P is for Paris

Travelling can be either a wonderful experience that one savours for a lifetime or a nightmare that forces one to never want to leave home again. My travels in life thus far have been very interesting and rewarding yet each has been predictable and much of the same. Europe is a different beast. It’s different from North America…

Destination #1: Paris, France
I met Usain Bolt – the track and field star who currently holds the world record in a few events – while at the airport in Toronto since his flight back to Jamaica was leaving from the same airport terminal. He didn’t look much different than any other Jamaican I had come across in life but he was nice enough to take pictures with the many people who were around.

My seat on my Air France plane was next to an elderly Egyptian couple who only spoke Arabic. I befriended them on the trip and learned a bit about them through whatever little Arabic I knew and through hand motions. The elderly lady was afraid of flying so whenever there was turbulence – especially while flying over the Atlantic Ocean – she became very scared and started praying to Jesus to save her…

I had things spilt on me repeatedly. A flight attendant spilt apple desert on me which was very annoying but forgivable and then I had water accidentally spilt on me by the elderly lady. It’s okay though… no harm done… as long as it didn’t fall on any of my electronic gadgets (ie: cellphone!), I’m good.

Once I finally arrived in Paris, I immediately went to the Metro. It took me a while to get there in the airport – Aeroport de Charles de Gaulle in Paris – but once I got on it, I immediately got accustomed to the Metro. It was an experience I relished since the Metro was quite different than the TTC in Toronto or the Metro in Montreal. Neither was as vast or complex as Paris’ Metro but neither was as wonderful to use. I particularly enjoyed it since I found it to be very convenient to get from anywhere to virtually anywhere else… that’s how it should be.

I spent my time in Paris first touring the area around the Eiffel Tower. It’s a serene place which is meant to be shared with one’s romantic interest and sadly, I had no one to enjoy the place with. Alas, I savoured it still and walked around the promenade for a while before deciding to get some breakfast. I found myself a quaint little restaurant nearby and ordered myself an “omelette du fromage et mushrooms et une baguette”. It was great.. vintage French food enjoyed in the spectre of the Eiffel Tower…

I walked around downtown Paris for a while and got to see many other sites. Le Grande Palais (The Big Palace) and Le Petit Palais (The Little Palace) were beautiful as were the various other sites in and around the area. Le Louvre (The Museum) was nice from the outside but probably a place that should be best enjoyed by being within its walls instead. The beautiful walkways and common areas were fantastic and only made me want to walk more and more but alas, my time in Paris was done… after spending 4 hours in downtown Paris, I jumped on the Metro and returned to the airport for my next flight…

“I want to feel alone and lost in this solitude…”
– Lacuna Coil (Shallow Life)

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