Random Facts of Paris

It’s Day 2 of my 10 blogs about Paris and here’s what I have for you…

They may not be good random facts, well put together or anyway interesting, but here they are.

Meals Last Three Hours

Sitting in a Paris restaurant is an experience.

It’s a very, very long experience.

You sit, get some wine, sit some more, stare down the waiter, order, sit, eat, finish food and try to stare down the waiter again and then finally get the check and leave.

To Americans it’s just weird to sit ready to leave but unable to because the waiter hasn’t given you your check and you’ve been staring at empty plates for 15 minutes but in Europe it’s more the norm.

You can Jump the Metro Turnstiles Without Someone Yelling at You

I did it four times in one day.

In a group that speed walks their way through Paris, when my metro day pass refused to work anymore I found myself jumping turnstiles trying to keep up with them. Our teacher kept forgetting to buy me another one so I just kept on having to jump them.

Bakery Breakfast is the Best

There was always a bakery close by in Paris. In our last few days we were right down the street from a bakery that had little nutella filled donut holes and fresh crescents.

Pair that with grocery store apple juice and it’s a very good morning.

Bonjour. Merci. Au revoir. Repeat.

I must have said these words about a million times. Every time I bought a donut or a crepe or an anything at all that required interaction with people.

At the Eiffel Tower it was Non! Non! Non Merci! to the man that tried repeatedly to sell me a selfie stick when I was talking my picture.

Those men are very persistent.

Art isn’t Always in Museums

One day we walked the streets in search of art. Artists are fined and jailed if caught but what they bring to the side of buildings, to people going to work and living their lives are works that could be gone tomorrow.

They remind us to look up. They remind us to see everything and all the possible beauty in it. Street art brings something special to people. It’s said to bring art to those who don’t typically go to galleries. For the day, week, month or year that they are allowed up they bring a special something to the streets of Paris.

The Music is American

From the Selena Gomez in the grocery story to 90’s rap in the flee market, 90% of all the music I heard in Paris was American.

Not only was the music American but they had “Western stores” and I saw a store with the word Kentucky in it.

Mixed between the array of cheesy mini Eiffel Towers there were large and subtle signs of American culture everywhere.