As It Turns Out, We Were in Paris

Bonjour tout le monde!

I write to you in French because I am in France.

If you are new to this email, welcome! You can reply directly to these. I send them so that you can see what I'm doing with my life. That way, when we meet again, you don't have to say, "what have you been up to?" and we can talk about something actually interesting.

Ladies and mentlegen, I present to you (in the following written format), Paris! Here is what I have noticed so far about this city: they follow rules well, it doesn't feel nearly as large as it is, they blend new and old incredibly smoothly, and they have a lot of bread. The buildings all have to fit in with one another so that everything feels like it belongs in the neighborhood it sits in.

I have noticed a few smaller things as well. They don't use electronic billboards like we do in the States; instead, they have paper rollers that roll between posters. It is interesting. In fact, advertising as a whole just feels different. It blends into the background and isn't as 'in your face' as it is at home. It is absolutely nothing like New York City, which is good, because I hate New York City and would die if I had to live there.

Their metro subway is embarrassingly good. It goes all over the city and is actually built for daily use, unlike our trains. The signs are not confusing. They tell you exactly where you need to go and where things are and the maps are straightforward. I like it quite a lot. I would never own a car here, even if I had a driver and several million dollars to spend on one.

We had some time between our events on the first day, so we just wandered away from the hostel and looked for something interesting. We came to a nice park, so we went in. I thought, "Wow, this looks just like a movie scene." Then I thought again, "No, this looks like a very specific movie scene that I've seen before." I realized that the park looked just like the one from the French film Cleo from 5 to 7. I saw a familiar-looking fence and followed it to find the same waterfall they used in the movie. Montsouris Park, everyone. Who knew? My schoolmates were less impressed, probably because they haven't seen the movie. They probably thought I was making it up.

To the people who said Paris was very dirty: you were lying to me. I haven't the aforementioned piles of trash and gross surfaces you spoke so lowly of. Everything here has felt pretty clean, far cleaner than most American cities I've been to. It also doesn't smell like smoke and the air is fresh.

The buildings are much, much shorter than American skyscrapers. There are very specific height limits, so most of the buildings are only 5 or 6 stories instead of the hundreds that I am used to. Most of them are also this whitish tan color, so it doesn't feel as depressing as I'm used to.

We stopped by the Louvre yesterday because we were bored and had nothing else to do. That place is unfathomably huge. We didn't go inside, we just walked around the courts and looked at the walls and statues. Those walls are giant and the details are innumerable. I cannot imagine the amount of time it took to build that place. It was used as a palace, a fortress, then a museum, and I see why. Having played Star Wars Battlefront II, I know there is absolutely no way to get inside those doors if it is full of defenders. Speaking of war, we saw several Green Berets with assault rifles waiting around near the Concord. Not sure what that was about.

The French seem to care every bit as much to preserve their heritage as they do to push forward and innovate. As long as it is designed to fit the overall aesthetic of the city, it gets added. For example, at the Concord, there is a giant obelisk that was a gift from Egypt, detailing the life and death of Ramses II. The French decided, "Hey, alright, this is a nifty monument, let's put it up. Oh, and let's build some living space around it because, well, we've got nothing else to do." I mean, the monument literally had instructions on how to erect it carved into the stone, so they figured they could put their Egyptian IKEA piece in the middle of their metropolis.

I also did a Seine river boat ride. Yes, I saw the Eiffel Tower. Yes, I took a picture of it. It was very nice. I didn't expect it to have so much fine work involved. Apparently it gets repainted every several years. Didn't know that either.

I also went to Notre Dame, but I haven't been inside yet. For those wondering, it has reopened for tours. We will do one later in the month.

Tomorrow, we go to Bordeaux to see Peche Merle, one of the oldest public cave paintings displays in the world. I am excited to see the French countryside. It looked very pretty on our flight in. Speaking of, I have now seen the UK. We flew over the south tip of Ireland (and Greenland) and I think I will be moving there. 

The French are not rude, they just don't care. I like it. I don't like having to make small talk and everyone just minds their own business here. People speak very quietly, which makes things especially difficult when you are trying to grasp the words they are saying so that you can respond without looking stupid. I suck at listening in French. I can usually get my point across while speaking, but I can't understand anything they say back to me. I'm sure I'll get better. Usually they smile and say it again in English, then I'll answer in French, then they switch back to French. They are fairly forgiving. Most people give me a chance to try to speak French and stay in the language, but anytime there is a line they just switch to English and I do too. They prioritize efficiency. 

Nobody is in each other's way here. It is admirable, really. Everyone knows to move for one another at the train station, cars stop when appropriate, and people generally aren't jerks for no reason. They just do what makes sense. I can't quite explain it, but it feels different in America. It is less individualist and less "I am right," and more "we all live together" and "we are right." It is pretty cool. 

Yes, they do get annoyed with us. Honestly I do too. Some people in our group have not figured out that they need to move aside and talk quieter while on the train. I would also consider giving them a frustrated huff.

I think that is all I have time for. I have to go drop off my luggage on the other side of town to store it during our trip south. 

I would love to hear from any of you, especially if you've been here before! Where should I not miss?

-Willosaurus

Here are the pics of the week: