Chopin is playing in the background. Word Document is open. The blinker is blinking. And I am typing. Letters after letters are creating words and sentences and paragraphs. As I am writing this, I am going through all the pictures I took in my trip. I took 1,179 pictures. I think that's the most amount of pictures I've ever taken in the duration of 10 days. I made sure I captured every valuable moment I had in my trip. Looking at those pictures take me back to the amazing time and wonderful places I spent and saw in those 10 days. I finally saw Europe. Or let's say, I finally saw part of Europe with its beauty, history, tradition, modernism, and many more. 9 nights and 10 days I spent there. Mon voyage s'est très bien passé. J'ai vécu des moments magnifiques à Paris, Rome, et Frankfurt. J'ai aimé ces villes. J'ai passé 3 nuits à Paris, 4 nuits à Rome, et 2 nuits à Frankfurt. It was my first time to Europe. Before this trip, I'd only seen it in the movies or pictures or on tv or in the books. Or I'd heard about it from my friends and family. Did it fulfill my expectations? Yes, absolutely! It was even 10x better than what I was expecting. What a great trip! Not only I went to great places, saw beautiful things, ate tasty food, drank amazing drinks, sat on beautiful patios, met and chatted with wonderful people, but also it was an eye-opening trip. Let's just say I have new expectations from myself, new sets of goals in life.
I leave Ottawa for Frankfurt on Thursday, September 1st 2011. My flight is at 7:40pm with Air Canada. I'm supposed to be at the airport at 4:30pm, 3 hours prior to my departure. But as usual I get there very early. It is only 3:15pm. I don't like airports. And I don't like the security people at the airports. After the very disappointing treatment I received from the American security personnel at the Pearson Airport in my trip to New York City, I always make sure I have enough time to spare in case of having another bitter experience like that. It's part of the terrorist by birth and appearance in the today's world Mr. Bush and his fellows created. Anyway, everything goes very smoothly. I get my boarding pass and check in my suitcase. I am traveling very light. I've only packed the necessities. And in my purse I have my French books, camera, valet, and passport. The airport is very busy since it is the last long weekend of the summer, and then kids are going back to school. So everybody is going somewhere.
Everything goes well with with the security. I even beep while walking through the gate. But the security guy looks at my gladiator sandals and lets me go without doing any body-check. I get a coffee from Second cup and find a quiet spot to sit since I still have 3 hours to my boarding time. Reading french while drinking hot refreshing coffee with a beautiful view of massive airplanes landing or taking off. What a joy! But I'm too excited about my trip to enjoy that moment. I could barely get any sleep the night before since my brain didn't stop thinking. Gosh, I can't wait until my feet touch the ground of Paris. I was counting down to this trip for almost 2 months. Now I can hardly wait to be there. It's finally time for my boarding. Surprising, the 3 hours waiting time went by very quickly. My seat is between some very very fat guy whose body occupies almost half of my seat and some very very cute guy whom I check for his ring finger first. And yep, he's taken. As always, Air Canada is very disorganized, and the flight is delayed. We finally leave Ottawa around 8:30 with no explanation of the delay. But that's the last thing on my mind. I just want to leave already. And I'm finally on my way to Paris. First stop is Frankfurt and then Paris. 11 hours, I'll be there in 11 hours. Then I will go to Rome and then Frankfurt will be my last stop.
Paris. So beautiful! Why does it mean that much to me? Is it because Dad loves it? He says it's his most favourite city. Or is it because it is where Mum and Dad's love story started? I always think what if they'd lived there longer. I always think what if I'd been conceived there. What would have changed in my life? What if ... There are so many what ifs in life, but you can't always live with what ifs, or you'd always be dreaming about things and miss out on the things that you can achieve yourself. After all parents are humans too, and they decide for themselves. Good or bad, it's their life. So it's not my position to question them. I'm finally in Paris, and I can see its beauty with my own eyes.
It's the city of gray. It's not a depressing gray. It's calm. It's beautiful. If I want to pick a music for this city, it'd be Para Elisa by Beethoven or Nocturne by Chopin. You know, something calm but at the same time exciting. It's for sure classical piano. I spend 3 nights and 4 days in this beautiful city. It's the city where you find joy in simple things. Joy in eating a baguette, croissant, or fresh mozzarella with sliced tomato topped with olive oil and dill. Mmmm... Joy in drinking a fine red wine. Joy in watching a beautiful painting. Or joy in walking by Tour de Eiffel. Or just sitting on a nice patio and watching people. Simple! It's very simple and pleasant. I see people with a drink, only one drink and a book spending hours and hours at a cafe or a bar. They're enjoying the moment. Drinking is not meant to get drunk. It is to enjoy. Food is not meant to stuff. It is to enjoy.
