...Now back to our original programming, already in progress...
7:00 AM - Wild. I can't see out the window very well as we taxied up to the terminal, as I'm in an aisle seat, so got a surprise when I stepped off the plane and started going down stairs ...onto the runway! Apparently this plane, though an international flight from Canada with hundreds of passengers, isn't good enough for an actual gate at Charles de Gaulle International Airport! So they have brought buses out to us (picture left, click for larger). They need to make room for those big Ethiopian Airlines and Gabon Airlines planes I saw coming in, I guess (sniff)! Not the best picture, but best one that turned out. I tried to adjust the lighting, but didn't really work - the sun literally was just coming up as we landed.We were whisked away quickly onto a large bus (standing room only) - in fact somehow I ended up being one of the first on the buses and the very first dozen people into the terminal, which I still don't understand because I was at the back of the plane! It just worked out because I slipped very last onto the first busload of people, and then I had to get off first because I was on the back of the bus! So that worked out well in the end.
Then I opened the door of the terminal - and stepped back into 1965. I could not believe the poor state of what I saw. Paint flaking off everywhere, the lighting, the flooring, everything was like a museum exhibit of bad airports long since dead. Wow, what a shock to the system. You read about how sophisticated the city is, and then you see this and think - HUH?
Truly unbelievable. I do not exaggerate when I say that the airport in Kingston, Ontario last year was nicer, newer and cleaner. Vancouver's airport might as well have the Jetsons landing at it, compared to this. I got very nervous to see huge planeloads of people from Africa being pushed into the open area with us, where we were obviously going to go through security even before getting our bags. Some were coughing like they had TB, and no one was stopping them from coming through. I tried to step back as much as possible from them, then felt ashamed I was doing it and just kept walking, but secretly covered my mouth with my sleeve slightly as some walked by. Seriously, some of them looked and even acted like they were really sick.
I got honestly scared when I saw the cattle-car styled line-ups they created to go through customs - it was like a rat's maze (see picture right, click for larger). In this picture, it looks like one big mass of people lined up, but was actually a very tight zig-zagged single file line of people which made no sense, and was not even remotely efficient.It reminded me (with all due respect) of movies I've seen of Jews being herded into Auschwitz. 20-something kids on power trips (and wearing really nice suits that didn't quite fit) were barking orders to us in French and I had no idea what they were saying. I truly became fearful at this point, because I realized customs was going to ask me questions about why I was here, where I was staying, etc. and I would have no idea what they were saying to me, and I couldn't answer anything in French. They looked mean - well, more like dead inside. Not even remotely friendly. I couldn't believe what was happening, and we weren't really even in the airport yet! What an awful first impression of what I heard was such a great city.
7:12 AM - Well, that was different! I panicked for nothing! I saw big security guards that looked like prison guards standing by the main entrance, and I felt myself shaking a bit, and wasn't sure if I was just tired, cold (it was only about 8C outside and I was wearing shorts, which was another surprise) or if I was really scared.
Then I came up to the French Customs window... and the lady never asked me a single question. Not a bonjour, nothing. Took my passport, scanned it, stamped it (yay!) with the EU "F" stamp for France, gave it back to me ...and that was it. And I still think it's so weird that we didn't even have our luggage yet.
No customs cards to declare goods, not "what are you doing in France by yourself for 9 days", "are you bringing lots of money or foreign food into the country", nothing of that kind at all. And I'm sorry for how this sounds, but if you would have seen the planeload from Gabon coming in, for example (a country in West Africa), they seriously looked like they may have had chickens on the plane with them - it was like nothing I've ever seen before.
I'm still not sure whether the French (or EU in general) are just way ahead of us or so far behind they'll never catch up - I'm really not sure which. 12 minutes from the time I stepped off the plane until I walked into this big barn full of people, to the time I was standing by the luggage carousel. Unbelievable.
Well, whatever, I wasn't waiting around for them to decide they made a mistake. I went over to the 1970s luggage carousel area (seriously, if they had a disco ball, shag rug and taxi drivers with shirts cut to the navel, gold chains and fuzzy dice in their rear view mirrors, I wouldn't have even blinked after seeing this area - see picture left, click for larger). 10 minutes after standing at the carousel, I was only half-jokingly still looking for chickens to come out of the carousel.Then, after 15-20 minutes, I was starting to wonder if my own luggage was going to come out! It was literally the last pile of bags to come off the plane, and there was a full Continental Airlines jet from New York on our carousel too at the same time, so you can imagine how many bags I saw go by again and again before mine came. Remember, hundreds of people were still behind me in the "customs corral waiting for their "detailed security passport stampings", just like I had done, so their bags were piling up on the carousel like crazy. I was one of the first ones - there must have been 4 plane loads of people behind me.
7:35 AM - finally, there's my bags! Grabbed them and got the heck out of Dodge - the place was just crawling with people on top of each practically at that point.
7:50 AM - Got a cab right away with a friendly guy that spoke extremely bad English to match my extremely bad French. Yah, and he wanted to talk to. What a great time we had struggling to figure out what in heck each other was saying! We got by... at least for awhile.
8:10 AM – Then I asked if the cabbie wanted my credit card to do the authorization before we got to the hotel. We had only left the airport a few minutes before. And he turned and said he didn't take credit cards. Excuse me? Good Lord - I thought I would have a stroke. In Vancouver, they have to take them by law. I figured a big modern city like Paris would as well - apparently I was wrong.
They guy hardly spoke English either, but for some reason wouldn't take me back to the airport. I said I could just take the train into the city, and he could get another fare - we were only minutes from the airport. Felt bad, but I hadn't had a chance to get cash yet and didn't even see a bank machine in our terminal anyway. Besides, I wanted to pay with a card - it was a justifiable UBC expense.
