Ein Wochenende in Paris, während dessen es viel geregnet hat

Got back to Munich from a weekend in Paris this morning. Almost made class too, but the airport bus took twice as long as normal to get into the city because of morning traffic. Scooting into class a half hour late is not really acceptable, so I had to visit the doctor and make some vague complaints to get a valid excuse for missing class. Kind of pathetic. But this post is not about that. It is about the trip.

Paris is beautiful, and I am not simply speaking of the monuments that get so much (deserved) play on the postcards. Yes, there is a fair amount of graffiti and street cleaners do not manage to keep everything so tidy as those in Munich (though I find it hard to believe any could manage that), but within the central city at least, I do not know where one could find anything ugly, much less plain. There just seems to be this pride in not allowing anything to be common. Every apartment building has wrought iron fences on the balconies or stone designs running along the sides. It is something else and wonderful to walk through.

Only managed to hit up the Louvre this trip, but the four odd hours spent in there were not enough. First was by myself on the free Friday, and the second was with Emmett, just kicking off his Continental Train Tour by arriving in Paris on Saturday evening, on Sunday (first Sunday of the month means free access to all museums). At first we attempted to visit the Musee d'Orsay, but the line was insane and dedicated line workers were trying to organize it a little bit. Popularity probably has something to do with fewer free days than the Louvre, which is always open to those under 18 and the unemployed. Fun fact. Saw the triad of biggies in the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Was more impressed, me at least, by two interpretations of Cupid and Psyche and one marble statue called "Veiled Woman."

Other highlights: walking down the Champs Elysees when all the Christmas lights were on, visiting the Sacré Coeur for the view both inside and out, seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle, strolling along the quai and considering the best way to break into various wedding parties, working our way past numerous sex shops and live shows to pass the Moulin Rouge, and crossing Pont Neuf, like Jason Bourne at the end of the first movie.

Not sure how many of you know this, but this was not my first trip to Paris. Just after graduating from high school, I went with my French class. Also, the fact that I have four years of high school might be a surprise. What was a surprise to me though was that I actually remembered enough French and could speak with enough of an accent that I did not immediately come off as some idiot tourist. For example, when the doorman at the very nice hotel came to kick Emmett and me out from underneath the awning and back into the torrent, he did not reply in English when I asked "Oú est le Métro?" Until I just stared blankly at his French, that is. Quick point, weather was insane. Constant rain in the evenings, and some major wind gusts that took out more than a few umbrellas. Weather has actually bad enough to deter us from walking back to our hostel and just using the Métro instead.

Now all there is to do is anticipate visits from Stephanie and Sara and plan my Christmas vacation.

Tschüß.