Hopefully no one is worried. WiFi in Europe is touch and go that I had to find a Starbucks to get internet. I did have WiFi at my hotel but the very next day it stopped working. When I went down to ask / tell them about it, they shrugged and shook their head.
It's ironic that Europe is more established than North America and yet it hasn't caught up with the technological advances but I get why that may be. There seems to be a certain kind of pride the city takes in keeping with tradition and history. Whether it's the brick apartment buildings with false balconies and wooden shutters, the cobblestone streets, and the shop owners who sweep the shop entrance before opening, everything has character. Old, yes. Dirty, to some. Yet absolutely beautiful. I think we have a lot to learn in not modernizing and upgrading everything. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
After spending the day in Montmartre, I fell in love with the pace of life there. The shops, the cafes, the Dali museum...but of course! And to come back to a place filled with tourists, makes me cringe a little. Not that I mind being a tourist but the monotony in doing the same thing, taking pictures of the same thing, experiencing the same thing as everyone else, is what makes me cringe. I take great joy in finding the unique and unexplored which is maybe why I really enjoy the understated and quieter part of Paris. To me, that's where the stories are. That's where the treasures lie.
Only being here 4 days, I feel like I've settled in quite nicely. I wasn't quite sure what to expect on my first day considering I had a confusing and frustrating start - getting lost and all. Now that I know it a little better, I have to say I'm sad to leave it. I enjoy speaking French when I can, waking up to freshly baked bread and coffee, taking the Metro to where I need to go, wandering the streets day and night.
But more adventure awaits.
Time to wander & savour Paris just a little longer before I head off to Barcelona.
See you there!
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