Paris and turning 40 - need I say more....

PARIS

So, we’ve arrived. In the city of love, of dogs, of smoking everywhere, of expense, of another language, of beauty, culture, beautiful women, cars, people, food, chocolate, architecture, basically just pure amazingness! After my visa bounced (don’t go there – it’s turned out all cool and apparently the SCNF office, maybe at just Gare de Nord, has a low merchant limit so as to reduce fraud, so I had to use two different credit cards to get all our passes etc), stood in a queue to book some TGV trips only for the computers to crash and to be told to return later (a tip, allow heaps of time to book train travel – the queues can be huge, including at SCNF offices as I discovered later!), we were on our way to the hotel – metro style. Hotel de Nice – I liked it, the shower in Nic’s room was broken, Peter didn’t think much of his but to me it’s a hotel with charm, a wonderful location and, for Paris – not too expensive; watch the phones though – I managed to spend $150 NZ on calls whilst I was there!! Duh!

But, importantly, we arrived, we were checked in, my bad French was proving funny and after a little rest we wandered off for a look, to find the tourist office and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe (the tourist office on Champs Elysee is no longer there), we climbed up (Nic with her knee did too, not discovering there was a lift until it was time to come down), the view from the top was stunning, if a little wet – the Arc is huge and the roundabout mayhem that works - if that makes sense! Down the Champs Elysee we wandered when it really started to rain, we were all tired and ready for food – so back to the hotel and walking into the Marais did we go – and to The Gai Moulin (or something) did we go – which transpires means that the owner (Moulin or whatever his name was – I can’t remember know – duh, old age!) was Gai and this was his restaurant. He spoke really good English, the price was quick good for Paris and the women I were with were the only straight people there I think – he he! All good though and that’s where I learned that service is, by law, included in bills so you don’t have to tip! If you ask, the waiter will say it’s not included to get the tip – but the owner was super excellent and pointed out the reality to us (not that his waiter tried to rip us!). The other thing to remember about French waiters is that they are polite, but efficient and not chatty friendly like kiwi waiters.  To bed it was then. I think, at that stage, it hadn’t really sunk in that I was in Paris, on holiday and about to turn 40…. Here too is as good a place as any to mention, too, how when paying by visa in Paris, they bring the machine to your table – so you can see them swipe the card, no going up to the check out and they get you to sign – but there is no gap to leave a tip – not like in kiwi restaurants (which bugs me!). The other tip to watch for here with Visa, make sure you have your passport with you as they often ask for it as proof of identity; although Craig did manage to use his drivers licence today as id).

The next day, we got up and the others buggered off to Eurodisney. Me, I slowly came too, and got Peter and Ivo up – they having arrived at some ungodly hour the night before from Prague, arrived late due to the plane leaving late due to bad weather and then deciding, upon arrival, that the only sensible thing to do was to go out to a bar – go figure! Lol!! I’m trying to remember back to what we did – it was the 26th of June which, although not long ago, seems ages ago as so much has happened really since then. I might remember more later and come back to it – but the long and short is that we hung out, caught up, had coffee, had hagan daaz, bought some stuff for Aaron, we went to the Monet Museum (Marmont or something) and it was brilliant, quiet, not too many tourists as it’s a bit out of the way – but in a beautiful old building and most the collection was donated by Monet’s son – it was just brilliant! Peter and Ivo left, I carried on looking around the museum, I wandered off, caught a bus through Paris to have a look and found shops, shops and shops (the sales started the next day – my birthday!), a church and more shops – it’s so possible to shop, shop and shop some more in Paris! We went to dinner at the same place as the night before (the women were at Disneyland – I’ll say it once, having said it before – but why go to American Disneyland when you’re in Paris????), that was great, we got invited downstairs where there was cabaret style singing going on (although Ivo didn’t like it – not sure why), we wandered off to the Banana Bar – which was ok, full of smoke (you end up stinking over here when you’ve been out), drunk young French things who were happy to practice their English on us and throw up behind the couch (17 year olds can’t hold their liquour….), Peter almost getting ripped off – the bartender shortchanged him 10euro and when Peter pointed this out, he just handed over the 10euro with no apologies nothing. I guess, though, at least Peter got served – Ivo couldn’t get served!! But, then, OMG, it was midnight in Paris and I was 40. Just like that. Wow….

