Paris... and our experience with the Paris Hilton

Paris, the city of love, was relatively empty of the stereotypical lovers sitting outside sipping coffee and eating croissants, or strolling around the city, but I suppose the fact that the temperature hovered right around zero the entire weekend could have been a contributing factor. From the moment we arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, I could just tell there was a much different attitude in France than what we had experienced in Italy. If the Italians were exuberant, loud, boisterous, and totally displaying that everything in life was to be done to the fullest (I'm stereotyping here I know, forgive the literary license), then the French attitude was one of a sense of quiet, smug superiority, and the air that there was something there that you just couldn't quite hope to achieve (of course, this opinion could be flavored by our relatively disastrous hotel experience which I'll describe in due course). The airport reminded me of something out of an Austin Powers movie, with a weirdly undulating moving walkway leading us from our gate to the main terminal, and crazy rounded shapes everywhere. I suppose it had been chic and avant guarde or something when it was built, but it just made me want to giggle and hire an interior decorator since it was in need of an update quite badly.
Again, we relied on the public transport system, and I must say, that honestly that is one of the things I will miss going back to the states, because public transportation here is so much more efficient and a much more comprehensive network than you find most places in the US. We were staying at the Paris Hilton Arc de Triomphe for the weekend (and yes, it struck me as odd to say we were staying at the Paris Hilton), since Dad and I had traded in a bunch of our American Airlines frequent flier miles and Hilton Honors points to get the 3 nights free. Since we had stayed at a relatively low-end hotel in Naples (although it was still a nice place), this was supposed to be our weekend of luxury. However, it turned into a disaster. After checking in, we went back out to see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, since we didn't want to repeat the Naples experience of sleeping away the first day. We went all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and although the visibility was limited, it was a sweet view of the city, although being up that high, the winds were miserably cold and cut right through you. When we got back to the hotel that evening, our room was pretty cold, so we turned the thermostat up, and rested a bit before going out to dinner. Well, even after having it on for an hour or two, the room still resembled an ice box, so on the way out to dinner, we told the reception desk that there was a problem. When we got back from dinner, all they had done was to turn the thermostat all the way up, and the room was still freezing, so I had to go back down and ask for something to be done. The person at the desk told me someone would be up in 10-15 minutes, so when I had to go back down to the desk 45 minutes later, I was not a happy camper. Of course, when they saw me come out of the elevator for the third time, there was miraculously a bell boy being dispatched just at that moment to come move us to a different (smaller) room. I asked to speak to the manager or guest relations, and was told, that no, I didn't want to do that! The audacity of these people, grrrrr. I was upset that they had just been ignoring me, and treating me like a child, I understand that there are sometimes problems with things like heating, but none of them seemed to understand that. It turned into a whole fiasco and definitely left me with a less than positive impression of the Paris Hilton. I don't think I'd ever stay there again.
At least, despite the difficulties with the hotel, the rest of the stay was enjoyable, and we made it to Versailles (although the Hall of Mirrors was undergoing renovation, so it was less impressive than it should have been), and to the Louvre, where we saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus of Milo, Winged Victory, Michaelangelo's Dying Slave, the Code of Hammurabi, and all of the other main attractions, that I'm used to seeing from the glossy pages of art books, and not looking at in person. I wished I had someone (like my grandpa) who knows more about art with us to explain everything, because I'm sure there were things we missed since we didn't have the art background. Still, it was fun to see it all, and it was inside and warm, so that was a big plus.
Paris was an experience, and I'm glad I got to see everything that was there, but I don't think it's going to top my list of favorite European cities anytime soon. I think London and Rome were much more to my style and budget, because everything in Paris was so expensive. We even ate at McDonalds twice just to be able to afford other meals, and that was my first McDonalds meal since I left NY in September. Maybe it would have been different if the weather had been warm and we could have enjoyed just taking in the sites outside more leisurely and less frigidly, but I really just found Italy a warmer reception. Although, after the incident with the released hostage journalist, the attitude towards us as Americans might be quite different now than it was the 2 weeks ago when we were there. Well, now that my European travels are over, its time to get cracking since the course ends the first week in June! (And I still don't know where I'm posting)


The Eiffel Tower at Night - we froze to get the picture, but the view was incredible