Weekend at Paris with Parisians!

PARIS
Date:17-19 July 2009
On Friday in the afternoon, I took the Thalys from Brussels Midi to Paris Gare du Nord. The train had a 25 minutes delay. I sat with a French family; grandmother, mother and a son of nearly 10. The grandmother was so lovely. The family was coming from a museum visit in Brussels where they had collected lots of postcards and wrote notes to their frends, relatives etc. notes to be posted. The boy has read Harry Potter all the way long and drawn some pictures. I talked to the mother. They were from a city about 40 minutes away from Paris (I do not remember the name of the city). The lady had a daughter who was currently in Portugal and she would go to Paris next week to pick her up! The lady and the boy loved Paris and they were usually going together to visit Louvre! I like this scenario! I loved the mum and the boy visiting the museums together! Not so usually seen in Turkey! Not only Turkey maybe all around the world!
Paris Gare du Nord: I arrived to Paris Gare du Nord at about 19:00 pm, got out of the Gare to take a taxi. There were taxis waiting in front of the Gare but none of were interested in me.Later on, one of the taxi drivers pointed left and I saw that there was a huge queue out there, lots of people were waiting for a taxi. My first amazement! Lots of people 50% Parisians, 50% tourists. Many different looking people, lots of blacks, all the taxi drivers black!!!! Oh my God! I felt a little unsafe! A quiet discrimination in my mind, blacks may cheat people! About 20 minutes later I got a taxi. Well, the driver was so gentle that I felt safe. It took me only 10 minutes from the Gare to the hotel which costed 10.30 EUR. The taxi driver asked me to pay 15 EUR. I told him that it was 10.30 EUR, he replied me back in French which I really did not understand. I decided not to insist! No troubles from the very first moment of my arrival.
HOTEL MERCURE HASUSSMANN: Well, there was my hotel. Mercure Haussmann. (Accor Hotels) A small typical European hotel, formerly ran by a family, than acquired by Acoor. A young 18 year old French boy welcomed me at the reception. A very old small lift and a very small room just a little space for my luggage. The bathroom was clean with a very small shower area.
First night at Champs Elysses: I walked to the Champs Elyssess from the hotel. It took me about 10-15 minutes by foot. When I first arrived at CE I did not recognize that I was there. Why? Because I was expecting a much more peaceful, elegant, calmer street. Well, lots of people from many different countries, lots of blacks, Arabian looking people, lots of Japaneses! I have looked for a decent place to sit and have dinner. I went into a Brasserie called George V. A young blackish monsieur took care of me. I ordered a Margharita (pizza) and a beer. ( a local one, the name like Kroes….??). The pizza was awful where as the beer was fine.Well suddenly the weather got windy and started to rain, very heavy rain! I just stared at people passing by! At about 22:30, I left the restaurant. Started walking on the street and saw the huge SEPHORA. Asked the gentleman at the door (black of course) at what time is the shop closed? He replied back 02:00 am (after midnight) It is heaven!! Imagine that you want to buy the lipstick you have seen in the internet at 00:00!!! There, is the Sephora, you can just go in and get your make up done by the ladies at the stands of the brands! OK I am exaggerating:) I spent about 2 hours. Not much different than the one in Turkey. Just some new brands, some local French brands! It was a huge store at all and there were girls and boys dancing inside the store like a disco area! A young girl put some make up on my face whose grandfather was born in Istanbul so that she knew Turkey very well!
I walked back to the hotel but the streets were getting much more quiet as I got closer to the hotel so that I decided to take a taxi even if I knew that it was a 10 minute walk but I really did not want to risk myself because I had a full day waiting for me.
Saturday morning. Woke up at 8:00 a.m. Decided to have the breakfast at the hotel with the guests staying there. Had some cereals and bread with Nutella which is the safest taste when you are abroad. The taste that never changes!!!! Nutella!
