Paris alone and happy

Taking a deep breath, it's time to explore alone once more. Finding confidence in yourself and moving on knowing that all I have is myself here is a challenge that I am afraid of but willing to face.

I stepped out of the hotel room, my cold gone for the most part. I started walking. The sun and the blue sky are beautiful in Paris. The feeling in the air had both the rush of New York and the deep connections of Portland.

I was in Paris, of course I had to go to the Louvre. What a place. Extremely grand, there were so many astounding pieces of beautiful art it was overwhelming and as everyone says, there is so much security and human bodies around the Mona Lisa it is hardly worth seeing in person. I much prefered looking at some of Leonardo's other works there like Landscape with Two Men Sitting near a Coppice.

The following day I walked to the Musée d'Orsay which I was really looking forward to. I spent hours looking at the paintings and standing with the grand statues. Seeing Monet in person was... indescribable.

The most beautiful thing I think I did in Paris however was to walk among the graves at Père Lachaise Cemetery. I felt surrounded by creative spirits. Not only of the dead but the other visitors as well. There were not to many of us but enough to build a sense of community as we walked, in personal meditation, thinking of those who are gone and of our own hopes and dreams.

Paris alone

My days with close friends came to an end. It was almost worse saying goodbye to Aydin the second time for I already knew what missing him felt like.
Paris seemed duller without friends I knew with me. Duller and frightening. I only knew three words in French and those I spoke with a terrible accent. I was unsure of where to go and CouchSurfing was exploding at the seams with tourists.

I had made reservations at a small hotel that promised wifi but when I arrived I found it situated up a creepy alley and lacking internet. I moved on.
My search for a place to sleep for the night led me through the area around Socre Cour to another little hotel near a fountain and a number of restaurants and pubs. The main room was open and clean and the man at the front desk, kind. I booked a single room for several nights and was overwhelmingly happy to find it also included superfast wifi and better yet, my own lovely shower.

I woke the next morning feeling ill. Acy and sniffly and grouchy. I lazed in bed for the day planning all the adventures I could have in Paris..Update: May, 2011 but, and I can admit this now, frightened to leave the security of my little room. Finally as darkness fell I explored outside for a little shop and bought myself some bread and wine for dinner and went back up to my room.

Paris with friends

Paris with Aydin and his parents was indescribably lovely.
The waves of old culture and new exploration mixed with the security of being with people I deeply care for was pure joy. It was an experience I will never forget.

First morning in Paris

Paris is one of those cities you never forget. It feels so wonderful and old and splendid. Far to splendid for the likes of me but whatever. I was here and they could just deal with me.

One thing to note, if you are a traveler heading into Paris do not do what I did and show up without a reservation or knowing anything about where you are going to stay for the night. Especially in summer. I always enjoy a good adventure but I think my knack for finding good luck is the only thing that got me through this trip so very unscathed.

Stepping off the overnight train I wandered aimlessly through the station, getting my barrings. The best deal, if you are staying in the city for several days, is to purchase the metro pass then add a 1 week credit to it. It'll give you limitless travel on the Metro for a full week without the pain of little tickets. Give yourself thirty minutes or so for purchasing though because the pass requires photo id. You can get your photo taken in one of those little photo booths right at the station which will print out a whole sheet of photos on sticker paper for about $5.

Then I was on the metro and on my way into the center of the city.

I ran into a bit of a hurdle almost immediately when I became confused by my extremely bad map and my lack of any knowledge of French so I go off several blocks early and was completely lost in a residential area of paris on the south east side of the river. It was awesome.

There should be a blues song for the 20-something traveler, wandering through a strange city, looking for free wi-fi. Though to more accurately fit my my mood at the time perhaps an perhaps an indi metal would have be more appropriate.

I enjoyed a nice long wander through the streets and parks and across the river. I passed several little pubs and shops that looked so interesting I swore to myself I would come find them again but I never did.

My surprise then, when I stepped around a corner and find myself surrounded by tourists and walking west on Champs-Élysées was quite enormous. I felt a bit bashed about by the dichotomy between the peace that had surrounded me and my big blue backpack all through the rest of Paris's small shops and lovely signage that melds perfectly into the whole ambiance of the city and the Champs-Élysées which feels quite a bit more like walking through downtown New York.

To further my surreal experience, the first shop I happened to walk by down this swarming thoroughfare was an enormous glass corner shop for Iran Air. I felt such a strange sense of relief seeing it. I knew that everyone would greet me as the same strange annoying American as any of the other French citizen would but at least I speak more Farsi than I do French. It was a centering point for me. That this other culture who had welcomed me in the past was here as well and maybe I wasn't as completely lost as I felt. I felt an urge to go inside and hug someone or got buy a ticket straight to Tehran.

But ahead I could see another familiar sign. A Starbuck's welcoming green lady with her arms outstretched. Promising one and all beneath her frightening corporate shadow that here they are sure to find caffeine and wifi.

It cost me almost $10 but I got my first medium latte in over a month. It was delicious caffeinated heaven.

My luck was to continue though for to my surprise who should be online but Aydin. And he was in Paris too. And I would be more than welcome to stay with him for a few days. Living situation solved.

And it was only 11am.

Day 2: Paris

In Paris I was met by Niccio who very very kindly picked me up from the Airport and drove me to his house where I got to take a wonderful shower and then we drove back to Paris for a speedy tour. We first stopped at a beautiful restaurant that, based on the photos looked like it had been around since the 1900s. They specialized in creps that were just amazing, indescribable. Mine was made of potatoes, blue cheese and something delicious that I can't remember. It was so good.

I was very conscious of the fact that I was the only person in the restaurant who can't understand a word of French and I think I stood out like a bad American sore thumb.

After dinner we drove around the city and we even stopped at the Eiffel tower and watched the people who were gathered watching the world cup on a giant screen. It was a practice in skipping jet lag in one easy step. Don't sleep until you are supposed to in that time zone even if your so tired you are shaking. We went back to his house soon after and I fell asleep in the car.

I'm writing this now and I've scheduled it to go live sometime tomorrow as I get to morocco so you all will be about a day behind me but that'll give me time to see where the next step of this adventure will take me.


I miss you all but I can't wait to see Aydin tomorrow.

Isn't it pretty

French Pigins











Nicco's house