The "Big Boss" said he wanted me take advantage of every opportunity to experience European auto culture, so I figured he wouldn't mind if I took a day off to attend Mondial de l'Automobile, or the Paris Motor Show. This show only occurs every other year, so it would be the only time I could attend during my assignment.
As mentioned in a previous post, Paris is but a short 1 hour train ride from Brussels. Since we were just here a couple of weeks ago, I had an easy time getting out to Gare du Nord station in Paris. However, unlike the last time, there was no kind Parisian woman to help me get my connecting subway ticket. And on top of that, there was an unexpected halt of service for the Metro subway train on my carefully chosen route. Just great!...
But, the gods were smiling down on me, because when I decided to go up to street level to get my bearings, I was in the middle of restaurant row! And just in time for lunch!
I found an interesting French/Greek cafe that was serving these amazing gyros on french baguettes. They asked if I wanted frites (fries) to go along with it and when I nodded, they just stuffed them into the sandwich! Cool, I was in a rush anyways...
After lunch, I headed back down to the Metro, armed my new route plan. And, amazingly, I made it to the show in no time. (I think I'm starting to get the hang of the Metro now...)
The show was like your standard US auto show, but with different brands and models. Alot of the brands that never quite made it in the US, such as Citroen, Peugeot and Alfa Romeo, are strong and doing well over here. Its just a different market, I guess.
What I would love to have:
What I can afford:
After about 4 hours of checking out the cars and displays, my feet were tired and it was time to head on back. After spending my day looking at nothing but these Euro-mobiles, I was in the mood for something truly American! So, I found the nearest Hard Rock Cafe, where you can get a real American cheeseburger and Coke (but pay the very un-American price of $30).
It tasted so good, I didn't even notice...
No comments:
Post a Comment