Paris

Paris, Oct. 26-29

I am so glad that I made the trip to Paris.  What a wonderfully beautiful city!  The most amazing thing is the abundance of gorgeous buildings wherever you go.  I was “oohing” and “aahing” at nearly every turn. I would love to live there—well, if I were wealthy and spoke French.

I went by train from Martigny to Lausanne, then changing trains to Paris. I was a bit anxious about being on the right platform, getting on the right train, etc, which seemed odd to me, being I navigated Seoul, Korea, by myself several years ago, where it was much harder to find my way.  But I made it just fine--- no strikes ---- just a 45 minute delay one place which may have been strike related.  I then navigated the Metro to the stop near my hotel, and found my way there.  It was a great place I found on EuroCheapo.com ---- very near the Eiffel Tower.  The neighborhood was pretty upscale.  Because many consulates and foreign-service offices are nearby, many diplomats and so forth live in the area.  All I did the first afternoon/evening was to explore the neighborhood.

It was impossible to see everything on a three-day trip especially when I had never been there before.  I bought a ticket for a “hop-on-hop-off” tour bus, and that worked out well.  The weather was good, cool in the mornings and evenings, but sunny during the day, and no rain, which made riding in the open-air bus very workable.  I visited Notre Dame Cathedral, and actually stayed for the Mass.  The Cathedral was very beautiful.  Later I went to the center of the city, visited the Opera area, the Madeleine church, the Apple Store, a huge department store, Galleries Lafayette, and other places downtown, getting on and off the tour bus.  The second day was museum day--- I visited the Louvre and the Orsay. The third day I spent most of the time I had before my train along the Champs Elysees.  In the evenings I was worn out from walking during the day, so I didn’t go to any shows or experience the Paris nightlife. I tried out different restaurants in the area of my hotel, and was in bed by 10 or 11. 

I wore my Vancouver 2010 jacket, with Canada written across the front, that and a backpack made it obvious I was a tourist, and people very helpful if I needed directions or had questions. There was one downside to this—apparently this made me a target for a particular scam.  I didn’t catch on the first time.  A woman was walking along beside me, and she picked up something from the sidewalk.  It was a man’s wedding band.  She smiled and said in broken English, “Ah, Good luck!” Then she handed it to me, and said, “It’s for you.”  I said no at first—she insisted.  She said you take it---I have no husband, no family.  Then she said she was from Bosnia, and lost her passport—could I give her some money for my good luck.  I said no, and then handed the ring back to her, realizing it was a set up form the beginning.  The odd thing was that this happened to me four more times in three days!  I saw one woman look at me and then drop the ring right in front of her. I found it interesting to observe---- I guess I look pretty gullible! 

Oct 30: Lausanne- Olympic Museum

We visited the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the headquarters of the IOC.  It is in the most beautiful setting, on a steep hillside right on Lake Geneva. There is a lovely garden with impressive sculptures. The fall color was as beautiful as in Minnesota.  It was interesting to visit there so soon after the Vancouver Winter Olympics.  We happened to meet a woman who once lived in Vancouver who now works for the IOC.  As you see, it’s been a busy time!