paris pas pareil

i just returned from a much-needed excursion to paris for the weekend. maybe it was something in the water, but it seemed like everyone's students have been getting crazy (you know, two whole weeks without a vacation..) and we were ready for a change of scenery.

i left for paris with two fellow assistants, jean and vince, who were lovely company. we managed to see a lot in one weekend: montmartre, the institute du monde arabe, the holocaust memorial, pompidou (bookstore..), the arc de triomphe, my favorite crêperie (probably worthy of a post in and of itself), the seine/eiffel tower by night (never seems to get old), the grande arche, and of course the big picasso exhibit, which was the impetus for our trip.

and now, a few other random highlights..

i'd like to describe for you our "hotel". somehow i stumbled across this online. i should have been tipped off by the questionable tripod website and the fact that there were no sort of online reservations, but it was less than 20 euro and in the middle of town, so we went for it. we arrived to find our hotel - that would be the "hotel bed & breakfast" - with no one there. after a phone call, someone came to let us in. the place was a mess of colors, patterns (from faux brick to giant flowers), tiles (fruits in heavy relief), and giant movie posters (the golden compass?). truly something for everyone. other fun surprises: the key cost 2 euro, as did the showers. and the included breakfast consisted of sliced white bread (already offensive, considering we're in the land of fresh-baked bread), a packet of butter and jam, and sludgey hot cocoa. it was an experience. luckily we made the most of it by annexing our own room (the 'family' room?) and making fun of the hideous decorations and very strange owners.

we were also surprised by the parisian metro. don't get me wrong, it's a great system and very easy to follow. but the metro cars themselves seemed more narrow and cramped than we remember. and the ride itself is very jerky! we're just spoiled in lyon i guess. i will say one thing for the parisian metro though. the manual doors make it easier to jump off while the train's still moving. we got in the habit of doing this and we got pretty good at it, though i think it may have also raised some eyebrows. i guess we have to give the parisians something to look down on us for.