Paris Day Two
February 20th, 2006
1:34pm EST (7:34pm Paris)
After a long day of running all over the city of Paris, working hard to exude all the normal characteristics of a tourist, I have many thoughts to share, but very little energy to do so. The day started with breakfast here at the hotel, hosted by our friends at Alcatel. Well the day actually began with an expedition through the Congres de Paris after some shadey information given to Guido by the Conceire. Once we finally settled down to the meal, the food was excellent, a mix of European and American fair, all very good. I did notice, after Julie pointed it out, that there was a large quantity of Ketchup next to the scrambled eggs.
At breakfast, we hooked up with Ando Shin, our sales engineer from Virginia. Ando joined the party and we all headed out for the lourve via the Paris underground. Now I am not the most experienced user of public transportation, but from my experiences, Paris has a pretty decent wsubway system. The Lourve has a stopped just a few miles up the line from us, and it opens dirctly in the lobby of the museum. The Lourve is basically an enormous and very impressive facility. It's shear size and volume is awe-striking. I was overwhlemed by the history of the collection, the diverisity of the collection, and, basically, the social significance of the entire museum. Everywhere you turn in the Lourve, something catches you eye - apiece of art you studied in school, something you saw on TV, or something you read about last week. A personal thrill for me was exploring the grand gallery and standing inches from the great works of DaVinci. I will say that the ego of the French shines through as you around. The French collection contains numberous works of ego and testosterone in the form of Naploleon's great victories and his imagined benevolence to the people. Let's just say that history has a unique perspective from this side of the pond.
After enjoying the first blue skies of our trip outside the pyramid entrance, we headed down the tube and toward the Cathedral de Notre Dame. Obviously I am not a practicing Catholic, but regardless of one's beliefs, the cathedral is an amazingly reverant and beautiful place. To think that the City of Paris was so close to tearing the building down in the 19th century before a little book involving a hunchback arrived on the scene. The world is a better place knowing that such great icons of architecture and history survive the perhals of time.
We next wandered the streets looking for a good lunch spot until we stumbled upon a great little italian place off one of the numerous alleys. Ando, as he had done throughout day, picked up the tab for the meal. I have to give Ando and Alcatel serious credit for their hospitality and their willingness to take such good care of their customers, going the extra mile everywhere we turn. We finished the day by touring the Eiffel Tower and taking the painfully long elevator trip to the top. What you would expect happened - awesome views, strong winds, cools maps...blah blah blah. Not that I am ungrateful for the expereince, but it was your typical impressive tourist experience.
As we descended from the tower, the rain began again, this time with a seriously cold wind. I honestly do not know how it could be so cold and not snow. We made our way back to the train and headed for the final line that runs back to the hotel. It was at this point that I went my own separate way. While everyone headed for the warmth and comfort of the hotel, Ando and I got back on a train heading the opposite direction. I had not had enough time to hit the gift shop at the Lourve and I had a promise to keep. A certain person out there hopefully reading this asked for something artistic and possibly green from the Lourve. Well true to my word, I headed back and picked something up. If you are reading this, and you know who you are, I got it. Talk to you all soon...
1:34pm EST (7:34pm Paris)
After a long day of running all over the city of Paris, working hard to exude all the normal characteristics of a tourist, I have many thoughts to share, but very little energy to do so. The day started with breakfast here at the hotel, hosted by our friends at Alcatel. Well the day actually began with an expedition through the Congres de Paris after some shadey information given to Guido by the Conceire. Once we finally settled down to the meal, the food was excellent, a mix of European and American fair, all very good. I did notice, after Julie pointed it out, that there was a large quantity of Ketchup next to the scrambled eggs.
At breakfast, we hooked up with Ando Shin, our sales engineer from Virginia. Ando joined the party and we all headed out for the lourve via the Paris underground. Now I am not the most experienced user of public transportation, but from my experiences, Paris has a pretty decent wsubway system. The Lourve has a stopped just a few miles up the line from us, and it opens dirctly in the lobby of the museum. The Lourve is basically an enormous and very impressive facility. It's shear size and volume is awe-striking. I was overwhlemed by the history of the collection, the diverisity of the collection, and, basically, the social significance of the entire museum. Everywhere you turn in the Lourve, something catches you eye - apiece of art you studied in school, something you saw on TV, or something you read about last week. A personal thrill for me was exploring the grand gallery and standing inches from the great works of DaVinci. I will say that the ego of the French shines through as you around. The French collection contains numberous works of ego and testosterone in the form of Naploleon's great victories and his imagined benevolence to the people. Let's just say that history has a unique perspective from this side of the pond.
After enjoying the first blue skies of our trip outside the pyramid entrance, we headed down the tube and toward the Cathedral de Notre Dame. Obviously I am not a practicing Catholic, but regardless of one's beliefs, the cathedral is an amazingly reverant and beautiful place. To think that the City of Paris was so close to tearing the building down in the 19th century before a little book involving a hunchback arrived on the scene. The world is a better place knowing that such great icons of architecture and history survive the perhals of time.
We next wandered the streets looking for a good lunch spot until we stumbled upon a great little italian place off one of the numerous alleys. Ando, as he had done throughout day, picked up the tab for the meal. I have to give Ando and Alcatel serious credit for their hospitality and their willingness to take such good care of their customers, going the extra mile everywhere we turn. We finished the day by touring the Eiffel Tower and taking the painfully long elevator trip to the top. What you would expect happened - awesome views, strong winds, cools maps...blah blah blah. Not that I am ungrateful for the expereince, but it was your typical impressive tourist experience.
As we descended from the tower, the rain began again, this time with a seriously cold wind. I honestly do not know how it could be so cold and not snow. We made our way back to the train and headed for the final line that runs back to the hotel. It was at this point that I went my own separate way. While everyone headed for the warmth and comfort of the hotel, Ando and I got back on a train heading the opposite direction. I had not had enough time to hit the gift shop at the Lourve and I had a promise to keep. A certain person out there hopefully reading this asked for something artistic and possibly green from the Lourve. Well true to my word, I headed back and picked something up. If you are reading this, and you know who you are, I got it. Talk to you all soon...
posted by Ben from TN @ 2/20/2006 02:27:00 PM
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