As well, I need to conserve whatever hip-strength I have for tomorrow's journey to London, UK! I've fervently been looking forward to this particular interlude in the trip : ) We have a lot of cool stuff to do and see in a short span of less than two days.
Since we'll be turning in early tonight, I thought I would use this time to draw some comparisons and make some observations about Paris vs. home.
Here's what we haven't seen or encountered in Paris:
- ugly road signs
- dollar stores
- convenience stores (as you and I know them) but maybe in other neighborhoods with small produce stands outside
- larger "one-stop shopping" stores such as Walmart, Shopper's Drug Mart & Loblaws--except for Monoprix but it sells some clothing and housewares..not a lot.
- dog poo everywhere like the rumors say
- Dr. Pepper (or Diet)
- Crown Royal (also, their "Mickeys" are packaged and hung on pegs behind the cash desks)
- hardware stores or anything selling large equipment
- hardly any shopping malls for a city this size
- no tall apartment buildings due to very old rules for buildings in Paris
- large grocery stores--instead there are small grocery stores everywhere
- refrigerated eggs---they keep theirs on shelves around the corner from the refrigerator aisle
- North American wine--if they do have it, it is probably in a specialty shop
- food trucks, no hot dog stands
- no "sub sauce" at Subway (what the hell??)
- no smelly metro stations
- no rude waiters
- Coca-Cola Green (sweetened with Stevia)
- touch-screen kiosks to order food in McDonald's
- yogurt in little glass jars with tin foil lids
- a fantastic and comprehensive public transit system including the bike rental system
- pharmacies every hundred meters or so
- Boulangeries
- mostly cobble-stoned areas, the difference being whether they're old or new, big or small
- traffic stop lights both at eye level and hanging over the intersection
- public toilet stations every few hundred meters (not porta-potties). There's actually an app to find the nearest one
- free prescription drugs, hence pharmacies on every corner
- roaming groups of police officers and French army carrying machine guns and other types of security around monuments
- a police department (prefecture) in every arrondissement
- roasted chestnuts as a typical sidewalk fare you can buy
- paper money of different lengths and widths depending on denomination
- bottled soft drinks served at restaurants (for the most part--that's why they're expensive, ie: 4Euros)
- red wine by the keg in restaurants--if you ask for the house wine, you get it drawn from a big keg. I'm not aware of any Canadian restaurants that do the same
- French-made movies and French actors on all of the movie posters. I haven't seen any movies that look familiar with familiar faces advertised
- Self-Coiff : a budget hair cutting salon where the prices are reduced if you dry or comb/brush out your own hair
- their tap water tastes great!
- signs warning you to watch out for pickpockets
- luxurious taxi cabs who offer to charge your cell phone for you and offer free WiFi
- tobacco pouches to roll their own cigarettes (while sitting at the bistro with their friends who are smoking)
Here are stereotypes we have come across more than once every day:
- riding bicycles
- a sense of fashion and carefree self-expression in their clothing choices
- men wearing scarves and cool spectacles
- smoking! oh God...so many smokers (I saw a guy waiting for his gym to open having a smoke)
- most people walking their dogs are walking small dogs or teacup dogs...including pouffy poodles
- wearing stripes
- baguette carrying & eating
- packed bistrots on every street until late at night
- parks packed with people laying around eating and drinking and enjoying the nice weather
- wine being cheaper than pop...in fact I bought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for 2.89Euros
This was an interesting read!
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