Paris, OUI OUI!

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to go to Paris for 3 nights. It was a quick trip, but I decided to take advantage of it because I wanted to visit a few friends and see the sights of a city that I’m embarassed not to have seen yet!

And boy did I see it!!

I arrived at my friend Jo’s house at 5pm on Sunday evening, after taking a 2 hr-train from London (that train goes FAST – my ears were popping all over the place!). Jo is a friend I met in Thailand. We sang together in a choir and then did two small group performances together (which he organized). He was kind enough to offer his second bedroom to me during my stay. Upon my arrival, we sat we a cup of tea and caught up. I had mentioned in an email that I really wanted to eat his apple crumble, which I remember him cooking for us once during a choir rehearsal. Well! I had no idea that this suggestion would spawn the 5-course “crumble” meal he decided to cook! We started with a homemade cauliflower soup with bread crumb-le on top; then cleansed our palates with a yogurt, cucumber and oat crumble; our main dish was fennel and onion baked in a beschamel sauce with salty crumble on top; then we feasted on 4 different French cheeses (no crumble per se in this dish, though I did eat my cheese with crumbly baguette!); and lastly – the inspiration of the meal – the apple crumble! The meal was spectacular! Playful, tasty, varied, French, and served with food-and-food-culture-esque conversation (which is my favorite, for those of you that know me well!). What a way to be greeted in Paris. I was certainly looking forward to my next day when I would step out onto these Parisien streets and see what else I could bite into!

In fact, I hadn’t really planned my trip to Paris. I, of course, knew the typical tourist hot-spots, but I was interested in seeing Paris from a different lens. Thanks to a few Ottawa friends (francophiles, we might say!), I compiled an excellent list of things to do. And with Jo’s map, I was off! I decided to join a free walking tour in order to get a hold on the city center and pinpoint the spots I wanted to return to. The walking tour turned out to be the best decision! I don’t usually join tours, as I hate being paraded around like a tourist. But this time, I embraced it and just listened, looked and learned. We were a small group – 16 people – of mainly young people, and our tour guide was a young art history and French student from Scotland. She was very knowledgeable and I learned a lot from her. For instance:

– An American lady proclaimed to her friends that she loved the Eiffel Tower. When they teasingly told her to marry, she said she would. She went to the French government and received permission to marry the Eiffel Tower. They were happy together until the lady met the Berlin Wall. She then divorced the Eiffel Tower and married the Berlin Wall, where she now lives happily. She could be called the ultimate objecto-file!

– On the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), there are tons of scary-looking heads. The reason for this is that King Henry IV made this bridge out of rock, and despite critiques, was successful after 30 years. So, he decided to throw a party on this bridge. Everyone came at the promise of alcohol (it was a severely dry period in France), and everyone drank away the royal stock of wine and champagne. Henry IV asked an artist to capture the great fun that was had on his bridge, so that he could show everyone after how great he was. The next morning, however, he saw that the pictures didn’t quite capture the wonderful time that had been had. So he commissioned a sculptor to sculpt, from the pictures, the faces of all his friends. He then put them up on the bridge to remind anyone crossing it how smart and amazing Henry IV really was.

– On the Love Bridge, hundreds of locks have been put on the walls. This ritual is done between two lovers, who write or carve their names onto the lock, lock it on the wall of the bridge, and throw the key into the Seine. However, our tour guide warned us ladies to be weary of French men, who like to take a woman onto this bridge, perform this ritual with a combination-lock, “seal the deal” with the lady after, then come and grab their combination lock only to perform the ritual the next evening with the latest lady!

I also learned some history about France, Paris, and the buildings, but these were the funny facts!

After the tour, our guide asked us if we wanted her to show us a nice French restaurant where we could get a cheap meal. Since I had seen the prices of most Parisien restaurants, I was eager to follow her. The menu was mainly carnivorous, but when I asked the server in my best French whether he’d provide me a vegetarian option, he kindly brought me a delicious salad with cheese, bread, and wine! Vin, pain, fromage! That’s all I need in France!

