May 25-26
I flew out of Houston on Sunday afternoon. My whole family took me to the airport, and I actually ran into Ellen and Laura when I was walking around the terminal trying to find my gate. Ellen is my big sis from drill team who just graduated from UT. Laura also went to high school with me and was on my Two by Two Committee up at UT. They are both here in Europe with a big Texas senior trip for three weeks. I flew British Airways which had fantastic service. Not that I am a frequent flyer, but the service on the flight was unlike any domestic line I had ever flown (weird past tense spelling) on. I could not sleep on the plane. Not sure if it was nerves, excitement, or the baby four rows up that literally (not exaggerating) cried for about six of the nine hours of the flight’s duration. I arrived at Heathrow airport in London. My connecting flight to Paris was delayed for an hour, and I arrived at Charles de Gaulle around 2pm in the afternoon.
I took a train from Charles de Gaulle to Gare du Nord – the Grand Central Station of Paris, of sorts. After I managed to man-handle my luggage on the train, I was not able to lift my huge suitcase on the racks above the seats. I set my suitcase on the seat next to me, and all was well until the train began to fill up. Two elderly women stepped on board. One sat across the aisle from me and the other eyed the seat next to me that was occupied by my Samsonite. She began, with a disgusted tone, speaking to me in French and pointing her finger at my suitcase and then up to the racks. I replied in English and said, “I am sorry ma’am. I cannot lift it. It is too heavy” (hand gestures and facial expression included in hopes that she would understand that). She shook her head and began mumbling to her train companion. I could not understand it, but I am sure it was something about disrespectful youth these days. I arrived at Gare du Nord and, remembering my oh so fun experience with luggage and subway stairs from last summer, opted to hail a cab.
I arrived at my youth hostel – de L’Artagnan around 4pm. My roommates arrived later; they were two Australian older women who were in Paris on their 8 week trek across North Africa, Europe, and the US.
May 27
Next morning rolled around, and my first task was to find the nearest ATM station. I ended up getting lost and asked a traffic controller for help. He directed me through Pere Lachaise – a gigantic cemetery whose plots are home to the likes of Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. I ended up getting lost in this HUGE cemetery. Scared, I turned around the other way and managed to find the ATM another via another route. The first day was very cold and rainy, so I cooped myself up in a small café near the Eiffel Tower for most of the afternoon.
My sandwich and café noir:
Oddly, throughout the day, I kept thinking of what I wanted to say in Spanish. I don’t know any French, but I did take Spanish from the 7th grade through my freshman year in college. Luckily, I was able to retain a good amount of my vocabulary. Verb conjugations are a bit different….but nonetheless, I was constantly thinking of Spanish just because I was in a foreign country. Later on, I then went to the manicured Luxembourg Gardens and walked around the Latin Quarter.
The first real day in the city was a bit overwhelming. After dealing with jetlag, getting lost in the metro system, and desperately searching for internet access, I called it a day and looked forward to seeing Maggie and her mom the following evening.
May 28
The next morning I went to Notre Dame. The Gothic architecture was beautiful. I had planned to meet Maggie and her mom for dinner later that night at a restaurant nearby, Le Vieux Bistro, upon a recommendation from Ms. Gayle. The spot had closed! Word is we missed out on a salivating plate of beef bourguignon.
I then took the metro to Jardin de Tuilleres. This garden connects the Louvre to the east end of the Champs Elysees. Starting from the Louvre, I walked down the garden and stopped to get my first crepe with fraise (strawberry) jam:
I walked down the Champs Elysees among business men, fashionistas, and camera-wearing, map-clenching tourists like myself down to the Arc de Triomphe. Six streets converge here; making it even more chaotic, there are no lane lines! It’s a free for all with enough horns to make it sound like an orchestra was going on.
I later ventured southeast to the St. Germaine area. My Aunt Lynda and Aunt Karla recommended this young and artsy district. It is my favorite area in Paris thus far. It is full of quaint cafes, hole-in-the-wall bistros, flower vendors, and stylish boutiques. The area has supposed undergone substantial gentrification within the last several years, but the area is still adorable and cozy.
I met up with Maggie and her mom at Notre Dame around 8pm at Notre Dame. I was SO happy to see her. The last time I saw her was mid December of last her. We did about five consecutive hugs! With dinner plans changed, we walked to the St. Germaine area and we ate at the cute restaurant in the picture above with all the potted plants hanging on the storefront.
May 29
The next day, I met up with Maggie and Momma Bang at the Eiffel Tower. We went up to the 2nd level and saw the fantastic Parisian panorama. Mind you, I did not bring a hair dryer to Paris. I'm going all naturale.
After the Eiffel Tower, we had lunch near the Champs Elysees. I tasted foie gras for the first time. Fun story: At the end of the meal, I tried to ask the waiter where the bathroom was in French. Instead of the proper “toilette”, I said “salle de bain.” I thought these two were synonyms, like English. In English, a bathroom doesn’t always mean there is a bath tub or a shower in the room; apparently, in French it does. The waiter was confused by what I was saying, so I wrote “salle de bain” on a napkin. He said, “no, no, no....that is like…” and he proceeded to write “douche” on the napkin. Which means shower in French, but obviously has a different meaning in the US. All three of us burst with laughter. Lost in translation.
Later we went to the Malais district near the hotel Maggie and her mom where staying at. The area had many trendy boutiques, bars, and restaurants. Some of these stores had great design. Here are some pictures from Autour du Monde Home and a spirits store named Caviste:
Still in the Malais district, we found a great bar and ordered these fantastic drinks. It was my first mojito, and it was quite enjoyable. Fresh limes, strawberries, and healthy mint leaves swam about in the glass, too. Delicious!
Hours passed and then came dinner at Le Fumoir around 9:30pm. Thank you, Katie Brehm. The recommendation was fantastic. We started off dinner with Mrs. Bang’s favorite champagne: Veuve Clicquot Rose. I tried rabbit for the first time. It was fantastic. Great food, great companaions, and great conversation. Mrs. Bang told the waiter it was Maggie’s 21st birthday:
Stuffed, we walked out of the restaurant around midnight. We tried for about forty five minutes to find a cab. With no success, we all went back to Maggie’s hotel room and crammed into their 8x8 hotel room. Slumber partay.
May 30
The next day we walked around the main shopping district in Paris. We had a little wine and cheese party back in Maggie’s hotel room. We went to Louvre (free for students of Fridays!) and tried to meet up with Ellen and Laura who were in Paris, too. Unfortunately, internet and communication issues suggested otherwise. We saw the Mona Lisa; she had her own wall. Of course, we didn’t get to see all of the Louvre. The museum is supposedly 8 miles long and is the biggest in the world.
Sorry, Mona. The green spot is a reflection of an exit light…
Maggie and Mrs. Bang outside the Louvre:
Beautiful sunset:
We found a cute restaurant nearby and had delicious salads and the best delicious chocolate mousse I have tasted. After dinner, I said bye to Maggie and her mom. They were leaving to go back to the States the following morning. I was so happy to have seen Maggie after five months and so thankful for Mrs. Bang’s generosity (long live the VEUVE, I say). What a great city to meet up in. I am looking forward to many cooking/dinner parties with Maggie next fall!
Stay tuned...
Kristin
