Day 51
Another travel day. Honestly it is so draining after a while. At least today was only a 90 minute flight (as opposed to train or bus), but throw in all the airport procedures and the time drags out. But hey, I should just be thankful that I even get to travel. And my destination was Paris, one of my favourite cities, and be surrounded by so many people speaking French!! Sexy. And I would get to see Tash and Aniqa again which was even more exciting!!
Flew Smartwings, a budget airline, which had the weirdest phone policy. Usually you're not allowed to use your phone during take-off and landing, but are able to use it in flight mode during the flight. However, they had a complete ban on phone usage regardless of whatever mode it was in. Phone had to be off. Not exactly sure why but not that big a deal.
I flew into Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, apparently one of the worst airports in the world, with no issue. Maybe it's worse in the international terminal. I hopped on a train and headed into the city to Tash's apartment (using her very detailed directions). And as I sat on the train in, I felt like I was home. I felt like this was where I belonged. It's a weird feeling to explain, but I just felt so comfortable. A woman even asked me for directions (ok, she just asked to confirm the next station and I said yes), but the point was that I understood and responded appropriately. Win.
Got to Tash's, dumped my stuff, and we headed out to walk the familiar streets of Paree. I even walked back to my cousin's old apartment near Jardin Tuilleries just for the memories (and to see if I remembered where it was). Was also able to practice my French by ordering a crepe with chestnut cream (delicious - try it!). Too bad I couldn't continue the conversation but that's when Tash stepped in with her amazingly fluent French. That's the goal. I want to be fluent in French one day. Hopefully.
Aniqa eventually got into Paris about 8:30pm and we then explored the Marais (Jewish Quarter) and had a very French dinner of felafel roll. Must French it up for future meals.
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Day 52
Breakfast of croissant before Aniqa and I explored the Luxembourg Gardens, then headed over to a free walking tour. Miserable day for a tour, but given that Aniqa only had three days in Paris, we had to make the most of each day. Even having done the tour three years ago (Sandemanns New Paris tour), I still learnt new things about the city since we took a different route and the guide told different stories. What he didn't say, I filled in for Aniqa from my own knowledge. After the tour, we had lunch at a restaurant where we had snails and beef bourguignon - very French indeed.
As the rain cleared, we continued on with our impulsive adventures and went straight to the top of the Eiffel Tower. City of lights indeed! Even though I had been up here previously, at night, it was a completely different experience. The lights were so beautiful, and you could see so far into the distance with all those lights. We took so many photos up there and spent quite a while up there, despite the freezing winds. But we drew the line when it started raining again, and decided it was time to descend. Besides we were already late for the coq au vin soiree at Tash's. At least we had a good reason: we were stuck on top of the Eiffel Tower.
We got back to the apartment almost 90 minutes after the scheduled start time, but cooking had only just started. Amazingly, we managed to cram twelve people into Tash's kitchen. Granted not everyone could sit, and once you were in a spot, you couldn't really move around without bumping into everyone else but at least we all fit. And the coq au vin was delicious!! From what I observed, it was also pretty simple to cook. Another recipe to add to my list for when I move out again next year. The night ended at 4am when we finally decided to hit the hay if we wanted any hope of waking up to see the city that day. Was a very long and full day.
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Day 53
Quite a late start to the day given our extremely late night. Got myself a Museum Pass which gave me free access to about 60 different museums/attractions in Paris, given that we were to hit several museums today. We hit up Notre Dame, the Conciergerie (an old jail where Marie Antoinette was held), Saint Chapelle (the Saint Chapel) and the Pantheon. For lunch, I was able to order and have a complete interaction in French Very basic though but nevertheless I understood and was able to answer in my limited French. So proud. That feeling motivates me to learn more.
That afternoon, Aniqa and I met up with Nic and Callum (who we met at the coq au vin dinner) and descended into the catacombs of Paris. It was a series of underground tunnels and chambers where the remains of thousands of people were stacked (quite neatly) in an attempt back then to free up some space since cemetaries were taking up prime real estate. It was chilling walking through those tunnels, and the plaques adorning the walls held quite morbid and forboding messages, such as "Death is waiting for all of us".
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Day 54
Even though Aniqa and I were pretty tired, she only had one more full day here so we trekked over to Versailles. Having done it before, I was interested to see whether there were any changes or temporary exhibitions (last time there was a really cool Japanese anime sculpture exhibition). No such luck. Nevetheless, the castle and the gardens were still as impressive as before, but not as exciting the second time around. Versailles, for me last time, was also where I saw snow falling for the first time in Europe. Once again no such luck. Oh well. Highlight: Aniqa slipping and falling in the mud. I'm so evil. But it was hilarious.
Back in Paris, we had dinner with Tash at a creperie, before Aniqa and I headed to the Moulin Rouge!! We had been looking forward to this for sooooo long (well, two days). Our show was to start at 11pm, so we got there at 10:30pm. And we waited in a queue. A queue which didn't move. Apparently, the show before didn't finish til 11pm so there really was no point getting there half an hour early like they told us. But at least we managed to be queueing indoors (guess that was the benefit of getting there early before the queue went out the door). At 11pm, the queue shuffled forward and we soon found ourselves sitting at a table inside a giant red-lit room. No photos allowed but we snuck a few. Sipping on our champagne, we still had no idea what to expect from the show but we were so excited. And then the music began and the curtains lifted!! My first thought was: there are guys in the Moulin Rouge? Yeah there are male dancers/singers as well apparently. That opening song and dance was amazing. I'm still singing it. And then the boobs came out!! It's like they designed the costumes only for the bottom half. But hey it's the Moulin Rouge. What was also surprising was that there were skits in between the song and dance. They had ventriloquists, slapstick, acrobats, just so many amazing acts. And of course, the show ended with the all famous can-can. As the lights came on, Aniqa and I were just in awe of what we had just seen. It was so much more than what we had expected and so so so good!! Worth every cent.
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Day 55
Aniqa woke me up to say goodbye at 7:30am. I then actually got up three hours later. Now that I was solo again, I decided to go at a slower pace. Started off with the Notre Dame crypts, before having a food coma-inducing three course lunch on Rue Bonaparte. D'Orsay, an impressionist museum, was next on the agenda. With my Museum Pass, I was able to skip the massive queues out front. There was a really interesting temporary exhibit dedicated to the male body, and juxtaposing the representation of the male and female bodies in art. I spent a lot longer in that museum than expected, surprised when they announced that it was closing.
Next item on the agenda: buy macarons from LaDuree. As I walked into the familiar pink store, I was hit with so many sweet smells. The prices had gone up since I was last here, but I couldn't resist splurging on those little deliciously sweet treats. Box in hand, I headed back to the apartment where Tash and I cooked dinner, while snacking on baguette and cheese and foie gras. Dinner of pasta done, I settled down to update my journal and blog while Tash started work on her 5000 word essay in French (like a pro). Very chill night. I definitely needed after such an intense few days of sightseeing.
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