Driving in Paris

I'd rather poke needles in my eyes than own a car in Paris. Parking is impossible. There are no meters or lines showing how much length each car gets, so as traffic waits people try to back into spaces literally six inches longer than their car. Some park their Smart cars sideways. That's one reason the vast majority of cars are tiny hatchbacks from Renault, Peugeot and Citroen. There are smaller models here of popular brands (VW, Mercedes, Audi, even Toyota) that we never see at home. No American cars, few Asian. Over half of Europe's new cars have long been diesels; they cost more here too but get much better mileage and diesel fuel is a little cheaper. Down at the corner today diesel costs $7.35/gal vs. $7.80 for gas. So if you don't drive? A pass for unlimited subway and bus travel costs us $83 a month (same as one tank of gas). They say you're never more than 2-3 blocks from a Metro station, so that works pretty well. Last year we did rent a superb VW diesel stick-shift Golf in mid-Paris for a trip to the Normandy beaches. (I want one!) Drove out of town right through the ten-lane traffic circle that surrounds the Arch of Triumph. Actually it wasn't too daunting; it was so crowded and slow-moving that you had plenty of time to think. In 1984 we stupidly did the same with a right-hand-drive stick-shift English Audi and nearly had a coronary.

All over Paris there are self-service racks of sturdy bicycles called "velo lib" ("bike free"). For very little money you take one, ride to your destination, and check it in there. (They tend not to be left at the top of hills, of course, so they have to be redistributed at night.) Well here's a first .. just around the corner sit three little "auto lib" electric cars, plugged in and waiting for brief rentals. Eco-friendly, huh?

With parking space so limited, little cars sometimes end up in illegal places. But I've never seen any "parking police" giving out tickets. However there are lots of tow trucks carting those bad boys away. One variety actually lifts the entire car up onto the bed of the truck with a sling .. and off they go, once with another illegal parker in tow.

In part we travel independently (rather than with package tours) because we get a better sense of what a place is really like. Besides, it's fun (in a perverse way) to pretend we're locals and try to figure out how to cope. Why are there SO many buttons on the washer and dryer? How did everyone know there was only one very precise way to fall into line at the Medieval concert yesterday at the Cluny? Why does everyone speak with such quiet consideration at restaurants, on the bus and Metro, and even on the streets? At the nearby bakery (where we now go every day) the line automatically forms neatly to the right, then you exit out the other door. No departing from the rules or you'll get admonished with the "windshield wiper" gesture. We've come to Paris probably a dozen times since 1973 and it seems more people speak English every time. More smiles too. Even then I said that travel in Europe taught me much about life in America. Ours surely isn't the only way or necessarily the best way to do everything.

Christmas vacation started today so there were suddenly kids on the bus with their mom going to the big Christmas Ferris Wheel at Concorde, right by the Orangerie museum where we were headed to see the Monet water lily panoramas which completely encircle you. Mom carefully taught her boys all the landmarks along the way and held their hands tight on the bus and at the crosswalks. No running loose! Now we also hear that kids live on our floor. Their flats are probably the same size as ours, just one bedroom and 750 square feet. Imagine raising a kid or two there till he/she grows up and moves out? On a street with no traffic, our very nice building has three apartments per floor for eight floors. Most Paris streets are lined with similar though older and shorter apartment buildings; it's one of the highest-density cities in the world. There's only one "skyscraper" near the center and Parisians hate it. Strict rules for sorting the garbage. Keep the TV soft, no noisy baths late at night. Great central heat. So it's a warm, cozy, quiet place to live. Based on similar places for sale in real estate windows, ours would cost well over a half million dollars.

We must really be on vacation because we sleep so late in the morning. Perhaps that's because we're at a higher latitude than anybody we know except relatives in Norway; we get only 8 hours 15 minutes of sunlight per day. The sun rises at 8:39 am.

Weeks ago we tried to get tickets for a major orchestra concert Wednesday night but it was sold out. Turns out they're doing most of that program Tuesday night for free under the glass pyramid entrance of the Louvre. Wish us luck!! Line forms to the right.