The amazingly amazing adventures of a hormonal and awkward teenager.

Monday 20 August 2012

Trip to Paris

I managed to stealthily sneak and use the scanner. Which was quite an effort seeing as I was trying to go quickly and it decided to cut off the edges of every picture and make them all grey...


ANYWAY what I was really planning on telling you about was my trip to Paris last week with my sister and my mother. It is an easy train ride from where we are staying so we went for two days. We visited the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee d'orangerie, the Louvre... (yeah - we're cultured.) and also did a bit of shopping. It was a really nice trip but it was SO HOT and getting 4 metros a day and walking from museum to museum can be difficult if you're really crap. And I have been told that after sports/ when I am overheated I look like a tomato in a haystack - so I must have been a wonderful sight walking around Paris with my family.

The museums were all busy, especially the Louvre (where people pretend to look at all the art but really all they're interested in is the Mona Lisa). It was when we were in the big queue for the museum that my mum decided it was a good time to take a photo of me and my sister in front of the massive glass pyramid. This meant that we were holding up a huge queue of people all staring at us as my mum jabbed her finger at her phone trying to hit the capture button. I have talked previously about how I am conscious not to have a massive flashing sign above my head saying 'TOURIST' and I don't think anything could have lit up that sign quite like this did, so really it was lucky that I didn't pass out from embarrassment there and then.
Inside the museum there were big tourist groups who were being led by their guide around the galleries, the guide usually carrying a flag so that their group could always spot them (although I did see a guide with a plastic glowing lightsaber which also came in handy pointing at details in paintings). These groups are pretty determined, they do not want to be separated from their guide and miss anything - As a result of this I found myself being swept up by a group and trapped in the middle as they all marched forward following their guide, ignoring the cries of the young girl they were carrying with them away from her mother (moi). I eventually managed to battle my way out by being quite forceful (most of them wore their backpacks on their front for security reasons which provided a good pushing surface).


Usually I don't care that much about service in shops and restaurants. Some people want the waitress/shop assistant to be stroking their head as they soothingly tell them they are beautiful and take their order/scan their purchases. Really I would prefer they mostly stayed quiet because knowing me the situation will only ever get progressively awkwarder. But I did find some of the waiters in Paris to be quite unfriendly. They acted as if we were wasting their time and really they just wanted to get back to their tv show instead of serving some english speaking morons, I don't think they realised it was their job to bring us food and drink as they made it out to be such a chore.

Not much else I can think to tell you about Paris, (other than the Metro is scary because the doors open as the train is still pulling into the station) but it might interest you to know I got my ears pierced (I don't know why it would interest you come to think of it...) I hadn't cared about it up till now which is why I've had them done so late - but hey! now I have a hole through both earlobes - celebrations all round! Although when I went to twist and clean them the next morning I went so pale and felt so faint and queasy whilst doing it I had to lie down - twice. This is because I have the heart of a lion.





9 comments:

  1. Wow! Your trip to Paris sounds like it was great! I'm going to paris in October with a friend of my mum's and I think we are going to a few museums. I had my ears pierced ages ago but I love wearing earrings, so many to wear! :)

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    1. Thank you! I will check it out. I hope you have fun in Paris in October ;)

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  3. went the the lourve a couple of years back. Yes those tourist groups of determined like crazy - oa behindthestagebeauty.blogspot.com

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  4. I would love to go to Paris, especially the Louvre. :3 Might be going there on my gap year :D
    I always look like a tomato after PE/walking down a flight of stairs.
    I had my ears pierced recently too. :) Well, 4 weeks ago. Which studs did you get?
    Adrienne x

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    1. I have little gold diamond ones, although I'm gonna steal some off my sister as soon as I can change them... mwahaha

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  5. One of my friends is currently studying in France. Turns out it isn't them being rude. It's just custom for them to take your order and get out of your way so you can enjoy your food. In fact when most French people come here they are pretty annoyed with the service they receive. They feel that our servers are annoying, loud, ect. Another reason you don't tip your waiters in France, they do their job, serving you food, and that is all.

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  6. Yes that is true, I'll try bear that in mind next time I visit France. I think it was that there was just one waiter who seemed pretty impatient with us.

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