I walked for 5 minutes and got a taxi to Louvre which costed me 6 Euros. The taxi driver had a nice French music, I wanted this ride to last forever. Sun coming into the taxi, with the bright sky upwards and nice music. What else would you need on a nice Saturday morning at 9:00 am? Louvre: The beautiful Garden! The huge garden! Lots of people! I looked around, sat by the nice pools, just looked around! Had a small tour around the garden and then back to the pools, watching the area. Feeling both that I was at home and that I was away! A nice feeling! Stood up, wandered around the rectangular garden, trying to guess if I should go North or South for the Jardins des Tuliers. Just seen the Arc de Triomph du Carrousel, walked down, passed through the Jardines des Tuliers… Beautiful, huge but dirty! Again a small break by the pools in the mid of the garden and then walking on and on, passed Place de la Concorde and down to Champs Elysses…Avenue des Champs and there is the Arc de Triomphe Etoile. I really liked that area. Many avenues joining each other at that place. Took the Avenue d’Iena down to Eiffel. Stopped by the café Sir Winston. Had an espresso shot and continued!!! A very good avenue, with many office buildings, architecture offices, modeling agencies…etc. Passed by Mussee Guimet… Found my way down to Eiffel. There was the Seine, Pont d’Iena and the huge Eiffel, standing up at the both edges of the Seine. Lots of people… The park area, people laying on the ground, very hot sunshine and there is me, laying on the grass, having a break and watching around…Not feeling like a foreigner and sometimes being scared feeling like a foreigner. It is adrenaline. Something exciting. I like it. And the crowded Palais de Chaillot!
Now back through the Avenue d’Iena. Went into the Rue de Longchamp. Bought a banana and a bottle of water from a small market… Good small boutiques, small cafes and a nice Bistro. Sat by the Bistro had my Kriroyal, watched fashionably dressed Parisians.It is obvious that they take care of their appearances.I liked it and felt so casual and dirty cos I have already walked for 8 hours in my same casual dress.Back to the Champs Elysses… Went into a Paris Saint German fan shop, bought a small souvenir for Eco, got into Louis Vuitton. Looking around for a nice bag, triyng , lots of Japanese women looking at me and saying this looks fine on you. Anyway I did not just liked what I did and ofcoure did not buy a BAG! Lots of Arabic and Japanese women were shopping crazily!!!
The last point Galerie La Fayette! The 8 floor huge department store with big sales! Women everywhere shopping. A 3000 square meter shoe department. Oh my shoes! Wonderful! I have liked a few pairs... later on, wanted to go to the terrace to have dinner as it was 19:30 already. I was hungry and thirsty! I wanted to see Eiffel at night with its lights on. But the terrace was closed. Went out feeling exhausted! Wow! What a rain! What a wind! Put my umbrella on and looked around to find a restaurant to have a dinner with the French people! Stopped by a rest. Had a grilled salmon and some icecream with a glass of Kriroyal! People all around were looking at me.I believe it is because they could feel that I was a stranger but from where? The monsiuers were so kind that they gave me change agaİnst my 500 EUR, the dinner costed me 30 Euros at all!
It was already 9.00 pm. I was so tired, wanted to stop by a café for another drink. Just looked around but it was so cold and rainy that I could not sit by a café and have some drinks either! Went back to the hotel. Feeling so at home and telling myself, hey you, you are alone here, you are far away from home. Just stared at the apartment standing across my hotel room which was so close and watched the people at their homes with their curtains open. Just looked what they were doing. I know it is not ethical to watch people in their private areas however I enjoyed doing it... Thinking to myself if I wanted be one of them! I do not know!
My last morning, left the hotel at 8:30 looking for a café to have breakfast! Everywhere was closed and as it was 9:00 am, they all opened. Stopped by Starbucks, had one orange juice, one latte and a muffin. What a super breakfast this is! Fed the birds on the ground with my muffin, had my latte, watched newly woken up Parisians, some walking with their dog, some running, some driving, some sitting by me having a coffee! At 10:15, went back to the hotel, checked out. My Capitol shuttle bus arrived with a nice fat, big driver singing all the way. Stopped by a hotel picked up 2 Australians. A nice couple! Runnng their own hotel at Melbourne and welcoming Sonoco people at their hotel. What a small world. We were all surprised to that! What a small world! It is a small world and we, humanbeings are so small!!!
Arrived to Charles de Gaulle. Star Alliance employees had a strike at the airport. All the steward and stewardees were shouting. No food, no drink, no employee. I sat by my computer, had my music in my ears, writing my Paris notes.
I cleared my mind. I will always look for the opportunities to have these small breaks. I need these breaks. These breaks make me feel that I am really living. Otherwise, life gets too boring!

In my next time in Paris, I will be seeing all these avenues, the cafes, the boutiques there and buy a pair of ballerina shoes for myself:)