"Safe" in Paris

Well, I thought that I would share some rather unbelievable story - but it's truth - before I forget it and also before I post some more pictures :).
For those who don't think that God exists, here is a proof:

During my Paris trip, I happened to be right in front of Cathedral Notre Dame. It is a very big gothic cathedral with a big square in front of it. On that day (Sunday) there was a concert going on in the evening and so the area was full of chairs. As I tried to get the best shot of the beautiful building without anyone standing in front of me, I walked all the way to the last row of chairs and placed myself very close to the chairs (this is a very important fact).

And so I was taking my picture all calm, happy that nobody's head was in it. And all the sudden, this guy comes running in with bunch of police men, pointing at my feet! None of the men looked very calm and they seemed to hurry to my feet, so I got scared that my feet did something bad and stepped a bit to the side.

Well, I also looked at the stone tiles on the ground and I could not believe what I saw. There was a small (4-5 inch tall) cylinder-shaped metal-ish thing, filled with something and closed off with clay. And, yes, the French word for bomb sounds much like the English one and I could hear that from both the guy and the policemen.

This all happened really fast, and right after, the policemen began clearing out the area.
So all summed up: My foot could have been a foot far from a bomb. I know that it was God's will that I didn't step into it, or kick it, and that the bomb didn't blow up. But, wherever God is, I am safe and I know that God has been here with me in France; wherever I go, he is there.

Paris, je t'aime... Samedi

So I took a trip to Paris on June 7th and 8th and have to admit that it was wonderful time spent. First, I got to go alone, which has its advantages and second, the weather was on traveler's side - meaning sunny/cloudy but almost no rain.
Right when I arrived, I got a bit lost while trying to buy a ticket for Paris Metro, but eventually this guy (METRO employee) showed up right in front of me and helped me to get everything set up. I bought a 1 day ticket which paid off about million times. Then I took my first metro, switched trains and popped up right in Montmartre, about 200m from Sacre Coeur. As a well-prepared tourist, I had my Michelin green guide at hand and was set to follow the walking tour described there. So instead of getting to Sacre Coeur in 5 minutes, it took me a whole hour!
Afterwards, I decided not to follow the guide and not to take any more walking tours, unless I wanted to visit every single street in Paris and spend there couple weeks.
Another 20 minutes on train took me to La Defense which without a doubt is the most modern "quartier" in Paris. The rest of my Saturday was then spent on Champs Elysees, near Louvre, and by visiting the Opera house and Madeleine (a church).
Once I decided to find my hotel, things got a bit rough. After passing by a group of men most probably using drugs, I turned into this very tiny street. There was not a hint of Hotel Neptune there, only a little sign "hotel" was sticking out in front of little door. I decided to enter that house and was welcomed by an Asian lady who could speak neither good French, nor English. She did not believe I was supposed to be in the hotel until I showed her my reservation confirmation. The hallway was full of suitcases with Chinese signs on them and it seemed to me that I could expect at least a bus full of Chinese tourists. My room was very nice though and clean. My neighbors were very quiet and there was nothing to complain about.