Paris - Day 2
Monday 2010-04-26
“Après le Photo Tour”
I met Randy Harris in front of the Hotel du Louvre this morning after a suitably frantic navigation of le Métro (which needn’t have been so frantic, had I correctly read the time to rendezvous.
I prefer London’s tube, at first blush, but it is similar enough. They have no in-car announcer (I later found that the newer, rarer trains do), so an eagle-eye on the cluttered station walls is required.
I am lunching at Sanseveria, across the street from le Jardin Tuilleries. I ordered a croque monsieur (open-faced ham and cheese, toasted), but the waitress brought an omelette. She was kind of forgetful, but cute, apologetic, and spoke English.
At least it was ham and cheese.
Randy is a great guide, and even knows a few people at Zillow (Doug Slotkin among others, who also used to be at HouseValues.com). Easy-going, lots of good stories, and really engages. Classic salesman, in other words. :)
We started in and around the Louvre, which even the exterior thereof is amazing. My tour companions: Greg & Denise, from San Francisco; Dennis & Cindy from Florida; Linda, a journalist from Miami. Greg & Denise were my favourite, coincidentally the first to arrive at the meeting point after I did.
We traveled a vague “S” through the Tuilleries garden, ducking into side streets almost at random (the shopping district around the rue de Rivoli, quite posh).
I am feeling a lot better about the culture shock today; perhaps a morning with Americans helped. The shower at the hostel is hilariously decrepit, but at least it is hot.
I may or may not regret lugging my 70-200 everywhere, but I kind of have no choice here. Ah well. I shall return to the States that much beefier (or sorer, which is the likelier outcome).
