Can you tell you that I've been enjoying Paris? I haven't written for the last 4 days!
We arrived on Thursday from Belgium, and since then I've had several long lunches and dinners lasting two to three hours. I've stood against a beautifully-designed ornate light pole on the bridge to Ile-de-Louis for 45 minutes watching an intergenerational live band put their heart and soul into their rhythm and moves. Then learned that the lead singer was from California and is now headed to Berlin to fulfill his musical aspirations. I've cruised along on the Seine River, while dining on good food, and sharing champagne with friends, all the while passing spectacular views of Tour d'Eiffel, Louvre, Academie d'Universitie, and her majesty, Notre Dame. Of course, all the while, we've visited some amazing companies which offer a unique insight into what it would be like to work in Paris.... specifically the amazing 5 week vacation employees receive after their first year on the job! Can you even imagine???
I've been to Paris at least three times before, and this time was different. I didn't bother much with visiting the sites. Instead I tried to experience the neighborhoods of Paris. In doing so I realized that Paris is much bigger and has so much more to offer than I originally thought.
My favorite moments of Paris were a combination of neighborhood trekking and meeting with old friends. For instance, when I was exploring the Ile-de-Louis I ended up at a wine cellar owned by a man with a distinct passion for wine. He told me that once, while flying from Slovakia (just after 9-11) he had a few bottles of wine in his carry-on. When security tried to take them away, he dropped his pants and would not move until they agreed to at least check his bag into the plane. Now we all know I wear my feelings on face, so in response to the open jawed expression on my face, he insisted that the wines were of unique origin and could not be replaced.
After this pit stop, he suggested that I head past the Pantheon to Rue de Moufftarde,apparently one of the oldest streets in Paris. Boy, was I excited to find this place! It was filled with boutiques; restaurants of Greek, Lebanese, and French origin; and fruits and veggies stands all along the sidewalk. Unfortunately I just had a crepe (banana and nutella) just before entering this food dynasty, but it had a fantastic, young vibe that I look forward to visiting again when I've got a bigger rumble in my tummy.
Later that night was the dinner cruise along the Seine, which I highly recommend taking advantage of if you're with a group or even with your honey. The best part was going to the deck and seeing Paris by night while sipping on a glass of champagne. I felt like I was launched into a world of fairy tales and castles! I was just waiting to catch a glimpse of the Hunchback scaling down the towers of Notre Dame!
Afterwards a few of us went dancing... what started out being a large group turned out to be just me and my friend, Monica. We went to an Irish Pub in the Latin Quarter (Figures, huh?), and they had a fantastic dance party in the basement with a melange of techno, Latin, and American music and lights that made even the worst dancers look like Michael Jackson... almost.
Little did we know, the adventure started after leaving the dance party. It was around 3:30am, it was pouring down rain and lightening a bit. My friends and I were in dresses and we each brought a sweater of some sort (Thank goodness!) We were on a main road trying to hail a taxi.... and we weren't the only ones! In fact most of the cabs passing by were full and other people were leaving the taxi station where you're suppose to hail the cab and running down the street to catch the few that were empty. So, we did the same, we ran the whole way down the street almost half a mile trying to get in front of the mass of people already hailing taxis.
After 30 minutes of standing in the rain, one of us finally caught the attention of an empty taxi, but to our disdain, an irritatingly dry Parisian (whom I wanted to slap) stole the taxi right from under us! Even worse than this... a cheap, apathetic, miserable hotel clerk working at the nearby Best Western denied us the opportunity to call the local taxi service despite us insisting on paying an over the top premium for the phone call. We were soaked to the bone from standing in the rain for an hour trying to hail a daggone taxi, when finally we got a taxi to stop in front of us so we could jump in... but only after we bullied away the guy who was trying to take it for his group. (Don't mess with women who have just been denied the right to make a local telephone call at 4 o'clock in the morning.)
By 4:30 in the morning I was able and eager to crawl into my warm, dry, unbelievably comfortable bed. I woke up a few hours later with the goal of seeing the Catacombs, but despite making it to the queue, I bailed and went back to sleep for 45 minutes, waking up in time to see my dear friend from the Marseille.
