Walking in Paris

I wasn't the one they invited, but my colleague knew the it was too close to his wife's due date to risk it, so he graciously asked if I’d be interested to be a panelist to a meeting in Paris. Oui! I was thrilled at the opportunity, and soon found myself diving deeper into my colleague's projects to do them justice. AtlantOS is a 4-year EU-funded project for greater coordination of ocean observation data (everything from buoys to satellites) among all the countries around the Atlantic Basin. The AtlantOS Symposium was a chance for those involved to report back, and for them to learn how different sectors (including non-profits like mine) use this data in our work. And so I found myself on a flight to Paris, arriving the afternoon before to adjust, prep, and of course sightsee a little before the event. I discovered the Rick Steves podcasts, which included a walking tour of central Paris and the insight that Louis XIV wanted Paris to be “a place dedicated to pleasure.” I also tried to practice smiling less for the Symposium, as an expat in one of the podcasts explained that Parisians think Americans smile too much, which they subconsciously associate with not being as smart. A little hard when you’re on vacation and eating crepes! 

I am so grateful the walking tour podcast started at Notre Dame, as I had no idea that just two weeks later there would be a terrible fire. I had visited Notre Dame before, but the commentary helped me see a few new details.

entrance to Notre Dame

This "point zero" marker in front of Notre Dame shows it is literally and symbolically the center of Paris. Thanks, Rick Steves podcast!

Detail of the stone carving and intricate ironwork on the doors at the entrance to Notre Dame. That's Saint Denis holding his head.

Inside Notre Dame

Back of Notre Dame for a better look at the flying buttresses. You can also see the scaffolding for the renovation and the spire. 

Crepe break! How could I resist Nutella and bananas?

The walking tour brought me to Pont Neuf just as the sun was setting, and I walked to “the lover’s bridge” to see the locks. They had clearly removed most of them, as I guess it wasn’t designed to hold the weight, but were fighting an uphill battle against tourists wanting to leave their mark.

Looking back at Pont Neuf

Lovers Bridge

For dinner, I asked my hotel for a recommendation and they suggested a place next door that had a fun Art Nouveau theme and the classic clichés in waiter uniforms, paper tops to the tables, etc. and a menu I could barely understand. I asked the waiter for his help and recommendations on what to order, and he suggested a traditional cabbage dish from the Alsace region. Had I known my French geography a little better, I wouldn’t have been as surprised when I saw this as my traditional French dinner:

Traditional Alsace cabbage dish--turns out that region is on the border with Germany. 

Enjoying the ambiance.

I think my German grandmothers would approve! It was delicious, if not what I had envisioned.