>> Friday, October 17, 2008
Bonjour,
We thought that today we would fill you guys and gals in on some of the interesting things we've discovered while wandering the streets of Paris...
1. If you ride the metro, be prepared to get up close and personal with your neighbour. Also be prepared for any form of entertainment including: accordian players, guitar players, panflutests, poets, and puppet shows. Sometimes the metro gates like to trap you! Each metro station is a giant labrynth of tunnels, do not try to understand how it all works, just follow the signs and always keep your ticket! Oh yeah, and if you think you can get rid of all your change to buy a carnet of tickets, it only takes a maximum of 20 coins, after that it ejects them all and it sounds like you just won the jackpot!
2. There are stairs everywhere! Not just in Montmartre, everywhere!
3. The 5th floor is really the 6th floor and that extra set of steps is a real bitch to go up! Especially with luggage! Side note: The lights in the stairwells are on timers so you don't have to go up them in the dark! We learnt that one the hard way!
4. French dogs are really well behaved but some of their owners are not! AKA: watch out for poop!
5. A map is usually a very handy tool to have but if you come to Paris throw it out. None of the streets run in any sort of rational direction. Plus, you often find the best places when you let go of the map and just wander. This is what the French are famous for and it even has a name, flaneur (a person who wanders the city in order to experience it).
6. Many of the delightful cheeses here have a film on them. We are still not sure if you eat that, we'll get back to you on that one!
7. Nutella contains an unknown form of addictive drug, and apparently tastes different depending on the country where it was made and the quality of the hazelnuts that are used.
8. Apparently it's legit to drink alcohol whenever one feels like it. On the steps of the Sacre Couer, at the Eiffel Tower, or even in a metro station.
9. French beer is surprisingly very good.
10. Be prepared to be on display for all to see. Parisiennes have made an art out of people watching and every cafe and restaurant is set up so that everyone at the table can creep on those mulling about on the street. It's actually quite entertaining!
11. Coffee here comes in itty bitty little cups and costs you a small fortune!
12. Do not, under any circumstances eat a nut off the ground in a park!
As a bonus we thought it was about time that we brought you some never before seen photos from our wanderings about the city. So, sit back, relax and enjoy:
(Note: as the sun sets this lovely corner is occupied by a lovely madame of the night!)
Please, stay tuned, we promise to bring you Cribs #3 this weekend!
2 comments:
Bonjour Deux Flaneur, I see you gals are still out and about.Nice picture once again. What's with the names around the perimeter of the Eiffel tower? Nat was a little tougher to find, but I think the boots are once again a major clue.
Your third mission, should you choose to accept it, is a small challenge for you two? The term "deja vu" was coined by a doctor that attended the funeral of a famous french scientist with one of his patients who claimed to have had preminitions of the event. Without any further clues, do you know who the name of the scientist that died? Bonus points if you can name the church where the funeral occurred.
Well papa,
Gustave Eiffel engraved 72 names of French scientists, engineers, and other notables. The names were actually painted over but later restored. On a side note, you would find it interesting that the tower is painted every 7 years using 60 tons of paint in three shades with the darkest at the bottom. It is amazingly still painted by hand using brushes and takes 18 months to complete.
PS- Of course we accept your mission!
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