The General Strike

We arrived in Paris on Monday, dazed and hungry. The trip over took less time than the return, but it was still a long shlep. We got settled into our apartment and while I took a shower, the other two girls went out exploring. They said they'd be back in an hour.

Two hours later, I set out on my own. How difficult could it be to walk around the block? If you know me, and my sense of direction, you might answer differently. Of course I got lost, and just kept wandering. Another 30 minutes found me back on the right street and meeting up with Katrina. No biggie.

We went off to find Cynthia, got our Carte Orange (a great deal if you are in Paris for a week or so, and arrive on Monday or Tuesday. It only costs about 16 Euro, or 20 bucks, and it's good for seven days. It worked on all the metro and bus lines in the city, and even for the people mover at the Sacre Couer Church), and ducked into a brasserie to get a coffee.

We asked about the General Strike that was supposed to shut down the city on Tuesday, the next day. Everyone we asked said that it was only going to affect the Metro lines, and that shops and restaurants would still be open as usual. We even asked about the taxis, and those too, we were told, would probably be running. We figured we'd just take a cab if we got stuck somewhere, or walk if the weather wasn't so horrible.

Went off to get some Onion Soup (delicious) in the Gare du Nore (again, not sure I spelled that correctly), and got back to the apartment around 11 pm.

Well, the general strike didn't seem to affect the Metro at all. We hopped on the next day, and went off to the Museum D'Orsay. Which, of course, was closed, due to the strike. We then went walking on the Champ's Elysee's, and stopped to buy postcards. At the post office, we again saw a sign stating that it was closed due to the strike. Now, so far, we'd seen nothing in the way of protests or picketing or any groups at all. We decided to go to the Arc de Triomphe... yep, you guessed it. We could walk around, but not go up, because it too was closed.

Now, if we'd had our wits about us, we would have just gone shopping, because later, on Sunday, when Katrina had planned to do her shopping, the stores were all closed. Which was stated pretty clearly in all the guidebooks, but ... well, that's another story.

We went to Notre Dame, and it was beautiful, as ever, and walked around the Louvre's grounds. We then went on one of the Bateaux - Mouches; a boat ride/tour on the Seine. It was pretty darn cold, and there were about 50 junior high school students on board, as well as 200 other tourists. Every time we went under a bridge, the students would whoop and yell and holler; Teenagers are the same everywhere. I took some cool pictures, but haven't figured out how to put them in the middle of my post, so they might end up out of context when I do post them.

Katrina's habit of walking as if she was being chased was firmly in place already. She has no conception of strolling, taking things in, stopping and smelling the roses. I don't mind dawdling behind a little, it's par for the course when I'm with her, and I'd rather do that than keep running to keep up with her, miss what I'd like to look at, and getting annoyed at her at the same time.

However, I would appreciate if she looked back oh, say, once every three blocks or so. She never did. Just kept walking, even when I'd see a sign stating we were going in the wrong direction, and would call to her. Yes, she speaks French fairly well, and I don't, yes, she has a better sense of direction than I do, but... sometimes she is wrong. It didn't matter. She was in charge, even if she didn't say it, and wasn't to be questioned. This caused some trouble later on in the trip, but at this point it was just an observation on my part.

We ended up at a fabulous Thai restaurant that night, and ate a great meal. The dessert I had was amazing; Earl Grey infused Cream Brulee (I know, how Thai is that?). Usually I don't like Earl Grey tea, and Creme Brulee is nice, but not my all-time favorite. Something though, about the combination of flavors... it was delicate, creamy and fragrant, no one taste or scent overpowering another. I went to take a picture of it, but Katrina shamed me out of it, "You aren't going to take a picture in here, are you?"

"Uh, no. Of course not. I was just checking to see if I could still see through the viewfinder of my camera."

Didn't matter. The food was great, and we went to bed that night full and happy.