Where in the World is Marta Senn-Diego? Part 16: Oui, Oui, Non, Non

Four days in Paris. What's a girl to do? I'll tell you what I did. I conquered. Veni vidi and all that jazz.

The short list was this:
1. See the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame de Paris
2. Visit the Catacombs
3. Stroll the Moulin Rogue
4. Photograph carousels
5. Have a picnic on the Seine

Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.

On Saturday morning, I arrived bright and early in Paris, a little haggard and very tired. My flight from Chiang Mai stopped in China where I was promptly taken from the immigration line and examined because I no longer reflect my passport picture and they suspected me of stealing someone's passport I guess. Then, in the actual airport, I discovered the ugly side of flying a red eye in a foreign country.

I don't know for a fact that everyone was angry at everyone, but it sure sounds that way when you don't speak the language. I kept my earbuds in and smiled as blandly and passively as I could to avoid any confrontation. Of course, I think I came off too friendly to the woman who sat beside me on the plane because when she wasn't crawling over me to go to the toilet or sleeping, she was fascinated with me. Or fascinated with abusing me.

She'd smile and beat my arm when the food or drink cart came around. She'd smile and poke my shoulder with the force of a jackhammer when she had to get up. She'd laugh and comment while pointing aggressively at whatever food I was served. I could do no more than smile back and stare ahead at my screen watching the minute little plane make its glacial progress between scenes of "The Help."

Also watched "The Blind Side" (love Sandra B.), "Chef" (incredible underdog foodie movie, and very funny), and "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" (I missed the second movie, but I still feel like if I saw it, the third movie would still look like crap. That's my opinion. It was crap.).

Anyway, landed in Paris very early and my first impressions were that it's a beautiful city with gorgeous building facades, even in the residential areas, and that everything was so neat and tidy compared to the unconventional city planning and street life of Thailand. I liked it immediately.

I strolled to my hostel, enjoying the vacant morning streets, and checked in at St.Christopher's Inn. I highly recommend these hostels to anyone: they're in association with a bar called Belushi's and guests get coupons for a free shot with their first drink of the night. They also have large, clean and bright dorms. And they offer discounts on lots of tours, including the one I was chucked into right off the bat: a free walking tour of the Montmarte district:

You know; Notre Dame, the Seine, the Opera, the Latin quarter (which actually isn't Latin in the Mediterranean sense, but because scholars met there to speak Latin and philosophize), the Louvre and parks around there.




I was just in awe the entire time. Notre Dame de Paris is so stunning. I was like Calvin from "Ferris Beuller," staring at the gargoyles, the sculptures, the saints, the arches, the towers, the flying buttresses. The detail and genius of architects around the world stuns and amazes me. Between Asia and Europe, styles are drastically different, but beauty is a universal theme.

 Filipa suggested always going around to the back of old buildings because you never know what you'll find back there. Usually, she said, they're just as beautiful as the front. I found Ned Stark behind Notre Dame!

Dear Japanese friends, Paris is still enjoying sakura!

Fun fact, the King of France so loved proportion and control and order (in a way, showing the greatness of France) that he wanted the Louvre palace to line up directly with the gardens and the Egyptian obelisk at the end. But something went wrong and the whole thing was slightly askew! They considered fixing it by moving the palace or the gardens, but eventually gave up. I bet he's still rolling in his grave over it.

We walked by the Locks of Love Bridge, too!

Too much love!

I met a few of the other hostel guests during the tour and together we made a lively little group. Our poor guide, Filipa, herded us around like ADHD cats, but she gave us a lot of cool information and some insider tips on avoiding tourist scams. For example, she told us the locals never use the Pyramid entrance at the Louvre. "It's the touristy entrance," she said. "You want to go to the side door or down there" pointing to another underground entrance in front of the cul de sac.

She was great for a local's perspective. She gives the tours for free and only makes her money from the tips she receives. For everything she told us that isn't in any guidebook, she should be making money hand over fist! And her insight was just fantastic. One of the things she likes to do in the summer when the tourists visit Paris is sit outside of the Louvre and watch people standing on pedestals to pose. The popular forced perspective pose is holding your finger out in the air like you're touching the top of the glass pyramid. The person taking the picture then tries to direct the poser on where their hand should go to be perfect.

"It makes them look like they are dancing," she said. And she demonstrated a very disco sort of boogie to show us. "When all the photographer needs to do is...move."

It's that easy!

After the two and a half hour tour, I spent the rest of the day wandering the area, poking into markets and enjoying the street art. I found an open air bird market, some interesting doors, and lots of cool people (living and otherwise).

 Along the walls on either side of the Seine are long green boxes that when they are opened turn into fully packed shops selling trinkets, books, posters, and art.

It is Paris, after all: there is art everywhere.