I went back to the hotel as a 40 year old, it was officially my birthday (at least in the place where I was, if not where I live or where I was born) and went to sleep… The next morning I got up, rang my mum, found the women, Peter and Ivo were asleep, went to Notre Dame, stood with the crowds and crowds of people but enjoyed the magnificence of the church – we were commenting how we had no idea how the thing was built given that it was hundreds of years ago, well before cranes and electricity for lighting etc – just amazing. Peter pointed out later that it’s buttressed and apparently Notre Dame was the first church where they used buttresses to hold the building in – effectively is that without the buttresses, the walls start to fall outwards and the roof collapses – this is what apparently happened to Notre Dame and, as a result, they developed the buttresses concept to hold the walls up. Cool eh? And the do look amazing! After Notre Dame, the women (Nicola, Tia, Lizzie and Amanda – I’m not including myself in there, or Peter, or Ivo – although he is known as the Grand Duchess) went to to Saint Chappelle and I wandered off to the Left Bank to find the restaurant for that night – glad that I did as it was tucked away in a little street but it looked absolutely gorgeous! I then wandered off to Saint Chappelle, spoke with some Americans as I couldn’t go in because it was closed for lunch or groups or something (although the women were already in there), caught up with Peter and then eventually we all wandered off to the Musee D’Orsay (except Peter who wandered off to find Ivo). We got there, went in and wow it’s just stunning! We somehow lost Nicola in the entrance so Me et the others went to the café under the clock and had lunch. We then started look at art – so much art, art for Africa, Asia and Europe combined – and this was only one museum. It was stunning though, found Nicola, found Picasso, Cezanne, Monet, Whislter’s Mother (the original!), Van Gogh and too many others to remember! This doesn’t include the statutes, the furniture, the doors, the carvings and on and on – it was just stunning! There was a special exhibition of the artists who used the art dealer (Volland or something; if I remember all these names, I’ll fix up the blog, or actually get on the net and find them out, I’ll fix up the blog; I’m currently typing this offline) – Monet, Cezanne, Picasso etc – it was totally packed and so much art. With all of that though, the Musee was stunning and I was there on my birthday!

It was then back to the hotel, for Amanda, Tia and I (Nic and Lizzie caught the metro/RER) it was a walk via the Louvre – where Amanda and Tia went in – and I walked back along Rue de Rivoli just soaking up the atmosphere of Paris as a 40 year old! A snooze, a shower and then it was off to dinner. Some of us walked and some took a cab. Peter and I arrived (we’d walked) at Le Petit Prince – recommended by William in Wellington and I owe him; it was a great recommendation! It was also a restaurant I booked by writing a letter to them (they don’t have a website) – but it all worked perfectly! It was beautiful inside, the table set up wonderfully, the atmosphere great, the matron fab, out waiter fabber, the other waiter cuter, the cocktails to start (they didn’t put enough sugar in the majito!), the champagne to follow, the food peppered inbetween – stunning! I had goats cheese quinelles, fish for a main and for the dessert it was the made as we ate apple tart with a scoop of ice-cream which they put a candle in and again I turned red but blew it out making a wish (and for those of you who are wondering whether I got laid or not, you’ll have to ask….) It was a fantastic meal, we were treated well, the restaurant and the food great (if you’re interested, for 6 people it cost over $600NZ – and by Parisian standards it wasn’t expensive; although I guess champagne in any restaurant isn’t cheap… he he he….) and just a wonderfully wonderful birthday dinner. Afterward, the women and I (Peter going home…. ) zapped to the Eiffel Tower (having got stuck in the RER, me having to change my ticket as it was poked, getting told by a very helpful guy how to use the metro to get there as there were no more RER trains) – it was great. We just caught it as the lights were dancing up and down and then we just wandered around it – it was closed for the night but it is a truly amazing and beautiful thing – and really really big – like size queens go! Then lots of waiting for a cab – but who cares, so ended my birthday – and it was great!!

Why weren’t the rest of you here for it?? Huh? Huh???