I traveled abroad for the first time this summer.
I made a list of all the things I didn't know about France when I arrived.
I appreciated some of the city's innovations, even though I was surprised by the price of the bathroom.
In the summer, it doesn't get dark until after 10 p.m.
I learned that the sun wouldn't set until after 11 pm in Paris.
The sun goes down after 8pm in Los Angeles. The sun sets in Paris at 9:34PM. Even though it was late in the day, it felt like it was safe to stay out a bit longer. I wanted to change my eating schedule as a result of it.
A person in Paris told me that was just a summer perk. The sun rises after 9 a.m. and sets by 4:30 p.m. in France, where winter time is shorter. It rains quite a bit. That's a big deal.
The parking spots at the airport made it stress-free for everyone.
If you've ever had to drive to a major airport in New York City or Los Angeles to pick up or drop off someone, you know how hard it is.
I was surprised to hear that the stress at Paris' CDG airport has been eliminated.
Up to 10 minutes of free parking was offered by the ticket booth when I was dropped off.
He was able to pull into a parking spot so I could leave without having to worry about double parked cars.
He didn't understand why I was surprised and happy to be at the Air France terminal. It should be this way everywhere.
It feels like a no-brainer to have protective glass on the subway tracks.
I know the subway system from my time in New York City. The train systems in New Jersey, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other cities have been used by me.
People jump on the NYC tracks if they drop something.
I was taken aback by the protective shields in the French subways.
This should be compulsory in the US to save lives. Track intrusions and suicide attempts on the subway increased in the first three months of the year when compared to the previous year according to the New York Post.
I was surprised that the subway tickets in France were so small that I could easily misplace them.
I was surprised to see people ride the warm subways with the windows open.
Double-decker trains ran under the ground. These are not available in the US.
Cyclists and drivers can see extra stop lights at traffic stops.
The first thing I saw after leaving the airport was these tiny additional stop lights.
Smaller vehicles are as common in Paris as cars are. I realized the smaller lights were for two-wheeled vehicles when I started walking around the city.
The crosswalks don't have a timer.
I'm used to New York City and Los Angeles crosswalks telling me how long it takes to cross the street.
In Paris, that was not the case.
After the crosswalk light turned on, you had a short time to cross before cars came barreling towards you.
Americans in NYC and LA are able to tell how long it will take to cross quickly.
In Paris, I didn't know if the crosswalk would change in a second, so I was more aware and present.
One of the hotels that I stayed at gave me a key that was large enough to fit on a key chain.
I stayed at Disneyland Paris' The Art of Marvel Hotel where I was given a keycard to get to my room.
When I went to Paris to explore, I was surprised to find a key on a giant keychain instead of a keycard. It was very similar to a novel.
The entirety of the key was too large to fit in most pockets, so I took the key out.
I almost didn't think to lock my door with the key on the first day of my stay because I'm used to hotels with key cards and doors that lock behind me.
You have to pay to use the restroom.
I know where the best public restrooms in New York City are, so I was surprised when I was asked to pay two dollars in the public restroom near Notre Dame.
I knew I wasn't in need of a bathroom because I didn't have change on me. I was surprised by the number of people in the bathroom.
There were bags in the hotel bathroom.
I was surprised that two of the hotels I stayed at gave hygiene bags to dispose of used pads.
There are small garbage cans in public restroom stalls in the US, but I haven't seen anything like that in a US hotel room.
I felt like I was seen by these thoughtful touches.
Wine and beer can be purchased at the Eiffel Tower.
While laying in the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower, I didn't expect to hear people yelling for beer. It's wine!
People in Paris bring their own alcohol to sit down in a public space to relax. I saw a lot of people getting together with their friends to split a bottle of wine along the river.
In Europe, wine is very cheap. I didn't see a bottle that high. The majority of it was less than that price.
The Eiffel Tower wine sellers made me laugh because it felt like a variation of what happens in the US. When I've been to the Jersey shore, I've never seen people with alcohol.
There was a small hole at the top of the cup.
I caved and ordered coffee from Starbucks when I needed some time to kill as I waited to check into a hotel, even though I wanted to try and order coffee from a Parisian location.
I was taken aback by the small drink hole in the cups.
You could have your food brought to you if you ordered it at Mcdonald's.
It was important for me to know what it was like inside a Mcdonald's. When you first entered, most of the ordering was done on a screen. I was surprised to see that you could take a number with you, place it in front of you, and have an employee take your meal.
I didn't know what to think. In the US, you have to grab your food from the counter when it's ready, but there isn't anyone who will walk it to your table.
There was a surprise that Paris offered wedges. The wedges were better than the string fries we were eating in the US.
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