Triumphs of the day include being mistaken for a French girl on the airplane, ordering my first brie sandwich in a boulangerie, and successfully navigating the metro. As for not-so-triumphs, there are almost too many to name when you haven't slept for a good 36 hours. These include asking the man at car rental desk when I could check into my hotel room, getting my metro card stuck in my purse, and holding up a line of impatient Parisians while getting the right amount of change in euros.
Bienvenue à Paris, non?
Needless to say, Paris is oh-so charmant. Admittedly, it has taken me a few hours here to feel that way. I drove into the city in the back of a crammed van. Paris is a maze of curvy one-way streets and the van turned every which way till my already dazed, sleep-deprived head spinned. We passed all sorts of ethnic restaurants, convenience and bargain stores, nothing that screamed of La Belle France. We were stuck behind a Fed-ex truck and there were posters of Leonardo DiCaprio everywhere (well, can't complain too much about that one). I expected to see this real Paris, not the faux one of the movies and novels. Yet, I felt just as if I was in any other big city.
As for the parts of quintessential Paris, I have to keep reminding myself that the mansard roofs are real, that the signs in French actually communicate something and aren't just for decoration. Outside my room right now it is raining. There is a group of teenage boys playing a game of soccer on the field across the street and I just got my first glimpse of the Eiffel tower (completely on accident. And let me tell ya, once I saw it, I stood there and gawked for a moment). I'm taking these few things as good omens for the next few weeks. I mean to fall in love with Paris.
But for now, i'm barley keeping my eyelids open, so a bientot!
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