After a relatively short flight from Detroit to Paris (7.5 hours), I landed on Paris at 6 in the morning. It felt like I did not sleep at all and the day started again, which is fine. On the plane, I met a man from Michigan traveling to Paris for business and another, a dermatologist, who is returning to Paris from a conference in Chicago. I was able to have a pleasant conversation with them talking about different places we had been to, how exciting it is to travel around foreign counries where you do not know the local language, trying different foods there.. We were all persons who cannot be sitting for a long time, so it was good for all of us to stand in the back of the plane and chat.
Luckily, the person from Paris told me how to go to Gare de Lyon from the Paris Charles De Gourle airport by RER (local train). I thought I would be able to do it before I flew, but it is the best to ask the locals the best way. He taught me that it would be the best to change trains at Chatele des Halles because the line I am going to take is right across from the platform I am getting off. That kind of information is hard to get from a map!
So obviously they speak French, and they do not speak English. It was me pointing stuff, making gestures, and trying to speak some simle French sentence to get what I want. It is intersting that some are willing to speak some English and try to communicate with me, and others just speak French and are like "Without speaking the same language, how are you going to communicate with me?"-kind of attitude. I like that - it is sort of a hard to way to learn that there are many different cultures and languages that should be respected, and that English is not a one-fits-all language. It's important not to have an attitude like "You must make effort, not me, because I am speaking English, which is an international language." The world should be diverse - so I appreciate it. It will be a similar situation for non-Japanese speaking tourists in Japan, too.
Same in the trains. There is only French announcement. The train slowed down quite a bit on the way to Dijon, but I had no idea what was going on because I didn't understand the annoucement. But some kind people who can speak English well explained to me and a few other Americans that the signal system was down and that is why the train needed to go slow. There is a wide variability in people's English skills. From the window, I saw vast green fields just outside Paris all the way to Dijon. It really gives an impression that France is an agriculture country. They have good soil and weather. I saw a lot of white cows. They must be a different breed, which is interesting to see.
I learned some French from menus written on a blackborad put outside restaurants. Formule is a set menu, and midi is lunch (day), soir is dinner. Restaurants that have only one choice - today's menu - is the best because they make anything delicious so they do not need to offer a lot of chocies.
I thought the handwriting of those blackborads are very neat. It's not scribbles.
Pharmacy in a buidling that is probably 200-300 years old.
La Nef - the nave, where Christians gather.
A door that has probably been there for 200-300 years.
The Mideaval era is everywhere to be found.
Couvent des Bernardines - Bernardines Convent
Darcy square and a cute version of the Arc de Triomphe.
Japanese restaurant "Osaka"
Saint Michel. Huge.
Cafes and historic buildings in the sunset.
Crepe with salmon! It had tons of spinach inside.. 2-3 bunches. I love spinach, but it is a bit of too much of oxalic acid! Everything in France is so delicious. Even a deli salad that is less than a euro is very well seasoned. I am very happy to eat here. Why don't we do it in the US?
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