdam and spending some time with her.  J  I’ll fly back to France Friday night.

The plan was to hit Versace tomorrow, but apparently they decided to strike today and will likely not be back to work tomorrow.  I’m not sure what the deal is with the striking here… it’s like they have a calendar of strikes and they do it if they need to or not.  If these people keep me from getting to Versace I’m going to storm the palace like the crazy peasants did in the good old days.  J 

Now it’s off to a lovely dinner w/ some old friends!  See you tomorrow!  Bon soir!

Who's the comedian that talks about the pan music people being everywhere you go...?  David Sedaris mabye... anyway, this made me laugh, the same guys playing at Lindale Mall are here at the Eiffel Tower. 

Beautiful antique stores everywhere.  Everything is spendy, can't imagine what something in one of these shops would set you back?

Gotta love the cafe's in Pari!  The seats all face out (for the most part).  It's not like America where you have to say to the person w/ their back to the action, "Don't look now, but to your left there is a girl wearing an outfit that she's WAY too fat for."

Today is the longest day of the year!  And you can tell the sun is up until 10:30.  It's awesome.  In honor of this day bands are playing all over the city.  Every street I turned down there was music, well into the night.

Men women and children smoke here.  It's probably not as many as I think, but it's significantly higher then the US.  One of the guys I was talking to at dinner tonight was talking about how Europeans won't be told what to do.  They pride them selves on thinking for themselves.  He felt in America once something is decided as bad, everyone jumps on. 

Everything is street.  Everything.  I was trotting around yesterday and didn't realize a car was following me.  I turned for something and saw this car!  No clue I was in a roadway.  Fortunately he wasn't mad at me. :)