paris from above

Despite some concerns that my train trip might turn out like Agatha Christie’s novel The 4.50 from Paddington, I arrived in Paris safe and sound. I had read the station had showers and luggage storage so I went off in search of both. The showers were really close to the arrivals terminal so I parted with 6 euro and had one there. It turned out to be the best 6 euro I have spent all trip. Each cubicle had a big change area and then a separate shower and toilet so there was plenty of room for all my luggage while I got ready. They provide towels, shampoo and even hairdryers.

The luggage storage was also easy to find so it wasn’t long before I was clean and bag-free. It was only past 8am so I headed to a Maccas from breakfast and free wifi before walking to Notre Dame to catch a hop on/hop off bus. Mum and Dad had suggested riding them and Shirly also recommended one company that has four routes going in different parts of the city. I got a two-day pass for 30 euro and got on board. It was a bit windy so up top was a little chilly, but it was a great way to see the city. The first route went past all the major attractions, Champs Elysees, Eiffel Tower etc. I rode that until it came to an area where it joined another line so I hoped off, ran into the post office, and jumped on the line which explores the area near the Moulin Rouge. It was night when I was in this area last so it was interesting to see it again. There are so many cabaret places and sex shops, but still plenty of families walking around.
I got off near Sacre Coeur and walked up the hill to the church. There are about 200 steps just to reach the church so I probably worked off the chicken baguette I had for lunch in no time. I walked through the church and then went looking for the entrance to the Dome. The ticket box was closed but the ticket machine accepted credit cards so rather than wait for the office to open and more people to arrive, I just used that. And up I went, another 300 steps.

The stairwell was very narrow, and gets more so the closer you get to the top. But one of the best things about the ticket office being closed was that I didn’t see anyone until I got near the top. I was counting the steps but lost count when a woman moved aside to let me pass and I said thank you. The dome had an amazing view of the city. I had thought about going up the Eiffel Tower but the problem with that is once you’re up it, you can’t see it. At least this way I could see the Tower. It really does standout against the rest of the city. The view made this the second-best 6 euro I’d spent all day. Sacre Coeur is just over 100 years old but it looks a lot older. The edges of the steps are worn smooth from the years and the people. I ran my hand on a lot of the surfaces in the dome and struggled to find anything rough. The stone seats up there are so worn and smooth they are almost slippery to sit on. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of graffiti up there too. T + M 2000, GS FOREVER 26.09.10. Very mature stuff. Meegs was ‘ere in 2011, but I didn’t feel the need to carve that into the building.

Although a lot of the buildings in Paris are several stories high, they are really quite short compared to a lot of major cities. In the distance I saw a few modern skyscrapers, but almost everything you can see clearly is very old. It was a bit overcast so I don’t know if it was the weather or the city that caused the haze in the distance. Kamel, my courchsurfing host in Paris, told me later that building too high is prohibited, I guess to maintain the very beautiful city they have now.

I rode the bus back to where I changed before, used an Internet café to print out some bus tickets for London and Scotland, and headed back to the Notre Dame. Here I changed to another bus that would take me past the station. I had to meet Kamel, who very kindly replied to my post on the Emergency couch needed forum, at Saint Lazare station so I got my luggage and headed there.
Kamel has lived in Paris his whole life and joined couchsurfing initially to improve his English, before he started hosting. He’s a financial controller and works rather long hours. When we met just after 8pm, he’d only just finished work. We caught the train to his place in the suburbs. It was really nice to get out of the city. He made a traditional Moroccan tea (his parents are Moroccan) with mint, which was delicious. Kamel has a lot of strong views on the French media so it was really interesting talking to him about that. He said the media was never very critical of the French government, which made it very hard to get accurate reports.  I think he missed his calling as a journalist.
We finished the night with an episode of Entourage. Great show!