MY STAY IN FRANCE CHAPTER TWO

MY STAY IN FRANCE

Chapter Two

They say that wonderful experiences can make you cry out of happiness. Living in Paris was one such experience for me. I witnessed its short autumn and long, cold winter. The gloomy city took my heart away. I would sing Elvis Presley’s “I can’t help falling in love with you” to the city; all day long. It was hard to distinguish between the Paris of my dreams and the Paris of my reality.

The sun was lazy to rise and would haste to set at 4 p.m. But the city glowed in the dark. The bed of luxury brands- Champs Elysées, shone its way to Arc de Triomphe. I did not miss the opportunity to do a little bit of mystery shopping at Cartier (my favorite luxury brand).

The Arc de Triomphe made me climb a million steps before showing the whole of Paris from its top. Mont Martre offered an equally spectacular view.

Music was on every street and in every metro station in Paris. If you’re lucky enough, you will spot the lady who plays Cello in the dingy underground metro.

I discovered the art bug in me when I absorbed all the contemporary and abstract art at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Pont de Neuilly and the modern impressionistic art at Musée d’Orsay. But I emerged out of the Louvre’s Danone Wing (which housed the Mona Lisa) as a complete art enthusiast. I visited the Louvre over and over, each time being smitten by the museum and the palace.

I spoilt myself into becoming a Parisian by indulging in the Parisian food – from macarons at Laudurée to Japanese, Thai, and French food.

I walked endlessly in the city of dreams- to Jardin de Tuileries, to Opéra, to Palais du Louvre, and rested along the banks of River Seine. A boat ride on the Seine can change one’s life like it did to mine.

What one cannot talk enough about is the Parisian metro. With the RATP app as my guide, I explored the entire city – from one end to another.

What one also can’t talk enough about is the view of the mighty Eiffel Tower as the metro approaches Birhakeim. After catching a breath and an entire sight of the Eiffel tower, I would rest in the garden, taking in more and more of it. I was fortunate to view the city from au Sommet at night and in the day – how the whole city has grown around its beautiful river- the Seine. The streets of Paris shout of the Eiffel Tower. It peeks into the streets like an innocent child.

This is only an ounce of the time I have spent in Paris. So I take one stroke at a time to cover the entire painting of the city on the canvas of my heart.

Paris, I really can’t help falling in love with you.