P.S.I LOVE PARIS.....

And so I actually acted on impulse and took that train to Paris ...
Frankly, I have wanted to go there for some time now , but it always seemed too far away , or then I was going off in some other direction...
And never really reached there ...
So about 4 weeks ago , while studying at Tante Marie, I ,at some point of time decided in my head that, I'm going to this city , by hook or by crook ...
Because felt like I was ready for this city and had decided that would go alone if I had to ...
But did not like the idea too much ....
I love to be on my own and do what I want , but I am also a little "darpok"if I have to go off alone into some city ...

Well it's not like I have never done that...
When I was hosting the telecast of the MTV Music Awards in 2000 , I went off to New York on my own a week prior to the function , and travelled on my own and just hung at the Village, China Town and the Italian side , and frankly it felt like home , but with better weather ... Ha ha ha ...
London , I love, it's the first city I travelled to for work and I love that place , it's always welcoming and though I never had friends here, but one...Lorraine.. ...I was fine, the underground, the theatres and the shopping ...always kept me happy ...

So during lunch break one day , I just randomly said that I'm going to Paris , anyone wants to join ?
And Mya from Korea, says , yes!!!!
Really , I was thinking ...
Just like that ....
Wow !!!
And so then , outta the blue , we were both going off in about two and a half weeks ...
Mya did all the train and hotel bookings ...
She was all sorted and every thing in order and xeroxed ...
Hmmmm....
And so Friday after the essentials finished their 4weeks , took their certificates of attendance and left...
Mya and me met at the train station, all ready to go off to Paris...
we travelled by the Eurostar...
It was easy and comfortable ...
I could not help but think about Mini, Jaya, Sandy and me and Spain...
And was thinking , Gosh...wish they were there too...

Mya is an amazing girl, she is bold and is an easy traveller and game for almost everything on a travellers menu ...
We were in our hotel 10 minutes after reaching the Gare Du Nord...
and then we spread out on the floor , armed with maps, tube station maps , and a list of places we wanted to visit and chalked it all out...
Slept late , but as we had just till Sunday afternoon, we wanted to do as much as we comfortably could ...
Yes we took the tourist's route and thanks to Shaheen 'the purple foodie' , I was well informed about where to go and what to do , where to eat etc...
Shaheen , is someone I have never met, but think I found her because of our common love for baking ...
She just moved to Paris and was the only person I knew there, even though I don't know her , and she was in London...
Yes , my life is not fun, unless it's complicated ...
Yup that me ...

So Mya and me started with the obvious..

The Louvre..
We saw beautiful paintings and sculptures of artists from the world over, but I think for me, I loved the sculptures done by the Italians ...
The figures were powerful and spoke of history that was filled with a lust for life...
There was movement and poetry and sheer animal magnetism in their art, not raw but still exuded chemistry that was unfathomable...
We were lucky to catch a temporary exhibit of Alexander the great ...
his wreath was so beautiful and delicate and intricate , and he was a very handsome man , with beautiful lips...
Yup spoken like a woman...
Yes , travelled and won the world , and can just fathom what a fantastic mind he had ....

French sculptures are beautiful and fluid ...
And so we ambled from hall to hall
We saw the entire Egyptian exhibit ....
Which exudes a secrecy about it,Its noble and subtle, poised , yet demure and earthy, and a sense of languidity and calm and a feeling of being indulged ...

Well I could go on about various exhibits...
But let me get straight to the "Mona-Lisa" and not amble along the wide and tall corridors, steeped in an age that is in comparable and a life-style that is in a class of it's own...

So we walk into this huge hall, and saw a crowd of people...clicking pictures, talking , and basically buzzing and scurrying about ...
Yup there she was ...
The lady of the castle...
Mrs.Louvre her-self ...
Mona-Lisa....
Well there is nothing really extraordinary about her...
She is just a simple lady and not really a stunner like the Helen of Troy...
Or anyone else in the living world who takes your breath away ....
BUT....
She takes your breath away ...
I just stood there and stared and first , like any normal person , thought , Big -Deal...
But would never dare to say this aloud...
But you know what she is a Big-Deal...
I stared at her for soooo long, got pushed around, jostled , moved away , and also found my way back ....
She is lovely..
She looks calm, warm , happy and welcoming ...
And then when you spend time with her, you feel like her eyes are sad, and she is not telling you what's really in her heart and is being secretive...
She makes you smile back...
And looks into you , with eyes that say , I know what's going on , inside you ...
And it's fine ...
She confuses you ...you never really know what is going on with her ..
Guess, she is a woman and changes her mind often...
I loved her...could stand and look at her happy , warm , mysterious , sad , shy, teasing, secretive , coy smile for a long time ...
I finally understood Nat King Cole's song , "Mona-Lisa"
Gosh , incredible in a soul touching confusing way...
She is addictive and mesmerising ...and I had to pry myself away from that soft gaze and knowing smile ...

