Saturday, March 24, 2012

Salutations de la France (Greetings from France!)

I've only been in France for two days, and yet French is taking over my mind. Ok, first off, every single one of you must go to Paris! It's not an option. I have read about Paris, talked about it with others, and yet, when I arrived it was completely new to me (which is a good thing). I first saw the Eiffel Tower when I was flying into Paris (it was amazing) at 6:48a.m., and then, the fun began! This, as you all know, is my first time being outside of the U.S. (and also, my first time traveling ALONE). Finding my way through Charles de Gaulle (the airport) was actually not so bad. The luggage part, however, was. Carrying around a 50 lbs suitcase, and two carry on bags was my least favorite part of the experience. But, I'm glad my luggage arrived in Paris with me. Also, I did not have any trouble going through customs because there really was no customs process! I got off the plane, walked through a line, and an officer looked at my passport, stamped it (no questions) and I was on my way. After that, I grabbed my suitcase and headed off for the train to go into Paris.
The train was very easy to use, but Parisians are not so kind when you take up a lot of space (as I did with all my luggage). I had to switch from the train to the metro (which was not fun at all, because, once again, hauling around the luggage up and down hundreds of little, tiny steps is not fun). Once I got off the metro, I found myself in Paris (and not the touristy part, yes there is a place in Paris without many tourists; I was there). I had to walk several blocks and I finally arrived at the hostel. The hostel was nice, almost as good as a hotel. I couldn't check in, but I could store my luggage there. It was about 9h00 when I arrived, and I was supposed to meet my friends there at 12, and I decided to wait until then before I went off exploring. It wasn't the original plan, but by this time, I was exhausted. I hadn't slept at all on the flight and I had just carried all that weight. So, I sat in the hostel and conversed with the other tourists (one from New Zealand, and two from Germany, and maybe 20 from Israel). My friends finally arrived around 1:00, and when they did, I was ready to go.
The first place we went was to a cafe called "Le Square", where I ate (in honor of my sister) un croque monsieur (which is probably the best fried ham & cheese sandwich I've ever had), along with a nice bottle of Bordeaux Superior. My friends and I spoke only in French (and I mean it, it was our rule, and we have continued speaking only in French as I write this). I'm very confident in my language abilities, I understand everyone (almost, there was that one guy, lol), but what I noticed was that when your here, you pretty much have to speak French. The myth that all Parisians speak English is completely FALSE. Now if you're at the airport, yeah there is a lot of English, German, Spanish, etc. But for the most part, on parle français (if you break this rule, I suppose your in for rudeness and un-welcomed surprises). After eating, of course, I had to go see it, the Eiffel Tower. B-E-A-Utiful. It's incredible. Hundreds of people were waiting in line, hundreds of Parisians were sun-bathing on the grass nearby, the fountains were running full-speed, and the pigeons were pecking away at the ground. The Eiffel Tower pierces the sky and the hearts of all the people who see it (especially at night). However, due to time constraints, I didn't go up in it! I know! Quel desastre! But, I will be returning to Paris in a couple of weeks to do it then. Other places I went to: Arc de Triomphe (made it here just in time to see the tomb of the unknown soldier ceremony), Champs Elysees (lots of stores, awesome cafe and bar, BUT expect to pay 15 euros for a Jack and coke; can you say, non merci?).
By 08h00, the lights came to life. Big time. Everything illuminated before our eyes, and before we knew it, a huge, sharp ray of light was spinning in the air (i.e. the Eiffel Tower). We ended the night watching the Eiffel Tower (which sparkles on the hour), and also we ended the night trying to get back to our hostel (which was interesting, a little scary, but nonetheless, awesome because of the sights we crossed (such as the boulevards, the monuments, etc.). This morning, we checked out of the hostel at 11h00 on the dot, headed to the metro with all that luggage, and went straight to the Gare de Lyon (train station), and after a two and a half hour trip on the TGV, here I am, in Avignon. I’ve only been in Avignon for about 6 hours. Most of which were spent on eating at a restaurant; yes, it’s true. In France, don’t go to a restaurant hungry, you will starve the first hour or so; especially if you are someone like me who does not eat salad.
Here’s how the meal went: drinks, salad, bread, plat principal, petit café (little cup of coffee)followed by dessert(you eat the dessert quickly because it is delicious). I ordered the Malgret canard grillé avec polentat et mangues rôteries (grilled duck, with polentat, which I have no idea how to describe, it’s like mashed potatoes, but it’s not potatoes, it’s some kind of paste, and fried mango (which was surprisingly good). I ate everything, along with a Coulant au chocolat (which is a cake with a melted, chocolate center and cream). And now, here I am back in my hotel room. Tomorrow I will meet my host family (which should be very interesting). But for now, it's bed time for me :) Much more photos to come (these are just glimpses for now). A plus!
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 24, 2012 at 1:26 AM

    Kyle, im so happy that you are having such an amazing experience. I can just see you doing all of those things that you described! You painted such a beautiful picture for all of us back home. Im so proud of you and i look forward to more stories and pictures! I love you! - Sis

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  2. AnonymousMarch 24, 2012 at 1:31 AM

    P.s. if you liked the croque misuer, try the croque madam, its even better! It has an egg on top! And when the yolk breaks and oozes all down the sandwhich...mmmm! Love you!-Sis

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  3. UnknownMarch 29, 2012 at 4:09 AM

    yay!! Finally got a chance to read through this post! So happy you made it safely and so happy you are enjoying it so far!! You make me want to go to france even MORE!! (even though i don't speak french) which is why i'm gonna bring you right along with me ;P I hope you are enjoying your host parents and time in Avignon (who wouldn't enjoy a 5 hour French meal!! :P) -Megan

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