So I made it safely here to France, with only a minor delay getting out of Dallas which, fortunately, did not affect my connection. I made it to my hotel, which was only a scant ten kilometers away from Charles de Gaulle airport, in a suburb of Paris. Unfortunately I discovered that I have to take a bus to an RER station, then take that into Paris before I can get to where everything is. After I took a short nap, I headed into Paris. It takes about an hour, and the buses are very confusing... but more on that later.
Paris is beautiful this time of year, although very cold. When I left Oklahoma it was in the seventies (Fahrenheit) whereas here it has been as cold as -10 (Celsius). I spent most of my time walking along the Champs Elysees. Trees lit up in blue christmas lights twinkled like snowfall, complete with faux christmas light icicles, which dripped at periodically. For a moment I stood at the median of a crosswalk, looking straight down the street. It was like something out of a hollywood movie, but I digress.
I decided, undoubtedly to the disappointment of some of my more festive friends, to forego purchasing a bottle of champagne. I take very little pleasure in drinking alone, and I decided with my horrible jet-lag that it would just make me drowsy. In addition I saw police officers (and they were certainly out in force for the holiday) harassing some tourists for drinking along the street (which I learned is forbidden in that particular part of town). I did purchase a crepe for myself and simply enjoyed the scene around me. Heavily fortified against the cold, I walked under the Arc de Triomphe, saw the giant Ferris wheel, and walked across the Seine.
I decided, as midnight approached, that I should head towards the Eiffel Tower. It was all lit up in blue in recognition of the European Union. Every hour it shimmers for about five minutes in a brilliant display. The tower glittered like diamonds in the distance, and I followed it as though it were the star of david, all the way to its base. The crowds were bad everywhere, but especially at the bottom of the tower. I walked directly underneath it, but then backed up as the clock struck 23:00, so that I could see it shine. It was dazzling (as you can see in the photo I snapped up above).
After watching it shine, I decided to try to beat the crowds and head back to my hotel early. I was exhausted after wandering around Paris for almost seven hours, as well as the journey there. At midnight I was sitting on a train, heading back to my hotel. Once I arrived at the RER station, I stepped outside into the cold night air to wait for a bus. Here is where things went horribly wrong.
As those of you who know me well can attest, I am awful when it comes to directions. This applies equally to foreign cities (if not more so). Ordinarily I enjoy being lost in Paris, as I know their metro system so well as to be able to navigate easily throughout the city. In Paris, no matter how lost one might be, one is never more than five minutes away from a metro stop. The bus system, however, is a whole other animal.
The bus that I was trying to take back to my hotel had stopped running at 0:30. Fortunately Paris has several night buses which run much later. I engaged in conversation with some fellows while I was waiting at the bus station, for the bus that had stopped running. They seemed friendly, in spite of my broken French, until I mentioned to them that I was an American. All of them expressed there hatred of George Bush, to which I heartily agreed. When I tried to convince them that I detest Bush as much as anyone (I think the guy should be tried for war crimes), I was reluctant to agree that he was worse than Hitler, as one of the men claimed. Upon my reluctance he became quite belligerent, and I felt a bit threatened. Panic washed over me like a bucket of icy water as I attempted to calmly excuse myself to check the bus schedules.
After this, I called my girlfriend, Rebecca, back in the states to ask for her assistance (she is a prodigy when it comes to navigating search engines), but I accidentally hopped on the wrong bus. I hopped off at the next stop, but I was unable to find assistance from anyone I asked. I was equally unable to communicate where I was to my Rebecca, who finally managed to find the bus schedules for Paris' night buses. The other people waiting at the stop were heading to the east train station. I figured I would join them, hopping on the next bus that passed. So I rode in silence, looking out the bus window as Paris flew by. Rebecca was able to navigate me from the East Train station back to the bus stop across the street from my hotel. Thank goodness the French government made all buses and metro trains free for New Year's eve!
In the end I wound up taking a free bus tour all over Paris. I reassured myself that this was all part of the adventure of being in a foreign country, but by the time I returned to my hotel it was five in the morning. I had spent over thirteen hours wandering the streets, riding the metro, and gallivanting in buses. Needless to say I was completely exhausted, and, after a quick internet phone call thanking Rebecca for her invaluable role in my continued survival, I crashed in a heap upon my bed.
I awoke the next day in the late afternoon. Cursing myself for having squandered the day sleeping, I decided to take a break from Paris to see the sights around Villepinte, the suburb where my hotel is. I have to say it was pretty uninteresting. I stopped briefly to sate my hunger and find some respite from the cold at a local Turkish restaurant. After wandering around for a few more hours, I decided to return to my hotel. I did so without difficulty, having paid extra careful attention to where I was going.
Tomorrow I hope to start earlier, venturing into Paris to see the sights. I still have not been able to contact the lady I'll be staying with at La Rochelle, but hopefully I will be able to tomorrow.
