Tuesday. I had a great day today. I ended up making the chamber maid happy for stripping the bed of a roommate’s who had checked out. Then I went to Grand Boulevards Metro using different Metro lines I’ve taken so far to go to Hard Rock Cafe. It was so funny, I asked the guy at the desk for directions, and he told me to go to Abbesses Metro (the other close-by metro; I’ve always taken Blanche) and then follow signs to keep walking, that I would be essentially walking to another metro station, though never leaving underground. He also said he almost hated to tell me that because he didn’t want me to get confused. I looked at the metro map, looked at him, then back at the map, and told him, “Okay, but if I don’t come back, please send a search party for me because I’m probably lost underground somewhere.” And I just started to laugh. He looked concerned, which made it all the funnier. I couldn’t get over it: I think of myself as an intrepid traveler and then I balk at walking underground for an extended time. Who am I kidding?
I found Hard Rock Café without any trouble. I couldn’t wait to have a burger lunch. I thought I might get faster service by sitting in the bar area; I was mistaken, for they messed up my order. The inside was gorgeous, and the seating beckoned patrons to sit and enjoy themselves. But as I ate my hamburger and took in the ambiance, I realized I am a lot older than I used to be. When I was younger, going to Hard Rock Café was all the rage (and getting a T-shirt with “Hard Rock Café Paris” and the like, to go with it). But I didn’t feel the same way about it: instead of hearing familiar rock and roll in the background, I heard hard rock blasting in my ears. Hard rock videos played all around the place and I found myself feeling a little out of place. Not a bad thing: it’s okay to realize I’ve changed. It just took me by surprise. I bought a T-shirt before I left since I no longer have my Hard Rock Café Paris shirt that I bought the last time I was in Paris. I also took a few pictures of the exterior.
From there, I just started to walk, and since I saw signs to Charles de Gaulle Etoille, a.k.a. Champs-Elysees, I kept walking. Paris during the day is beautiful, but at night, it is simply breathtaking. I ducked into the Galeries Lafayette just to window shop. The interior design of the place and the seasonal decorations were simply breathtakingly beautiful. I just stood in this massive space and took in the beauty of my surroundings. The French do everything with such style and class. Such beauty makes me glad to be alive. Do the French people know how extraordinarily beautiful their surroundings are? When you live here, do you take it for granted? I don’t think I ever would.
I bought a few magnets of rue signs at sidewalk kiosks. I told Nicdadya about my adventures and how gorgeous the Galeries Lafayette were. She just smiled. I’m tired from walking, and very, very happy – especially since I found my way back to the hostel without any trouble. They won’t have to send a search party for me tonight after all!
Salut!
Abbesses Metro image by Can Stock Photo. All other images by Elsa L. Fridl.