nuit blanche

Like most plans I attempt to make, tonight's fell through. One girl decided she didn't want to go out with us, and another just didn't respond at all to our conversation via Facebook (calling each other with cell phones costs way too much). The last and final girl made plans with another group of people, so I tagged along to that instead. She lives nearby, and we met up at the metro station where we proceeded to take the train around the city before coming back to our destination, making us a good 30 minutes late. We went around our butts to get to our elbows. Oh well.

We managed to get to the courtyard of the Louvre by 11, and struggled with no cell phones (we didn't have any minutes on our cards) to find the rest of the group. Somehow it all came together and we met up in front of a giant stage set up outside the Louvre for a performance of Chinese opera. There were too many people for short little me to see what was going on onstage, but the decor was spectacular.

While Nuit Blanche is intended to be an artistic event, mostly what I observed was an excuse to stay up all night. There were artistic venues, like the opera, but they turned out to be few and far between. People tended to just walk the streets and sit in the cafes that were open at 1 and 2 in the morning. The group I was with hung out in Saint Germain, where our first stop was the McDonalds. Several girls needed to use the restroom, and in order to do so, you had to buy something. The result? Me and a bag of french fries. Oh, how I love fast food. It's so bad for you, but so good.

After that, we went walking. It took awhile to find a cafe that could accommodate all eight of us, and when we did, it was expensive. Or at least, that's what everyone was complaining about, and yeah, okay, 6 euro for a beer is expensive. But we're in Saint Germain on Nuit Blanche in Paris—expensive is the name of the game. That's why you don't drink and party every night: when the special occasions come, you can splurge. I bought a glass of rose wine and that was fine with me. Cheapest drink of the lot too, cause wine was cheaper than beer. ;)

And then we ran out of things to do. Half of us were tired and wanted to go to bed, a quarter wanted to go to a club, and another quarter wanted to do something but had no money. I was 'eh' about all three. I wanted a crepe, but didn't want to spend money and wanted to go to bed. I followed the group going home back to the metro station, where I had to catch a train going in the opposite direction from everyone else. Mom, Dad, don't freak. If I'd felt unsafe, I'd have gotten a taxi, but there were so many people about that it was really nothing. Changed trains, caught the last one going out toward Trocadero (my stop), without incident.

The problem came at Trocadero. It was 2 am, and the metro had extended hours for the night that ended at 2. But while the trains were still finishing their run, the entrances and exits to the metro station had already been gated closed. A whole hoard of people, including me, were coming off the train and had no way out.

This is where, for probably the first time in my life, I'm going to thank rowdy young men. A group of them forced open one of the gates and we all scrambled underneath to get out. I made it home safe and sound, and here I am. Going to bed so I can wake up at 9 and get to the Louvre to meet the same group at 10 to tour the museum. First Sunday of every month, museum entries are free.

Bienvenue à Paris.