Making Paris Interesting

Last weekend, I said that I was going to detail my roadtrip a bit more.  After careful consideration, I decided it was going to be too boring.  Instead, I'm skipping ahead to the conclusion of the trip: Paris.  And even that is a little boring.  Did I just say that?  Paris was boring?  I don't mean that.  Paris was not boring.  But describing it would be.  I think that's where my blog is going.  I feel like anything I write is boring to read (that's why I've included interesting pictures like the one on the right).  But I don't want to quit writing it.  I need the attention.  How did I get on to this?  Anyway...with further ado, here's what was interesting in Paris:












Butler Bulldogs

The main reason for my trip to Paris was to see an old Butler friend, Sora Lyu. To you, this is insignificant and boring (solidifying my previous "boring" comment).  To me, this is earth-shaking news.  Why?  Because she is a friend from my former life and she brought her friend, Libby (a Butler Bulldog and fellow blogger, http://libbyadventures.blogspot.com/).

• Importance of a friend from a former life: Huge.  She knows who I am and where I come from.  To not have to explain this to her, is very significant.  She understands my humor immediately and gets why I'm so weird.  I loved spending time with her.  And Sora was a lot of fun.
  
• Importance of Libby: Other than being just a really cool girl, she's a Bulldog.  For anyone who knows me, they know just how much I'm in love with Butler.  And seeing Libby immediately transported me to 4600 Sunset Ave.  She is the quality of person I became used to while at Butler.  I miss that place.  And Libby was a lot of fun.

Parlez-vous francais?
I'm horrible at French.  And really, I don't care...don't care enough to learn it.  While I'm with friends out here, I always step aside and let them speak French.  And when I'm by myself, I don't get any satisfaction while speaking French.  But when I'm with friends who don't speak French (Sora and Libby), I get to show off.  For some reason, I really like that.  I think that goes back to my tour guiding days.  I think I just like to know things other people don't.

Quick Hits on Paris

• Paris is by far the best tourist-city that I've been to in Europe.  So much to see, beautiful, cool people, easy to conquer, great food...everything you could ask for.  It's still not my favorite city, though.
• The Louvre is too big.  It is great to see, but you almost have to run through the place.  Everything becomes one painting.  There becomes a time when a museum can too much...the Louvre is there.
• Pompidou Center is a must-see if you like modern art.  I hate modern art paintings...but I LOVE the more interactive stuff.  And frankly, let's be honest, I like seeing all the naked women (see pics).
• Duck confit is a revelation.
• Yes, Parisians can be uptight and mean.  But nearly every interaction I have with a Parisian has be remarkable (in a good way).  I was in desperate need of gas while leaving the city and had a 50 euro bill to get some.  Well, after looking for an hour, (is finding gas in America ever difficult?) I found a gas station!  What relief!  Too bad it only took debit cards.  Well, a Parisian saw me ranting and raving at the pump and offered to let me use his card for the cash.  What a nice guy!!!  And on top of that, this was our exchange of words while waiting (all in English):

• "Where are you from?"
• "America"
• "I thought so.  You have no accent.  I can never understand British accents."

• Amelie!  The girls and I had coffee at the same exact cafe where Amelie worked in the movie!  Really cool (see below).
• If you're ever in Paris, go to Montmatre on a weekend.  The more crowded, the better.  I love the atmosphere there.