After speed walking more than 18,000 steps on our family’s 1-day tour of Paris, we were wiped out! We had been walking for over 6 hours non-stop. I honestly don’t recall sitting down at all, other than during our two metro rides.
It was an exceptionally hot and sunny day in Paris. The week before had been overcast and rainy. That would have been better—with an umbrella in hand.
Pierre was in the stroller, thankfully. He never could have walked all those miles and kilometers. Vincent would have carried a heavy burden on his shoulders through the crowds. Rather, I pushed what felt like a ton of bricks in the stroller across grass lawns, gravel paths, and paved sidewalks and streets. My arms hurt.
After walking from the Louvre through the Jardins des Tuileries, towards the Concorde, we were hot, sweaty, and irritable.
“Shouldn’t We Take the Metro?“
“Shouldn’t we take the metro,” one of the boys complained.
“Part of seeing Paris is walking and seeing the sights, watching the people, hearing the musical instruments played in the park, smelling the gourmet food,” I replied.
The food . . . oh, the French food.
Before starting our tourist journey that morning, Robert said, “Can we get a crèpe or a gauffre (waffle) on the street?”
“Oh yes!” we all answered in unison.
A Much-Deserved Treat
At the end of the Jardins, we found a crèpe and gauffre. I was too hot and sweaty to eat—wasn’t hungry—but I needed to drink something cold. There was no Dr. Pepper and no root beer, but I saw the red Classic Coke cans displayed colorfully through the refrigerator’s glass door.
We ordered one chocolate crèpe, two Speculos gauffres, two slushies, one Coke, one Lipton iced tea, and an orange Oasis for Pierre. Everything totaled 27 euros ($30). Not too bad.
We continued on our walking spree to the Eiffel Tower and then made plans to meet up with some friends that we hadn’t seen in over two years.
Arriving earlier than them, we decided to get something to drink and to sit. We needed to sit, and we needed to drink something cold.
I stopped to take some pictures and then followed Vincent and the boys into the café they had chosen.
The server brought the leather-covered menus and indicated to the boys where the “soft drinks” were listed.
How Much?
I glanced over Timothee’s shoulder. “How much?” I asked out of curiosity.
“4,80,” he replied.
“4,80 euros?! That’s like $5.40!” I exclaimed.
“I think you guys chose the most expensive café in the area,” I said to Vincent as I crossed paths with him in the bathroom.
We were too tired and too lazy to get up and walk out. Our friends wouldn’t be joining us for at least 20 more minutes, and we were exhausted.
Everyone ordered a 4,80 euros Coke, except for Timothee who chose a 2,70 euro espresso. How kind of him.
As the man took the order, Pierre said to the man, “un coca.” He wanted a Coke too.
“We Can Share.”
“We can share,” I said to the waiter, eager to reduce our bill by 4,80 euros.
“Can we please have a lot of ice?” I asked. If we are going to pay that much for a soft drink, I at least wanted to enjoy it fully. There is nothing worse than lukewarm soda—especially on a 100 plus degree Fahrenheit day.
The waiter brought our Cokes and café. He opened the bottles and served us our drinks—over ice. Perhaps his respectable service was included in the outrageous cost of 4,80 euros. Oh yes, that’s right, a 15% service tip is already included in French restaurant bills. That’s why you don’t need to tip on top of your bill. Good thing! Although, we often leave an additional one or two euros if we get excellent service.
The waiter also brought us a bowl of pretzels and peanuts that Pierre devoured in no time, much to the dismay of his three older brothers.
I pulled out some snacks from my backpack to accompany our expensive drinks.
Drink Them Slowly
“Drink them slowly, guys,” I said to the boys. “That’s all you get.”
There are no free refills in Europe. Our days of unlimited sodas in American fast-food restaurants are behind us. Sip it and enjoy it slowly.
We guzzled our drinks down in no time. We were so thirsty.
I went to the bar and asked for a pitcher of water.
We drank that down too. What remained in the pitcher, I poured into my empty water bottle at the base of the stroller.
“Are you stealing water?” one of the boys asked me.
“No, we paid for every sip of this water and more!”
Welcome to Paris! I am not sure how families come here to visit for a week—hotels, restaurants, cafés, monument visits.
I remembered our three years living in Paris. We rarely ate out.
We were only in Paris for 6 hours, and we spent 52 euros ($58.35) on 10 drinks, 1 crèpe, and 2 gauffres. Good thing we saved the 61 euros on the Eiffel Tower tickets!
This “tourist thing” is expensive!
Who will pay $5.40 for a bottle of Coke?! We will—but only if we have to!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Let’s Weave Cultures!
Have you ever paid too much for something in another country, or perhaps got “ripped off” as a tourist?
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