Parisian Pilgrimage

It is almost strange to believe that I was in Paris nearly 15 years ago, a day or so before my 17^th birthday! And here I am again, this time with less reservation and a greater sense of confident adventure. I arrived in Paris around 1pm on Tuesday March 29^th, and proceeded to wind through the train station to the metro, with luggage in hand, while eating an ‘American’ style ham and cheese sandwich I prepared before leaving; partly to avoid paying €10 for a Parisian style sandwich, and partly because I didn’t know how long it would take to get to my destination along the Arc de Triomphe. While waiting for the metro, in perfect French fashion, a French gentleman asked me if I knew which train went where… Continually mystified as to why I am constantly asked for directions, and not entirely sure I understood the intricate Paris metro I looked at the various screens and maps for a few seconds and my brain spontaneously understood that the next train was destined for X, the following train for Y, and the last train for Z, and that the first 3 or so stops in between were the same for each train?! So I communicated this in French to the confused gentlemen and he was appreciative and seemed to think I actually probably was an authentic frenchie and maybe even a Parisian!!

Now, Paris is filled with various scams and pickpockets, as I had previously read, and I would later hear first-hand accounts of, while also dodging other sketchy scams, but my metro man was not a scam and for some reason or another, as usual, I either have an air or a look of authenticity and as such I am frequently approached with genuine concerns and compliments.

About an hour later I arrived at Maison Eymard, a monastery one street over from the Champs-Élysées, and up the street from the Arc de Triomphe. After checking in, I was taken by the receptionist through the drab and grey twisted hallways to the next building to my room. As we were about to enter the final stairwell, I began to ask if anyone had checked in from the Angers pilgrimage, and Chris opened the door from the opposite end of the stairwell. A wonderful surprise as I had not seen a familiar Canadian face in quite a few months! And lo and behold, my Canadian friends and previous co-workers, Carla and Chris had also just arrived and were staying on the same floor. In a small hallway with only 4 rooms, we had somehow been given rooms all next to one another. And so this was the perfect start to my Parisian retreat!

That day we walked to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, fuelled by a city map and my brain that had somehow managed to formulate new connections for time, space and directions?! We purchased a 2 day pass for a tour bus and took a long tour of the city before meeting Bob, Anna & Cathy (Angers pilgrimage flock) for dinner in the Latin Quarter, beside the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was incredible to witness the stories and spirit of the pilgrimage that everyone had just completed, and I felt honoured to share in their memories and joy. While I had made a solo pilgrimage of sorts to Angers years ago, it was amazing to be a fly on the wall, so to speak, and feel the connections and shared experiences!

During dinner I heard about botched attempts of pickpockets on the metro, complete with mystery hands in pants and purse pockets; and we shared stories about some of the various scams we had all encountered so far on our first day in Paris. Up to this point we had come across a Gypsy woman who began her scam for money with, “Do you speak English”; rather clever in a city with as many tourists as Parisians. A quick ‘non’ or ‘no’, proceeded by walking away is enough to avoid this rather harmless scam that does not rely on pick pocketing or trickery but rather a false plea and play on sympathy.

And so the first day ended with a sense of appreciation and happiness to be spending the next couple of days with amazing shepherds of friendship!