Earlier this year we took the kids to a play called, “Urinetown, The Musical” at SOU. The play was pretty good–very original and well executed by the SOU students. We thought the play was satirical, but after a few days in Paris we realized it wasn’t.

You see, in Urinetown people have to pay to pee. And in Paris, assuming you can even find a toilet, you frequently have to pay to pee. Sometimes the price can be ridiculous too. One place wanted 2 Euro per person. Imagine paying over US$3 just to pee!?!

At the previously mentioned Luxembourg Park we paid to pee. Then we paid to have our kids get into the playground area. Only then did we find out that you can pee for “free” in the playground area after paying to get in. They really stick it to the tourist who doesn’t know the peeing particulars in Paris.

Paris as a vacation destination is overrated. People who have yet to visit the place imagine a clean, classy town with lots of charm and beauty. Perhaps, by looking only at the photos I have shared so far, you have been thinking the same. The reality is that Paris is very crowded, not very clean, and the occasional charms are not around every corner. In fact, thanks to the lack of public toilets and people trying to avoid having to pay to pee, public urination can be smelled as you walk the streets. Not pleasant. There were other strange odors in Paris as well, but what can you expect in Urinetown?

Posted on August 25th, 2008 under Paris. Tags: Paris, urine town. Comments: 3

We walked through the interior of Sacre-Coeur. Photography was not allowed, but it looked pretty similar to the other churches we’d been through in Paris with very high ceilings. Walking mats had been placed throughout much of the interior which covered up the fancy floors. It reminded me of those people that cover their furniture in plastic. Sure it may keep whatever you are trying to protect in pristine condition, but no one gets to enjoy the protected item in the meantime so what exactly are you protecting it for?

Back outside we waited with hundreds of others for the sun to set. The police cut off access to the upper area which meant no one could get up. For some unknown reason, the public toilets up top were also all closed around dusk. So now we had hundreds, if not more than a thousand, people crowded up top with no place to pee.

The views of the church and Paris below got better and better. Musicians came out of the woodwork to entertain the crowds.

You can’t actually see the Eiffel Tower from Sacre-Coeur as there are a bunch of apartment buildings blocking the view. However, if you head to the side a bit and peak through some trees you can get the above view. At the top of each hour the Eiffel Tower does a light show for 10 or so minutes.

Posted on August 24th, 2008 under Paris. Tags: eiffel tower, night photography, Paris, pictures, Sacre-Coeur, urine town. Comments Off on Sacre-Coeur (part 2 of 2)