Salut, Adieu, Au Revoir

As my great Paris adventure is drawing to a close, I thought it might be helpful to offer a few tidbits of information for others heading across the pond.

Paris tidbits:
· always cross the street at crosswalks, but feel free to cross whenever you like, regardless of the color of the streetlight
· as a rule delivery vans do not block parking places in Paris because they park on the sidewalks and block pedestrian travel instead
· scooters are allowed to park anywhere they darn well please
· scooters are allowed to drive on the road, the sidewalk, or any place else [one followed me down the sidewalk with a child on the back the other day – she and her dad were window-shopping]
· watch/listen for scooters while walking on the sidewalks
· always look either up or down while riding the metro and do not smile
· always hurry within any metro station, whether or not the you hear a train coming
· plan all bathroom breaks before leaving your apartment or hotel – very few merchants have public facilities in their stores, and while the public toilettes are free, they are few and far between. See http://www.slowtrav.com/france/paris/rl_restrooms.htm for a complete list of where to “pipi” in Paris
· be aware that on many older streets the even numbers ascend on one side of the street while the odd numbers descend on the opposite side of the street. Do not assume because you are now at number 52 on your side, that number 53 is across the street
· also understand that the street number does not necessarily refer only to one particular doorway or shop; thus the number 88, for example, can refer to multiple doorways -- or none
· know that street numbers sometimes do not exist at all

Well, that’s about it. Time to pack and off to the airport early in the morning – “early” Paris time is 9:00 am.

À bientôt