I had a nice surprise today… after a 3 hour ride with my now ex-landlord/WWOOF host, he dropped me off in Paris (at the Porte de Dauphine) with a 10 euro bill and a borrowed backpack full of my “valuables”, and a map of Paris, marked with cheap and free points of interest. I walked to the Eiffel Tower. It was much bigger and more impressive than it looks like pictures. Definitely something to see.

At the base of the tower is a sea of Africans selling replicas of the Tower on big hoops. They were not pushy at all, just wandering around looking hopeful. My landlord later told me that they are shipped in from some country to try to make money to send home. It’s a hard existence for them, and they live like 20 to an apartment. Same kind of new immigrant myth you hear in any country. Turks in Germany, Mexicans in America, etc. which may or may not be true.

I wanted to see the Musée d’Orsay, but there was a long line, crawling forward, and I only had a few hours. There is definitely much to see in the future if/when I return to France.

I did go through Notre Dame. It’s very beautiful, of course, but the touristy aspect was too much. I felt like I was in a cattle drive. It was a Sunday and there were people there to pray (they go in through a different door and sit in a little roped off area), and signs in several languages warning people to be quiet. But there was no feeling of sanctity, peace, or holiness. Even being a non-believer, I am often struck with a sense of awe in beautiful cathedrals or churches. Not so in Notre Dame. Just too busy. It made me sad, because it is a beautiful place with great historic value as well as its religious significance.

Paris was a bit cloudy, but it did not rain. The weather made it a bit dreary, but there are so many sculptures, paintings, buildings, and other things that were amazing. So much more that I want to see someday.

My host and his son met me at Luxumbourg Gardens, and the son went back to get my luggage, dragging them through the subway system for me. Very nice. In the meantime, Jean and I took a stroll through the Gardens. Well, he and his 6 foot 8 or whatever strolled. I struggled to keep up with my 5 foot 4. The grounds there are amazing. Beautiful fountains, everyone just hanging out, sitting in free chairs that no one appeared to be vandalizing or stealing. My companion mentioned that it used to be a private estate, and “this is the revolution”. I really felt the whole democratic (republic) “brotherhood of man” thing going on. It was like a big family picnic, everyone peacefully hanging out, eight different languages going on at the same time (as I heard throughout the touristy areas of Paris that I visited – French, English in 3 different dialects, Turkish and Arabic, Spanish, German, and others I did not recognize). People of all ages and nationalities together just enjoying the scenery and beauty of the day.

My subway ride (train, rather, RER), was pretty simple. Quite crowded, but otherwise nothing remarkable. Someone did start singing… in Spanish, perhaps… this warbling, wailing song. Very beautiful. I wonder what it meant.

I was impressed that I was not hassled a bit in Paris. The Africans selling souvenirs were not at all pushy. One did do the Belizean-style “sexy momma” thing, and one poor bent peasant-looking woman hobbled towards me asking something in French, but I found nothing manipulative, sneaky, or scary.

The Paris I saw was a bit dirty, but no more so than other large cities. All in all the rumors I’ve heard of a dirty, dangerous, anti-American tourist trap were unfounded accusations, probably spread by the naive, loud type of tourists who expect to find middle class America wherever they travel in the world.

As Jean said, Paris has a very unified, put together look about it. He said much of the city was destroyed during the revolution, and rebuilt all at the same time. So the building styles and the intricate wrought-iron balconies, fences, and gates that I remember from reading Babar when growing up are found throughout the city. Art, sculpture, and architecture are not relegated to museums, but found everywhere you look. Being almost broke in Paris was not as unfortunate as it might seem.

Unfortunately after 3 pictures, mostly of the Tower, my camera went out on me. I will add my few pictures soon.

Coming up next: A Night in Charles de Gaulle airport.