With a full belly and an ear-and-eyefull of Paris, I headed to Monmartre, a quaint and touristy arrondissement in the northern part of the city which is home to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur and the infamous Moulin Rouge. That place was like the Paris of my imagination – narrow cobblestone streets, cafes with outdoor tables, patisseries at every corner, artists painting in the squares, and the beautiful French language strumming in my ears. I went up to Sacre Coeur, got a lovely view of the city, and spoke to a Frenchman who actually asked if I was French! Woo hoo! 🙂 (Later that night, when I didn’t get bombarded by the men selling tourist kitsch, I really felt French – so nice, after living in Asia and Africa where I stick out like a sore thumb!)

On my way home, I decided to walk down the Champs Elysees, buy a “vin chaud” (mulled wine), and take it to the Seine to sit and look at the Eiffel Tower. I found a quiet corner, hoisted myself up onto the wall overlooking the Seine, and watched as the Eiffel Tower lit up like a Christmas tree (apparently it does so on the hour). Mesmerized by these lights, I found myself walking in the direction of the Tower (where, on the way, I was asked for directions by a French lady – and I successfully gave them, I am so French!). I walked up to the Eiffel Tower and, as I basked in its grandeur, I simultaneously asked myself why it was so loved by people. I mean, it is kind of ugly if you really think about it – pieces of metal stuck together into an awkard structure that sticks out of the otherwise low skyline. But maybe its ugliness is also what makes it most beautiful. I mean, during the day when I first saw it off in the distance, its height appealed to me. And later on, lit up like that, it’s curved and unique shape charmed me. I can’t explain its beauty, but I do agree with it.

By the time I reached home on Monday night, my body was no longer agreeing with me. I had 5 blisters on the bottoms of my feet (as a direct result of 11 hours of walking, and essentially two weeks of being on my feet at least 6 hours a day), and the cold which I had been fighting for a week was now winning the battle. There was nothing I could do but sleep and hope I would feel better in the morning.

I didn’t.

Despite the fact that I could hardly walk and that I would have loved to spend the day watching Friends reruns in bed, I ventured out into the Parisien streets for more torture. Well, how could I not? It was my last day, and besides, I had a date with my friend Jenise! I met Jenise while studying in Senegal, and I’ve had the fortune of seeing her in 2008 and 2011 when I went to New York. Jenise has been living in Paris since last September, working and studying and loving Paris. We met up at a coffee shop for croissants and tea and ended up staying there for 2 hours. That suited my feet and my cold just fine, but besides that it was just sooooo nice to meet up with a friend that I’ve known for such a long time and to TALK. I can’t do that in Zimbabwe or London because the people I know in these places are people I’ve known for less than two months. It’s just different. So I was lapping up Jenise-talk!

The weather was looking great outside – mild and sunny, I am so lucky – so we decided that we needed to venture out to take advantage of this amazing late-November warmth. My feet and cold hated me for the rest of the afternoon, but I tried to appreciate the city. We went to a bookstore, a park, an island, a falafel stand, and soon enough it was 4pm and Jenise had to leave me. Sad, but we’ve made a plan to see each other soon – maybe in Ethiopia!

I thought that it might be a good time to take a boat tour on the river. I love boat tours, and had been told this one was nice. I shouldn’t have done it though. On the boat, the mild weather turned chilly and then just outright cold. My stubborness and love of boats kept me on the top, unsheltered part of the boat for too long. By the time the tour was over, I had a proper chill and was dreaming of a warm shower and a cozy bed. And it wasn’t even 6pm! I went home and slept until Jo came back. A few cups of ginseng tea warmed and woke me up enough to go out for dinner, but my appetite was small. It’s probably best that it WAS small because French restaurants really don’t have a lot of veggie options. Once again, cheese and bread were the primary sources of my satisfaction.

I’m now back in London, sick as a dog, but with a head full of lovely memories, a camera full of pictures (mainly of building it seems), and a desire to go back. I want to go back for the language (I loved speaking French in France – it’s more fun than in Ottawa for some reason), the food (well, the cheese, bread, and wine, that is!), the beauty, the interesting people and culture, and the conversation and companionship. Thank you Jo and Jenise for making my time in Paris so wonderful (and for putting up with my runny nose and blistery feet!)