Last day as a real toursist

Every time when I arrive to Paris the first place that I always want to visit is the Jardin Tuillerie. Why such a touristy place? No idea :)But the green chairs in the middle of the road in the center of a big city make this place really cosy.

While I was choosing a chair, two ladies came up to me trying to speak French, forming a question by simply saying the name of the place they needed a adding a question intonation. Musée de l’Orangerie. I show. The lady: Вот там? - Automatically answering me in Russian. I answer in Russian. She was sooo shocked, I thought she would get a heart attack or smth :)

Yep, this is Paris – you can find any nationality here.

Transport issues: welcome to Paris

Sitting in the train, all my thoughts were about the Metro..but already the one in Paris. Lille is Lille and Paris is Paris – to cross the whole city with luggage would be a loooot more Impossible.
Suddenly heard some French guy calling someone to Paris, asking whether the metro worked…hm..so maybe it’s not that common to close the metro in France?

But in all this moving rush can’t say anything bad about the French, on the contrary, what are the French like – rather always polite and ready to help. And I understood that not at all from some stereotypes, but from real life.
Trying to get out my HOTW(house-on-the-wheels) from the train, I arranged a traffic jam, but no problems about that, people were ready to wait without even making faces.

So, Welcome to Paris! Next Transport Obstacle – the Parisien Metro, which did work, but it didn’t make it that much easier – Stairs everywhere – to enter, to exit and, of course, to change the line!

That’s amazing, but there wasn’t a single part of stairs where I had to carry my HOTW myself! Every time I just had to come to the stairs, stand there for 5 seconds with a shocked expression of the face (looking at the loooong stairs), when some man always proposed his help. Every time I honestly warned that the HOTW was extremely heavy, they still continued (of course, a man will never show a weakness), just saying smth like Wow!
On one of the stairs a guy with 2 huge suitcases of his own proposed his help, but while I was refusing his help, another guy just took my stuff down :) Afterwards we found out that the giy with the luggage was also going from Lille and also had to carry his stuff to the station on foot.
On some other stairs two ladies helped me to go up the stairs and to get on the train. And finally, the final point – Creteil,my temporary home-station. On the left – loooong staris (around 3 floors up), to the right – elevator..which Certainly was Hors Service, well well,bien sur…
But as usually a passing by man offered his help (poor guy,honestly)..I think he didn’t properly evaluate the horrible combination of HOTW & the stairs. But one more time – when offered help – there is no way back.

So what are the French man like? Looks like Gentils and Helpful

Transport issues: Lille

What is in common between Sunday, Jour Férié (Holiday) and Grèves (Strikes, btw one of the most important French words to know)? => No one wants to work, life gets stuck & what you have to do is take it easy, stay home or just not plan any serious things to do..maximum go for a walk, preferably on foot.

Which of these days is the most uncomfortable in terms of moving to another city? Good question. I decide to think logically – on Sunday no guichets with tickets will be open& having only cash => moving from Lille to Paris would be better on Saturday…But what a surprise, this strategy turned out to be a Huge mistake.

In the film “Bienvenue chez lez Chti’s” they say that in Chti you cry twice: when you arrive & when you leave. I believed in that to the moment of my departure – no way! No crying – no time! Hopefully, a cup of coffee was planned 1h before the train.

Carrying half of my belongings ( a huge “house-on-the-wheels” suitcase, a smaller one, a backpack with an ironer and notebook inside and a camera). In a bit nostalgic mood I arrived to the metro…when suddenly some passing by lady told me: "Mademoiselle, le métro et les buses ne marchent pas aujourd’hui, c’est le 1 mai". At once all my mood crushed, I felt cold-hot-cold….nonononono,not today!!!
Me: C’est sûr??? Elle: Oui,BIEN SUR, c’est le JOUR FERIE.

Well well..I see..Bien Sûr..France..Jours Fériés

HTW am I going to get to the gare ??!No credit on phone, no number of a taxi even..Run run run! Usually it takes 35 min on foot, so I can make it..Easy to say, harder to make true. Why do I have so much stuff???
Hopefully, on the ¾ of the route a friend of mine found me almost deadly tired carrying my luggage, so we manaaged it to the gare 15 before the departure of the train.

Last coffee in Lille..Bien sûr

What are the French like?

France…For many people in the world it is simply associated with the  French cuisine (croissants, baguettes, smelly cheese, sea delicacies and wine for lunch/dinner/wherever and whenever), French kiss, French manicure, French fashion, French perfume, constant grèves, etc.  

 Another controversial issue is people – here there are probably even more stereotypes:sensual&passionate/relaxed&easy-going/friendly&reserved/snobbish&stuck-up…

Is it the real France or is it just a cope of prejudices & stereotypes? What is it to be French or to live a life in the French manner?