Paris!

After a very long and exhausting trip to Vigo Spain for work I ended up having a day of lay over in Paris. This ended up happening because of multiple flight adjustments, and this option actually became the most affordable way to get back home. And of course, as an added bonus I could spend several hours in Paris.

It was an eventful day highlighted by two events causing me unneeded stress. One, after arriving in Paris by train from the airport, and leaving my hotel several miles behind, I realized that my passport was not in my pocket. I suspected I probably left it in the hotel room, however the notion of me dropping it did not seem that far fetched, and so it simmered in the back of my mind as I speed walked through central Paris.

The other focal point of this day was a gentleman I met on the shuttle from the hotel to the train station. He was an Asian man who spoke excellent English with only a slight accent. He seemed a bit intimidated and lost when the shuttle driver asked where he was going. For whatever bizarre reason, he was taking the shuttle from the hotel to the airport so he could catch a taxi. Pretty much everyone was bewildered as to why he was doing this. For one reason, the airport is relatively far from central Paris, and the train would provide a much more affordable option. For another reason... if he needed a taxi, why did he have to come to the airport to get one? So being kind hearted, AND incredibly foolish I decided to take this guy under my wing and help him get on the train.

When we got to the station, he kept up this constant barrage of questions like a little kid. This guy was totally helpless, and it would come more apparent why later on. As I was trying to buy my ticket through a machine, he told me he needed to get money from an ATM. I said OK sure. I held off buying my ticket because I didn't know if the machine was going to give me a ticket to a particular train, and I wanted to make sure I could get this hopelessly lost man to downtown Paris. He was cursing at the ATM machine and taking an incredibly long time. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was trying to do. He kept saying "It says too big, too big!!" I was assuming that the ATM machine was giving him exchange problems, or that he was just trying to take out more money than the system would allow. What I didn't know is he was actually trying to get change for a 500 euro bill. Yes.... a 500 euro bill. I have seen a larger denomination bill in Euros now, than I have in American dollars... which is saying something considering how worthless the dollar has become. But wait it gets better. So this guy is absolutely incredulous that the machine won't change it for him. I respond saying that I wasn't even aware ATM machines gave change, and if they did, they probably wouldn't give you any more than change for a 50, 100 tops. After trying a French equivalent of "Western Union" where the counter woman was obnoxiously rude to him, I really felt like we were running out of options. I asked him if he could just use a credit care or something, but it didn't appear he was carrying one. Then this fool opens his wallet and says "This is all I have", and I see a dozen, I'm not kidding A DOZEN of these 500 euro bills. So this guy is walking around with 6 grand in Euros in his pocket, which is probably nearly 10 grand in U.S. dollars. I convince him that he has to go back and get better info out of the Western Union woman, that she must know a place he can get change. Sure enough she tells him that he can wait in the long distance train line and buy his commuter pass there and get change. So I wait in the line with him like the sucker I am. He offers to buy my ticket, I say no of course, A. because I'm doing this to be nice, and B. because I don't want to feel obligated to be this guy's tour guide, which was never part of the deal. So, after blowing 45 minutes at the train station with this guy's incompetence and talking him through the turn styles, which he could not figure out, we are FINALLY on our train into Paris.

I get to talk to him in a less chaotic environment riding on the train. I find out he is an executive at a textiles company in Indonesia. He lives in Jakarta and is on vacation by himself. He appears to be winging it completely, no plans, no research, and apparently no concept of what he was actually in for. He seems like a fairly nice man, and I get the feeling that someone usually does everything for him because he is probably from wealth. He mentions having family in Michigan and speaks of fondness of the U.S., but yet a desire to live in Canada, which I didn't question.

When we arrive in Paris the Chatelet Les Halles train station I've strategically chosen to disembark from is absolutely mammoth. My Indonesian friend is of course totally freaking out, but to his credit does provide a couple of translations of words on signs to help us get to the surface. We walk probably over a mile under ground, I kid you not. I have to baby sit this guy because he keeps on standing on the wrong side of the escalator blocking people's paths, and keeps forgetting to get on the conveyor belts (like in an airport) which make the journey go faster. He seems to have some absurd idea that we are hopelessly lost and will never find our way out, but eventually we of course do.

