A Day On My Own in Paris

I decided to go to Paris by myself one day. It was a Saturday and Nick wanted to go to a tutorial at school so it seemed like the thing to do. Carefully planning my day was the first mistake. If you want to have a good time in France, try not to make really firm plans because these plans may fall through or at least you could encounter major obstacles. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, in fact it's almost freeing to know that something may or may not happen. The main thing to remember is to not get attached to the outcome. I am in no way perfect at this, but I am learning quickly.

The buses in Fontainebleau are tricky at best. I waited for my bus to the train station for almost 20 minutes after its scheduled arrival. At this point I was a little worried about getting to the train on time. The bus drove up to the stop and paused, then proceeded to drive away! I yelled and waved my arms, but to no avail. The driver saw me and must have been in a really wicked mood that day. Well, I'm sure it helps him sleep at night to know that he has so much power over us poor little citizens who do not own cars.

So I decided to make it to the train on time. By my calculations it would take me 15 minutes to walk, but the train was scheduled to depart in 10 minutes. I decided to run even though I am not wearing trainers. The flat healed boots did fine although I'm not sure how much my knees enjoyed the experience. I made it to the train on time and was off to Paris...

Upon arrival at the Gare de Lyon in Paris, I meandered over to the metro to catch a couple of trains to the Musee Rodin. This museum had been on my list for too long and I was looking forward to being able to scratch it off. As I got on the metro, I was surrounded by police officers. There were probably 20 of them on my train car alone. This should have been my first clue that something was wrong. They were happy and talking to eachother, I thought nothing of it. As I exited the metro station and headed up to street level, I saw hundreds of police officers and the streets were closed off and filled with police cars. I thought, "Alright, they're having some kind of cop party convention thing, I don't know, but I feel very safe! " I walked around in circles for about a half an hour trying to find the museum and everywhere I went, there were police. Finally, the museum door was in front of me and as I reached for the door a man said to me "C'est ferme!" I said, "Pourquoi?" and he replied, "Manifestation." At this point, I started to cry. I just couldn't believe it!! And what the hell kind of manifestation was going on, anyway? It means demonstration in English, but I was unable to see what was being demonstrated by closing this museum on a Saturday. It was baffling.

Museums no longer held my interest and I didn't want to go to an alternate one, it just would not have been good enough. I decided to head over to the Grand Boulevards and just walk around. Another plan I had was to have lunch at Laduree, the classy tearoom known for its macarons. This place was too cute on the outside and as for the inside, I can't tell you because it was so packed in there I didn't even want to try. Must be a place you have to go to on a weekday. Nice photos of the macarons in the window, though!

Lunch was calling to me so I wandered and decided that the perfect place would present itself to me. I would just know it when I saw it. Taking a random side street, I came across a place that boasted crepes and fondue. The customers inside looked warm and happy, the host was very nice, and yes, they were still serving lunch. One thing I've noticed in France is that you have to ask before you sit down if lunch is still being served. Lots of folks show up

just for coffee in the afternoon so the waiters don't really care why you sit. But I usually care

about the ability to have lunch, so now I ask before I sit.

The place was cozy, and I picked a table by the window. It was actually a table for one, which was perfect, like it had been waiting just for me. I ordered fondu avec champignon and red wine. Staring out the window and people watching kept me very entertained until my food arrived. My book club assignment was good company and I fully enjoyed my large bowl of hot cheese and mushrooms. The bread was amazing and I was a little sad when the meal was over because that meant I would have to leave soon. The restaurant was closing so it was time for me to continue my journey.

After that meal, a walk felt good. I walked by the opera house and down to Place Vendome. By then, I was tired and ready to head home so I walked down to Place de la Concorde to take some shots of the obelisk and the tower before heading back down to the metro. It was such a great day and I learned that in Paris, it's a good thing to be spontaneous. You really can't go wrong no matter what you end up doing!

Church of the Madeleine

Place de la Concorde with Eiffel Tower

Place Vendome