Paris
This past weekend will likely be one of the most eventful weekends in 2010; it marked the start of the Winter Olympics, Chinese (Lunar) New Year, Valentine's Day (for some), Reading Week for the students, and an extra long weekend for some provinces (Family Day)!
Sights
For us, we went back to Europe, despite it being only a short three day trip (well it spanned 5 dates, but 1 red-eye and 1 day spent flying). This was a impulse buy: no refunds, and I had forgotten that I was taking a course (thankfully it was reading week). We didn't intentionally plan to come because of Valentine's - we had wanted to take advantage of Family Day, as one of us didn't have enough vacation days. But yes, we spent Valentine's Day at the Eiffel tower, but I'm not sure I see the romanticism in waiting in line to climb up the tall steel structure, or seeing the tower itself. In fact, we didn't even go to the top because the lines were too incredibly long (even if you paid to walk up the stairs to the 2nd platform, you'd have to wait a minimum of 2 hours to get to the top via elevator from there). Actually, going for a carousel ride in front of the Eiffel tower seemed even more romantic! The other major places we visited were the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Arc de Triomphe, with a stroll down Champs Elysees from the Concorde, exploring the Catacombs, food shopping at La Galeries Lafayette, and a half a day in Versailles. I simply enjoyed exploring the streets and sampling the many foods I normally wouldn't eat.
People
Our visit this time around felt more familiar to me - the graffiti on the walls surrounding the train tracks, the way the streets were structured and the number of small compact cars on the road reminded me of our last trip. Despite Rome having more architectural history, I think I like Paris more. Perhaps it is because the language was familiar enough to us (we could use elementary level French and didn't have to resort to English unless absolutely necessary), or because the Parisians seemed more polite; accidental bumps always resulted in a "pardon" (sometimes an "excusez-moi"). Upon entering a store or a restaurant, one would be greeted by a "bonjour" or a "bonsoir". I can't pinpoint it exactly, but Paris feels more graceful or "light" than Quebec in some ways (and here I am thinking that if I stayed long enough, I would eventually pick up the language). Even the unsolicited buskers are creative in getting money - they jump onto the metro, play a few tunes on their accordians (and one even sang) before collecting tips; maybe it's their passion in everything.
(Just listen to the accordion players!)
Eats
In Paris, it's normal to see people walking around with a baguette in their hands, and no wonder, their baked goods, pastries, and desserts were almost always good. Actually, it's funny because I found that "french" food didn't have to be fancy (unlike French restaurants around here) and it tasted good; it was normal to have duck confit served with fries, crepes that you could grab on a street like a beavertail or in a restaurant (without the fancy fresh fruit toppings), or a plate of boiled potatoes and some slices of cheese (you melt the cheese on a metal plate and scrape it onto the potatoes) The best ice cream in Paris was closed (Mondays and Wednesdays), so we settled on getting a tiny scoop of the same brand in a neighbouring bar. I don't think I've ever had ice cream like it.
The only horror is that servers simply take the bread from your basket that you don't finish and put them into another basket for another table. And despite macarons looking so artificial and sweet, they were light and just melted in your mouth (the best one being the green matcha tea and the black sesame one that was 1.85 euro - normally they were 1.5 euro). Although pastries and dessert were expensive, I found that eating out, including fixed menus were more reasonable than in Italy - at least the gratuities and cover were all inclusive. And to save even more, you just needed to ask for a carafe of water (thanks to pre-trip research).
Tourists
Even though it was low season (cold!), the lines were long if you didn't get there at the beginning of the day. Many students were off and Japanese tourists were everywhere with many tour groups, especially at Versailles. I'm never impressed at the tourists who try to cut into the queues, or the ones who don't respect signs or people telling them that flash photography isn't allowed. And maybe because it was cold (cloudy) that it affected the tone of my photos - the photos turned out disappointingly grey and definitely not as vibrant as the ones I captured in Europe last fall; they certainly reflected the "winter" feel. The climate though feels more like Vancouver winters than Ontario ones; it hovers around zero but mild enough to get around in a wool jacket, scarf, and boots, without having to worry about wearing North Face or Columbia jackets. In fact, the only people we ever saw wearing them were ... tourists.
Random geek-speak: Anvers is a metro station in Paris and they pronounce it "On-veir"; I've been pronouncing the font name wrong all along! Also, on our way to Versailles, we passed by a Microsoft building and other modern buildings. I thought to myself, maybe this area is like the technology area. Well, at the Issy-Val de Seine stop, all these people got off the train!
I'll leave off with a clip from our worship service at the American Church of Paris. And, maybe I should re-listen to the sermon, since I zoned out (after a red-eye) and didn't quite understand the connection between King David, Valentine's and accepting Christ.