He said in very broken English (and I hoped I both understood him and trusted he was telling the truth) that "we'd figure it out" at the hotel. He seemed to indicate the hotel would pay him cash, and just charge my card. That seemed a bit presumptuous in my opinion - never heard of that before in my life (I was about to get a real big lesson in Parisian customer service). My mind was racing - I'm a nobody to this hotel, I haven't even checked in yet. I'm here for 10 days, what kind of stupid first impression is this, etc. etc. At this point he was speeding into the city so fast at that point I was starting to get scared all over again. And then I kind of laughed to myself - I was going to the Concorde (hotel) apparently by flying on the Concorde (the supersonic airplane). Sigh.
When we got closer to Paris, I was saying "je suis désolé" (I am sorry) over and over and I was feeling sick to my stomach, and he'd just smile and say "no problem, they take care of it". I thought, "not a chance, this is ridiculous for you to assume". At one point I got really quiet because I felt so uncomfortable, and out of the blue he pointed off to the left of the car, turned around and smiled and said "le tour Eiffel".
And looming out of the distance on our left side was one of the "7 Modern Wonders of the World" - the Eiffel Tower - in all its early-morning glory. It was far away still and it disappeared quickly behind a building - but I think he did that to say "it's going to be OK buddy, and don't forget where you are!"
Truly remarkable. Seeing it for the first time was much like the Sydney Opera House - you just look at it - and part of you is going "is that it?" - kind of like "ho hum" to some degree, and at the same time it's like discovering you are actually meeting the Wizard of Oz - it just doesn't register how amazing this is.
I looked at the tab as we got close to the hotel (I could see Concorde La Fayette in big letters on a tower in front of us) was getting close to 70€, which really scared me (that's over $100!). I wasn't sure if I felt like crying or throwing up. I had visions of the police being called, people yelling at me in French (and I was all alone in this city) and I kept thinking of my defense: "well, I told him to take me back to the airport", but he could just say he didn't understand what I was saying. My mind was racing.
I had no idea it would be so expensive, but hadn't had time to figure out the trains, etc. Found out later an Air France shuttle bus would take me, for 15€, into the city and drop me at my hotel. But without cash, and relying on my cards, I probably still would have been lost. I know now for going back home, but I can't even begin to tell you how much I panicked as we pulled up to the hotel (see picture right, click for larger). This day could go very very badly, and I silently prayed for help.It came to 76€ and he said "I'll tell them 80€?) and I said "OK". Why not ask for 500€, they aren't going to go along with this anyway (so I thought). That's almost $120. So ridiculous I was speechless. But he walked up to the porter who was outside, and he looked me up and down and gave him a bit of a snooty look and said to go talk to the bell captain. The driver smiled and still looked like he was going to get his money and I felt like I was walking into prison.
Walked up to the hotel concierge and the cabbie explained in French. He took one look at my sick face, looked me up on the computer when he asked for my name, and said "Mr. Jorgensen (in English) of course we can help you. We'll give him the cash for the fare and then have you sign to charge it to the room". I felt like he punched me in the face - what a shock. They actually agreed to this? I'm still taking the train going back - office expense or not, that's the most retarded cab fare I've seen in my entire life. But what a relief.
8:35 AM - within minutes after the bell captain bailed me out as if it wasn't a big deal, I walked up to the check-in like I was a new man - actually kind of giddy. The lady was extremely friendly and said they'd "been expecting me" (as if they actually had been in the largest hotel in Europe). Told me she had a "wonderful room" ready for me, gave me my security cards, some free coupons for the hotel bar, and the coupons for my Seine River cruise (in all my fear, I forgot all the great stuff I got with my deal - thanks again for finding it Mom!) and sent to the elevator lobby.
Went up to the 21st floor, to room 2109. I thought to myself "oh god, here we go" thinking, after the morning I had, could I really handle a room that was a dirty, horrible dungeon with poor water temperature and a crappy view of a parking lot or something? (I forgot they guaranteed a nice view). Opened the door and thought..."Holy crap, this is all brand new!". (see picture above, click for larger). And it was. I learned later that they had just finished renovating it in June - all the furniture, the LCD TV (I've never seen an LCD TV in a hotel room!) - even the bed - was brand new.
Then I walked up to the window, and couldn't believe my eyes. I sent this picture to most of you - here's the view I have (see picture right, click for larger)! Wow! Still quick early in the morning, so the photo looks as I actually saw it out my window - didn't touch it up at all.The Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid monument in the world - last year over 6 million people climbed its stairs or took its elevator up to one of several observation decks. Since it was built for the 1889 World's Fair, over 200 million people have visited it. It's as tall as an 81 storey building, making its top observation deck (outdoors, of course) the tallest in Europe, though when it was built, it was the largest in the world. I'll go check it out up close later.
9:03 AM - Well, just fried my RCA alarm clock – plugged it into the 120 volt adapter I bought in Vancouver and it worked for a minute, and then "crack" and I smelled smoke and it was dead. Ugggggghh! I’m scared to use these adapters for anything but my laptop (I know it's safe for that). I thought I used my alarm in Sydney with no problems, but remembered after that I had an older alarm then. The adapters look really weird (see picture left, click for larger). Downloaded this picture from the Net - mine is being used for my laptop to write this!I can’t even buy a new alarm here because I won’t be able to use it at home! What a day I'm having, and it's not even 9:30 AM yet.
9:15 - Going to lay down for a few hours. I’m so exhausted I can barely think or function - even walked into a doorway by accident - ouch! Will see how I feel by 11:00 - whether I go to Versaille or just head out another time and lose the money I spent on the pass (25€)! More soon!
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