OK … so I had a major epiphany while sitting under the Eiffel Tower this morning (for those of you at St Andrews … this was about the time you would have been returning from sport … just so you know I do pay you all a kind and compassionate thought here and there!)
So anyway I nearly wasn’t going to go to the Eiffel Tower just to take a stand (because I really don’t like sight seeing), but I actually got somehow lost on the subway and then ended up on a station near there so kinda thought that I should. So without sounding disrespectful, it really is just a big iron (I would suggest aesthetically ugly) structure that towers amongst some other beautiful old buildings. And yet there are THOUSANDS of people milling around taking photos, paying like 20 EURO to walk up a set of stairs on it etc etc … And all because someone somewhere said in a guidebook that it was probably the tallest structure in Europe once upon a time or something so now hundreds and hundreds of people come to Paris and probably do not much more than shop and see it!
So my epiphany is this … people generally don’t like to think on their own too much but are very easily led. So … if someone tells them something is famous and markets it well, then they can make milllions of dollars off people visiting it. Now I can understand people going to see natural landmarks because they are in fact beautiful … but the man made stuff … who cares!!! Quite clearly I am missing social company right now, because I could have had this conversation over an espresso with someone but I am too tentative to talk to anyone around here, so all these thoughts have been in my head needing to come out! Thanks for reading if you took the time!
OK … so I have had a load of time for reflections here in Paris because quite frankly if you sit on your own outside for more than THREE minutes, you will undoubtedly have some overly confident French man come and proceed to involve you in conversation. I’m sure those of you who’ve been here will be able to concur with this. Seriously though … yesterday, for example, I was taking a nap in the sun outside the Notre Dame Cathedral soaking up the vibe/atmosphere/mabo/spiritual ground etc etc … and this complete random started to try and talk to me … I really pretended to be in a deep sleep and even faked snored a little … and he just ended up kicking me so I would “wake up”!! And that was the start of a sequence!!! One man even thought I was pretending I couldn’t speak French and got angry at me when I wouldn’t speak French to him!! You really can’t win. I have made up fake boyfriends and all sorts of tricks … you gotta survive, eh!!
So a very quick update … this keyboard is a little different to what i am accustomed which is driving me nuts … and you people who know me well know how much i pride myself on this area of my life!!
So I am in Paris! Was walking down the street in Stockholm and found a cheap flight advertised so thought why not! I got in late last night and hadnt really thought through too much of the logistics (so unlike me) so fortunately sat beside a really nice girl on the bus into town and she gave me the 15 minute low down on Paris!! She even walked me to the metro after i got off the bus and also her phone number in case i couldnt find any accommodation … very sweet … so many hugs and kisses go out to her.
I have already worked out that a little girlish flirting goes a long way in this city … for example i was going to leave my hostel this morning because it was a bit expensive but then I turned on a bit of a girly foreigner act (which goes against everything i believe in but was necessary at this point!) and so then he cancelled someone elses reservation so i could stay in a cheaper room. I will keep it for only moments of extreme necessity though all those feminist friends of mine out there!
So anyway the world is my oyster and brie cheese is less than a dollar here so i need to move on from this internet cafe and explore. Bon Jour!
