I am happy to say that I made it to Dijon, France in one piece. I arrived in Paris Sunday at 6:30AM local time and ran around the city for 4 hours before rushing to Gare de Lyon train station to catch my train to Dijon.
While in Paris I made it a point to figure out how the metro/train system works. It didn't take long to figure out and within thirty minutes from landing I was in the middle of the city. Using a map I figured out that my time would be best spen
t if I took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe. It was an amazing experience to emerge from the subway tunnel to the hugeness of the monument. As many of you know, the arc was commissioned by Napolean around 1800 to commemorate his victories. The arc sits in the middle of a round-a-bout interesection on the popular Champs- Elysee road.
From the arc I strolled down the Champs-Elysee and then right, past the Grand and Petite Palaces, to the Seine River. It was exciting to see the Eiffel Tower in the background of the Seine River view. I continued walking southeast along the edge of the Seine river and past the Louvre and its popular garden.
Once past the Louvre I found a nice little cafe where I had my first delicious sandwich in France. As simple as the sandwich was, (ham and cheese), it was by far one of the best sandwiches I've had in awhile. Those who have been to France know/understand how delicious the baguette breads are here. After lunch I decided it would probably be a good idea to make my way to Gare de Lyon to figure out how the main train station worked.
It took about 10 minutes to get to the train station from the Metro in front of the Louvre and then another 30 minutes to validate my train ticket at the station counter, (I took a short video of the Louvre line posted below).
On the train, (while struggling to maintain conciousness, from sheer exhaustion), I sat and spoke to an American who was traveling with University students. The professor answered a few questions I had about etiquette, tipping and other cultural differences. One thing I noticed when eating at the cafe adjacent to the Seine was that the waiter was in no hurry to bring my check. I finally signaled to the waiter that I was ready to leave. The teacher on the plane advised that notifying your waiter was essential and that servers will not bring your check until you request it. She also advised that tips are not expected or required. In some cases tips may be included in your check, however, in most cases the charge is included in the food cost as it appears on the menu.
Arriving in Dijon I bumped into another Fresno State student, Abe, and we found our hotel. Once at the hotel we met up with the other students, made a grocery store run (finding out that delicious Bordeaux wines only cost 3 euros a bottle), and then cleaned up to go to a welcoming dinner with the full group. At dinner we had a salmon ceviche appetizer and a delicious braised duck entree each course paired with a local wine. For dessert an orange sorbet was served on a orange juice/champagne reduction which was a perfect way to end the meal.
To finish the day we enjoyed some black and tan beers at a local pub, (Guisness and Kilkenny beers mixed together). Overall, today was a great introduction to the city of Dijon.
Paris "in four hours" pics:
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