Walking to Work

For the past two weeks I have been babysitting for a wonderful French/American family. After years of driving to work via Thomas Road, 44th Street, and Van Buren in Phoenix, not the most picturesque part of Phoenix, my new commute to work is very different. I have divided the 30 minute walk into three 10 minute phases.

I like to call the first phase Riding Off the Wake. The side streets in my neighborhood happen to be tiny, allowing barely two people to walk side by side (even by French standards of size). So unless I am walking in the same direction and at the same speed as everyone else which is never the case, this is a tricky walk. I have to dodge people, dogs, and strollers left and right, usually with one of us jumping off the street and then right back on. Most people here are in a hurry, so making these split second decisions as to who is going to yield to the other or who has to make a quick leap off and on the street can get stressful, but I am getting better at it! I am always relieved when phase one ends without me tripping over a stroller or crashing into someone who makes a sudden stop.

The second phase is called Tourism. This lag begins at the US embassy. From here I cross over the busy roundabout of Place de la Concorde, then angle to the right through a park that takes me to the Champs Elysées. I cross over this famous boulevard and head towards the river, cutting in between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais to reach Pont Alexandre III, the most ornate and elegant bridge I have ever seen. Its statues and decor rival the Italian section of the Louvre. I walk over the River Seine on this bridge, leaving the Right bank for the Left bank at which point the imposing Eiffel Tower peaks over the buildings off to the right and Les Invalides is directly in front of me. I swing right at the bridge and follow along the Seine with the lovely Eiffel Tower in my view. This concludes phase two during which my eyes take in at least a third of what tourists in Paris are here to see!

Phase three is called Temptation. During this final stretch while I am nearing the kids' school, I can walk no more than 50 steps at a time without passing a patisserie. More often I go only 15 to 20 steps before having to avoid looking into the impeccable windows filled with croissants, pain au chocolat, tartes, flan, and galettes... It is truly tortuous. I check my watch and if I am running a few minutes early, I am tempted by the thought of stopping in to grab a croissant aux amandes to eat while I rush to the school. These patisseries are everywhere in Paris, but this stretch seems to have an unfairly high concentrations. I am happy to report that thus far, I have yet to succumb to the temptation (I usually just wait until I get home so I have more time to enjoy the treats!).

I then wait for the kids to be released from school, walk them home, hang out with them for a couple of hours, and then walk home, again taking in all of the lovely views, but with the Eiffel Tower behind me. Now that is a pretty perfect commute!!