A Perfect Day In Paris

June 27, 2013

Wow. Yeah, the title pretty much sums it up. I spent all of today with Hobbs, going to her favorite spots in Paris. It was unreal. Ethereal is a pretty appropriate description.

My day actually started off with my flight getting in at 8:15, and my finally arriving at her room at around 11:30. Tuesday night I had my sendoff party and didn't sleep. 4:30am Wednesday I left my house to go to the airport and catch my 6:30am flight. I got into Paris at 8:15 Thursday morning after some relatively small number of interrupted hours of plane sleep. Oh yeah. I rediscovered that it turns out getting around the airport after an international flight takes forever. Getting through customs, getting your luggage, making your way to the train, taking the train, etc etc etc. Well I finally got to Cite Universitaire!!! At the metro stop I got out and stopped short when I looked up at 2 full flights of stairs. I have one big, heavy suitcase in addition to a smaller suitcase and my stuffed Longchamp. Uh oh. Just as I was about to ascend, a friendly looking French men asked, "Je peux t'aider?" (Can I help you?) "ce n'ai pas de probleme??" (It's not a problem??) "Non, pas du tout!" (No, not at all!) And with that he carried my huge heavy suitcase up both sets of stairs!! Small acts of kindness like that really do have a way of brightening your day. It may not have been a huge, huge thing, but it was just so kind-hearted and well-meaning of him! And really did make a difference in my mood. Plus, carrying those both up myself really would not have been trivial. So merci monsieur.

Weeeeelllll then I discovered there are roughly 30 different houses in Cite Universitaire, and the specific address Hobbs gave me was on my facebook account - accessible through wifi. Which was unavailable to me. 'Oh! Maison des Etats Units! House of the United States! Perfect, that must be hers.' I carry my two suitcases and my bag up and down a bunch more stairs to find that in fact not all US students do live in that house. Christina Hobbs is among one who does not. Oh boy. Well, eventually I ask a student who lives in that house whether I can borrow his wifi. And my appreciation for the human race grows yet again! He was so helpful, he gladly let me use his phone, he asked if I wanted to call her from his, he insisted he didn't mind waiting, and once I found out where she was living (the Canadian House, by the way!!! How would I have guessed??), he graciously walked me all the way over there, bringing my big suitcase for me. My goodness, friendly people really do have a way of brightening your day. When we were almost at Hobbs', I asked where he had been headed, and he said class...so I discovered he had just missed class to help me find my way.. -.- Oops. Well, he had been on the fence about going anyway. Fine. I'll accept his chivalry.

Okay. On with my day. I FINALLY made it to her room around 10:30 or so. Hobbs' very nice friends Leah and Emily let me into the room, made me some coffee, hung out with me, and directed me to the Luxembourg station where I was to meet Hobbs.

And at 12:30 my day in Paris with Christina Hobbs began!!!!!!! It was so unreal when we saw each other and acknowledge that we were really in Paris together! Oh boy. It was kind of exciting. So we walked through the Luxembourg gardens and made our way to one of her favorite little cafes - La Petite Suisse. I got confused when one side of the table had no chairs and started to pull one to the opposite side from her when Hobbs told me that's what they do - both people sit next to each other on one side, and then people watch/look out. Hah! It was so funny. But also so pleasant because we were on a little corner looking right at Luxembourg Gardens. The café was incredible cute. And so delicious. Also just the epitome of a perfect little lunch in Paris. I spoke in French to the waiter (of course - I'm kind of obsessed with using my French as much as possible and trying to speak with as many locals as I can), asked for his recommendation, and took it, ordering veal for my first time ever (with a goat cheese zucchini side). It really was delicious. Anyway, then when another table of Americans next to us didn't understand something on the menu, the waiter asked ME to translate! ME of all people! It was really, truly exciting. Yes those kinds of things do thrill me. Well the waited asked me yet again when another table of Americans asked about lentils. Well, he had already told them they were called lentils in English, so it turned out the couple just didn't know what lentils are. Who doesn't know what lentils are?? So I kind of tried to explain. Which isn't easy - try explaining what lentils are to someone who has no idea. Then tell me how you went about explaining it, because I don't know how one would... Anyway, then the waiter told me I should stay in Paris. That was pretty exciting. I have this strong desire to live like a local here, and to not be one of those unwanted tourists. So getting a request to stay was very flattering indeed. Also at this little café we saw a boy with a Gunn Titans sweatshirt on! Hah! Small world.

So like I said, Hobbs took me to all her favorite little spots. We already saw Lexembourg and La Petite Suisse. Next on the list was Pierre Hermé, for macaroons, where Hobbs swore the chocolate macaroons were to die for. Now I've had macaroons before, and they were good. But I have to say I thought she was a little overhyped with macaroons. And I was not expecting or ready for what came. Especially from the chocolate flavored ones. But I was BLOWN AWAY. The chocolate flavored macaroons from Pierre Hermé are something to write home about. And eating a box of Pierre Hermé macaroons at Tuilleries Gardens with Hobbsies today in the beautiful sunny weather was truly an experience to remember.

