Monday, November 28, 2011
It's beginning to look a lot like...Noël
Paris is all aglow for the holiday season. There are lights EVERYWHERE. A Christmas tree festoons the traffic circle at Place D'Italie; the mall there is all lit up, and there is a Christmas tree right in front of Notre Dame. Carousels are being put up and lit at night, and the seasonal ferris wheel in the Tuileries garden is standing in full glory. I love all this! One can't help feel but festive when Paris truly becomes the City of Lights. Soon the ice rink in front of Hôtel de Ville will be set up! Paris around Christmas is a charming and delightful time, as I am swiftly learning.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Great Mystery of Boulevard Saint-Germain
The story I am about to recount happened several weeks ago, but I have not had proper time to put it down into writing. However, I feel this tale is both cautionary and a gift to the reading public. Most of all, it is a quintessential "only in Paris" occurrence. 
First of all, there are free public toilets scattering Paris (full disclosure, the image I have used here is not my own, sorry readers. But thank you, Google!). These are small, slightly futuristic space-pod looking grey stalls. Between each use, there is an automatic cleaning cycle that supposedly washes the entire premesis, although my olfactory sense would tell me otherwise. These toilets, although not the most aesthetically appealing optimally comfortable, are LIFE SAVERS. Restaurant and hotel propriaters here DO NOT take kindly to strangers sauntering in and asking to use their restroom without using any of their services. I've even heard that in McDonalds in the city they have started locking the restrooms via a keypad and giving each customer a code so that only the paying can relieve themselves. SERIOUSLY. So, yes, I do often use the public toilets. And I have never really had a problem, aside from holding my nose and trying not to breathe the entire time I'm using one, but alas, this is a common fate in public facilities.
Several weeks ago I was on my way to a film in the Latin Quarter, right of Boulevard Saint Michel. It was about 9:30 at night, and shops were closing. It was still too early to enter the cinema before the show, and as I had spotted a public toilet, I decided to just use that. This particular outpost was at the crossroads of Boulevard Saint Michel and Boulevard Saint Germain, a very busy thoroughfare, and quite crowded, even on weeknights. One more thing I should note about public toilets is that one presses a button to open and close the door, and once it is closed, it is locked. Well, I approached the toilet, and turned the corner, ready to press the button to open the door. Except, lo and behold, for my eyes and the rest of Paris to see, the door was wide open and there was an old dude sitting on the toilet and pooping. Although he hadn't taken the care to close the door, he had neatly hung up his backpack and jacket. This dude didn't even flinch or look up when I walked past.
Well, in the end I decided that I could wait until my movie began to use the facilities at the theater.
First of all, there are free public toilets scattering Paris (full disclosure, the image I have used here is not my own, sorry readers. But thank you, Google!). These are small, slightly futuristic space-pod looking grey stalls. Between each use, there is an automatic cleaning cycle that supposedly washes the entire premesis, although my olfactory sense would tell me otherwise. These toilets, although not the most aesthetically appealing optimally comfortable, are LIFE SAVERS. Restaurant and hotel propriaters here DO NOT take kindly to strangers sauntering in and asking to use their restroom without using any of their services. I've even heard that in McDonalds in the city they have started locking the restrooms via a keypad and giving each customer a code so that only the paying can relieve themselves. SERIOUSLY. So, yes, I do often use the public toilets. And I have never really had a problem, aside from holding my nose and trying not to breathe the entire time I'm using one, but alas, this is a common fate in public facilities.
Several weeks ago I was on my way to a film in the Latin Quarter, right of Boulevard Saint Michel. It was about 9:30 at night, and shops were closing. It was still too early to enter the cinema before the show, and as I had spotted a public toilet, I decided to just use that. This particular outpost was at the crossroads of Boulevard Saint Michel and Boulevard Saint Germain, a very busy thoroughfare, and quite crowded, even on weeknights. One more thing I should note about public toilets is that one presses a button to open and close the door, and once it is closed, it is locked. Well, I approached the toilet, and turned the corner, ready to press the button to open the door. Except, lo and behold, for my eyes and the rest of Paris to see, the door was wide open and there was an old dude sitting on the toilet and pooping. Although he hadn't taken the care to close the door, he had neatly hung up his backpack and jacket. This dude didn't even flinch or look up when I walked past.
Well, in the end I decided that I could wait until my movie began to use the facilities at the theater.
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