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adric ([personal profile] adric) wrote2002-07-20 03:37 pm
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Arrival, 23:50

  • baffled by the Metro ticket kiosk and these green
    things

  • a Francophone helped me buy two green slips of
    paper for 20 EUR, one got me into Metro, and pointed me to correct
    train for Chatelet

  • more field repairs on watch in Metro

  • right outside Metro, once I found my way out,
    is

  • Cyberc@fe Paris (phonebookoftheworld.com)

  • AccessX ?? 5 hours (less 10), 2-7, (down the street
    from listed 24hour
    c-cafe sign: closed 000-07:30)

    • custom gui menu shell on top of Win2K, nice
      flatscreen boxen

    • first few missions of Warcraft III (in
      French), gorgeous, amazing, seems a worthy sequel to one of the
      best video games ever

    • first few steps of RTCW (in French),
      cool, but hung the box

    • first few steps of Max Payne (in French),
      kept getting shot




Walking Tour of Paris

  • Chatelet

  • Notre Dame (Crypt A-- wouldn't open until 10
    ;( )

  • Palais Royal??

  • Louvre

  • Egyptian Obelisk, environs

  • breakfast at Cafe Recrument:

    • a real continental breakfast

    • French menu w/ english subtitles

    • crossaint (sp!), jam, buttered bread, cafe,
      orange
      juice: 6.60 EUR


    • check price at St. Dominique 85 EUR +

    • Tour Eiffel

    • check price at Hilton (300-230 EUR!!)

    • back to R. St Dominique

    • room, breakfast : 100 EUR

    • lunch Cafe A---: cheese topped ham pizza,
      lemonade

    • wander about, including grocery store

    • check in at 14, head upstairs

    • fail to lance blister :(

    • crash out to music videos: 14:00 -- nap -- 20:30

    • breakfast is until 10, ask for wake up call at
      900

    • look in luggage shop: very nice versatile rolling
      bag/pack for 55 EUR

    • Arc d'Triumph

    • head south

    • le Tour (sunrise, moon, lit up)

    • frozen yogurt (?) cone: 3.50 EUR (ow)

    • linger under tower, eat melting cone

    • ~ 22:00: pint, chips, peanuts at Irish Pub



    TV:

    • Silk Stalkings, dubbed in French

    • followed by Flipper (1990s version), ibid

    • FX: the Series, dubbed French

    • EuroSport: ,cycling

    • mostly English music videos

    • MTV: Madonna (subbed), Lounge (yowza!)



    Observations:

    • the center (map 2 in my book) is quite small: I
      crossed it on foot in just a couple hours

    • no trouble with French or their English (save
      metro tickets)

    • seem to be better understood here than Britain

    • peole here seem to speak American English, rather
      than British (HRH's) but many guessed or assumed I was from England
      ??

    • all prices in UK and France include applicable
      taxes, much better system than U.S.

    • lots of Brits, Yanks, and a few Germans, Russians,
      et al in Paris

    • more regular exposure to alien languages seems to
      be helping my language skills, or dredging up memories: I am remembering
      lots of Spanish and German, and I am getting the sound of French (if
      still lost on the structure, pronounciation, etc) better through
      exposure to it

    • (hasty) One does not need to know any French to
      get by in and enjoy the center of Paris, but if you don't speak
      English or French it will be tricky