Cobblestone paved streets is one of the main features in Paris. We see it here and there in Ottawa or Montreal too, but it doesn't feel the same. People commute to work with their scooters or motorbikes. Or the majority drive mini-cars. Unlike North America, you can hardly find any SUV there. I also find Citroën, my childhood car, my Mum and Dad's first car. Oh, seeing that car brings back lots of good memories. I find crossing the street quite confusing in the beginning. If there's no one crossing the street even if the traffic light is red for the cars, they don't stop. But as soon as they see you, they stop until you cross the street. And Parisians hunk a lot. One thing that I notice in Paris is that dogs are allowed to poop on the street. And the dog owner doesn't need to pick it up!
The buildings are amazingly beautiful in Paris. They are not tall. They are bulky. They all look the same in one area and then they slightly change in the architecture from one to the next. They are standing strong and beautiful. Most of them have a fenced terrace, all aligned with beautiful pink or red flowers on them. The windows are narrow and tall. Even their government building are beautiful and historic. There's a union and harmony is the architecture.
I find Parisians calm and friendly despite what I heard from others. They are not arrogant nor hostile at all. They like you when you try to speak with them in French specially the seniors, but most of them know or understand English very well. The fashion is very different there. They are very well dressed and very attractive. Beautiful men are everywhere. Long messy hair, light eyes, skinny and tall wearing a scarf and a vintage jacket over a v-neck shirt with skinny jeans. Yumm... The Parisian women are in heels even on Sundays and even in the park while pushing the stroller or walking their kids who are also wearing chic clothes. And you can hardly find any obese in Paris. And almost everybody smokes there.
I stay at a beautiful Hilton Hotel on 51-57 rue de Courcelles. What a great area! Surprisingly, unlike other Hiltons this one doesn't have a pool. And to use the GYM you have to pay. The decor is very beautiful. Tall ceilings, beautiful colours, lovely patio, great bar, nice restaurant and a beautiful yard. My room is very comfortable. It is very clean and specious. And the complementary breakfast is amazing. Salmon, boiled egg, 2 different cheese, tomato, cucumber, fresh baby mozzarella, feta cheese, jambon, cereal, scrambled egg, mushroom, sausage, bacon, all kinds of bread and fresh croissant, many many fruits, juice, coffee, tea, and water. Oh, it's lovely! I'm in heaven. I meet a cute Canadian on the elevator. We are both on the same floor. He sees my mini Canadian flag on my purse and asks me where I am from. And I ask the same. He was born in NF, raised in Montreal, and now he lives in Denmark. He's in Paris for a business meeting. The hotel is also close to Parc Monceau. On a beautiful warm, sunny Sunday, people lie half-naked on a blanket and tan under the sun.
Chanselise, I finally get to see. My dad always talks about its beauty. And he's right. It's so beautiful. Cobblestone paved street, old unique looking trees, les colonnes Morris, great patios on the street, beautiful buildings, famous fashion boutiques: Dior, Armani, Patrick Roger, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and many more. And I see the beautiful Boulvard Des Chanselise. Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées, so lovely! But there are also so many beggars on Chanselise. And one thing that I wouldn't try there again is the food. Because of its location, the food is expensive and not good quality.
Tour de Eiffel, there's nothing like it in the world. It's the most beautiful tower I've ever seen in my life. The architecture is amazing: the lines, the arcs, the positive and negative spaces created within the lines. She's standing tall and proud by the Seine River. The view of the sunset looks magical there. It's breathtaking!
The Lourvre and Musée d'Orsay, I finally get to see the masterpieces by Da Vinci, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cassatt, Degas, Van Gogh, and many more. There's a big line-up for those museums. But it's so organized that it only takes me max of an hour to get in. And it's all worth it. And who says you can't take pictures there?!
Montmartre, what a beautiful neighbourhood with narrow, steep, cobblestone-paved streets, stairways, hidden gardens, cemeteries, and vineyards. You get a beautiful view of Paris from there. Painters painting, writers writing on the old-fashion typewriters, nice patios, great food and drinks, nice stores, live street- performers, beautiful art galleries, and many more. There's nothing like it.
Overall, Paris was beyond amazing. Two thumps up to Paris and the Parisians. I will definitely go back to my dream city. À bientôt, Paris !
