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September 29, 2004
Ordinarily Paris
Rush hour in Paris. Taxi cruising through the streets. One always thinks of the glamorous sides - but it's reassuring to see that that most of Paris is conceptually no different to London. Ordinary people. Ordinary looking shops on ordinary-looking streets. Just ordinary stuff. The streets have nicer sounding names in Paris though. And many of the upper-floor windows of buildings have cute little balconies.
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Posted by jag at September 29, 2004 05:55 PM
Comments
I hate Paris, but having said that, this is the first year in the last ten that I haven't visited. Would be interested to know where you haunted while you were there, Jag.
Posted by: Vanessa at September 29, 2004 11:20 PM
Vanessa: I am sitting here at my tiny little table in my hotel room - on broadband Internet. 25 Euro for 24 hours though - ouch! I'm currently staying at Trianon Palace in Versailles (not exactly Paris I suppose):
http://tours.ipix.com/ct/WEST/MNZB2JGF.htm&_PROPERTY_NAME=Trianon%20Palace
So - hanging out where Louis X1V once hung out. Very corporate. Not the sort of place I'd choose to hang out - but it's different. Positively palatial in fact.
I'm indifferent about Paris. Neither hate it nor love it. To me - it's just another suburb of London - just down the track from Waterloo.
Posted by: Jag at September 29, 2004 11:44 PM
I wonder what the French think about Garam masala?
Are they like the British wherein a previous poster said they put a tiny pinch of curry powder in the stew to make it exotic? Somehow I can only picture them standing in the kitchen saying go ahead ...Put another egg in it .... or more butter eh bien
Posted by: Fritz at September 30, 2004 02:27 AM
Ahh. Thats the magic of Europe, I suppose.
Posted by: sat at September 30, 2004 07:11 AM
Ah! Broadband connection. Hope it happens here in my part of the city suburbs soon as the really bad speeds of my connections tire me these days. But talking about France, what about the flashier side? You know the shopping, the women, the fashion? :) Can we have some pictures of that too?!
Posted by: Anita at October 1, 2004 08:35 AM
The last time I went to Paris, I took Him Indoors with me. It had been decided that we would meet friends who were coming from various directions in France and then decide where to go for lunch. Since then Him Indoors has been able to claim that all he ever saw of Paris was the 4 main stations and a glimpse of one leg of the Eiffel Tower from a bus. I suppose the "ordanary side" is just as much an introduction to a place than the "flashy side", it helps to remind us that people actually live there.
Posted by: stroppycow at October 3, 2004 09:22 AM
Fritz: That made me laugh! I'm not sure - but I would have to agree that Paris is much more so devoid of Indian/South-Asian cuisuine than (say) London - and that is probably due to the fact that Indian cusuine is part-and-parcel of the UK food scene. Not sure at all about France though!
Sat: in "Broadband Britain" - it's very hard to find anybody without Broadband Internet!
Anita: I'm not sure about the shopping/women/fashion - I so wish I had the time to check all these things out - but unfortunately most of what I saw of Paris was through the window opf my taxi! But I have processed some more pictures of this perspective - which you can visit at http://www.etongrove.com/galleries/paris/
Strop: couldn't agree with you more! (I have to say though - the stations are really nice - e.g. exotic architecture etc. - much more interesting than, say, Euston (yuk) in London!
Posted by: Jag at October 3, 2004 08:01 PM
Wow. Versailles! Poshee!
Posted by: Vanessa at October 13, 2004 12:43 PM
Vaness: yes - it was very posh I have to say!
Posted by: Jag at October 14, 2004 11:18 PM