If you have been reading this little blog of mine for some time, you will already guess that I, like some particularly well-known movies and shows, will employ the flashback scene to drag the audience into the story.
SURPRISE PEOPLES IT'S STORY-TIME.
Back to July 12th.
Ribz and I were taken to Newark, where we'd meet with Capt. JJ and then catch our flight to Paris. Needless to say, it was an emotionally charged ride down to the airport (not in crying, but more for the palpable energy in the car). We had an evening flight, which was definitely a bonus for sleeping and not having too much jet-lag upon arrival.
HAH. Sleeping?!? No jet-lag?? Remember the above statement, we'll get back to it soon.
After a relaxing 7ish hour flight filled with endless Ipad movies and handsome French flight attendants, we landed in Paris at 10 am Thursday. Bear in mind, there is a 6 hour time difference between NY and Paris. Our lovely friend and Paris contact Sarah picked us up from the airport and after sorting out exchange rates and whatnot, we made our way out to a full day of activities.
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| Oh you know, just casually passing by THE EIFFEL TOWER while riding through town... #wheninfrance |
On the agenda: walking Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, and meeting up with friends for dinner.
Our first stop was at an apartment managed by a sweet Indian sister named Indira. She and her grandson Roman gave us a grand tour of the 200 year old building they reside in. It was truly like stepping back in time, into an era of plush leisure, pristine furnishings and golden elegance. As we gazed through the incredibly tall windows to the courtyard below us, there was no denying that we were definitely not stateside anymore. We explored the buildings and, after making arrangements to return that night for dinner, set out to peruse the streets of the City of Lights.
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| Very Great Gatsby-ish |
If you have not ventured into this part of Europe, you will be pleased to find that cities such as Paris and Rome are just as easily traversed by foot as by public transportation. The charm of the environ is in the old-world feel, which is best appreciated (in my humble opinion) up close in person. You need to breath in the antiqueness, taste the history, and absorb the lights with eyes wide open.
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| A packed Arc de Triomphe |
I have to apologize; for this first day in Paris, I was more involved with taking it all in rather than taking pictures. Paris is well-known for taking your breath and BELIEVE ME, this is not fictional. It is every bit as enchanting as Woody Allen would convince you it'd be.
(If you get that reference, we can be friends.)
At this point, walking the length of Champs-Elysées, we were STARVING, so we began searching for a place to have lunch. After plenty of deliberation, we agreed (upon Sarah's suggestion) on Le Paradis du Fruit (here is the link should you decide to go and test it for yourself http://www.leparadisdufruit.fr/ ). It's quite healthy, promoting dishes with fresh veggies, naturally raised chicken and organic fare like that. We took our seats and began digging in.
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| I ordered all my food in French. Je suis heureux! |
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| CHOCOLAAAATE |
Remember the whole "not sleeping on the plane because we're too pumped up" bit?
SO.
Right in the restaurant, almost as if on cue, us 3 New Yorkers basically blacked out briefly. Nodding heads, little streams of drool, the whole enchilada. I have never felt that intensely exhausted so quickly in public. To give you an idea of how bad this was: I TOOK A 3 SECOND VIDEO OF A PIECE OF BROWN BREAD FOR NO GOOD REASON. LITERALLY JUST LOOKING AT THIS BREAD.
(NO YOU MAY NOT SEE THIS VIDEO.)
JET-LAG, GOTTA LOVE IT.
We finally finished our meals and, in order to banish away the tiredness, set to walking more before we had to return to Indira's for dinner. Sarah and I made it a point to visit as many of the Sephoras on the main street as possible, much to the chagrin of our male companions.
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| "The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy."- Yves Saint-Laurent |
As the twilight descended and the city lights turned on, we returned to Indira's to a full feast of food. This was just the first of many occurrences throughout France and Italy where we were completely astounded by the sheer amount of food presented.
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| Never fear, I will be detailing more of the food in an upcoming Nom-Noms of Paris blog! |
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| Travel is beautiful. Cats are beautiful. Travel+cats: PURRFECT #puntastic |
It's a beautiful thing, really, to be welcomed as if you're already family. Indira and all the friends at the house did just that, filling our evening with plenty of laughs and embraces. Mind you, this was just at day 1! The 3 of us tried our best to be as engaging as possible despite the jetlag and language barrier. Finally, the boys went to their accommodations with a brother named Alain while I went back home with Sarah, who would be my gracious hostess the rest of our days in Paris.
That is all for Day 1! I hope you have enjoyed it so far, there's plenty ahead! Stay tuned for the next post!
Love,
The Adventurous A.
