Arc de Triomphe
We boarded the boat yesterday and have already met some very fun (and interesting) people. Some are couples, some are adult families, some are a parent/child, and sitting at our table tonight for dinner was a grandmother with her granddaughter (she is 35).....I can't wait to bring my granddaughter on a trip like this...or a grandson (if they'd really care)...or a child...anyone actually!!
I'm sitting at the desk in our room right now with the balcony door open and it's 11:35 pm and I'm cruising on the Seine River. The moonlight is beaming off of the water and I can hear the faint hum of motor and the water dancing off of the hull of the boat. I'm in my jammies and Craig is asleep already.
Two nights ago we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was magnificiant and a little disapointing at the same time. The Empire State Building in New York was much better, and twice as high....but, you can't see the Arc de Triumphe, the Seine, the fabulous museums and Notre Dame in NYC!!
All French people drink cafe (I must be French AND Dutch!). Cafe shops are where the problems of the world are solved. There is a always a bar (brasserie) in coffee shops. If you drink at the bar, the prices are half price because you don't pay for wait service. If you sit at a table the prices are higher. Actually you don't really drink coffee, you drink esspresso. YUMMMMY!!! It's very smooth, unlike the bitter esspresso in the U.S. No free refills either, and at 4.50 euro, I don't get seconds...I do get a double though.
A college education is France free, health care is free, and there is a great health care system. People pay taxes to pay for it all. Not as much taxes as in the U.S. Though. They laugh at the U.S., about our taxes, the poor state of our economy, and the exorbitant health care costs. One couple (Canadian) at our dinner table even knew about the corrupt Illinois government and what the state government has done to the pension. In France, they have no insurance companies, or drug companies. The government regulates it all so it doesn't get out of hand.
Little cars everywhere! Fiats, Smartcars, Mini Coopers, and many more that I've never heard of. Definitely no F150's here. Gas is about $7 per gallon, that's normal to them.
Storefronts are very close to the street and the roads are very narrow. There is only a sidewalk and enough room for some restaurants to have a sidewalk cafe. At the outdoor cafes you sit right next to the cafe and very close to one another.
People don't have screens on their windows, so when they open their windows it's directly into their homes.
No La Fitness, Home Depots, Walmarts, Targets, big furniture wearhouses or big malls. No Chilis or Applebee's (sorry Cami Jo, ha ha ha), Denny's or IHops.
Restaurants are all independently owned and there aren't really chains, although they do have Subways and Starbucks and I did see one Burger King.
Lots and lots of pastry/sweet shops though. Let me just tell you now just how delecious a real French croissant is!!!
The subway system is much like New York, only it is much easier to maneuver through, it's clean and doesn't smell, and I didn't see any rats.
There aren't houses in the city of Paris, everyone lives in apartments. The further out of Paris you go there are houses, but still lots of apartment buildings. It's very expensive to live in the city of Paris, however, it's more expensive in London, New York, and Singapore. Craig and I looked at a realtors office window where they had listings of apartments, and a 400 square ft. apt (yes, 400!) was about a million dollars....not kidding, Craig did the math, not me, so you know it's correct!
At grocery stores (about as big as a Quick Trip), their produce and flowers are outside of the store. People don't walk by and steel it.....why?? Because you're not supposed to. Well, someone needs to tell that to the people in the U.S.!!
There are a lot of underground tunnels for driving, there are buildings on top of every inch of the roads, so the streets are under the buildings.
Toay we went to the Musee d'Orsay. I saw Cezanne, Matisse, Chagall, Van Gough, and many more. There were bronze and marble sculptures as well as paintings, and amazing views of the city. My mom has a painting in her bathroom above her Roman bathtub that I wish I knew what it was. Mom....you can chime in and let me know. My mom is a water color artist for those of you that didn't know. She does some beautiful work and is very talented. I just found out that there is a Dali exhibit somewhere that I'm not going to be able to see. Salivador Dali is Josh's favoritie artist so I wish I could go. I haven't seen any of my favorites, but I can still very much appreciate good art.
Tomorrow we are going to Giverney to visit the famous impressionist Claude Monet's garden and house. We'll actually see the water lilly pond and the famous Japanese bridge.
It's 11:50 pm here, so 3:50 in Illinois and 1:50 at home in AZ. I tried to FT CJ and the grandkids today, but with crappy wifi I had no luck and actually I forgot that they would be in school anyway.
Tonight I'll leave you with one photo of the moonlight kissing the Seine from the balcony. You can't see it very well, but I can, and it's beautiful and peaceful!
Mom/Cyn
Love your photos and stories, Cyn. I feel like I'm traveling with you. Keep them coming! Jill
ReplyDeleteThere are several pairs of sisters on this cruise, there is even a pair of brothers traveling with their mother. I'm having so much fun but it's go go go!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post today. I actually LOL'd a few times. Glad you're having so much fun. Love the pics and blog updates. Thanks for posting. Love you!!
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