Exercise in Paris

No, I did not join a gym. I just wanted to mention on this lovely overcast and rainy morning (yup, the nice weather is gone), why my feet are so sore, and provide some explanations for why obesity in Paris might not really exist (I mean, it's here, but you really have to look, unlike in the US). 

This morning I woke up and the first thing I had to do to see what the weather was like was to open the windows. That is a bit more complicated here, since to close the windows, you have to crank this device that brings down what they call "volets" and which are really more akin to the metal grills people have to cover shop doors and windows after closing. So, in the morning, I crank the volets the other direction to open them, and since there are the windows and the balcony, my arms get quite a workout. They're not sore like my feet, but it's just the first example. 

From where I am, it is about a 10 minute walk to the nearest métro stop (Glacière), a 15 minute walk to the RER/tram at Cité Universitaire, a two second walk to the bus 21 which takes me to Opéra/Latin Quarter. If I take the RER to Saint-Michel for my ice cream, it's a 5 minute walk to my Lebanese sandwiches, and a 20 minute walk to Berthillon. Then, an additional 20 minutes back to the RER, followed by a 10 minute train ride and another 15 minute walk home. From Opéra to the BnF at Richelieu, it's about a 15 minute walk each way. From the tram at Avenue de France to the BnF François Mittérand, it's about a 20 minute walk each way. Any or all of those routes, which are indeed my favorites, could explain why my feet hurt so much. There is another explanation, though: getting lost. I just love getting lost, walking around areas I don't know as well, then taking the first métro or bus I find and heading home when I get bored. For instance, the Passages. It's fun to lose your way for a while walking through secret tunnels in one of the richest districts in Paris! But, it requires a lot of walking. 

I should also mention that people walk on escalators and moving walkways in Paris. You're shunned when you don't. People give you dirty looks. I noticed that when I did it myself, three years ago on my trip to London. There I was, freshly arrived, and in the Tube, trying to walk up the escalator even with my suitcase, and those Brits just wouldn't budge!! I kept glaring and glaring, but they didn't notice or possibly just didn't care. That was when I realized I had been picking up Parisian habits. So, if I'm in a métro station, I'm still moving. Honestly, I'm surprised there are even gyms in Paris. All this exercise plus the fact that they just eat less food in general, but certainly less processed foods, must make them a bit redundant. Walking around the Parc Montsouris, as I do often these days, you see that most Parisians clearly prefer running in a beautiful park to running on a treadmill anyway.