November 20 to 21, 2018
The normally 30 minute ride from the airport turned into a 2.5 hour journey with multiple connections, crowded trams, etc due to a malfunctioning train near Gare du Nord. When I arrived in the city, I had trouble exiting through the gate, as my ticket had timed out.
A friend who is now living in Southern France met me for a Paris walking tour. She had not been to the city before. We heard the story of the narrow Rue du Chat Qui Peche (street of the cat who fishes). The mythical car could catch dozens of fish per day from the Seine.
We ended the tour at the Truileries Gardens. We walked further downriver for a closer look at the Eiffel Tower. The night was cold and damp (1) and the wet streets glistened in the City of Lights (2).
We had planned to use the Velib bike share system to ride the few miles back up river to our hotel, but neither of of us could make the system work. As we were passing a boat quay, a Batteau Mouche (fly boat) was about to depart, so we saw the city from the water.
The following morning, we got an early start to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral. While I had been to the Cathedral before, showing it to someone else for the first time made me see the building, stained glass and paintings with fresh eyes. The scale of the church would really have imppresed people throughout most of its history.
(1) We encountered some sleet in the late afternoon.
(2) I read a book on the plane about Paris during the Nazi occupation entitled "When Paris Went Dark." It was a good read and a nuanced treatment of the topic.
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