Leaving Paris

Sorry we've been so terrible about updating thus far. Solid wifi connectivity has been surprisingly difficult to find in Europe. This continent is so forward yet so backward in so many ways. I've just been writing posts in Word documents, and I'll probably continue uploading them in bursts every few days.

Thaly Hi-Speed Train; September 21, 11:51 am

FINALLY leaving Paris! On our way to Amsterdam! OMG! Spacecakes and sex shows! Ellie is psyched.

We were supposed to leave Paris yesterday afternoon, but apparently we were not the only ones wanting to escape that godforsaken city. Every train going anywhere was full. Literally. Or so the haughty little Frenchman at the ticket counter claimed. When we told him we wanted to reserve seats on the next train to Amsterdam, he started cackling and shaking his head maniacally as if to suggest we might never get out of Paris alive. I suspect he just enjoyed holding a couple of Americans hostage. At least the train whisking us away moves quickly. Traveling over at 150 mph, we should be in the Netherlands within a couple of hours. Special relativitY makes a lot more sense at this speed.

Like most of the other travelers we’ve met, I’m not the biggest fan of the French capital. Call it culture shock, but rude people and outrageous prices ($5 cokes are a telling benchmark) considerably diminish the glory of the Mona Lisa and Notre Dame. I continually forgot that the mighty Euro enjoys almost a 1.5 to 1 ratio over the poor American dollar because the prices in dollars always seemed reasonable for a big city. $4.80 for a Starbucks Frappaccino? That sounds about right… Wait a minute… That’s seven hundred and five pennies! For a Tall! The second day I was here, my debit card wouldn’t work at the Louvre; so, accustomed to the eagerness with which Mexican businesses had accepted the greenback in Puerto Vallarta, I proudly pulled out my friend Benjamin Franklin. The clerk tilted his head to the side with a mixture of disdain and pity: “Non.”

In addition to the extortionary prices for goods and services, the French also charge for what would (and should) be free in America. Refill at McDonalds? $3. Admission to a world-class art museum? $15. Use of public restrooms? $1. Getting out of a city that wreaks of urine? Priceless… Actually, it was $100 on top of the $1500 we already spent for the Eurorail pass. Never thought I’d say this, but I miss Manhattan.

Parisian prices and discourtesy aside, we have had a great time in Europe thus far. Our two nights atop Montemarte provided phenomenal vistas of the truly beautiful city. The royal gardens at Versailles (which were free!) more than compensated for the teeming crowds. And the Met really doesn’t have much on the Louvre. Yesterday we were walking through these bustling little marketplaces on our way to see Notre Dame, and we stumbled into this beautiful park sitting in the shadow of the largest cathedral in Paris. Despite all of its history, Notre Dame seemed like a bit of a letdown after uncovering this unknown (even by my encyclopedic father) artifact of past French magnificence right in the heart of the city. Ultimately, these pleasant surprises redeemed Paris for me. Almost.

Amsterdam! OMG!