A Vacation? Hah!

Last week, my mother came to visit me in Paris. I'm not sure, but I have the impression (in retrospect) that she thought it would be relaxing. To that, I say "hah!" There are different types of vacations, but "urban travel" can be a test of endurance. So, for those of you who have never visited Paris, a few words of advice... be prepared to see and do more than you expected, and be sure that you (or your host, even if it is your sadistic son) set reasonable expectations.

Prior to my mother's arrival, I listed a few options of things we could do and visit while she was here. As a point of reference, the Museum Pass alone allows access to over 60 different sites and monuments. We hit seven of them - not bad for a week. We managed to visit Notre Dame, the Crypt beneath Notre Dame, the Pantheon, the Conciegerie, Versaille, the Louvre, the Arch de Triomphe. We also wandered around several other sites and neighborhoods including Sacre Coeur and Montmartre which my mother seemed to enjoy the most. A visit to Paris for a week is enough time to see some highlights, but that still only scratches the surface.
Early on, we made our way to Notre Dame. The interior of the Cathedral (it's not just a church) is spectacular. The views from the top of the towers are magnificent and worth the wait and the climb up thousands and thousands and thousands of steps. A panoramic view of Paris, close encounters with gargoyles and a suicide barrier that may become an inspiration for the Golden Gate Bridge Authority. [Side note: throwing oneself from the Golden Gate Bridge is far less messy and less of an inconvenience. Tossing yourself from Notre Dame would be messy and worth preventing since there are hundreds of tourists below. I pray that the Golden Gate Bridge does not put up some eyesore of a barrier.]

The Crypt below Notre Dame is fascinating. It shows how history builds upon itself - literally. Just tear down an old building or road and build on top of it. Remnants of centuries old building and a road leading back to Rome circa 253 AD can still be seen, one layer upon the next.

The Concieregerie is where the lovely Marie Antoinette spent her final days before being hauled off to the guillotine and having her head lopped off. The photo shows a re-creation of her room. She was lucky to have her own room/cell, since prisoners who could not afford to pay for a private room were thrown into cells where promiscuity and disease was far more prevalent. Lucky queen!

The Pantheon, a tribute from Louis XV to Sainte Genevieve for essentially saving his life, is architecturally amazing. It's THE place where a lot of famous dead French people can be found such as Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau and Madame Currie. It is also the site of the famous pendulum display by Foucault to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. Check out this site for more details: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum

My mom was intrigued by all of the large doorways throughout Paris, but the Pantheon seems to have the largest I've seen yet.

After an exhausting day, we spent time eating and watching TV. In the US, if you were to say "merde" on television, it would not be a problem. After all, "merde" sound so much better than "shit." In France, if you sing a song and it includes "fuck it all," it's not a problem and the F.C.C. will not suspend your licence for obscenity. I don't remember the name of the television show we were watching, but it was reminiscent of when Mylene Farmer won an award a few years ago for Best Song - "Fuck Them All." Watching French TV has given me an insight into why more French people know English than vice-versa.

Paris: A city with a 2,000 year-old road leading to Rome, hudreds of tourist attractions, where 1,119 people lost their heads to the guillotine, beaucoup de dog "merde" on the street, where you can say whatever the fuck you want on television, and amazing food and restaurants. This is my kind of place for a vacation.