A DIFFERENT SIDE OF PARIS

Saturday, February 15, 2014
Paris, Île-de-France, France
"If I had wings I could fly", as the old song goes. Well, we don't have wings, yet here we are flying, currently somewhere over India, making our way to Bangkok via a very comfortable Qatar Airlines jetliner. We have been in transit for about 20 hours with a few more to go. Quite tired and a bit punchy, like the plane, we are pretty much on autopilot. Passing through time zones without notice, when we arrive, we'll be a full 12 hours ahead of EST. So, as you're having breakfast, we'll likely be slurping up noodles from some street vendor somewhere.

 Our trip thus far has been quite eventful . To begin, we both had very positive experiences with the student groups we were escorting. My concerns about shepherding 18 teenagers through 2 airports were in vain, as these were an exceptional group of students, and a pleasure to be with. They were clearly quite responsible, and several were seasoned travelers, so they needed minimal supervision. Bonnie had a similar impression of her group, although her logistics were more cumbersome than mine, since they involved train connections on top of the flight over. In the end, all students were safely delivered to their host families, and we were then free to enjoy Paris, and begin our trip in earnest.

 As I mentioned in my last blog entry, Paris, at its worse, outshines most other cities of the world at their best. We always leave the city overwhelmed by what it offers its visitors and citizens. Every visit is unique and different. Every day a series of wonders, both great and small. One of our greatest pleasures is simply walking the streets, exploring new neighbourhoods, getting lost, and taking things as they come . We've been to most of the 'textbook' sites, and now we're into the offbeat, the hidden gems, and the lesser known museums and attractions. For instance, this visit took us through the sewers of Paris, an odorous but fascinating experience. For Les Mis fans, however, Jean Valjean was nowhere to be seen. 

 Kong Ha Fah Choi. Doesn't sound like French, does it? Well, it was commonly heard in Paris's Chinatown the day we went to its annual Chinese New Years Parade. We joined an immense crowd of well-wishers who'd come to partake of the day's festivities. It was a 3-hour explosion of pageantry and color. As an interesting twist, the parade concluded with the appearance of Confucius.
 

 We'd heard of an area of the city which was off tourist radar, yet held some wonderful surprises, the highlight of which was the public park at its heart. This park had started as a quarry but had been converted into a huge greenspace, featuring waterfalls, a lake, and many other people-friendly attractions. What a wonderful way to spend a leisurely afternoon in Paris.

 Our next blog entry will come from Bangkok, at the end of a 12 hour flight. 

Happy Valentines Day!












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Comments

cissie.retired
2014-02-15

Good Day, Bonnie and David,
So nice to hear from you and such positive descriptions of the students and Paris, yet again. Wonderful! A Happy Valentine Day to you as well. Were you high in the sky flying toward Bangkok on VD? I'm sure you'll have a great time there and enjoy the heat in that country. Lucky you...mind you, today in Toronto is a wonderful and sunny day.
My older grandson had a minor hernia operation at NYGH on Wednesday and left his boots behind, so I retrieved them the next day. Today, I'll deliver them on my way to Mike's place. We have a Valentine Dinner/Dance tonight.
I look forward to your next blog. Stay well and safe.
Love,
Cecile

Joseph
2014-02-18

Oh Mon vieux Paris! Quelle merveille!. Amusez vous.
Merci de partager.

2025-02-07

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