Saket Vora

Today we woke up very late…at like 8:45 or 9am. It was alright, cause we did not have a concrete plan to work out. When we came down, I checked my e-mail and was glad to see an e-mail from Eddy giving us a meeting time and place. Hooray! We then left the hotel, first deciding to go see the Arc d’Triomphe and the Champs-Elysses. We took the metro there and as you come out of the metro the Arc rises from the middle of the large traffic circle. It was of course a bit smaller than I remembered it being, mostly because the last time I saw it in person was 10 years ago, when I was 11. We walked under the circle and got up close to it. I particularly like one of the sculptures on it depicting Napoleon. He is standing in the center, with Europe kneeling at his feet, being crowned Emperor, with the Angle of Victors trumpeting the news to the world. Very cool. From the Arc d’Triomphe, we started walking down the Champs-Elysses towards the Concorde Plaza. We stopped at the McDonalds (fanciest McDonalds I’ve ever been in) to have a cup of coffee at some pastries. We continued walking down doing some window shopping. On our right we saw a nice looking building so ventured along the Palais Royale and out to this very nice bridge. We snapped photos then strolled back to the Champs-Elysses. We bought stamps and postcards too, though I think the stamp guy might have swindled us. I said I needed 8 stamps for postcards to America, and he said I needed to put two on each card so I had to buy 16 stamps…which came to more than 8 euros. Considering other countries it was around 80 cents to send a postcard priority, this seemed a bit fishy. But oh well. Made me think of that Gujurati saying about getting ripped off while traveling. Heh. On the way an old Australian approached us asking where the closest metro stop. The funny thing is was also the only problem we were having with the metro system – unlike in other cities I’ve been in, the signs for the metro blends in quite well with the surroundings, so picking them out isn’t always easy. Especially with the long blocks of Paris. A French fellow overheard and stepped in to help. I certainly don’t remember that happening 10 years ago! We made it to the Concorde Plaza, where an obelisk from Cleopatro stands and another large palace or building (sorry…Paris can overwhelm you like that) stood across the river Seine and a large and stately bridge spanning it. At this point the sun was peeking through the clouds causing the sun-beam effect, so it was quite a nice sight. We also tried to find some souvenir shops to finish some of the shopping, but it was difficult. Paris souvenirs obsess over the Eiffel tower, so finding a shotglass with the French flag or seal or a pin was extremely difficult. From the Concorde plaza we took the metro up to the Montmarte area, which is hilly and elevated compared with the rest of Paris. It is known as the artist district and was where the French movie ‘Amelie’ was shot. The streets are narrowing and wind more, and there is an older, closer feel to it. It was nice. The dominating structure here is the Sacre Coeur cathedral. We took a funicular up to it and it provides a tremendous view of Paris, which sits well below. I could make out the golden dome of the Invalides hospital, and the Eiffel tower was towards the right but obscured by some trees and building. The cathedral itself was very nice inside, with perhaps the most serious and intriguing altar area of any church I’ve seen. The lighting set the mood very well. We walked down the steps from the cathedral, and once at the street we felt kind of hungry so we bought and shared a sandwich, while Sapana find a less than ideal but very affordable shotglass and I actually found a decent pin. It was about 4:15pm, and we were set to meet Eddy in front of the church at St. Germain at 5pm. We walked back to the metro stop and took the metro to the stop before St. Germain, in order to walk the rest of the way to both eat up some time and to see more of the city. It was a bit confusing, but we finally made it. There was a small Christmas market setup around the church, so we walked up and down that. One person was carving vegetables into flowers and roses. We also stepped inside the church before coming outside. One can easily see why the square at St. Germain is an ideal place to meet someone for a coffee or drink. There are nice cafes and restaurants around the square, and the trees and streets were nicely decorated for the holidays. We were waiting by the road, and I told Sachi that Eddy drove a small French car, and I pointed to a white Clio has it drove past. Not more than fifteen seconds later, I hear my name shouted out and turn to see Eddy in his gray Clio. He went down the road to park and a few minutes later we saw him coming up. It was good to see him. I introduced him to my sisters and we went to a nearby café for some coffee. As we sat I caught up with him on his family and his departure from Lund. Sachi and Sapana also complimented him on the movie and about how travels in Europe and in Paris so far. The funny and slightly annoying part was that the waiters here seemed determine to ignore us, so it took quite a while for us to get their attention. We asked for three hot chocolates and one coffee, but instead got three coffees and one hot chocolate. Eddy sorted it out. Also, one of Eddy’s favorite French movie stars came in and took a table a few ones behind us. I asked Sachi to see if she could subtly take a few photos of him. Eddy told us that this is a trendy and fashionable part of town that, like St. Michel, is nearby some universities. We also learned that Eddy lives inside Paris. I told him how much the city impressed me, from its grandeur to its outstanding metro system. He took it quite humbly. J It got to around 6:45pm when we left the café. I asked him for some restaurant suggestions so Eddy was generous and showed us around some of the streets around the St. Germain square. He helped translate some French menus and best of all, we found that his favorite bakery in all of Paris was still open! We went in and saw all the delicious things it had to offer. I bought several kinds of macaroons and a French baguette for tomorrow’s breakfast. They later turned out to be spectacular, and I’m definitely coming back there when I come to Paris again. Sadly, we had to part ways so we said goodbye. I am sure I will see him again in America or in Paris. Eddy was so great to talk to in Lund and he was so nice and generous during his holidays in Paris. My sisters really liked him too.  We strolled around more and got a little lost, finally making it back to St. Germain square. We spotted this Italian restaurant called Mezza Luna and went there, finding the menu affordable. I got pasta and Sachi and Sapana got pizza (this was a common occurrence on this trip). Parisians truly know how to do pizza – all the ones we’ve ordered at restaurants have been superb, and always in a wood-fired oven. After finishing dinner, we went back to the Arc d’Triomphe one was time to see it and the Champs-Elysses bathed in light, and saw the Eiffel Tower flashing. Fittingly, the memory card of our camera filled up and thus our last day in Paris came to an end. We took the metro back to our hostel, where we readied our clothes for tomorrow. Our train was leaving at 7:10 to Geneva, and we had to be really early. Just as we were getting ready, Shri came back from his day at Euro-Disney, looking quite exhausted. I told him about our day and I learned that he’s also a vegetarian with family in India. He also has family in San Francisco. He had spent two days in Dubai on a stop-over and said the nightlife in Dubai was really great. I wished him well on his journeys and he did the same, and I went to bed.

Paris is truly a grand city. It has the royalty of Vienna, but with a sense of grandeur and completeness that few cities can match. It is the only city I can think of that is deserving of the title ‘Capitol of Europe’. The metro system was also such surprise. Easy to read maps and plentiful signs make finding the right connections and trains a cinch, the trains run often and are clean, and throughout the stations there are maps showing the detail Paris city metro map, the greater Paris area, as well as a detailed look at the area of Paris just surrounding the station, to help you get oriented as you leave a particular station. They would also give free maps, so I made it a point to pick one up nearly everywhere we went. My wish was that we could have stayed one more day to see more museums, like the Musee d’Orsay and the Musee Rodin. Ah well…it gives me a reason to come. What made our stay in Paris the best was that Laure, Kahina, and Eddy came and met with us. Sapana said to me as we stood by the Arc d’Triomphe at night that meeting Saket’s friends was the most wonderful part of visiting Paris. I couldn’t agree more.