A couple of weekends ago, I watched Emily in Paris on Netflix in one sitting. The show is terrible. The show’s creator, Darren Star, masterminded one of my all time favourite TV shows, Sex and the City, so I don’t know why this series completely missed the mark. Anyway, beside the point. If you want to know what critics say about it, google. The redeeming part for me, and the only reason why I chose to look past the cringeworthy moments, was the city and its people. How can you not be in awe of such beauty. La langue, la culture, les gens, c’est très magnifique !
Sunday evening, as I watched my main man Rafael Nadal clinch his 13th Roland Garros victory, equaling rival Roger Federer’s record on the most number of grand slam wins in Tennis’ Open Era, I was again reminded of the city I visited a year and a half ago with a few of my favourite travel companions.
On our flight from Barcelona to Paris in June of last year, I sat next to a mom with a beautiful baby girl sat on her lap and her eldest teenage daughter by the window. The rest of her family was seated a row behind us. Armed with limited French, I mustered the courage to strike up a simple conversation. “Est ce-que vous habitez à Paris?” “Oui!” said the mom. She went on to explain that they were coming back from a vacation slash business trip in Spain where she participated in an expo to showcase her own beauty product brand. When we landed in Orly, I met the family a few more times until we finally exchanged au revoirs in parting. Alors, je pense que ce n’est pas vrai que Les Parisiens sont arrogants ! La famille était très sympa !
The next order of business as we got out of the airport was to get to our Airbnb situated in the trendy Marais quartier. We decided against taking public transport because our luggages, two weeks into the trip, already started to feel twice as heavy.
“Combien ça coute?” I asked the approaching mob of taxi drivers. I heard one of them say “trente, quarante Euro pour le centre-ville.” “D’accord.” I say after consulting with my friends. “Nous allons à cent dix-huit Rue du Turenne.” I said to the driver, mispronouncing Turenne and giving the wrong house number. “Desolée, c’est cent dix-neuf!” My friend KC was undoubtedly impressed when the driver got the instructions. I grinned and flipped my head in an expression of petite victoire. Grace à mon francais limité, we reached our destination successfully!
Our first night in Paris was surreal. I took the chance to explore the neighbourhood on my own while KC and Vanessa prepared dinner. At this point of the trip, no matter how delectable Parisian cuisine seemed, we were already craving for some rice and adobo.
The cool spring breeze added an air of mystique to the already magical city. When I chanced upon the house of Victor Hugo, I started imagining myself in Paris during the French Revolution. “Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men! This is the music of a people who will not be slaves again.” Surreal.
Place Des Vosges dans Le Quatrieme Arrondisement (4th district)
The following morning, we hopped on a train that took us to Versailles. The queue was unimaginably long when we reached the palace gate but our timed entry ticket allowed us to skip the queue and possibly saved us two hours of our lives. Versailles is the quintessence of affluence. There’s no other words to put it, not even imeldific because the Marcoses will only pale in comparison. Even in today’s modern world, its grandeur cannot be matched. Undeniably, grand places like this were built on the back of oppression. But I’m not here to scoff.
The famous Hall of Mirrors and other forms of extravagance
After the day that we’ve had roaming around the wide expanse of the Gardens of Versailles solely on foot, one would think we’d have no more energy to spare. But Paris is Paris and it deserves every bit of attention. We decided to head over to a spot with a great vantage point of La Tour Eiffel. Perhaps there is no other landmark more well-known. From where we were standing, the tower loomed in perfection, commanding in its stature. We stood there for a good few hours in admiration. We drank beer, ate crêpes, sang along with the busker who adorned the evening with joyful ballads, and watched the tower sparkle in the night sky.
We spent the next day sightseeing and ticking off must-sees. We were tourists after all. We just had to see our dear friend Mona at the Louvre. Somehow, she was underwhelming. It didn’t help that security shoved us to the exit before we even had time to properly examine the painting. C’est dommage. My favourite part of that day was going to Shakespeare and Company, a famous independent bookstore situated just across the Notre Dame, facing the river Seine. The bookstore’s dim lighting, rustic interior and creaky floorboards made for an authentic 17th century vibe. My second favourite was dining at Les Deux Magots where I silently wished for the spirits of the literary and intellectual elites of old to bless me with their talents. My least favourite was heading to the Sacré-Cœur in an arguably rougher and more beaten part of town. We witnessed a commotion on the way. “Excusez-moi, qu’est-ce que c’est passe?” I asked a passerby. “Il y a un feu!” She responded, somewhat alarmed. We nonetheless proceeded undeterred.
Roland Garros was on the same week that we were there. I was content to spend the next couple of days watching my favourite sport on my favourite surface. Never mind the rest of Paris! Two other friends joined me. Vanessa and KC spent the rest of the time shopping and sightseeing on their own. We culminated the trip with a sumptuous dinner at Astier, a French restaurant recommended to me by my French teacher, and capped off the final evening sitting outside a cafe drinking beer and wine comme les vrais Parisiens!
Bon! J’adore Paris. J’ai beaucoup de bonne mémoires! I miss KC’s alter-ego Reginald! Also, Joyeux Anniversaire à mon meilleure amie, Vanessa! I hope this blog brings you good memories and ease your longing for travel even a little bit. Until we can travel again, all we can do is reminisce!
Au revoir!