I have walked about 100 miles in the last 2 days here in Paris…in the freezing cold. I’m loving it, but I think I should get some kind of a hardship medal. Yesterday was by far the coldest day I had here….just brutal. I don’t know what the temperature was, but the wind chill off of the Seine made it feel like about 30 below 0. It makes me remember one of the reasons we left the east coast. It’s warm and sunny in California! If we ever go back to the east coast, I’m not sure I will be able to acclimate again.
Anyway, yesterday I decided that I would walk to the Gare de Lyon to get my train ticket to Arles. This is not something that I had prearranged, and I have spent some time over the last few days wondering whether I should get a ticket now or just show up at the train station on Sunday. Then, I realized that I didn’t know the times of the trains. So, off I went.
I do know some French, but I didn’t brush up before I left for the trip, which in this case proved to be a mistake. I sometimes try brush up a bit because it’s helpful to be able to communicate some basic words like ticket, days of the week, numbers, etc. Actually, I know all of these things even without a tutorial, but under pressure how can one remember! After 2 stops at the wrong place for ticket purchase, I met an elderly man from the UK in line. He was traveling alone and trying to get to Montreaux (I think…can’t understand the British version of english either, as it turns out.) He was on holiday and thought I might be able to help him with his ticket purchase….blind leading the blind. But, between the 2 of us, we both managed to get our tickets. I think mine is for the right days and locations. The ticket sales person had very limited English, and we just discussed my expertise with French. Finally, he got a pad of paper out and I wrote down what I needed. Even with that, he still almost issued me a ticket coming back from the wrong location. He was very nice and we had a good laugh about it. With the numbers of Americans traveling to Europe, I am always amazed at the lack of English speaking ticket sales people. Some of them aren’t very nice, either. But, this guy was great!
After I got my ticket, I went back out into the sub-zero weather to do some walking. Actually, my plan was to go to the Picasso Museum. Because, even for me, fun seeker that I am, I really couldn’t see how freezing to death would enhance my experience of Paris. So, I started out in the direction of the museum. It’s one of my favorites in Paris, and I was looking forward to visiting again.
On my way, I passed the Bastille monument…very impressive. This is the site where, in 1789, a mob of people attacked the Bastille and sparked the French revolution. The revolt is a symbol for change for the French and the monument is a visible testament to this.
The Place de Vosges was on the way, so I decided to stop in there to take a look. This site was the location of a future home for King Henry IV. Sadly he was assassinated and his wife had the home torn down. It is a square of connected red brick houses. The “Place” now houses a series of cafes and trendy artist studios. I took a picture of a painting that I saw there. It appeared to be a depiction of the French vision of the United States. It included the Golden Arches, Route 66, a drive-in sign, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts and a variety of other American icons. An Anerican ossis in the middle of Paris.
Now, my feet were really getting cold and numb. So, I decided I’d better move on and get involved in an inside activity. So, I forged on to the Picasso Museum only to find that it is under renovation and was closed. How disappointing for me and my cold feet!
The Picasso Museum is located in the Marais district. This area is an interesting mix of old architecture and new capitalism, but done in a very nice way. The buildings here are very old and the streets are narrow and maze-like. Were it warm, one could spend days wondering around on the cobblestone streets, exploring the area. It’s filled with cafes and small, very fashionable clothing stores, and unique boutiques. I decided in the short term to step into some of the stores so that I could warm my feet and plan my next move.
I decided to move on to Rue de Rossiers, the Jewish section of the city. I remembered a small falafel stand called La Du Falafel that Mike and I had visited a number of years ago. I could get lunch there and again, warm my feet. This was not an original idea, as there was a line out the door. I guess everyone’s feet were cold. So, I opted to step into one of the Delis instead and have a pastry…..much better than the falafel. It was late afternoon on Friday and as I was finishing up my lemon tart, 2 young Jewish men came in to sing Shabat Shalom with the staff and patrons. Time to move on, as I really can’t add anything to the mix on this one.
I made my way back to the hotel and did some window shopping and stepped into some of the more interesting shops as I went. I viewed a wide array of goods in all different styles. That’s one of the things I love about Paris. It’s so eclectic. If you can’t find it Paris, it’s not available.
You gotta love Paris!
Travel With Betsy 
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