France

My first European journey began when I landed in Paris at 9:00 AM.  My connecting flight out wasn’t until 8:50 PM, so I had mapped out which trains to take into downtown from the airport.  I was informed that American Airlines doesn’t have an agreement with Aegean Air to transfer luggage (a good thing to verify for future travels), so I had to wait at baggage claim and then pay to have my bag babysat at the airport while I took Paris by storm.  [I was also informed that Aegean is not pronounced to rhyme with Rocky Balboa’s girlfriend; thank you Rebecca Collins].   Lady Luck was feeling really sassy with me that day; Paris’s rail system went on strike that morning, so I found a longer, more expensive bus to get me downtown.   Travel’s not fun if you don’t earn it, right?  Right…?

Paris felt like an old acquaintance.  It was reminiscent of New York City, except many more cigarettes and much less deodorant (I thought I might be knocked unconscious on the bus).   Gorgeous women were everywhere driving mopeds; flowing hair, leather jackets, high heels.  I wore my beret-ish hat and sleek winter coat in an attempt at assimilation.  The attempt was a failure, though, because a barrage of petitioners with clipboards pinpointed me in the crowd at various points in the city.  Each asked if I spoke English.  The first one caught me off guard and I said yes.  The little teenage boy continued to hassle me in increasing volumes of “EXCUSE ME, A COIN!” while cutting into my pathway.  I’m a pretty big pushover, so if he’d been polite I might have done it, but a rude begger really chaps my ass so I pushed through.  I lost my ability to speak English with the subsequent petitioners, even though one was a sweet girl promoting the Deaf and Mute Foundation with waves of her hands and blown kisses (I guess I’m not as big of a pushover as I’d like to believe). 

Girl in Paris or Parisian Girl... Where's the cigarette?

I walked from the Opera House to the Louvre and then on to Notre Dame.  Every direction you turn calls out with impressive architecture and important-looking buildings.  It was very easy to get around by foot, although after not having slept on the plane the night before I was quickly exhausted.  I caught an early bus back to the airport and pitifully fought sleep until my flight to Crete.  Overall I was satisfied with sneaking a taste of Paris.

Notre Dame

Street art + Biggest Bubble Ever