Paris (5/28 - 5/30): Je Rêve de Sommeil

The overnight bus ride from London to Paris was not fun by any standards. As mentioned multiple times I was pretty sleep deprived by this point, and this bus ride pointed out to me that at some point during college I lost the ability to sleep sitting up. The ride took about 8 hours total, with a ferry carrying us from the UK to the European mainland. Thankfully we were allowed to get off the bus and walk around once we were on the ferry. It was storming during the ferry ride, the the water was choppy and the boat rocked quite a bit. I tried in vain to sleep on some benches and chairs. We were on the boat for maybe an hour and a half at most. The only redeeming part of the bus ride itself was the passenger sitting next to me watching an English movie on his laptop with headphones and french subtitles. I was able to grasp the gist of most of the plot which helped pass the time.

At around 6:30 the bus pulled into a station on the outskirts of Paris. I wandered up to the giant subway map on the wall where a few other travelers were standing trying to make sense of where we were. Eventually we all figured out how to get where we were going and got in line for the one ticket machine nearby. I ended up buying subway tickets for myself and another couple who's credit card wouldn't work.

I should take a step back at this point and remind the reader that I did not know exactly where I was going to stay. I had been in contact with a couchsurfer who was going to e-mail me his address, so my next objective upon arriving was to find an internet cafe, which I assumed wouldn't be too difficult... Assumptions are risky devices, especially when traveling alone in a foreign country.

I took the subway into Paris proper close to the Bastille, which I knew was the general location of my host's apartment. I got out of the subway and immediately began to search for an internet cafe. My general strategy for these types of things is to walk towards areas that seem to have the most shops/tourists/etc. I wandered around for a bit while Paris began to slowly awake. The city was still mostly asleep which, along with my sleep deprivation, gave it sort of a surreal and dreamy quality which was enjoyable for the first hour or so. After an 2 hours of wandering around in vain (and circles occasionally), I stopped into an open shop to get some water.

I was really really nervous about interacting with the Parisians. I had heard many a tale about how they hated tourists (especially Americans) and would not talk to you unless you spoke French. My fear was not so much about being shunned as much as it was about looking like a "typical" American ass-hole. I had a little bit of French under my belt, but I would not really call it passable by any means. So i sauntered into this little shop and managed to order a water in French. I then try to ask the guy behind the counter where an internet cafe is, but he has no idea what I'm talking about. He had spoken some English, so I whipped out the classic "Parlez-vous anglais?" trying to be polite. He just smiled, shook his head, and stared at me. This was really my only run-in with the stereotype, but it came at an inopportune time.

I left the shop and gave up on trying to find an internet cafe (it was around 9:15 at this point). Instead I pulled out my "book of information about everywhere" and found a hostel nearby where I could hopefully find a bed and crash. Unfortunately when I arrived at the hostel the manager informed me that they were booked, and that I should try back at 11:00 to see if there were any cancellations. He did not sound optimistic about that option. He did point me to an internet cafe around the corner though, my salvation. The internet cafe was closed until 10:00 so I went around the corner and grabbed an espresso and a pastry and hung out until 10:00. I then entered the cafe full of relief as if the cafe itself were my new home and logged on with a sense of peace as I readied myself to discover the location of a usable bed. Disbelief physically shook me when I found I had no e-mail from my supposed host. I did however have an e-mail from another couchsurfer named Thomas that said if I still needed anything to drop him a line.

The lack of information stunned me for a while and I sat there trying to get my brain to process the information. Eventually I decided I did not have much faith in the hostel opening up, and I didn't want to try another one for fear of receiving the same news. Instead I found the cheapest hotel room I could that was fairly close to my current location, booked it, and made my way over there. The hotel was simple but nice, had a shower, and the price was right. They had free wi-fi and overpriced internet on a computer in the Lobby. I was freaking out a little bit at this point so I got online for a while and booked a train to Nice to make sure I didn't get stranded or something somehow. This whole series of events may seem a bit melodramatic, but I was really really tired :).

After some time on the internet I went out and grabbed some absolutely awful Chinese food down the street (ironically, the worst food I had on the trip was in Paris). I was supposed to meet some people that I had met in London at the Arc de Triomphe that afternoon, but I just crashed instead at around 15:30. I woke up at some point during the morning and spent another hour on the internet booking hostels for the next few days. I also had contacted Thomas and he kindly offered me a room for the following night. I then went back to sleep until 9:00ish in the morning. In all I think I got around 16 hours of sleep that night, which was refreshing.

I don't remember anything noteworthy about the next day. I basically just wandered around Paris, eating delicious pastries and baguettes. I wandered by the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, a street market somewhere, and a variety of other things. At around 17:30 I made my way up to Thomas' place in Montmartre.

Thomas was an incredible host, an example I hope to be half as good as when I host people in the future. He speaks 3 languages, has been to (I believe) every country in Europe, and knows a lot about art and Paris. We relaxed for a while when I first got there, then he took me out and showed me the area, including the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, located at the highest point in Paris with an incredible view of the city. We then stopped by a grocery store before heading back to Thomas' place for dinner-- his Indian friend Anirban was coming over to cook. Luckily for me Ani spoke excellent English but very little French. Thomas also spoke pretty good English.

The meal was delicious, a traditional Indian dish made with prawns. Thomas and Ani were both PhD students in Art History and Nanotech, respectively, so the conversation was as interesting and delicious as the meal itself.

At around 23:00 or so Ani had to leave to catch the subway home, so Thomas ans I went out and he showed me Montmartre at night, including the cabaret and sex shop area of town. We walked by the Moulin Rouge and a 6 story sex shop. There were also quite a few drug dealers in the area and Thomas explained to me that they rarely have the drugs actually on them. Instead they hide the merchandise inside a door somewhere and when you purchase an amount, the dealer gives you a door code and an address where you can go pick it up. The police apparently tolerate the trade as long as there is no violence. So while there are quite a few drugs in the area, it is supposedly pretty safe.

After walking around for a while we popped into a couple of cool local bars and had some beers. My stomach was killing me for some reason at this point and the alcohol didn't help, so we headed back to Thomas' place at around 2:00.

I woke up the next day around 11:30 and headed in the direction of the Louvre. You can spend days in there, but I only spent 3 hours or so. I saw the obligatory Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Wedding Feast at Cana, etc but the most impressive thing to me was the Code of Hammurabi, which is almost 4000 years old.

Image courtesy of Leslee at 3rd House Journal

After exiting the Louvre museum, I wandered through it's gardens for a bit before heading towards a park Thomas recommended to me called the Jardin du Luxembourg. The garden was really cool and had the first model of the statue of Liberty. In the garden was also this large basin of water with sailboats in it. Children would run around the outside of the pool with sticks and rescue any stuck sailboats by sending them back out to sea. It was really fun to watch.

I eventually reluctantly left the peaceful greenery of the garden and headed back to Thomas' place where I had a bath and some dinner he prepared, including delicious homemade crepes. I then left for the train station to catch an overnight train to Nice, my next destination.

Paris was a very very cool city overall. I could definitely see myself living there if I actually learned enough French first. I love the fact that there is an independent bakery, butcher, and produce stand on almost every corner. The food is fresh and real, and the commerce in general is very local and small. The city is easy to get around in and the public transportation is cheap. Montmartre was my favorite part of the city, as it seemed more laid back and younger than many of the other parts. Thomas and Ani were great people and I was very fortunate to have met them, especially considering my failure from the previous day at finding a place to stay. I would love to go back there some day when I am a bit more organized, know some more french, and have more time.