ahhh pah-reeeeeeeee
Friday, January 26th, 2007
:: sunrise sky above paris taken from the plane ::
i arrived in paris this morning at 7:40am. i tried being a ’seasoned’ traveler - this is my fourth visit in one year - by acclimating to the time difference while still in california. i guess i was successful. it’s 5:20pm here and i’m still awake. leaving, arriving and stepping off of the plane, i didn’t feel excited - still. i thought maybe that it’s because i’ve had a lot of things on my mind, but sitting here, thinking, maybe it’s because i’ve grown accustomed to this place. i hope it’s that - other wise, if i’m not enjoying things, that means that my depression has hit me again. i don’t know how that can be though. i thought that i’ve had a few good straight days…. after paying for my class registration at the l’Alliance, i headed straight to my favorite shop in paris: STARBUCKS!! they make the best soy caramel machiatto! maybe it’s the soy milk that they use here … maybe it’s the type of caramel or maybe it’s the coffee beans. i don’t know, but it’s just smoother and tastier than the one in the states. if i can afford to have this everyday, i would. but alas, each is 5 euro which translates into $7 which means that i have to have the school’s machine made coffee for 1,50 euro.
ok, i guess i am excited to buy fresh baked (WARM) bread from the boulangerie (bakery) near the school. wow! people always say that real french bread is the best. well, until i first had it, i thought bread is bread! but OH. how wrong i was. when i get a chance to buy some, i’ll take a picture.
weather wise, it’s freezing. the pilot announced that it’s 25 degrees. that’s -3 celsius. probably around 32 degrees during the day time = 0 celcius. while on my way to the school, there was a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk. yeah, they have them here, but the total is not even close to half the amount in the US. so on my way back, i offered him my coffee. the guys face was all cold and the floor was cold …etc. he smiles at me and says no thank you and points to a bottle of wine that the bar across the street must’ve given him and asks instead for a cigarette! i said no i didn’t have any so he said “merci. bonne journée.” (thanks have a good day) that was a pleasant meeting with a stranger.
it makes me wonder though why on this cold cold cold day the man is outside. in san francisco, i know that there are many shelters for the homeless … hot food, free bed… etc. the french tax is already so much here for just normal regular people that it still astounds me.
Haxo Station (a dedicated visitor to PDP) pointed out an interesting piece of news yesterday about the action taken by the Enfant de Don Quichotte association who installed dozens of tents on the Canal Saint Martin to attract people’s attention to the plight of the homeless. Apparently, this lead the government to take emergency measures such as increasing the number of shelters and opening them longer than usual. — www.parisdailyphoto.com
ps. i just realized that i’ve hit a total of 4 of the 24 starbucks in paris
UH-OHhhhhhh …. i’m getting sleepy…
other posts from this trip:
attempting french mail
l’alliance francaise-test
wine
ahhh pah-reeeeeeeee
galette de roi
le premier jour
friends in the parisian suburbs
riding the paris metro = le métro
brazil, french and crepes in paris
hello can anyone understand me
joyeux saint valentin
my last day
