Paris: Day One

Friday 20 Oct. 2023

I woke up late for me and early for Paris. Hehe! 10am. I’ll blame jet lag. I used the Wi-Fi in my apartment to get my map for my first destination, a recommendation from my friend Amber: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. I was going to head for Rue Mouffetard, but I heard it’s best for weekends. So, let’s visit some dead people. The cemetery is known for its celebrities buried here as well as its beauty. Weird how beautiful a cemetery can be. I found a few famous people, including Jim Morrison. There’s another one, but that family will find me if I post anything…Anyhow!

Before the cemetery, I went to where the heavens begin…YO’ Mac And Cheese. I am a lover of all mac and cheese varieties. Unfortunately, I don’t think American mac and cheese will ever be the same. The menu includes famous hip-hop and rap names. This plate is the Notorious Brie. And it was…delicious creaminess. The guy who worked the counter was excellent and very accommodating for my lack of comprehension skills.

The cemetery is large with tons of crypts. A lot of these tell stories or pay homage to those they represent. As I said, I found Jim Morrison, which my dad will appreciate.

The Paris metro is quite easy to use. But so is the New York metro and I suppose some folks would argue that. In any case, I took the 2 and the 1 trains to the Louvre Museum around 14:30. I kept seeing signs for tickets, which I hadn’t thought of. And without wi-fi, I had no such luck of finding any. So I walked the perimeter of the Louvre, the gardens, and many of the outlying shops in searches for Wi-Fi. No luck. I decided to head back and see if I could convince a group to let me join them.

When I got back to the Louvre at 15:45, I found the sign that hailed the entrance for those who hadn’t thought to buy a ticket ahead of time. C’est moi. It’s 15 euros, by the way. Skip the Mona Lisa and enjoy the plethora of other paintings from the same time period. I especially enjoyed the history of the Louvre itself, which began as a castle and fortress. There are the remains of the original fortress walls in the basement (-1 and -2 floors). I’m not sure I got 15 euros of time out of my visit as I left at 18:00 when the museum closes, but I definitely enjoyed it all.

I decided, for some reason, to walk from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower. That’s 3.5km or just over 2 miles. The sun was beginning to set and I traced my way along the Seine. Quite lovely. I pondered briefly going up the Tower, but decided to delay entry for another day. Looks like about 30 euros all the way to the top. It’s much taller than I expected. Wow! Instead, with the timeliness of Father Time himself, my friend, Sarah, recommended a spot for good wine and escargot. Ironically, it was but five minutes from where I sat using the Eiffel Tower’s wi-fi.

I went to Le Champ de Mars. And reading through the reviews now, I’m not sure what to decide. I spent 32 euros, more than any spot so far. One small bier, 6 escargot, and some garlic bread. All delicious. But quite a bit. So take that how you want. I’m sure there’s other places for cheaper, but if money isn’t an issue, it’s good.

I was planning to head out before 21:30, but I had trouble getting the check. Regardless, I enjoyed my time there.

I got home and finally crashed about 23:30.