13.03.08 - Day 1 at Paris

I finally arrived at Paris. I love that place… but I’m not totally happy.

Sequence of events:

(1) From Barcelona to Paris Beauvais

This was nothing much~ paid 12 eur for a one hr ride to a far far away airport and arrived there… then check-in was nothing… well the wait at the departure gate is the exciting one!! The screen of the airport showed that the boarding gate was no. 5… so me and echo happily waited at gate no. 5 and thot “how come so few people are going paris??”

Then all of a sudden EVERYONE moved to gate no.2 and started queuing there!! I was like “I’m damn sure it was gate no. 5”… then fine. We were like LAST at the queue but we lan lan have to wait right.

Then suddenly the woman screamed “PARIS no. 5!!!” then woohoooo i ran over (ok la I was jus brisk-walking and became first there!! Then within a few minutes, the SAME FREAKING WOMAN scream “no.2!!!” like it’s damn fun and before I knew it I was queuing at lucky no. 2 again.

Like WTH???

(2) Checking in at hostel

We arrived in France and took another long bus ride to Paris city centre and we headed for the hotel STRAIGHT. Being robbed is NOT the thing I want for the start of my Paris trip, nor the end, or anyday anytime anywhere anyhow for that matter…

Was experiencing the Parisian metro and was jaw dropping when I heard the ever-so-charming french~ I jus think French sounds superbly sophisticated.

The hostel we booked is called Friend’s Hostel… it’s in a sleazy and sketchy area of Paris, where there happen to be A LOT of black man around… selling who-knows-what all the time… Echo was like freaking traumatized by those people but I think she should just seriously grow up and recognize there are people like that ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

While I was frantically trying to locate the address of the hostel on the stupid map I got from the metro, there came this nice nice nice (X 10000 times) old man who came up, smiled, and said “Do you need some help??” when I wasn’t even trying to hint I need help!!

SO NICE.

Though people say French are stuck up, French sucks or wadever, I think there are nice people around. ALL THE TIME.

(3) Free Walking Tour @ Montmartre

This is quite a good deal. Meet up at the afternn or evening, and there are people bringing u around to places of attraction where you can take some pictures… for FREE. Well u can pay on a tips basis but if you’re really broke u can jus dun pay.

Sadly, it was raining. Such a mood damper.

Did I mention we randomly ran into 2 NTU NBS girls during the tour?! Of all time they have to be at Paris and of all days they have to go this day. Woow!!! “It’s a small world after all”… so true. =)

But we went to quite a number of place… like

Moulin Rouge (“Red windmill” in English)
Sacre Coeur (“Sacred heart” – highest pointt in Paris)
Got a nice but tiny view of La Tour Eiffel from Sacre Coeur
Piscasso Museum
Place where Vincent Van Gogh lived
Paris Red Light District (where the sex and prostitution shops are more than cafes and restaurants)
Last surviving windmill in Paris,
Café de Deux Moulins where “Amelie” the movie was filmed,
And the fruitstall in the “Amelie” film

So many things covered in 2 hours. Was walking in the cold brrr wind and rain trying to juggle my camera and my umbrella at the same time~ haha!!

I guess it’s a good first day for me!! But I’m not so sure about my partner in Paris. Muahaha!!!