Travelogue From Paris

Earlier in the year, I vacationed to Paris and the first thing I saw after coming from the Metro was McDonalds. This saddened me; I was in one of the oldest, most vibrant cities in the world and my first sight was America's contribution to world culture. It was later, in a cafe eating Croque Seguin, which is a French toasted sandwich, with French wine in Notre Dame that I felt like I was in the real Paris.

My trip consisted of the usual landmarks, from the Louvre down the Champs Elysees to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. The walking began to ache after some time, but a large amount of French cafes with wine provided relief at various intervals.

French people are stereotyped as being arrogant, impatient with foreigners, snooty but while being great chefs and great wine makers. This trip made me come to realize that it was partially true; they were fantastic chefs and wine makers, but also pleasantly friendly.

Wandering Saint-Germaine the first night for dinner, I came across a quiet cafe with a waiter who moved at a speed that blew my mind at first. The sight implored me to have my dinner there. The man ran around as if he were standing on burning coal or if he were being chased by a jealous boyfriend or husband with a gun. My airplane had not flown that fast.

Perhaps one of the first things Paris taught me was to use the crosswalk. I had already been wary about jaywalking, due to the things I have heard about the French and how they drive here. A book I had read recently informed me that Paris has the world's most aggressive drivers and have had the reputation for bad driving as far back as when there were horse driven carriages.

The driving was not so bad - the author of that book had clearly never been to Manhattan before - but I decided not to take any chances. Streets come from every which way and have multiple lanes, making the crosswalks seem even more like the safe solution. Sometimes it was difficult to tell when the cars were driving or if the pedestrians had the right of way, which made deciding whether or not to cross difficult at times.

Overall, however, Paris was definitely a wonderful experience, the city surrounded by Notre Dame, the Louvre and many lights and sounds at night. The tremendous buildings, landmarks, history, cafe and the people made the trip all worth the while.