Paris - Day 1

When did it begin? When did it end ? I can't seem to know the time here. My watch still shows London time,well, I only know am an hour ahead now! Who cares ?

Obscure as I may seem to anything remotely logical,deep down inside my heart, I know,I made the right choices in life. To get here,to this point in space and time,it took me all these years and all that b***s**t!! Obscure again, but thats how I feel today,honestly am oblivious to anything that sounds logical. They say it takes hundreds of wrong choices to make that one right choice,how correct they were! Who were they ? I dont know,do I care ?

Coming back to my choices, hmm...am dragging a bit too much,but if you have just sat at a roadside cafe overlooking the 'Tour De Eiffel' magnificently lit in the evening, sipped a 'cafe lait', watched the most-properly dressed men and women conversing in French and sampled some exquisite 'Pasta Ravioli', you would not know what you were saying too..

Anyway, to make a long drag short,I mean to say 'Nothing else matters' ( remember the song ? ) The wrong men, the wrong friends, the wrong career moves, I believe ,have all successfully led me here,at this point in space and time, to this wonderful city of Paris. It is some kind of Karma stuff I guess! Remember, nothing is ever coincidence ? Ah thats what I mean to say :)

So, here am in Paris this morning ,having taken the Eurostar, one of the nicest luxuries available in Europe. The whole experience of going under the sea in a train was exciting for me and scary for my mum ( who is always scared anyway!) but I tell you, you never know the difference. I could only hear the sound of water vaguely at some point for about 20 minutes ( or was I half-asleep ? )Anyway, I reach Paris in a little over 2 hours, right into the city centre. Eurostar rocks!! Period.

The first 5 minutes of entering a city determines whether you like it or not for the rest of your life. Again,another of my idiotic beliefs, you may say. Do I care ?
I knew Paris is going to be beautiful,but when I first saw it, it struck me as a place where time had stood still. Like cosmic noise( A Brief History of Time,Cosomos),it appears that renaissance-effects still reverberate here. Renaissance is still around, in Paris, it is. Thats how I felt. So, am transported to this wonderful era of painters, sculptors, musicians and the like. Utopia!

Gare Du Nord - the north railway station is where my train from London dropped me off. I had to do the metro thingie to get to the youth hostel I was booked into. After commuting via the tubes in London, any other metro is child's play. Not quite. But more or less trivial. Metros in Paris is another subject altogether.
I had to change two lines to get to my hostel which goes by the name 'Aloha Hostel'. It feels lovely to be back to hostelling in Europe. The charm of staying in a youth hostel outbeats any 3 star hotel I can say. I miss the live music and bar though.That is stuff UK hostels are made of!!

Volantaires - thats where I get off. Step out into the street, turn right and turn left I was told. I turn right and for the first time,I see The Eiffel Tower in a distance. Imagine how I felt. For all these years, it was my dream to come to this place and here am today. It is a different matter altogether that I had orginally wished to come here with that one man who would be mine forever,but what the heck! I couldnt wait that long :)

Paris is romantic. Love is in the air. Period.

After a quick washup and makeup, I head out.Remember am in Paris and I am suffering from peer pressure of fellow young women who not only look like a million dollars but also dress like a million dollars. To say that I looked like a few thousand pounds myself was not an understatement, after all I had spent a few hundred pounds yesterday for this moment. LOL LOL.

My goal today was to walk. Just walk through the streets and see where I go.I had a map and a french conversation book on me. The first few minutes of attempting a foreign language is pure agony. Nothing else. But,there is some pleasure in this pain. The art of struggling is by itself an act of survivial. Seriously, very few people on the streets speak anything other than french. How nice!!
Casting a thought back,I remember that I mostly used only the following three 'Bon jour','merci' and 'vouz parlez anglais'!! However, during the course of the day, as I had to interact with the common people - the garcon (waiters), the monsieurs and madames on the streets,my conversation book was mostly open, half hung in my hand (while the other half held my chic hand bag) and my french was free flowing.
One thing I was very happy about was that as I made an attempt, people opened up to me. That was really nice. Especially at the cafes. So, after a couple of hours down the Siene and along the Eiffel Tower, I was a pro at asking for 'une cafe'( a coffee), 'le-attention'(bill) and also using courtesy ( sil vou' plait). Wonder how I can swear in French!! F**k perhaps ?? LOL

I shall not talk about Eiffel Tower in this post for two reasons
1. I have to go up there as yet.
2. The best blog from my side is not yet here.

Hungry as I was, I entered a cafe that was almost closing down for the day. They obliged however,because I cried 'food'! Mind, I spoke in English this time. I couldnt care less, I needed food. Paris could be very tiring if you walk. It could be very boring if you don't. The choice is yours. ( Travel tip 1)
I sat down to a very nice meal of... erm... steamed vegetables and coffee. To tell you the truth, the vegetables were really really good. They were fresh and tasty. For a typical Indian used to the masalas, this is anything but palatable. To not sample the local cuisine is, for me, a waste of travel. It is the experience that counts. And it was such a lovely meal. The madame who served me was impressed with my attempts at French and she matched it very well with excellent efforts at English. Overall, we made nice conversation. Thats the point. When the hearts connect, language and culture become secondary. ( Travel Tip 2)

After lunch, I headed out to the famous 'Arc De Truimphe' and the 'Champs De Elysees'. This roundabout is really huge and going up the 'Arc', I could get a bird's eye view of the city and its skyline. The boulevard itself is superb. Why not, when the best names in fashion are housed there,it has got to be magnificent. Luoi Vitton, Cartier,Armani, Swatch, Oglivey, ah!!! And to top it all, the 'Arc De' stands at the edge overlooking the entire city, as if to stand guard. Superb,majestic and extraordinary. Renaissance exists!! Right here, right now!

By now, my legs did the talking,rather the crying. My back hurt and I was paranoid of a migraine attack, hence I was wise and headed out via the metro to my hostel.The vegetables had digested but I needed to sleep. ( I woke up at 3 am this morning) After a nap, I headed out for dinner along the Volantaires. Chose one of the cafes overlooking the Eiffel. I had a leisurely dinner of pasta and salad downed with coke. All the while, I was consious of the language being spoken around me. To see, if I can pick up something familiar. Dont evern try,the French speak too fast and too stylish.

The walk back was pleasant. The shops were open,some of them. The city did not shut down at 6 PM as London does ( sadly thats one of the things about London I hate),life was buzzing. There was a sense of calm and happiness. Need to plan for the morrow, maybe the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Anyway, another beautiful day has passed.

Au revoir.

Current Mood: Romantic, romantic, romantic....