Where Is Joey Today?

I tolerate Paris in the spring time

Okay I am going to need everyone who knows me to grab a chair. This might be difficult for you to accept but... I was cool with Paris. Dun Dun DUH!!! Now before you wonder how this feat worthy of the Guiness Book of World Records was accomplished, I did a few things to help me out.

1.) I always asked, in French, if they spoke Spanish...THEN English
2.) I only asked for help at Tourist information centers if at all possible
3.) Whenever possible I sought out Black and Asian Parisians to ask for help.
4.) I left within 5 hours of arriving

The first thing I did was lock up my stuff. The problem was that only Gare du Nord had lockers. The good news is that I fit EVERYTHING inside. From there it was off to somewhere. because the Paris Metrosystem sports a type of userfriendliness typically found only in the US tax code. Electromagnetics...just slightly tougher than getting from one point to another. I finally got it but crap that was confusing. Apparently they have main stops and then from those main stops the map forks into numbers. Umm...okay. So you have colors, letters, numbers, letternumbers, battleship coordinates, yeah it sucks. But it was very well run. Clean, fast, efficient and takes you anywhere in the city. Hard to ask for more than that (well nomenclature that doesn´t take an Industrial Engineer to figure out maybe).

I popout on the first stop that seems promising. Notre Dame. Em wanted a photo here (she wanted a series of photos from places where she was). Done. Inside the baroque architecture was amazing and it really reminded me of Seville but the stained glass windows allowed a lot more light to enter. A great first step in the city of lights.

Then from there I just headed west and figured I would hit the Eiffel Tower. Along the way I stumbled across the Lourve. Turned out the line was "short". Inside found someone who spoke English (1 of 2 at Tourist information) and got in the ticket line. 30 minutes later, I was frantically trying to hit the highlights. The Mona Lisa, was...bigger than I thought. Okay first Paris didn't suck and now it is bigger than you thought!?!?! You lost it Joey, really man. No I know, it is "small" but everyone makes it sound like an 8 by 10. It is decent size and very realistic. I always wondered what gives a painting or sculpture noteriety. What made the Mona Lisa famous? I think, the painter and usually there is something artisitically better or different about it. For example, the Venus de Milo is at the end of a long corridor of great sculpture. She is just a little more detailed though. I think I have officially decided that sculpture is more impressive to me than painting.

Okay now Eiffel Tower. It was pretty cool and less brown than I thought it would be. The sun was reflecting off of it which was really pretty. I went to the east corner, snap snap, here you go Em.

So the marathon (or as one of my fellow Enforex students told me, a race to acquire cultural capital) continues along the Champ De Elysle..whatever to the Arc de Triumph (if you are wondering why I am not spelling this stuff right... I just dont care). Snap snap, to Gare du Nord to leave.

Fare thee well Paris, Salamanca Hi!

Now here is the interesting part. I was told Irun is a connecting point for Spain as it is on the French Spanish border. In typical French fashion all the announcements were only made in French. I thought, how ridiculous, Irun is how people get to Spain! Why not use French and Spanish (English wouldn't hurt)? So I see people getting their stuff and hear Irun. Good enough for me. I get into the gangway where they are speaking Spanish. What a schminkle for sore ears. I tell them I have a train from Irun to Madrid they all nodded. I get off, at what looks to be a small station. Really small. Not sure where Irun is, how big or anything about it but something feels off. I approach a few people and say Je ne parle Frances, parlevouz Espanol o Ingles? Everyone spoke Spanish! I figured well, I guess because they are close to the border they have to.

Turns out my Irun station is the next stop and the train already left. So I took a Topo (trolley) to the station. Well, 15 minute walk to the station. I asked the folks on the train also if they spoke Spanish or English, they did as well. Then it occurred to me.

¿Perdoname, estamos in Frances o Espana?

I have officially been in a country by mistake. Welcome to Spain. That is why they spoke Spanish. The reason the signs were not readable by moi? I was in Pais Vasco, where they aren't as keen on Castellano and apparently there was an explosion two nights ago. They must have some sympathies with Catalan because I think I saw that listed under the Basque. With all this is mind, why weren't those stupid announcements in two languages?

So onboard the train I met two brothers from Venezuela. They both lived in the US for a little while (they have drivers licenses from Miami) and they joked that this Train was from WWII and that we are going back in time. It was old, I will grant him that. Not exactly the train I took from Barcelona to Milan (the Salvador Dali?).

Ah Madrid. I Rush to get a ticket to Salamanca and time for arrival. Where I am greeted by my new family with open arms. Beni (the mother) and Mariano (the father) seem nice. They made me some Cafe con Leche and Pasgual cookies. I took the best shower of my life and then I met my roommates. Two girls from Seattle. They thought I was German because I was arriving from Munich. So did Beni, and the German Ayinger beer didn't help with that opinion.

She apologized and said she thought I was from Munich. No need to apologize, I have been called much worse ;)

Lest you think that everything was absolutely perfect in the 2012 losing candidate city...

One last shot of Paris. At least in Rome the sidewalks were safe ;)





--Joey