I have been travelling to Paris regularly since 1999, except for the last 5 year love affair with South America (which is far from over). In 1999, English language music, whilst not unheard, was not prevalent. Now, as with Buenos Aires, English language music is prevalent in cafes and bars, and there is a FM radio station with French announcers that plays 95% English language music. The fast food epidemic has also spread – quelle horreur, there is a McDonald’s on the 4th level of Galeries Lafayette!
The biggest change is the upgrade of the Metro station ticket machines. It used to be a case of buy a ticket from the ticket office, or scrounge for enough coins feed the ticket machine. It still appears to be mid-rollout, but note accepting machines are evident in the major Metro and RER stations, and many of the manned ticket offices are now ‘information’ offices, which do not sell tickets. The range of languages supported by the ticket machines is now broader – English, Spanish, Italian, German as a minimum. What hasn’t changed though is that the machines will only work with French-issued credit cards.
It looks like they have finally finished cleaning Saint-Sulpice and Notre Dame, but have moved on to working on the Jardins du Luxembourg….scaffolding around the main pond in front of the Senat. Below is the view from the Luxembourg gardens to the Pantheon. Also below is a shot from the apartment window at night, looking down Rue St Roch to the Tuileries. Hanging out the window during the day as well watching the people walk by is also entertaining.