Post Mona-Lisa....
Needed to sit and just be ....
So we found our way to "Angelina" the oldest tea house , in Paris , right opposite the Tuileries Gardens....
Had the most amazing meringue with a roasted hazelnut topping and the most chocolateee hot chocolate I have had ....
Hmmm , well " chocolate by the Bald Man" in New York , near the Union Square is frankly as good...
Sat there and indulged in pure French art on a platter...
I was so stuffed with chocolate , that after devouring it...
I walked out and bang !!! Straight into the arms of Pierre Hermes's Macaroon shop...
Black sleek and filled with these delicious colourful beauties...
Gosh I have never been able to say no to food ....
But ME, the eternal hungry person...
I was so stuffed with chocolate , that I could not bring myself to bite into any more sweet ...
We continued walking ...
To Champs Élysées ..
And suddenly , we look up and in the distance...
The Eiffel Tower...
Ha ha ha
It finally hit me...
Blistering barnacles ( sorry I just watched Tin Tin in 3d last night and just could not resist this ..ha ha ha )
I was in Paris !!!
Gosh think even Mya felt the same ...
We continued walking ..and it was beautiful, the sun was out, yet it was nippy, the streets were full of people ,all talking in different languages and the trees were getting ready for winter and the leaves were a beautiful rusty orange...
Gosh this is the city for romance ...
So with a big sigh!!! and a naughty smile , I continued ...
It was a long ambling walk, filled with some more food and sitting in a park ......and also got our profiles done on paper from this paper artist ...
And from Champs Élysées ...

Then went to Notre-Dam...
It was not as beautiful or magnificent as the Duomo in Milan....
But it made a statement ...
The gargoyles looked down at you , with indifference ..
It was a little scary and yet , it called out to you ...
And as soon as I walked into the enclosure...
Felt peace and calm...
I love old churches ...I do ...
Said a big Thank-you to the creator, for giving me all that he has and giving me a brand new life and for helping me discover who I am....and still know that I will be walking and finding who I am ,and what I am ,as my life enfolds ...
Stuffed our faces with cheesy-chicken crepes and hazelnut-banana crepes and ....
French-fries...ha ha ha ...
We had to eat fries in France ...had to ...where else...???
French fries in France...with lots of ketchup ....
Yummy ....

From here ,we went to the Eiffel Tower, was sitting in the train....
Looking out , with a million thoughts running through the beautiful, cobbled streets in my head....
When I saw through buildings, the whole Eiffel Tower twinkling away ...like it was the biggest Christmas tree I had ever seen....
Went walking to it, like a moth to a flame ....
There it was this magnificent piece of architecture , lit up in all it's blazing glory....
Just sat underneath it ...and could not believe ...
Yup I'm actually in Paris .....
Paris ha ha ha ...I was giggling , as the wind blew around me, laughing ...
I know this is not the last time I'm coming to Paris ...I'm gonna be back ...just know that ...

Last stop for the day...
Moulin Rouge ...
So touristy some may say ...
But ! Duh ! Yes I am a tourist ....
So Mya and me reached, Blanche station, followed the " Sortie" sign , which means , exit, and we walked into ...
Big red rights, a lit up windmill... Yup ...this is it ....
But we were two hours early...
But the very nice gentleman we met, told us where we should be having dinner, so we dragged ourselves in that direction, it was filled with little bars and small French restaurants... Ha ha ha naturally because we were in France ....
We decided ...skip the food ...let's sit at these cute road side bars....
Which was amazing ...cold...loads of people and happy smiling faces...
We had the must amazing Millie-feuille ...I have ever tasted...thanks to the bartender who was absolutely nice , friendly and was sweet enough to order our meal and dessert for the evening ...
Must say this,,,,French men are very helpful and charming ....
Heard so much about , them being snooty and really not helpful...
But , "parlez vous Anglaise " smeared with a smile, does work wonders ....
Oh ! How I love being a girl ....ha ha ha ...

The Moulin Rouge was fantastic ... And truth be told ...
I did not even look at the guys ...
The women were freaking, hot , awesome and beautiful...and had bodies that would make you hide in a sack cloth, in the furthest and the darkest corner of your closet for at least a year ....
The show, the dancing , the costumes and our champagne was absolutely "Purrrrrfect"
Our day ended on a bubbly happy note ...
Slept like a baby in her mama's arms....
Content...

Sunday...we went around , doing bits and pieces...
Went to Sacre Coeur and just hung at Montmartre
I loved that part of Paris ....
Beautiful streets , quaint shops and after some more crepes ....we walked from street to street and looked over the city from the cathedral steps ....
But how can we leave a city , without visiting their flea Market ...
So we trapezed into the flea Market, bargained like fiends with this Morrocan guy and got out with two crazy bags ....

Hungry with our travel pursuits, we went to rue de Martyres....
Back to Mont matre...
Found Rose bakery...
That I immediately fell in love with....
A cafe , small, warm , simple and filled with freshly made food...
I loved the ambience, the crockery, the tables, the flooring , the casualness of the place and the people who work there....
If ever in life , I ever do open a food place, this is what it will be like ....
Casual and welcoming with tasty , fresh , simple good quality food ...
I'm actually satiated ....
Not just my tummy but my heart and soul ...
I bought their recipe book, had to have it...
(read it on the train back )....

I know I talk a lot and once I start writing, I just go on sometimes....

So yes ...
In short ha ha ha ...
I love Paris...
It's my city of impulse and indulgence ....
And I want to come back , with no agenda.....but to walk on streets I have not yet been to , to walk on paths seldom traversed to sit and whisper sweet nothings...
To sit at cafe's lined along the foot paths and look up at the Parisian moon....
It could be with someone special ....
And it could be just me and myself...
Paris .....
Think I have like a massive crush on you .....