Day 51 - An American in Paris

Today is Christmas Eve!!! well actually right now its just past midnight so its technically christmas day. this morning i got up, did a bunch of things to tie up loose ends (got keycard from elisabet, dropped off some xmas cards, did a little cleaning, paid my bills, printed out last minute paris details), then i packed and got on the road. the drive was a breeze.... except for when i got about 15km from my apartment i rented for the week. it took me 2 hours to go those last 15km!!!! ugh it was so painful. stop go stop go stop go. in a car with a manual transmission. good workout for my shins :) once i got into the city the people here drive like maniacs!!! traffic lights are optional hahah!! if hte light turns red and you're in the middle of the intersection its cool to just stay there and let the traffic back up. lanes are optional as well. stopping in the middle of the street is also cool. the driving situation is stressing me out!!!! thank god i have my GPS.. otherwise i would probably not be blogging now i'd still be driving around aimlessly until i ran out of gas. there are so many people out. my first impressions is there are a lot of lights everywhere and neon signs, overall initally paris reminds me of NYC. later as i walk around more it starts to remind me quite a bit of brussles actually. i think paris and brussels are sister cities.

so i meet the apartment owner, Elie, who has been waiting patiently for me while i was stuck in traffic. he's probably late 20's early 30's and seems really cool. the apartment buidling is gated and you need a code to get in and another code to get upstairs. i'm feeling pretty safe in here. i can't believe i'm only paying 50 euro per night. a hostel was about 40 euro per night and i would have to share a room with 6 people. the apartment is super cool, its a big studio with big windows and a balcony. little kitchen and a bathroom with a washing machine. so unbeleivably perfect. and the best part... it has wireless internet!! the aparment is in the latin quarter, just around the corner from a metro station and a bus pickup, several restaurants and shops, and about 2 blocks from the jardin des plants. perfect location and cool area, but i feel really safe walking around.

so by the time i got here it was about 8PM, i changed and headed out to tackle the metro. it was really really easy. everything is numbered and color coded. i bought a 5-day transpo pass which is good on all metro, train, busess, etc. for the whole city. i took the metro a few stops over to the Notre Dame Cathedral. the cathedral was a few blocks from the metro, and when i turned the corner and saw the cathedral, it was breathtaking. outside there were hundreds of people and a big christmas tree. lots of police as well. i got there just before 9:30 which turned out the be PERFECT timing. i got right in line JUST as they started letting people in for the 10PM show and choir. i got a seat about 1/3 of the way up and had a perfect veiw of the alter. when i first walked into the church, it was so grand and beautiful. it had a certain smell when i walked in. i can't describe it. christmasy. the vaulted curved ceilings and the glass windows, the ornate columns and the polished marble. it was absolutely breathtaking. i will come back during the day, maybe tomorrow, to see it in better light. the candle light was very appropriate for the evening, but i couldn't see all the construction details very well.

initially, i sat next to a nice irish woman. unfortunately, she left early and was replaced by the worst mother in paris and her little brat. the mother basically picked up her kid and put him in my lap, then he proceeded to whine and squirm the whole night, much the annoyance of (ME!!) and everyone else around us. it was like a chorus of ssshhhhhh's. the mom didn't seem to care about the disturbance her son was causing. she was just as rude as he was. obviously the apple didnt fall far from the tree. the little guy was only about 4 or 5 so i couldn't be too annoyed with him. it is christmas after all. but i wanted to kill the mother. i'm going to hell, i know.

i was somewhat able to block out the squirming kid, and I did thoroughly enjoy the program and the choir. it was a film projected on a big screen hung above the alter which gave a basic synopsis of the bible and jesus etc. followed by some wonderful choir singing and organ playing. it lasted about 1h45. it was immediately followed by the midnight mass, and if it wasnt for the kid, i probably would have stayed, but i reached my tolerance limit. when i got up to leave, i saw there were hundreds of people standing on the sides and in the back of the church, and when i got outside, there were hundreds more standing outside. i can't believe what a good seat i had in there!!

i walked back to the metro. everything is lit up so beautifully, even at midnight. lots of people still out and about. i walked over a footbridge and the river below was so beautiful. another footbridge just a bit further up is illuminated and its very easy to see how so many people can fall in love with this city.

speaking of love, i'm beginning to see why paris is called the city of love. on my way to notre dame tonight, i was asked out my 3 different guys! two while i was waiting for the metro, and one actually pulled over while he was driving to talk to me as i was walking on the sidewalk! they all thought 1) i was italian, and 2) my french was pretty good. i'm quite pleased with myself right now. they were all shocked that i was american. "american!! ce n'est pas vrai!!" i'm not sure why they were all shocked, maybe there arent many american visitors or maybe i just didn't look american, whatever that means. in any case, i'm exhausted, and i'm looking forward to getting a little sleep. tomorrow i plan to climb the eiffel tower as a morning workout. can't wait!!!