View from our hotel door. Nice.
I have been in Paris for four nights. I have one more before flying back to the states. As in Madrid I have been working a booth at a nation-sized educational fair (Salon d’Estudiant) each day, unable to see much of the city. Unlike Madrid, this time I am at least staying in the center of the city, just off the Eiffel Tower. Also, I have with me a colleague from Southville, L_____. She speaks French, so I basically sit back and let her lead while helping out where I can.
The Lion, the Obelisk, and the Tower
Night Zero: after the train and checking in, L_____ and I meet Steve (the counselor at the American school who visited our university in Feb.) for dinner. I have Gambas, or blackened shrimp. Very nice.
Fair Day One: In the morning I wander the streets about our hotel, looking for a place to have my laundry done, for I am wearing the last of my clean clothes. Thank God, I find a place. Through hand signals I communicate with the old man that all I need is wash, no expensive pressing. He says “D’ma, d’ma.” L_____ tells me this means tomorrow. Whew…
After the fair L_____ and I walk down near the military college for a late dinner. Having filled up on finger-food at the business lounge already, I just have a Guinness and chocolate mousse for dinner. This is the most sedate St. Pattie’s Day I’ve had in quite a few years.
The tower was sporting a strobe effect at times
Fair Day Two: I go pick up my laundry. Mmmm… clean clothes. After the fair we go straight to dinner at a place called Lido on the Champ d’Elysee. This is sponsored by l’Estudiant for the foreign reps at the Salon. This place is packed, and very, very cramped. Dinner is great, and afterwards is quite a show. Actually, a spectacle. Music, dancers, elaborate sets, colored lights, and many, many exposed breasts. Yes, you read that correctly. If you had a show like this in Southville, it would be called the silliest, most expensive strip club in the state. In Paris, it is high culture.
After the show, L_____ and I took in the grand new Louis Vitton store, made to look like hat boxes or something, and the Arc d’Triumph.
The tower through Guinness goggles
Fair Day Three: Oh boy. At the fair today we had our information session for interested students. Basically, no one showed up. It wasn’t that simple, but I don’t feel like explaining it all. Let’s just say that L_____ was not pleased, and rightly so. I started feeling like my Oman cold was coming back, so I called it a very early night and got about 10 hours sleep.
Notre Dame
Fair Day Four: We talked to some good students today. Enough work. Right now I am enjoying some champagne that I found in my room after the fair. You see, L_____ made my reservations, in two pieces. L_____ is a Hilton Diamond Club member. Therefore, I got her champagne when the reservation switched over. I deserve it. I just finished a six-week work trip. Also, I went on a night-time walkabout of Paris. This followed a dinner of crepes with L_____ in the Mt Parnasse area. I walked from there to Notre Dame. I seem to have a fetish with enjoying a pint of Guinness within sight of great cathedrals. I did a little pub crawl and ended up meeting a couple of guys who work for Quicksilver. Could lead to more internship opportunities for students at the university.
This one begged for black & white
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