Monday 3rd
Arrived at St Pancras just before midday. Very impressed with Eurostar facilities - quite a few shops, and a nice area to sit down outside. Weather very sunny - sat for nearly an hour reading an article about Dylan's "Desire" album in Mojo. Glad to see that this album is getting the acclaim it deserves; at the time it suffered from being the follow-up to "Blood On The Tracks" but now its originality is being recognised. Also read about Bill Fay, who sounds interesting (I went on to buy his new CD in Paris).
Caught the train and left at 14:00. Seat was ok, although the Frenchman next to me annoyed me by pulling the blind down without asking, meaning I couldn't look out of the window. (It's taking me ages to write this as the keyboard is different - in particular "q" is where "a" should be). Got to Paris at 17:30 - first priority was to buy some French fags, which are lovely. Then I walked to the hotel.
Had a hassle with the safe - thought I'd set the code ok but once I'd closed it I couldn't open it again. Had to wait for man to come back from dinner to fix it, which was annoying; however I had a delicious Steak'n'Chips at a cafe over the road. A French kid tried to cadge a cig off me - the Proprietor intervened as it's illegal to give cigs to a minor. Came back, had my safe fixed, although the man kept trying to leave before he had properly fixed it and was impatient when I insisted on him testing it properly. Then read H.P. Lovecraft and went to sleep.
Tuesday 4th
A blazing hot day. Walked to Rue De Les Pyramides to collect my Travel Pass from the Tourist Centre. Got lost for a while as the map I was using didn't reflect reality that well. Long queue when I arrived, but got the ticket and went down to the Seine and along to L'Isle De La Citee. Very interesting square here - then walked along to Notre Dame and went round the cathedral. Needed a slash and had to queue up to use the urinals, a hassle which only women usually have in England. Then went up to Les Halles, found an FNAC, and bought some CDs including the new one by the afore-mentioned Bill Fay. Also found the first Captain Sensible album, which has "Croydon" on it.
Had lunch back at Jardin Tuilleries (where a kid tried to con me into giving a donation to "orphaned children") and headed along towards the Arc. Found a Virgin Megastore and another FNAC on Champs Elysees and bought Steve Miller's "Wide River" at the latter. Then sat for a while and read, before getting the Metro back to Gare d l'est, which is near my hotel. More beer and steak, then back to my room for Tiger Woods on my PSP and H.P.Lovecraft. Was just going off to sleep when I was disturbed by some familiar rhythmic bed-squeaking from either next door or above. Pissed me off - I can have a good time on my own when not reminded of the world of coupledom now denied to me. It didn't last very long, so I wasn't very impressed.
Wednesday 5th
Took the Metro to near the Eiffel tower - needed to change twice, and it was extremely crowded. Walked through the Field Of Mars and went up to the first level of the tower. Amazing views looking North over the Seine, especially of all the formationed sprinklers. Then took the train to St Germain and walked down the main Boulevard before catching the train to Montmartre.
Once there I had another battle with the map before finding my way up loads of steps to the Sacre Coeur. It was a very steep climb, and after the Eiffel Tower and the long winding staircase out of the Metro I'd had enough by the time I reached the top. But the views were spectacular although the day was misty. Went into the cathedral after lunch, and it had a huge plate-glass of Jesus in the dome and a massive hammer-horror organ high above the entrance. I sat there quite a while and felt a sense of calm contemplation. It was a good preparation for the remarkable experience which happened next....
Walked back down to the metro and then took the journey to Pere Lachaisse, where lies the grave of Jim Morrison. After a little trouble I found the grave. It is quite small and unostentatious, and there is a wall by it with loads of graffiti on it. I feel that the setting is ideal for Jim, who had no taste for piety and material trappings. Unlike other sixties stars he didn't own a mansion or flash car; he genuinely lived the bohemian life, although sadly he was overtaken by alcoholism. He was a written poet as well as lyricist, and it was his amazing feel for words which first got me interested in literature at the age of 15. So he has had a major impact on my life, to the extent that I went on to write stuff myself. That was the great power of sixties rock - to bring aspects of "high" culture to working-class oiks like me.
(Writer's note - the above was written in an Internet Cafe in Paris on September 5th, on the way back from visiting Jim Morrison's grave. It was written with difficulty due to the keyboard layout being different. I then did some further work in the hotel just before catching the Eurostar back, but the session timed me out without any warning, so I lost all my work. So the rest of this is being written back in England on Friday 7th).
I sat for a while and then walked back into the centre of Paris while listening to The Doors "Strange Days" on my MP3. It is my favourite Doors album; a set of short, controlled songs such as "Strange Days" and "People Are Strange" (a masterpiece - "women seem wicked when you're unwanted"), before the explosive release of the epic "When The Music's Over". One of the key events of my life was first hearing The Doors at the age of 15 - the magic of Morrison's words introduced me to the world of literature and so has made a substantial contribution to my life. The band are so controlled and distinctive, and never cut a duff track over seven albums. Their output is just-about perfect.
I stopped en route to write the stuff above, then went back to the hotel. On the way I crossed a river which ran from North to South and took some photos from the bridge.
Thursday 6th
After packing up and checking out I walked down to Les Halles and did some more shopping in FNAC. I then walked east to the Bastille, and really enjoyed seeing this part of the city. There was a very spectacular park and lots of distinctive architecture, with the grand and the funky side-by-side. Had a MacDonalds at Bastille (was finding the Frenach bread a bit heavy) and then walked up to Place De La Republique and then back to the hotel.
The ride home was very pleasant - I was sitting with a Canadian couple who were touring Europe, and we discussed Canadian culture and music, plus compared notes on our US experiences. Then upon arrival I had to battle my way across the Underground to Victoria; I was struck by the contrast between the rude, stressed, and harrassed Londoners and the more relaxed and civilised environment in Paris. In Paris you don't feel like a pariah for smoking; there isn't that horrible obsession with "prolonging life at all costs" which has taken over in England.
Got back to the flat and a brief domestic hassle with the lock on my door ensued - a nice way to come back !
Summary
From my extensive travels in the USA and now my time in Paris I can see how much England has gone astray compared to other countries. People abroad are much more friendly and open. Parisians have a reputation for being rude, but I found that if you make an effort to speak French to them and apologise for having forgotten most of it then they're fine. I don't blame them for being annoyed that everyone from England expects them to speak English. I love the cultured and relaxed atmosphere in Paris and all the distinctive areas of the City. The Metro and RER were very easy to use (however it is vital to work out where you're going beforehand). I walked all over the place, and really relished my Litre glass of Amstel in the evening. The only drawback is that it is very expensive. Overall a fantastic time and it was great being able to fit in everything I wanted to see.
