Notes from the Cape

Today we took the high-speed TGV train from Paris to Avignon. The trip on these double-story trains takes about 2 ½ hours at an average speed of over 300 km/h (the TVG train holds the world speed record of 515.3 km/h).

This is the day I have been dreading for a long time– driving a left-hand drive car on the right-hand side of the road. I suppose that there is no putting it off for any longer, so off we walked to the AVIS counter. I soon discovered that there are actually two train stations in Avignon, and not one. Naturally my car was booked at the other station. Just when I thought that we would have to some-how find our way to the other station, the assistant changed our booking so we could collect a car from the station we were at.

(For the record, the Gare TGV is the new high speed train station, which is where you will probably get off from Paris. The other station is the Gare Central. Check your station when booking your car.)

The hire car was a Renault Modus Diesel, which was a great little car. It was very comfortable and efficient. We traveled over 800 km on a 40 l tank. We managed to find the hotel with relative ease, but I was really nervous driving on the wrong side of the road. A trick I learned was that whenever you are unsure which way to do, simply follow the car in front of you. It sometimes means driving where your was not planning on going, but I managed to muddle my way through without needing the 100% insurance I had taken out.

I was warned how bad the French drive, but in general I thought they drove OK. However, remember that I am comparing them to Cape Town drivers.

Over the next few days I became more comfortable, and I was driving like a local in no time.

• Take bottled water wherever you go (much cheaper in shops)
• Take a wine opener with you
• Wear plenty of sunscreen (temp += 30 deg C)
• Buy takeout baguettes for lunch – there are loads of shops and stalls selling them – and they are very cheap. Ever better is to buy some cheese and baguettes and make them yourselves
• The Metro is fast, efficient and cheap
• Buy wine from the shops and drink it with your picnic (the baguette you made earlier)
• Restaurants can get very pricy – be careful
• If you buy wine in a restaurant, buy a carafe of the local wine (vin ordinaire). They usually have a red, white and rosé available by the carafe.
• The Musee d’Orsay is free – it has loads of impressionist paintings to view.
• Notra Damme is free. However you do pay to visit the bell tower.

His grave is in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, the largest and oldest cemetery in Paris. He shares the ground with several illustrious people, including Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf. The crypts (many of them shared by families) almost looked like small houses, rather that a resting place for the dead. While many were very old, several were from just a few years ago. The graveyard is full of labyrinthine paths, criss-crossing on their meandering routes. I had a distinct Ann-Rice feeling in the graveyard.

What I also found interesting is that there were a large variety of graves from different Churches, including Christian, Jewish and a few Chinese graves.

  It was quite a walk to find Jim Morrison’s grave, especially because I got so lost that I had to stop and buy a map. So when I eventually found it, I didn’t just pause for to contemplate, I also had to pause for breath. I have never seen a pop star’s grave before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It looked exactly like all the other graves, except that it was covered with bunches of fresh flowers – suggestive of a regular stream of visitors. I was surprised to be the only person there. I also expected graffiti, but there was none.

My reflective moment was shattered when a group of tourists arrived (“there he is!”), and went to gawk and slobber at his grave (Ok so I was also a tourist, but you can at least show some sense of decorum in a graveyard). So I decided that it was time to say goodbye and move on.

Farewell Jim

Before I left I was warned about how unfriendly the French, and especially Parisians are (speak Afrikaans first so they don’t think you are British etc). I am very pleased to say that I did not find this the case.

Everybody I spoke to was friendly and helpful. It is however important to at least make an effort to learn a few basic words of French, so you are at least able to greet and acknowledge people in their own language. So far I have only had good experiences with the Parisians, and I hope it continues so.

The tower looked just like I expected, but then thinking about it, who should it not. The queues were long, but they did move quickly (you can miss the queues by walking up about 12 flights of stairs to the first level). We took the lift to the second level (my first double story lift). This was quite a scary experience, because the lift basically moves up the leg of the tower, so it moves at an angle. This means that you can see the ground fall away below you as you move. The second level platform is about 115 m high, with an incredible view. You can see from the Arc de Triomphe, across to the Louvre, over to Notra Damme, past the Invalides and finally up and down the river.

Once we had adjusted to this height, it was time to move up. The top level is 276 m high, and this level is (not surprisingly) fully enclosed. It is quite a scary experience being at this height, bearing in mind that I was being held up by what is basically a Meccano toy. I thought that the view from the second level was good, but I had no idea. You are actually so high up that you start to see the ground below through the beginnings of the city air pollution. However I did still manage to see about ½ way back to Cape Town.

The Eiffel tower was built in 1889 for the Paris World Fair. It was built by Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Status of Liberty in New York. Its total height is 320m, varying by about 15 cm, depending on the temperature. It weighs 7000 tons, and contains 2.5 million rivets.

If you do visit, you really must go all the way to the top – it is worth the wait in the queues. I do have to conclude by saying that I was very glad to get my feed back on solid ground after the visit.