France

I have not been devoting much time to writing down my adventure. Fortunately my second night in Vienna is going to be easy, so now is the time to catch up. Because I am so far behind on the blog, I will devote each entry to a country visited so far.

France

Taking the plane to Paris was not my first choice: I was originally planning to take the Eurostar (a train that goes through the Chunnel). Unfortunately, waiting the day before to purchase tickets is never going to be easy on the wallet. Booking my return flight from Copenhagen lowered the price of a plane ticket, so I chose that route.

Jean-Paul's parents, Nina and Jean-Marie, were extremely generous for letting me stay with them while in Paris. Their sister-in-law, Janna, even let me stay in her apartment while she was away. On top of that, Nina cooks amazing dinners. If what I was eating was not Parisian food, I do not care what is. It was great, and their generosity saved me lots of time, money, and hassle while in Paris.

I did have the opportunity to try some French pastries every morning. They were incredible. One particular pastry - called a chasson aux pommes - became my favorite. It was a flake-melting pastry with apple filling. Delicious.

Paris was just as gorgeous as London. Many of the streets were as picturesque as everyone says, and if I could post my photos, I would. And yet both cities also had quite a bit of povery hidden in the corners. I had one depressing moment while walking through a corridor of the subway. A woman covered head-to-toe in robes lay lowly-knelt, pressed to the side of the wall. With head down and hands cupped upwards, she sat there motionless, waiting for an offering of spare change from the bustling pedestrians flowing by. If I could take a photo of anything that day it would have been this, but I did not.

The language barrier was a major problem. There were far fewer people who spoke English than I was led to believe. Perhaps it was because I spent much of my time in a district away from the tourist crowds, but even some adventuring into the heart of the city ran into trouble. My French is poor, and the only trace of accessible knowledge in my head were a mix of nouns. This was useful, but not knowing how to communicate to people caused trouble in a supermarket and some restaurants. I recommend buying from markets and shops, since it is easy to resort to pointing in order to get what you want.

I was able to see most of the sights one would expect to see in Paris: The Louvre, The Arc de Trioumphe, The Eiffel Tower, The Champs-Élysées, and many cathedrals (Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Supice, and a few others). However, the most memorable sight I saw was not in Paris. A daytrip brought me to the Palace of Versailles, one of the most extravagent palaces of the world. Exploring just part of the three square mile garden was unbelievable. The backyard of a French King's house easily spans the horizon.

For being a bit sick, I was able to see a lot in Paris. I even got the chance to see a Jazz concert, with a French singer doing classic American jazz tunes with a ridiculous accent. Other than that accent, she sounded quite good. Paris was nice.