Travel Diaries: Paris

Twenty years ago today I enjoyed the last of three days in Paris, mostly by exploring the city on my own during the day, and then bar hopping with a few friends at night. I enjoy traveling with people, but if you have too large a group you can easily suffer tourist paralysis, unable to decide what to do, where to go, or to all be ready to go and do anything at the same time. In Europe I was quick to bail out on such situations and set out on my own.

One of the things I had to do in Paris, was to play a scene from a movie that had come out the same year, Gotcha, in which a college student goes to Europe and gets caught up in many adventures. One of which, was to order a Pernod at sidewalk cafe from a rude French waiter. But I don’t recall the waiter being rude, and I’m sure I’d have wrote about it if he had been.

June 24 / ParisAll day is free so I slept late, and then went to do my laundry. It’s still raining on and off. Took Metro to go shopping and bought a blue paisley shirt and grey tie. Saw the Eiffel Tower and the Arc D’Triomphh up close and then walked along the Champs Elysees stopping for a “Pernod avec de l’eau” which was pretty good. When I got back I found out that is was 8:45 PM and not only 4:19 like my watch said it was, which shows how long I can wander. I’ve picked up the nickanme “Crisco” because I wander off from the group and they all ask “Where did Chris Go?” I’m passing up the Cabaret tonight because I didn’t want to blow the $40 it costs. I’ll party on a budget with my other thrifty friends. Went bar hopping with Jimmy, Lyle and Scott.

Leave a Reply