We walked around a lot. I've been to a lot of the museums in Paris before and wanted today to be a relax day, so we did none of that. But walked by the Louvre and looked at the big triangle pyramid thing, which in all honesty, I like better than the inside of the Louvre anyway. Call me uncultured if you want, but it's just too much. I get overwhelmed easily. Take me to l'Orangerie, and I know how to appreciate art. But the Louvre, I just can't do it. Except for the sculptures downstairs, I remember actually really enjoying those. We walked around Marais area and explored sales season. I didn't realize Paris has two and only two sales seasons a year. And in that month, ALL the stores have huge sales. But they never do at any other times of year. Anyway, we window shopped and thought about getting some things but we've both (separately) been on big shopping sprees. So I think it may be a good thing I wasn't in actual trying on/buying clothes mood and didn't get anything. The one thing I wanted/really need is black flats. Just simple, versatile, cute black flats. Hobbs took me to the same store she went to yesterday and she bought 'Les Petites Parisiennes', her new favorite shoes. They are beige ballet flats that are really cute and comfortable, but more importantly, they say "Les Petites Parisiennes" on the soles. I wanted a black pair but unfortunately my feet are just too wide. Ugh. Flats, why you so hard to find?? (That was one of the very first times I've made that kind of sentence/question...obviously inspired by Allie. Allie if you're reading this...teehee.) Anyway, we some more cool things like the Bastille, some cool buildings/arches, a rando ferris wheel, etc. We also saw the bridge with all the locks on it. I don't remember seeing it the last two times I was in Paris. But I quite like it. I really do. It just looks like a very pretty gold studded/shimmering bridge from afar, and it's not until you get really close that the gold is just a sea of locks! Thousands and thousands of locks on locks on locks. I wonder how many broken up couples have their names written on a lock on that bridge. A lot.

Well, we then when to Angelina's to get the world famous hot chocolate. Now, that is one expensive cup of hot chocolate. But it truly is out of this world. It is so thick, creamy, delicious, rich, filling...and every other good adjective you can ascribe to a cup of hot chocolate. Mmm.

And then we went off to put together a picnic for ourselves in order to eat some more. Good thing you walk so much in Paris. Hah. Well, we stopped by some cheese shops and got two kinds of chevre. Okay but at the first cheese shop something happened that really really confused us, and I spent like 20 minutes triying to think about and figure out what he meant or was saying. So I asked "À quelle heure est-ce que vous fermez?" (What time do you close?) He responded with "Diz heure quarante-cinq". Hobbs and I looked at each other, thought for a long time, and got really confused because that should mean 10:45am. (I'm pretty sure they use 24 hours/military time in France.) It was evening at the time, so we knew they didn't close at 10:45am, and even 10:45om would have been way too late for a cheese shop to close.. So I apologized and asked his to repeat what time, clearly very confused. He responded with the same thing. I asked yet a third time, "vous fermez à quelle heure?? " In English, he said "Half past 7". WHAT?! Diz heure quarants-cinq is NOT 7:30. And I don't even understand how we could possibly have misheard that badly. Both of us, too. Fruthermore, we're pretty sure he proceeded to make fun of us to this other woman customer in the shop. What a poop!!! We didn't buy cheese from him. We also spent the next long period of time discussing while walking what could have been going on. The only possibly explanation I finally came up with and settled on to ease my mind is that the first time he thought I asked when he opened. And they open at 10:45am. And then the last time he correctly heard when do you close, and answered 7:30. But the more I think about it, the less it fits. So I'm going to stop thinking about it, and if anyone has a better explanation please tell me. Please. Okay on to the rest of our picnic. I got one (HUGE) bunch of rainbow carrots from a grocery store/supermarché. Hobbs went to another supermarché for our wine, cups, and knives and a boulangerie for a baguette while I went to a charcuterie to get us some meat. I simply asked for their recommendation for a jambon or saucisson, and her favorite of the pâtés. She did a damn good job choosing. Oh pâté in Paris. It is out of this world. Oh, and the meat for the two of us came to under 5 euros. Boom. Okay, so we took our picnic to the Eiffel Tower, and had yet another magical meal. Really. We got one of those annoying men trying to sell tourists wine by the tower to open our bottles. Then they asked for 2 euros and we gladly refused to get suckered into giving them anything. Hehe. So our picnic was delicious. The one disappointing thing was the bunch of carrots. Turns out they are nothing like the bunched carrots at the Palo Alto farmer's market. Okay there was actually another non-stellar part of our picnic - our two wine bottles did cost 2 euros each though, so what can you expect... But I got over my disappointment very quickly when I took another bite of pâté. Yes, it really is that good. And we finished off our meal with our leftover Pierre Hermé macaroons. And my orange chocolate bar Slim gave me as a sendoff present!

Well we got back to Hobbs' room and both PTFO'd. Immediately. It wasn't until I woke up with the intention of going out that my extreme sleep deprivation hit me like a meteor. Not. Happening. There was no way I could get myself to go out at that point. No way. Sad, because I really did want to go to this awesome dance club with Hobbs - supposedly it's where all the cute Parisian boys go, awesome music gets played, and the dancing scene is really fun. But sometimes you just can't. Right now is one of those times. Especially since I'm leaving here at 5:30am to metro/train to Laval and visit Gloria.

So I'm sitting in Hobbs' room at....holy shit!!! 1:45 am!!!! No way! Oh jeezus. I'm sitting in Hobbs' room, at...1:45 am...blogging and reminiscing about my perfect day in Paris. Thank you for spending time with me and making today into such a dream, Christina Hobbs. I couldn't have hoped for a better start to my adventure.

Feeling pretty optimistic.