Spring time in Paris? Finally?

Sound track of the day:
I remember the letter wrinkled in my hand
"I'll love you always" filled my eyes
I remember a night we walked along the Seine
riding on the Metro

Current Temperature: Spring paid a visit, sorta

Culture clash: I still don’t know when to tip and not to tip. Is there some kind of expectancy by the French service workers of Americans to tip that they don’t have of their fellow countrymen?

Melanie’s time in France has been a whirlwind. On top of her brief visit to Paris she arrived late due to the eruption of the volcano in Iceland and the spreading of its ashes across Northern Europe, which shouldn’t have affected Melanie’s travels but did anyway – in the name of safety.

Her flight from Barcelona to Zurich was delayed by several hours. Throughout the day we were all concerned about the status of the Zurich flight to Paris given that she would be arriving too late to catch it and the news that Zurich airport would be closing as of midnight on the 17th. When she did arrive in Zurich the airport was closed and Swiss Air had to scramble to figure out what to do with their passengers. I think this airline did the best I’d seen any other airline do in this situation: they chartered busses to transfer passengers to their final destinations. Melanie arrived the next morning, after hanging out in Zurich for several hours and nearly not getting on the bus due to a strange lottery system based solely on seat availability. We were glad she finally with us and even gladder that she was safe.

Jen was knee deep in writing cases, submitting case studies, and taking her final seminars for her MBA program.
So it was up to Melanie and I to make the most of the little time she had here in Paris and tour. It was also an excuse for me to finally be a tourist in Paris. The weather has been pleasant, sunny and brisk.

We started out with the Arc de Triomph and strolled from there along the Champs Elysees. The Boulevard was crowded which easily gave me the willies so I picked up my pace from my usual stroll to “get the hell outta here” speed until we were clear of the shopping and dining area. Once we were clear of the mayhem we were able enjoy the tree-lined boulevard and to stop and smell the flowers, literally. There were impromptu gardens at every roundabout or intersection (as we like to call them in the US). We stumbled across a large, very communist looking statue of Charles de Gaulle, and found the royal palace surrounded by museums and other academic or literary buildings. Then finally we rested over dinner at Buisson d’Argent (burning bush) a restaurant I had wanted to try after having read an interesting review of it in one of my many guidebooks. A successful first day.

We spent the next day in Montmartre taking an Amelie walking tour that Jen provided us. It was a nice stroll. Featured sites included a windmill-turned-restaurant on Rue Lepic, Normandy style houses in a long cul-de-sac, lots of wisteria, several playgrounds, a statue of St. Denis holding his own head, Amelie’s grocery store, Place des Abesses, a merry-go-round, Amelie’s café, the Sacre Coeur Cathedral, a view of all Paris. We found a cute boutique a couple of blocks from Amelie’s grocery and bought a couple of things. Melanie got earrings. We also decided to look for the Moulin Rouge even though it wasn’t on the tour or even the original Moulin Rouge. One nice thing we discovered was a vineyard right in the middle of Montmartre. Very cool.

On another day we traveled to Butte aux Cailles in the 13th arondissement. It was listed as a bohemian neighborhood so we thought we’d give it a whirl. My final verdict: eh. There were some cute cafés that had a Williamsburg feel to them and some cool stencil graffiti but I wasn’t too moved. It being our last day, we had to move quickly to the items we still had not yet visited. We took a stroll through the Jardin des Plantes (botanical garden), and get this Brooklyn, it’s free. OK, not as awesome but come on. The one in Madrid is pretty rad and is only 2 Euros. After a sufficient amount of picture taking we proceeded to the Louvre to photograph the promenade surrounding the famous, and overrated, museum. We wanted to check out the Musee d’Orsay but did not have the time, so we hopped back on the metro and headed toward the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower is among the most stunning man-made structures ever created. I know it’s cliché to marvel at the Parisian landmark that has been splattered across countless postcard racks, photography books, photo albums, and a multitude of other pop culture pieces but it can’t be helped. Dimunitive in size in comparison to other architectural accomplishhments, the Eiffel Tower does not share that same description in terms of its power to move through its beauty. If you are someone who is drawn to the beauty of geometric tapestries and mathematical poetry, you must make an effort to visit in person before your life ends. I don’t have the lyrical talent to put it into words, and can only encourage you to see for yourself how the beams weave through each other like soul mates linking arms, and how curved iron provides logical flourishes along the titan pillars reaching for the sky. Or set your eyes on the glimmer of light from the sun as it winks off the rivets dotting the tower’s surface. And no matter how many people have tried, I don’t think anyone has succeeded in capturing its awesomeness in photography. At least I haven’t seen it done.

Whew! Long day. Time for Portugal.

Things to do before leaving France:
Visit the Chateau Versailles completely (for real, I still haven’t gone inside)
Visit the Musee d’Orsay
Go up the Eiffel Tower
One week left (approximately) so I better get moving