Day 1 - getting to hostel

flight to paris uneventful, watched a silly Reese Witherspoon movie, cute, wish i hadn't stayed up through it. slept about two hours. disembarking was a little wierd - we were early so we got off the plane onto the runway and into a bus. my luggage was slow to get off, probably because i was transferring, but i helped two older people find there way to the train station. i didn't mind, but they were quite slow walking. wierd note - instead of straight ahead being an up arrow in france, it's down. easy to get used to, confusing right away.
gorgeous terminal, it was pretty new, all board-formed concrete, gently curving and organic. the scale was good, and there were pass-throughs from the top floor to the bottom that lightened up the scale.
my impression of the roads were crazy, lanes so very narrow. disappointed that the cars weren't all as small as smartcars, although there are quite a few of those. most are just small - small us cars, not necessarily tiny though. the vans, however, are all tiny - very cute.
train through the suburbs - much graffiti on the tracks, but the train is silent. begin to get a look at the history of the place - all tile roofs and plaster, some a little run down, but also huge housing blocks as well. saw a few that the riots probably took place in.
getting off the train, fine, expected the terminal to be even more underground then it was, but it still was maybe 3 escalators up and into paris! about a mile walk to the hostel - amazing, i knew where i was going, successfully asked a non-english speaking native where 'la rue La Fayette?' was (ok, i was about 2 buildings away - i wasn't sure though) ::note: the street signs are on the buildings at the end of each block, and not on posts:: and the hostel was plainly marked... "Peace and Love Hostel and Pub." maybe not the most sane-sounding place to stay, but I knew I'd be able to find it easily and drop off my stuff before sightseeing. lady behind the bar gave me a lot of crap, offered to introduce me to "the nice guy bartender, we'll hook you up. what? you haven't met him yet, no judgements... meet him at the very least" that didn't end up happening, but it was fun, and relaxed me quite a bit. lugged too much luggage up EIGHT flights of little windy stairs, but the room had a great view down a canal to standard french 7,8 story buildings, the elevated metro, and la rue Lafayette. no screen in the tiny bathroom, so you could stick yourself out. first thing i did was take a shower, ever so nice, especially after having run and sweat so much so many hours ago before the plane ride. got out of the shower, went to email people i was alive, started walking at around 2:30. immediately ran into people that said hi in the hostel, jill and joel, and ate with them at a little restaurant, Chez Papa, that the hostel-lady had recommended.
First thing i tried was tripe - ew - but brave of me, no? the potatoes were great and i tried my companions as well - both very good dishes. The "fixed price menu" is a good deal in almost any restaurant, fixed price for a limited selection, but then you get a few courses. we got entrees, cheese (instead of desert) and coffee (cafe) good cheese, excellent coffee (and this is me saying that), and good wine. odd for lunch, was appreciated. lunch apparently is the biggest meal of the day here. would recommend that restaurant, cheap and good.