After this exciting night, I had a full day of reuniting with old friends and boy was I happy to see them! It started with seeing Marie, a friend whom I met at University of Pittsburgh, and grew fond of sharing the quirky characteristics of the French and American cultures. She took me to LaDuree on Rue De Royale. I strongly recommend this restaurant, especially for their macarons. They were creamy with a pungent flavor that melted in my mouth.... oh yum. The Cassis and Praline were my favorite. We had a long lovely brunch that had a long stream of food that never seemed to end. Then she showed me the Opera House and a bit of the Galerie Lafayette. (I'm going to make it a point to see a ballet at the Opera House next time I'm in Paris!... Bucket list #8,728,900 :) It was so nice seeing her again, and I was comforted by how easily we picked up again, as if no time had passed (Those are wonderful friends to have!). While reminiscing on all of the crazy things we saw, I kept wishing that I would've shown her even more of my favorite sites when she was in the U.S.
After our spectacular visit, I went home for a brief nap (no judgments, people, I had a long night). But not as long as my friend, whom I and my classmate, Elana, went to see in Mont Martre later that night. *sigh Caroline... Eric and I met her in India, where she was the editor for the local newspaper and volunteered at the same nonprofit as we did. She has a passion for human rights, and a zest for saving the world. (Yeah, she's downright courageous.) After hearing about her night filled with catacombs and (let's just say...) surprising encounters, I became less impressed by my night of meager frustration.
She took us to Sacre Coeur and we sat at one of her favorite cafes just around the corner from her apartment. She's wonderful to chat with, and has an amazingly thick French accent, which makes her all the more bloody interesting to listen to. :)
She walked us through the Pigalle district which she insisted we had to see, and we landed at a creperie stand that served the best crepe I'd ever had (banana, nutella, and ground up nuts)! It was delightful! (Both the conversation and the crepe.) Yet, another late night in Paris, and an early morning the following day, but was all worth it. We ended our time in Paris with a Kosher meal to satisfy the taste buds and appetite of Elana who wanted to chomp on a nice slice of meat. Hehe It was a good time, and neat aspect to the Jewish culture that I had never fully appreciated.
Paris, I am in love with your majestic history that is still so vibrant and alive in the Parisian lifestyle and architecture. You are a maze of culture and quirks, sophistication and class, presenting yourself as a pop-up history book for kids at heart to wander and explore our favorite fairy tales.
And now... I'm on the plane to Budapest, eager to see Eastern Europe, and a whole new work culture and lifestyle than I've ever seen before.
We arrived on Thursday from Belgium, and since then I've had several long lunches and dinners lasting two to three hours. I've stood against a beautifully-designed ornate light pole on the bridge to Ile-de-Louis for 45 minutes watching an intergenerational live band put their heart and soul into their rhythm and moves. Then learned that the lead singer was from California and is now headed to Berlin to fulfill his musical aspirations. I've cruised along on the Seine River, while dining on good food, and sharing champagne with friends, all the while passing spectacular views of Tour d'Eiffel, Louvre, Academie d'Universitie, and her majesty, Notre Dame. Of course, all the while, we've visited some amazing companies which offer a unique insight into what it would be like to work in Paris.... specifically the amazing 5 week vacation employees receive after their first year on the job! Can you even imagine???
I've been to Paris at least three times before, and this time was different. I didn't bother much with visiting the sites. Instead I tried to experience the neighborhoods of Paris. In doing so I realized that Paris is much bigger and has so much more to offer than I originally thought.
My favorite moments of Paris were a combination of neighborhood trekking and meeting with old friends. For instance, when I was exploring the Ile-de-Louis I ended up at a wine cellar owned by a man with a distinct passion for wine. He told me that once, while flying from Slovakia (just after 9-11) he had a few bottles of wine in his carry-on. When security tried to take them away, he dropped his pants and would not move until they agreed to at least check his bag into the plane. Now we all know I wear my feelings on face, so in response to the open jawed expression on my face, he insisted that the wines were of unique origin and could not be replaced.
After this pit stop, he suggested that I head past the Pantheon to Rue de Moufftarde,apparently one of the oldest streets in Paris. Boy, was I excited to find this place! It was filled with boutiques; restaurants of Greek, Lebanese, and French origin; and fruits and veggies stands all along the sidewalk. Unfortunately I just had a crepe (banana and nutella) just before entering this food dynasty, but it had a fantastic, young vibe that I look forward to visiting again when I've got a bigger rumble in my tummy.
Later that night was the dinner cruise along the Seine, which I highly recommend taking advantage of if you're with a group or even with your honey. The best part was going to the deck and seeing Paris by night while sipping on a glass of champagne. I felt like I was launched into a world of fairy tales and castles! I was just waiting to catch a glimpse of the Hunchback scaling down the towers of Notre Dame!