At last we get out, and get our first glimpse of the spectacular, ornate, granite buildings, and I'm pretty excited. I look over at my friend and he is crest fallen.

"Ughh... It's just a city"

What? I'm thinking.... hell Paris isn't even at the top of my list of places to see, but Paris, just a city? But wait, it gets better.

"The air is polluted".

Yeah, I think it was just fine, and question to myself how much worse it possibly can be than Indonesian air.

"I can't breathe"

(Whatever.)

"It's so noisy"
(Man...)

"Big deal just old buildings, just another city"

(Um... guess he doesn't appreciate them, but why did he come here?)

"It's just like Detroit, they have all this stuff there..."

OK NOW THAT IS JUST COMPLETELY MENTAL, THIS GUY IS REALLY STARTING TO PISS ME OFF. I speak up

"So, you are here in Paris now, I think we should go our separate ways...."

He looks at me as though he is about ready to cry.

"I mean, um... I think we are going to want to do and see different things, and have a different pace."

He tries again to convince me to do a taxi tour of the city with him, paid by him. This isn't what I want, I want to feel the streets, see the people, hear the noise, and perhaps even breathe in that "polluted air". I feel what little I do see probably won't really give me the real Parisian experience, but it will be much more real than what I can obtain from the inside of a cab. So I respond no.

Undaunted he again insists, "Come on we'll go see the Eiffel tower". He's asked me several times whether I planned to see the Eiffel tower, and all several times I responded "Of course".

"I'm going to see Notre Dame first since it is right here." I say.

"Are we going to see the river?" he pipes up, apparently not wanting to give up on our companionship.

"Sure" I respond, "We have to cross the river to get there."

At this point I'm trying to figure out what direction to go in by looking at street signs and he is once again heading into a semi-panic.

"Oh we don't know where we are going, Do you know where you are going? We are lost, we should ask someone?"

"I think we...." I try to interject...

"We shouldn't go any where, we have to ask someone" he rambles.

Then this idiot goes up to a sidewalk cafe and starts trying to ask people who are trying to eat in peace where to go. I can't remember if I was cradling my head in my hands at this point, but I certainly felt like doing that. Keeping an eye on him, I start walking down the street in what I believe is the right direction, ignoring his pleas. Sure enough I see the water and turn around and wave him over. He comes along,and sure enough his response....

"Oh.... its brown, it is ugly"

At this point I'm no longer surprised by anything this guy says. I try to ignore him and take in the art sales on the streets and the beautiful bridges with their ornate frescoes and statues. He looks at me staring at them with wonder and says "You really appreciate this stuff huh?". I respond "Yes I do," not really feeling a need to elaborate.

We cross the bridge and the bells of Notre Dame are ringing as we arrive and you can feel their deep powerful tones striking you at the core of your heart.

"Do you mind if I look inside?" I ask my accidental companion.

"Yeah OK" he responds.

So we are in the church, probably not even five minutes and I watch this guy unfold into sort of an anxiety attack.

"Are they having mass?" he asks while observing the tourists in the rows of chairs.
"No they are just tourists" I respond.
"I think this is mass..." he says.

"It isn't mass!" I respond with growing irritation.

(In retrospect this guy may have been comitting some sin against Islam by his presence, however I am just speculating, he didn't strike me as particularly religious.)

"I have to leave, its stuffy in here, I don't like it, I can't breathe".

(wow)

"How do I get out?! How do I get out?!" "I think this is where we part ways..."

(thank you!)

"Well OK, it was good meeting you," I say, "I hope I helped get you into the city OK, enjoy the Eiffel tower."

"Alright, I think I'm going to get a cab," he responds

(YES!)

"I think I'll take a cab back to the hotel later too," he trails off.

("Whatever... I'm sure they won't mind taking one of those bills off your hands..." I think to myself).

He turns around and then settles back into his panic "I can't get out! I can't get out!"

"It's just back the way you came!" I respond.

"I don't know! I don't know which way!"

(FINE!) While not physically, I essentially grab this guys hand, lead him back to the door, and he goes on his merry way. Next I try to go to the tower to climb it and find that I've just missed closing by 5 minutes. Figures.

Anyway hope you enjoy my pictures of Paris. My food tasted much better than it looks!