On Saturday, I said goodbye to Sancerre took the train to Paris. As the say in France, quelle difference! On my block in Paris, there are more restaurants than in the whole city of Sancerre. Not only do I have about 10 restaurants to choose from, but I have great variety. In addition to French, I have Vietnamese, Japanese, Basque, Carribean, English (pub), Italian and Indian. I might be missing something but you get the idea. And around the corner, the restaurants and shops go on as far as I could walk yesterday afternoon.
On the other hand, streets are crowded with people. No one seems to notice or care what you are doing. In about two hours of walkng no one said hello. I purchased things from three stores (soda, fruit and a crepe) and not one server introduced themselves to me.
As the saying goes, I’m not in Kansas or Sancerre anymore.
But Paris does have its advantages. This morning I went to mass at Notre Dame. What an impressive cathedral. I was amazed that tourists walk around the edge of the nave while mass is being celebrated. The way it is organized it really doesn't distract from the mass except for those who walk into the aisle of the nave to take pictues of the priests or otherwise take pictures in the center of the nave.
I'll be blogging from Paris for the next few days and still have a few more stories about my experiences in Sancerre. So keep checking in!
Glad to hear from you again!
ReplyDeleteAaaawwwwwww.......... Paris! They might be snooty, but who cares, it's part of their charm, those self-satisfied good eaters and fashion icons.
ReplyDeleteActually, when I was there in January, I did start up a friendship with an elderly curator of a small museum just next to the Musee d'Orsay. It's nearly always uncrowded and displays military metals through the centuries from all over the world. The history explanations were fascinating, and he was full of passion and enthusiasm, unlike the staff next door at the d'Orsay who were sadly overworked and smothered by tourists. I discovered that true Parisians really aren't that stuffy, just shy.
One day in the rain, a taxi driver gave me an extra spin around the historic district for free when he found out I was part French and there to learn the language. (French people think anyone's terrific who tries to learn French!) :-)
Have fun!