Afterwards a few of us went dancing... what started out being a large group turned out to be just me and my friend, Monica. We went to an Irish Pub in the Latin Quarter (Figures, huh?), and they had a fantastic dance party in the basement with a melange of techno, Latin, and American music and lights that made even the worst dancers look like Michael Jackson... almost.
Little did we know, the adventure started after leaving the dance party. It was around 3:30am, it was pouring down rain and lightening a bit. My friends and I were in dresses and we each brought a sweater of some sort (Thank goodness!) We were on a main road trying to hail a taxi.... and we weren't the only ones! In fact most of the cabs passing by were full and other people were leaving the taxi station where you're suppose to hail the cab and running down the street to catch the few that were empty. So, we did the same, we ran the whole way down the street almost half a mile trying to get in front of the mass of people already hailing taxis.
After 30 minutes of standing in the rain, one of us finally caught the attention of an empty taxi, but to our disdain, an irritatingly dry Parisian (whom I wanted to slap) stole the taxi right from under us! Even worse than this... a cheap, apathetic, miserable hotel clerk working at the nearby Best Western denied us the opportunity to call the local taxi service despite us insisting on paying an over the top premium for the phone call. We were soaked to the bone from standing in the rain for an hour trying to hail a daggone taxi, when finally we got a taxi to stop in front of us so we could jump in... but only after we bullied away the guy who was trying to take it for his group. (Don't mess with women who have just been denied the right to make a local telephone call at 4 o'clock in the morning.)
By 4:30 in the morning I was able and eager to crawl into my warm, dry, unbelievably comfortable bed. I woke up a few hours later with the goal of seeing the Catacombs, but despite making it to the queue, I bailed and went back to sleep for 45 minutes, waking up in time to see my dear friend from the Marseille.
After this exciting night, I had a full day of reuniting with old friends and boy was I happy to see them! It started with seeing Marie, a friend whom I met at University of Pittsburgh, and grew fond of sharing the quirky characteristics of the French and American cultures. She took me to LaDuree on Rue De Royale. I strongly recommend this restaurant, especially for their macarons. They were creamy with a pungent flavor that melted in my mouth.... oh yum. The Cassis and Praline were my favorite. We had a long lovely brunch that had a long stream of food that never seemed to end. Then she showed me the Opera House and a bit of the Galerie Lafayette. (I'm going to make it a point to see a ballet at the Opera House next time I'm in Paris!... Bucket list #8,728,900 :) It was so nice seeing her again, and I was comforted by how easily we picked up again, as if no time had passed (Those are wonderful friends to have!). While reminiscing on all of the crazy things we saw, I kept wishing that I would've shown her even more of my favorite sites when she was in the U.S.
After our spectacular visit, I went home for a brief nap (no judgments, people, I had a long night). But not as long as my friend, whom I and my classmate, Elana, went to see in Mont Martre later that night. *sigh Caroline... Eric and I met her in India, where she was the editor for the local newspaper and volunteered at the same nonprofit as we did. She has a passion for human rights, and a zest for saving the world. (Yeah, she's downright courageous.) After hearing about her night filled with catacombs and (let's just say...) surprising encounters, I became less impressed by my night of meager frustration.
She took us to Sacre Coeur and we sat at one of her favorite cafes just around the corner from her apartment. She's wonderful to chat with, and has an amazingly thick French accent, which makes her all the more bloody interesting to listen to. :)
She walked us through the Pigalle district which she insisted we had to see, and we landed at a creperie stand that served the best crepe I'd ever had (banana, nutella, and ground up nuts)! It was delightful! (Both the conversation and the crepe.) Yet, another late night in Paris, and an early morning the following day, but was all worth it. We ended our time in Paris with a Kosher meal to satisfy the taste buds and appetite of Elana who wanted to chomp on a nice slice of meat. Hehe It was a good time, and neat aspect to the Jewish culture that I had never fully appreciated.
Paris, I am in love with your majestic history that is still so vibrant and alive in the Parisian lifestyle and architecture. You are a maze of culture and quirks, sophistication and class, presenting yourself as a pop-up history book for kids at heart to wander and explore our favorite fairy tales.
And now... I'm on the plane to Budapest, eager to see Eastern Europe, and a whole new work culture and lifestyle than I've ever seen before.
Pammi that was phenomenal! Great entry, and I'm so glad you got to meet up with Caroline! Can't wait for you to take me to these places some day!
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