Mon amant, my lover.
Everyone knows that when in Paris you must have a lover. In fact someone once told me that the best way to learn french was to sleep with a french dictionary...get it??? Mon amant is the metro of Paris. I love hopping on and hopping off. I love scurrying around in all the tunnels and knowing that each stop will take no more than 45 seconds! I love the music that filters through the passages. I love the anonymous humanity. Its like the faucet has been turned on and the water is spurting from everywhere! People are running up and down stairs, the escalator is never fast enought, RUN..RUNN..RUNNN. The french say..boulot, metro, dodo (work/metro/sleep). It's the endless daily cycle. But I love it...no traffic, no parking, no tickets, and almost no waiting, I am content with mon amant.
But like all couples, we don't always get along. Yesterday I was on ligne 14..so beautiful, austere and efficient. Ligne 14 is the heart of mon amour! I was excited to have returned. After taking numerous pictures of the station, I hopped on and was just about to sit down when the train took off. WWWWHHHOOOOOSH! Its an express train with just 5 stops across paris and it is operated without a driver. Before I realized it, I WWHHHOOSSHED RIGHT ONTO THE FLOOR!!!! LOL...thank God I dont know anyone is this city! And because of the speed, I couldn't get up easily! My legs were pointing in two different directions. I was wearing heels and a SKIRT, and because of the G FORCES of the train I couldn't just hop back onto my feet! In fact it took a tiny older french woman to help HOIST ME up!!! ITS COOOOOOOLLL no one saw me ..right?
Today I didnt have class so I decided to hit the stores to find des chaussures brillantes..sparkly shoes. I went to Les Halles an underground shopping center in the center of paris.
Can I stop and say that its strange that I am often HOT in paris. For some reason the parisiens think nothing of wearing a sweater and coat in a store that is 78-85 degrees. What is up with that??? I am in a tshirt with my sweater wrapped around my hips and if I could sweat I would be , because it is hot in there! But nooooo....everyone keeps their winter coats on as if the snow would somehow find them.
Okay I tried on 500 pairs and nothing was quite right. So when in doubt, shop for groceries! I decided to go to chinatown , my old quarter. I took a different route and ended up on An RER. This is the train system that works outside of Paris but is intergrated with the metro system. The trains are double decker and are like amtrak trains..BIG, FAST, and very quiet. Only one problem. I was going the wrong way. EEEEEEEkkk. If I dont watch out I will be in FRANCE but I will not be in paris! Fais attention! Station names were passing me by and I got off quick!!!
I eventually got on the right line and found my way to the ultimate chinese grocery store. I only go there for one thing, NEMS. That may not mean anything to you, but NEMS are the deep friend spring rolls that are really expensive at most thai restaurants. Well in paris you can buy the 'nems' already made and with the dipping sauce. I already know how good it is..yuummmmm. My bag was full of NEMS, nem sauce, red chilis, and lettuce. Spring rolls for lunch tomorrow!
But like all couples, we don't always get along. Yesterday I was on ligne 14..so beautiful, austere and efficient. Ligne 14 is the heart of mon amour! I was excited to have returned. After taking numerous pictures of the station, I hopped on and was just about to sit down when the train took off. WWWWHHHOOOOOSH! Its an express train with just 5 stops across paris and it is operated without a driver. Before I realized it, I WWHHHOOSSHED RIGHT ONTO THE FLOOR!!!! LOL...thank God I dont know anyone is this city! And because of the speed, I couldn't get up easily! My legs were pointing in two different directions. I was wearing heels and a SKIRT, and because of the G FORCES of the train I couldn't just hop back onto my feet! In fact it took a tiny older french woman to help HOIST ME up!!! ITS COOOOOOOLLL no one saw me ..right?
Today I didnt have class so I decided to hit the stores to find des chaussures brillantes..sparkly shoes. I went to Les Halles an underground shopping center in the center of paris.
Can I stop and say that its strange that I am often HOT in paris. For some reason the parisiens think nothing of wearing a sweater and coat in a store that is 78-85 degrees. What is up with that??? I am in a tshirt with my sweater wrapped around my hips and if I could sweat I would be , because it is hot in there! But nooooo....everyone keeps their winter coats on as if the snow would somehow find them.
Okay I tried on 500 pairs and nothing was quite right. So when in doubt, shop for groceries! I decided to go to chinatown , my old quarter. I took a different route and ended up on An RER. This is the train system that works outside of Paris but is intergrated with the metro system. The trains are double decker and are like amtrak trains..BIG, FAST, and very quiet. Only one problem. I was going the wrong way. EEEEEEEkkk. If I dont watch out I will be in FRANCE but I will not be in paris! Fais attention! Station names were passing me by and I got off quick!!!
I eventually got on the right line and found my way to the ultimate chinese grocery store. I only go there for one thing, NEMS. That may not mean anything to you, but NEMS are the deep friend spring rolls that are really expensive at most thai restaurants. Well in paris you can buy the 'nems' already made and with the dipping sauce. I already know how good it is..yuummmmm. My bag was full of NEMS, nem sauce, red chilis, and lettuce. Spring rolls for lunch tomorrow!
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