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Published: August 28th 2009
Enjoy every minute of it … it is a dream come true after all. The parting words from my mother as my parents dropped me off at the train station to catch my bus to the Dorval airport. Yes that dream … or that promise rather. Pass the Chartered Accountants exam, go to Paris. Easy as that! Well I have owed myself that promise since November 28, 1997 when at three pm that afternoon, an automated voice at the end of the telephone said “Congratulations you have been successful at the 1997 Uniform Final Exam”. She also said “please press 1 if you would like to hear the message again” to which I proceeded to press 1 about 10 times in a row just to make sure that she had indeed said “successful”. Four consecutive summers of studying for hours and hours week after week all culminating to that one little sentence from that automated voice … it is still so vivid that I can still hear her and I can remember every detail of everything that happened the rest of that day.
So why 12 years to get to this point … I truly have no clue. Life got in the way, I guess. So needless to say that this is a special trip … they all are. I am truly blessed and I never take the fact that I have these opportunities for granted but this one truly is special in its own right.
After a long sleepless flight (let’s just say that my seat was right next to the toilets and there was a whole lot of peeing going on!), I made it into Paris at about 8 am. After about an hour of train and subway, I made my way to the Hotel Jeanne D’Arc. As expected, my room was not ready which meant that I essentially dropped off my luggage and right back out I went. So what does a girl who is sleep deprived, jet lagged and sporting some serious bloodshot eyes do in times like these … climb the Eiffel Tower of course!
I made my way to the Trocadero subway station and in exiting was expecting to see the Eiffel Tower right there right smack dab in front of me … how can you miss it, right? I then realized that everyone seemed to be going in the same general direction so when in doubt … And then there it was! And I said I would and yes I totally cried at the sight of it. Not sobbing pathetically or anything to the point that fellow tourists would truly wonder about me but the emotion of it all truly did hit me right then and there. Four years of sitting with the picture of the Eiffel Tower taped to the wall along with a guide book staring me right in the face motivating me to get through these damn exams, how could I not really. At the time, I was just so broke that it seemed almost impossible and inconceivable that I would ever be able to make it here.
I could not stop staring at it. I sat on a bench near the Trocadero and essentially just looked at it endlessly. I eventually made my way to the base where throngs of people had gathered. The lines to the pillars where there are elevators were ridiculously long but such was not the case for the South pillar which is where I was heading … stairs only! So a five minute wait and one third of the cost … it’s a no brainer if you ask me. The first level is at 57 meters (that’s 328 stairs … I didn’t count them by the way … every 10 step is marked with a final count as you reach the platform). The view is amazing … the Seine, Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame in the distance, the glittering dome of the Eglise du Dome at Les Invalides and countless rooftops dotted with tons of terracotta pots filled with flowers and plants. I then decided to stop and have a quick bite to eat (mmmmm panini sandwich with ham, roasted red peppers and warm goat cheese … with a view!). I then made my way to the second level (at 115 meters which brought the total stair count at 668). I did have my dorky I am a child of the 80s and just because I told my brother I would moment … listened to A View to A Kill by Duran Duran on my iPod. Jean-Francois understands me … must be the twin thing.
So of course what goes up must come down, so back down the 668 stairs I went. At one point, I crossed this family with a little girl that looked like she was being traumatized at the thought of climbing all of these stairs. It made me laugh because I remember at that age doing the 323 stairs behind the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec and truly questioning whether my parents actually did love me!!!
From there, I strolled through the Champs de Mars which leads to the Ecole Militaire, a school where Napoleon actually studied for a year in 1784 and where many young men came to learn the “art of soldering”. Just in front, there was also this beautiful art installation of pillars and glass casings all with etchings of the word “peace” in all different languages. I continued strolling aimlessly until I reached Les Invalides, which is fronted by the Eglise du Dome with its gold guilded dome which stands out proudly on the Parisian skyline. It is absolutely stunning. The grounds surrounding this church is landscaped with beautiful flowers and garden.
By that time, I had hit the proverbial wall. It was close to 2 pm which meant that at that point I had been up for about 24 hours and in that 24 hour period had had very little, if any, sleep. I continued walking a little through some of the smaller side streets and then got on the subway to return to the hotel. By that time my room was ready which meant that I could shower and very importantly take a nap. I did manage to step out quickly to a little shop around the corner called Aux Desirs de Manon (c’est sympa, non?) to grab a couple of little things to eat which included a mille feuille. It is one of my favorite desserts and one that always always always reminds me of my grand-mother. She had a particular way of eating them! I was not disappointed … it was flaky, creamy and incredibly messy to eat as always.
So that is how I am going to end my day … Didn’t get a million things done but under the circumstances still a good start. I am definitely tired from the jet lag … and I knew that I would be. Madrid was the same way … first day was absolutely brutal. I practically fell asleep on a sofa at the Museum of Clothing!! So I will just while away the hours …. the window is opened, there is a nice breeze and I can hear music from a neighbouring restaurant and will decide on what tomorrow will bring!!
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Tim
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La vrai Paris
So you are in the Marais, I never would have expected. You must try one of the Jewish deli/cafes in the area, they are great. One of the oldest Jewish neighbourhoods in France.