AUTUMN’S ADVENTURES

While I was traveling around Patagonia with Dave we met two french people surfing the same couch as us.  We ended up traveling with them for about a week after that and had a pretty good time.  I told one of the frenchies that I would be in Europe in January so we exchanged info and here I am, meeting up with him today to go check out Notre Dame.

The cathedral was huge and impressive though I’m not a giant fan of church touring in general.  To me they all look more or less the same, and they all have creepy statues of jesus dying in them.  Any they are dark and smelly and a little bit scary.  I do appreciate the stained glass windows though. They are probably the only things I enjoy seeing when I’m inside. While it was cool to say I was there, I didn’t stay for very long and I didn’t go up on the roof (8 euros to go up I was unwilling to shell out).

My french friend, Sebastian, and I continued walking around the island while catching up.  We ended up walking for a good 4 hours around the rest of the city, seeing various landmarks and famous streets.  By the end of it my feet were tired so he bought us some pain au chocolate and we went to his favorite cafe/bar in the city.  It’s a tiny little corner bar always full with loud, drunk french men.  We drank a coffee there and eavesdropped on the table next to us full of belligerent french guys on their lunch break talking about politics and sports.  The owner of the bar was the loudest and drunkest of them all, tipping back bottles of red wine with his hefty potato and meat stew lunch.   He was very opinionated and very funny, even though I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. Just watching his body language and listening to him was entertaining.  He even has a framed photo of himself holding a kings cane calling himself the king of the bar.

When I got back to the apartment, Nathalie and I decided to make a nice salad for dinner to celebrate our first night in her new place.

Nathalie woke up early to meet with a realtor about an apartment while I slept in and enjoyed the double bed that I had all to myself.  When I woke up I took a shower in the crazy multiple jet shower.  I turned on all of the knobs and was greeted by a bajillion different tiny streams poking at me like little needles.  I quickly realized this was not going to be a harmonious relationship so I shut off the tiny jets and took a normal shower where the water comes from above.  The water pressure was intense and so amazing that it made me forget about the little prickers attacking me just seconds ago.

When Nathalie came back to the apartment she brought me a coffee eclair to try.  YUM.  After our late breakfast we decided to take a trip to the palace of Versailles.  French citizens under the age of 26 are able to get into almost every tourist attraction for free, minus the Eiffel tower.  I had to pay about 16 dollars to get in.

Audio guides were included with the ticket so I was able to listen to the history of each room, it’s purpose and quirky facts about random objects.  The coolest things about the palace were the ceilings painted with murals and gold statues in almost every room.  One huge room had the biggest fire place I had ever seen.  So cool.  I have seen some pretty amazing things on the road but I have to admit that the architecture and the history of France is so impressive.  It really tucks the US as a youthful nation into it’s cradle…

That night we drove to Camille’s mom’s house to make dinner and drink some wine before going out in Paris.  Camille was taking us to a really popular disco in Paris so we had to make sure we were dressed properly, wearing a suit jacket and a dress.  We waited outside in the cue for about 20 minutes before Camille managed to get us in somehow.  The music was house music and some pop hits from the US.  We bought one drink each and it cost me 17 euros including tip.  It was apple juice and vodka in a tiny cup that I finished in about 5 minutes.  The club was packed. We started dancing and out of the corner of my eye I saw this huge monster coming towards us.  As it got closer I realized it was a tranny-version of Lady Gaga wearing platform shoes and a string that wrapped around his body and up his butt crack, forming one giant complicated thong.  I looked around some more and saw another tranny, more dainty but still towering over the crowd in his tall shoes.  I was so into the trannies. Oh what a night!

We left Damelevieres in a frenzy with bags and arms flapping while we made sure we weren’t forgetting anything as we said our goodbyes.  I spotted this funny box on my way out the door and had to snap a photo of it.  As we drove out of their little town I spotted a truck with the words “Love France” printed on the side. I couldn’t help but think to myself “yes, that is exactly how I feel right now, truck. Thank you spelling it out for me.”

When we arrived to Paris we met up with Nathalie’s good friend Camille at her boyfriend’s apartment.  We were going to stay in that apartment for the next few days while Nathalie found her own apartment.  Camille wasn’t staying with us, she was just giving us the keys since she was staying at her mom’s while her boyfriend was out of town working.  When I walked into this apartment all I could think of was one word: Ikea.  It was a total mod-bachelor pad equipped with a giant flat screen TV with surround sound, all white furniture and a red bathroom containing a shower with those multiple jets that shoot out at you.  Not to mention the cool view of other Paris apartment buildings from the giant floor to ceiling windows.  I dug it and couldn’t believe I was staying in such a nice place for my first few days in Paris.  I was definitely excited to try that shower out and see what all the fuss was about.  The gods are shining down on me for sure.

When Camille left us to get settled in we decided to take a drive around to see the major monuments at night.  It was really cool to see everything lit up and to be in the crazy night traffic around the arc of triomphe.  My head was out the window like an excited dog, numbed by the zero degree wind but too happy to care.  I saw lovers walking on the sidewalk, stopping to take photos together in front of the eiffel tower.  This city really is bubbling with romance.

We drove to the Montmartre district and checked out the Moulin Rouge all lit up.  We were hungry so we parked and decided to eat at the Flunch.  I was intrigued by the name alone but once inside I knew that I made a grave mistake.  It was like the college cafeteria all over again. I asked Nathalie if Flunch stood for Fast Lunch which she replied “Yeah, that would make sense.”

Tired from the long drive we settled on the couch and watched a marathon of Season 1: My Name is Earl.  Nathalie loves their accent so she always asks me to talk like them so we can practice talking like Earl together.  I’m now naturally talking like white trash with a southern twang thanks to her.