2.2.07

Arrivé

Ahhhhh, Paris, cloudy, rainy, humid and warm. I arrived slightly hung over, totally exhausted and 1 hour early. Zaritchka had been adamant that she come meet me at the airport (Charles DeGaul for those interested) so I had nothing to do but laze around place. That didn’t last long though. Zaritchka came running in, a little late but making up for it with big smiles and hugs. Needless to say I was happy.

It was too late to make it home before her next class started. So I just sucked it up, resolved to stay up for 24 hours and cabbed it with her to class at Dauphine, a University of Paris campus. 3 hours of lecture/presentation about the EU charter/treaty/constitution or whatever. I thought I was going to pass out for sure. It turns out that you can’t leave class in France either; it’s a big taboo to go to the bathroom during lecture. Being that I was already intruding, I had to keep my impact to a minimum. Not to say I didn’t raise my hand and ask questions, how could I avoid an opportunity to look smart.

Zarah happy to see me as we eat lunch at Dauphine …

There was a very interesting guest speaker from Turkey though. I learned all sorts of interesting things about Turkey that defied many expectations and notions I had about the country. Especially some opinions about the Cypress problem that I don’t get from my Greek friends.

It was about 6pm when we finally made it back to Zaritchka’s place at the Residence Lila, right by the Port des Lilas Metro stop, not far from Cemetarie de Pere Lachaise, on the far east side of Paris. I hadn’t slept for well over 24 hours and I had to crash ASAP. So although Zaritchka was off to the Opera, I was off to bed. Sadly, the only views I have to offer on my first night in Paris are from the Metro stop and her window.

The Europeans definitely have no problem with scooters, motorcycles, or any cheap form of transportation.
Its really funny how many of my friends call my bike a death trap, etc. after seeing so many around here.
Parisians also have no problem leaving their bikes anywhere they please.


The view from our window at Residence Lila.
During the day you can see Sacre Cour (more on that later).

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