So, my last day in Paris, I didn’t do anything in particular–I just ambled about in the hours I had between checking out of my hostel, and boarding the Chunnel back to the L-Town…
For lunch, I simply had sorbet–balanced nutrition???…Maybe not–but, delicious!!!!…Note: If I return to Paris, I need to hit up Amorino again, where the guy actually shaped my large order of mango, passionfruit, and raspberry sorbet into the shape of a rose (mad style points, right there!!)…Also, I’ll go back to Laduréé, the little macaroon boutique where I got some blackcurrant sorbet served with a macaroon in it–DIVINE…
Plus, I got some lovely little momentos–this sparkly starfish ring (hopefully I don’t lose this one!!)…
…and these old postcards–one of them is dated June 19, 1931, one looks like it’s from the ’20s, and the other one looks like it’s from the late-’40s-early-’50s…
Now that my little adventure is over, I’ll now take time to reflect on impression of Gay Paris…
- Not all of it is pretty–I mean, don’t get me wrong, Paris definitely has some lovely areas, but a lot of areas–like where my hostel was–are quite grimy, defaced, and urban not in a pretty way…
- Paris is extremely dirty…Granted, various Europeans have told me this for years, but they weren’t exaggerating…The streets and Metro (oh Lord, the Metro) constantly smelled of urine, there was sticky stuff and trash everywhere on the ground, and trash cans were a little hard to find…Yes, I do realize that in major cites (like N.Y.C. and London), sanitation is gonna be something of an issue–but I’ve never seen it as bad as this…
- Speaking of the Metro, I missed the Tube SO MUCH–not only is is a bit cleaner, it’s easier for me to maneuver…
- The people were so much nicer than expected!!…I was shocked at how helpful the staff at shops and restaurants were.–and they smiled a lot, which, me being from the South, that was very much appreciated…
- Everyone responded to me in English, even when I tried to use my über-limited French with them…
Now, if you were to ask me which city do I prefer–London or Paris–my answer would be London…While I didn’t hate Paris as much as I anticipated, it just isn’t London…I don’t know, Paris just feels to me like a big park/museum–which is cool, because I love both–but London feels more like a bustling, modern metropolis…Even though it too is historical, you also know that you’re in a vibrant city of the 21st century–it’s bustling, there’s people everywhere doing everything, and you can just feel the youthful buzz and energy–things that I felt that Paris lacked…
But, I mean, I don’t really regret going–it’s nice to say I had the experience at least…And who knows–I haven’t seen Sainte Chapelle, or met Gaspard Ulliel (mon petit Gaspard)–so you may be hearing of my exploits in Paris once again, ;-)…
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