Tuesday, January 09, 2007
First Day in Paris
I wonder if I will ever stop fantasizing about living in a 5-star hotel. Not that I do it every second of the day, don't be daft. Maybe a couple of times when I look around and see that I still have to dust the tv, wipe the counter, water down the balcony and so on, I can't help but dream about room service and chambermaids and shiny silver bathrooms and cushy carpets and professionally-done interiors. Sigh. I also can't help it that my husband is SO , how do I put this delicately, PRACTICAL, that the last time I ever set foot down those cushy carpets was summer of 1999. Woe is me and my broken tai-tai dreams.And now for my (bi-annual) Paris report.
Day 1: After dropping off our bags at our hotel at the 11th arrondisement, we set off to explore and familiarize ourselves with the area. Blvd Voltaire is a charming and quiet street with many rotiserries, patisseries, brasseries, papeteries, and other eries you can think of. Lots of dog poo, too. I had to constantly look at where I'm walking for fear of stepping on a fresh one. ew. All the apartment buildings had the same height (about 7 floors) or shorter which made for a very uniform and pleasing look. Everything looked old and ah, French. I also found many things easier to understand because they're not in kanji (like some countries around here). So far, so good. We couldn't help but remark, "In fairness, maganda naman pala siya."
Soon, we found ourselves in front of the tombstone of the nasirang Jim Morrison. This was after subjecting ourselves to the confusing labyrinth of creepy graves that is the Pere Lachaise cemetery.
I dunno, should we be proud that we were posing in a sementeryo on our first day in the most romantic city in the world? And it's not even 10am yet.
After an interesting brunch of, for me, a chocolat aux pain and chocolat (sugarhigh yeah), we walked again, past the metro stations and eccentric parks.
Past the cafes, and the tourists drinking chocolat al fresco. Past the supermarkets and tabacs. Past the speeding cars with mission to kill. Past the people eating baguettes while walking. --> they really do! but w/out berets :(
Past the colorful marche at the Place de la Bastille. Wait...that took a while.
Past the colorful marche at the Place de la Bastille. Wait...that took a while.
I'm by the tree
Until finally, colonne de Juillet.
Uh, yan na ba yung Bastille Tower? Anak ng.
The Opera looked blah too. I guess Tokyo raised the bar in modern architecture for me. Ah well, at least it was a nice day for walking. Place des Vosges, a park surrounded by a literal square of buildings and long beautiful archways, did not disappoint though. A lot of really modelish-looking teenagers hung out there, probably taking a break from the nearby ecole. The tour of Victor Hugo's home in the square was free and a real treat for the voyeur in all of us. He has a strangely short bed so pandak pala si Victor.
By 3, we were in our hotel (just in time for check-in) and after devouring our roasted chicken and pasta salad we got from the nearby shops, we plopped down on the bed and slept like logs.
Till tomorrow.
Labels: Rolf Potts
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