"Dingo" Dave's rants and raves

Other than the usual gifts and trinkets, I think I have a better understanding of the mental and emotional makeup of the people who live here. The crowding and excess population of the city of Paris is a major contributing factor to how the people react.

They are defensive and sometimes rude when a foreigner doesn't understand them, but it's simply because their time is important. Quite a few of the population spends over four hours on trains and buses a day! This is mainly because the factories where a large number work are on the fringes of the city, and take quit a ride to get to from Gare de L'est, for instance, where I am now.

While the underground Metro and bus system is very well run, quite a large percentage of the people opt to walk wherever they go. For me, with my long legs, it was an easy 30 minutes to the Louvre which is right on the Seine. So it's not inconceivable that the majority of the people would walk to work rather than spend the time below in the Metro. Of course, on those rainy days (of which we just had a couple), the Metro gets REALLY crowded as everyone tries to avoid being drenched on the way to work.

But for a "people person", Paris is a bounty of differences and contrasts. The "disgruntled teens" as I like to call them, are not the majority of the kids here. I've seen very few that were dressed other than in jeans and shirts, while I was expecting, from the news broadcasts and shows at home, a lot more Goth kids. The ones I have spoken to seem very happy with their lives and are not rebellious or such.

But sitting at a street café watching the people, it's amusing to watch them negotiate the crowded sidewalks and crosswalks. They seem ever on the brink of being hit by a bus or car, not to mention the multitudes of motorcycles and Vespa scooters which are weaving through the traffic.

I have a couple more days left on this trip, so tomorrow I'm taking the Metro to La Defense, which is (supposedly) the center of business for Paris. It's where all the hi-rise towers are located, and is a must-see sight from what the locals tell me.

La Défense is named after the iconic statue La Défense de Paris, which was erected in 1883 to commemorate the soldiers who had defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. Just a bit of history. Hopefully I'll be able to find the statue of La Defense de Paris which gives the area its name.