Paris Day 3 / Pt 2

Ah, finally we arrive at the tower. 

One thing that I really admired was the walk up to it, it really helped give a sense at the size of the structure.

It's certainly a lot grander than the one in Vegas! Haha

The were constructing something to be held in the middle, I think it's a new viewing center. Must come back to visit in the future then!

Being a national monument in a city that is familiar with terrorist attacks, security was not to be taken lightly. 

Didn't expect this guy! He sits outside of the elevator that takes you up the tower, which is where we're headed next...

Standing above a city and looking outward to the developed horizon is a feeling that can be replicated in many cities, but so rarely is the city so filled with history or the skyline so open to air. There are more developed regions of the city, as modern and tall as any other international powerhouses. However, the heart of the city remains free and open, and that openness is what makes the biggest difference between London and Paris. Needless to say, I fully preferred the Parisian freedom to that of the darker, narrow London streets. 

Interesting shape for a bike taxi. I wonder if the shape helps any or protects the occupants much. The "driver's" seat certainly looks more comfy than a typical bike. 

Personally though, I'd rather take a car taxi. A brand new E class would be nice...

Though this little guy certainly looked fun! I spy with my little eye, something black and Italian...

Though speaking of Italians, this really puzzled me. So there's a business in Paris called "Drive Me" which offers 1 hour drives in either a Gallardo or California through the streets of Paris. Ok, I can understand the appeal of that. Both cars are also paddle-shifting so you don't even need to know how to handle a clutch! But what I didn't understand was how so many locals (or at least people who seemed to be local) were so excited to see them. Every day while walking around I had seen more exclusive and desirable cars driving around (such as that Murcielago just before or the F12 posted earlier) and this is an international city with many exotics cruising around. A California or Gallardo was as rare as a Land Cruiser in SF; you're not likely to see one every day but there are plenty around. So I couldn't understand why they were going nuts with these but rarely batted an eye at more valuable cars. Maybe it has something to do with messing with the customers or maybe I'm just jaded? 

So that should be enough pics of the Eiffel Tower. Next post, the Arc de Triomphe.

Ok, one more pic

Paris / Day 1 Pt. 2

After beginning to get the ins and outs of the city, we began heading towards Sacre Coeur. 

Old school Saab 9000 with old meshies somehow fit really well here on the Parisian streets. 

At first glance, I thought it looked like an Indian temple at the top of the hill. Maybe because it was so much cleaner (whiter) than most of the other churches and temples we saw. The domed tops helped the Taj Mahal affect too. 

Look at these punks causing a ruckus with their skateboarding and scootering. Actually, the real delinquents was the scum at the base of the hill that'd grab people's hands (mostly women) and try to put a piece of colored string on your finger so you'd be "forced" to buy their crappy excuse of a souvenir. Despite the police being in clear eyesight of the activity, they just kept at it the entire time we were there. If you happen to see them, don't be shy to physically push them away and tell them to [shoo] off; it's the only way they'll understand you're more trouble than you're worth and they'll just move onto the next victim. 

Once you move past that unfortunately scum though, the rest of the area was really pleasant. Even the pigeons, which look a lot healthier than those in London/SF/LA, were friendly. 

It's really refreshing how clear and open the city feels compared to London. Even with the local smoking and the weird smelling grocery stores, the air here is just so much cleaner. 

It even managed to get Michelle to crack a smile. 

And have I mentioned that I miss hills and breaking up the monotony of the flat, featureless slab of land that is London? Yeah it may be a little bit of an exercise to get up to the top, but I enjoyed every moment of it. 

Finally we arrive. 

And what a view!

Through the trees and buildings, we even got our first sighting of the Eiffel Tower. Definitely a great area to live for the view, though I'd try to avoid the bottom of the hill. 

Because when you think of Memphis, you think of palm trees? Gotta love the crazy MKIII Golf specials. 

Alfa Romeo may only have a collection of fwd hatches and saloons/estates (if you exclude the 8C and newly introduced 4C) but man these things are lookers. My favorite looking modern fwd hatch for the longest time has been the VW Scirocco R, but the Alfa Romeo Brera is a very close second. 

Peace brah!

The local ads tend to have a fun vibe about them compared to the serious and clean ads of London. 

I know this is considered to be the city of lights but it feels like the city of color coming from the bleak streets of London. 

One thing that I've noticed these past 3 days is that Paris is the sheer number of scooters and motorcycles, which makes sense when there's almost no parking and the traffic is crazy. What this means to me is plenty of great 60-early 90s bikes to spot, like this Yamaha and BMW. 

This wraps up the first day. Stay tuned for the next day as we go to Notre Dame and Pompidou.