Paris greeted me with green fields appearing out of the drizzly yet vaguely romantic weather upon arrival at CDG airport this morning. And immediately, I was drawn into the cross-cultural experience that typifies landing at an international airport.
- The French airline flight attendant who assured me that he doesn't eat airline food, so he couldn't make a recommendation about which in-flight entree to choose. I chose the vegetarian lasagna and it was better than I expected. In fact, the entire meal wasn't bad. Way to go, United Airlines!
- The American tour group (from the South) that kept yelling at each other along the escalators as we headed toward baggage claim. I hope they finally found "Albert", because they certainly let everyone near them know how impossible he was. I kept my mouth shut and hoped I looked vaguely foreign — or, more importantly, disinterested.
- The American threesome of middle-aged women at the American Express counter who asked me if Parisian stores would take US dollars. I quickly disabused them of that notion and told them to get Euros — and that the exchange rate was fine.?
- The young Japanese women dressed in what can best be described as "school girl". I think I was a bit taken aback by the furry ears on their heads and cat-like tails attached to their clothing. It added a whole new look to those impossible heels they were wearing as they scurried around the train station.
- The elegantly dressed East Africans. Special thanks to the East African woman who told the two young East Africans on our train to turn their MP3 player off. I didn't know her language, but I certainly knew the tone and there was an immediate response with a result of a quieter car for passengers.
- The Germans who dashed off my second train as they clearly realized they were on the wrong track.
Like many major cities around the world, Paris is not just French, it allows us to experience facets of other cultures as well as holding a mirror to our own.
By the way, I managed to limit myself to a small suitcase, a computer case and a purse — all carry-on. I think I have more than enough to survive for 16 days.
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And how do you like the French cuisine?
Paris France’s last blog post: Paris France
I’m working on a post about that. Stay tuned!
That’s a funny story about the dollars. I don’t think it has ever been the case that US dollars have been accepted in Europe except possibly in Russia for a short period.
It’s surprising that you actually got airline food that you liked!
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