The guide said Paris is best enjoyed on foot. Not really worth getting a public transport pass, it said. Everything's in easy reach, it claimed.
Tests have determined that this was a lie. Well... it's probably true if you're lucky enough to be able to afford a hotel in one of the low-numbered Arrondissements; those of us out in the back end of Chinatown on the southern edge of the 13th on the other hand, will have a slightly different experience.
No worries though, Paris is awesome. Due to slight cock-ups in the planning, preparation and execution of this trip, we've not been in the Louvre or Catacombs as planned and no power on this Earth will get me up the Eiffel Tower, but simply walking around Paris is edifying enough.
I'm not going to sit and spout rubbish at you about the artistic atmosphere or anything like that. It's just a bloody nice city to be in. There's a happy feel to it and aesthetically it's perfect. You can't go 10 feet without seeing something else worth photographing, even if it's just another angle on the Eiffel Tower.
That monument may be familiar to you from films or TV but nothing prepares you for the way it looks in the flesh. Every time you catch a glimpse, you're forced to appreciate anew the skill of the architects and engineers and construction teams behind it. And a stroll along the Seine will reveal further works of the architect's art for you to marvel at.
We always knew that the time demands of this trip would mean we couldn't take in everything good about a city, but after even just a short walk around Paris (you know, just the 18 miles or so), I don't feel I've missed out. I've noted some places that merit a closer look, and I'll come back one day to take that look, but I won't leave tomorrow disappointed.*
We even sampled the local cuisine. Well, the local variant menu at McDonalds, anyway. We'll do better in Brussels, I'm sure.
Well, that's all I've got on Paris for now, and my time in France is over.
Bonsoir mes ami
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*Except in the lack of tea; once again France has failed me. I even went looking for a kettle to buy on my way 'round this evening, to no avail.
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