Part 5/10. Paris (second half)

Now... Let me tell you about the little studio in which we were. Paris is crossed by the Sena river. Right around the middle, the oldest part I believe, has all this lovely places like the Boulevard Saint Michel, and Notre Dame for example. Right in the middle of Paris, the Sena river has two beautiful little Islands... We were in One of them. The Isle Saint Louis... One block away from Notre Dame, and in the center of just plain awesomeness!. GREAT PLACE... ** sigh **

We were very very lucky to be there.

We did so many things in Paris, ate such good food, had great coffees and visited so many places. Notre Dame, of course... And we went all the way up, with almost 500 steps in those ancient stairs... Saw the huge Bell that Cuasimodo used to ring on Victor Hugo's novel, and took great pictures of ancient scary gargoyles. In Saint Michael I tried Cous Cous for the first time in a lovely little place, and walked by the Sena, where many people sell VERY old books and nice art.

The first day, it seems, we were all about stairs!, so we went to Sacre Coeur too, and went all the way up again... It really is cool though, to see Paris from 'above' and from different angles. (Later we would go up the Eiffel Tower too). I really liked Sacre Coeur, and my favorite place in Paris was around the corner. Montmartre. Magical spot filled with artists and music. It seems, at some point, every artist decided to live there, so when you take the -petite train- that drive around, you are notified that "this is where X lived, this where Y lived, and in this coffe X used to hang out with Z"... bla bla bla. Where all this "letters" are names like Lautrec, Picasso and Van Goh.

Maybe... In about 15 years, I will go and put my own little coffee house with a Mexican touch in there... Heh. Who knows?... Western plastic art, music, great literature and philosophy... If they all seem to have a common place, it does seem to be Montmartre.

That night, we wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower, but we thought better... Every one goes there, no?. Deffinitelly the Museum of Erotism sounded like a better idea. ;-) Seven floors, filled with erotica, arts, antiques, and everything related to nakedness and sex... ** sigh **. Such lovely place. He he he.

Next day we went to the Castle of Versailles, and it's awesome gardens... Damn. Louis XIV did have an ego problem, or something huge to compensate... The castle it's self is cool, the architecture and everything. But of course, extremely Kitch and Barroque for my taste... Too many little things all over, too many paintings and gold in the walls... Heh. The gardens though?... I felt like I was walking on a fairy tale... That place is huge... HUGE. And just beautiful.

I think later we went to Champs Elysees, had a beer, and yes!... I saw the "Arch du Triumph" which was, to my disappointment, completely different to the one we have in Guadalajara. Heh... We went to see a movie around there. HORRIBLE SILLY BORING BAD IDEA!!!!!!!!!!... So yes, let me not elaborate on the movie. Heh. The good thing later that night, was going up the Eiffel Tower at night time, and see it all sparkly and shinny when the lights go on. (which happens, I believe, every hour or so).

Paris is a wonderful place... I love walking around cities that are older and have developed a personality by themselves. Paris is not great because of it's people, some of them are kind of cold and uncaring... Paris is great because the city is alive, organic, and vibrates with energy and magic. So much has happened in this place, for hundreds and hundreds of years. So much history, revolution, arts and bloodshed... All this past combined with the fashion and the style, and the multiculturality has turned it into a damn fine place.

And it was, of course, great to share it with Albane!. The places she knew, and how she knew to move around the Metro, RER, etc, made my experience 1,000 times better. Not only I had her to hold and kiss, heh... But I had her as my personal tour guide!. :-P

Damn I miss that food and those coffee places...

** sigh **

Time, as always, did ran out and we had to take the TGV back to Lille... Again, back to reality... I would need many many days to do everything I'd like to on a city like Paris... Life is long, and I'm still young I guess. No matter how many other times I visit the city though, and all the other places I may see... This memories will stick for good... Not only the places, but the company... The going back together to the cozy studio, laying in bed, and...

Yes... Good times.