Truth be told, I hadn't planned to include Paris in this summer's travels, but considering my hands had been washed of all preparations, there was no way I would get involved with the discussions between le sister and le bf. So Paris it was. There's nothing wrong with Paris, really. It's just, I wanted to visit places I haven't been, and I have been to Paris before- keep in mind, there will be more trips made there because le bf lives in Paris. In any case, there was something more important to do this time: skydive.
Le bf knew of my bucket list, and on it written all kinds of adventures. One of which was to skydive. Prior to the whole "attempting to kill ourselves" jump, I must say, I hadn't felt much nerves. Actually, this was suppose to have taken place in April when I visited, but it didn't fit into our schedule, so we had to postpone until December. But seeing that I was already in Europe, a short stop in Paris should be easy enough. Plus, the weather was definitely more stable during the summer than winter (jumps are more likely to be cancelled or further postponed), which by the way was so ridiculously hot that even a Taiwanese living in Malaysia was complaining. Summer in Paris? Not even in my shorts & t-shirt. In that weather, you'd practically have to walk around in bikinis not to overheat. Really, it's no wonder that Frenchies go travel during the summer, because it's almost an unliveable condition. Conclusion: no summer in Paris.
We landed at Beauvias Airport, the designated airport for low cost carriers like Ryan Air. The fastest way into town was to take the Airport Shuttle to Porte Maillot at the cost of €15 per person. Quite a convenient service, it was a mere walk from the terminal, and within an hour and 15 minutes, we were in the city. No fretting necessary. Once we reach Porte Maillot, le bf was there to greet us and we were on our merry way to enjoy Paris. For those that don't have a local greeter, the metro station is just a couple of blocks away, so no fretting necessary either.
It's been a good 5 years since Ivy last came here with our amazing Contiki gang, and that experience was off the roof. Basically, we traveled 9 cities in 3 weeks with 34 other adventure/fun seekers from all parts of the world- but was practically dominated by Aussies. Our group was much smaller than the regular full charter bus size, which was perfect because that allowed us to get to know every single person, not just by name but also really get to know where they come from and their stories. Let's just say, we highschooled our way through Europe, learning by day and partying by night. That does tempt me to go on another Contiki tour...maybe. But anyway, I didn't think le sister would be up from all those touristy things as we had done them all before, so hopefully, le bf will be be able to spice up this stay a little with his local know-where.
First stop will always be food. Except, we were nearing mid-afternoon where most restaurants will close for a short break before dinner time. Luckily, a diner named Tabac des Ternes near Porte Maillot was still open, so we hopped in for a surprisingly delicious late-lunch. One thing I like about European food is that it sticks to preparing whole foods the traditional way, avoiding all the excess that spoils a proper meal. Or maybe it's just the vision that le bf is steering me to see, and yes, I do like what I see. Then, we decided to head over to le bf's place to drop off our luggage, so we can roam Paris free of weight.
(now THIS is what I call a salad~ thanks bun, you found a way to make me believe in salads again!)
(lamb chops with green beans: drool)
Before we went anywhere, we headed to do a size switch of my birthday ring right across Garnier Opera House. It's truly a sight just looking at this piece of history. No matter how many times I've seen it, it still awes. Though, I've never gotten the chance to visit the interior yet, and that tour will follow within the next couple of days. At this time, the sun was literally chasing us indoors. We had to take cover at the nearby Starbucks down Avenue de l'Opera, where I was not particularly impressed with their fraps. I must say, I have never been served as bland of a Starbucks frap as that, but under the severe conditions of the weather, I enjoyed it just fine.
(it's always kinda interesting to look at a menu in a completely different language, except, Bun...that's French! Why you look so confused?!)
(us roaming the Parisian metro- rawr~)
As we didn't have anywhere in mind to go, le bf suggested that we can wander the streets around Saint Michel. It was definitely a very populated area with restaurants lined up left and right. Several well-known dessert chains could also be found here, like Amorino and Georges Larnicol. Of course, with Ivy, we are sure to try everything that she sets her pretty little eyes on- which is probably a good thing because it's habits like these that we come across the most worthy surprises. I, for one, vote that this trait be a must in all travelers! Anyway, as Ivy wanted to just chillax with some drinks, I thought Le Komptoir would be restaurant that she might like. The last time we were here, the place was jam-packed with locals and she likes a bustling atmosphere. The burgers were great and, in particular, I fancied their mixed meat & cheese platter. With a basket of french bread, I can finish the whole plate myself!
(Amorino: les bonbons! they look so pretty...like jewels! it's a good thing I'm not much of a candy person or we're gonna be stuck here trying ALL the flavours)
(Amorino: just what we need to deal with all this heat~ GELATO!)
(Georges Larnicol: macaroons eh? let's see if they're any good~ but then again, you can't really go wrong with chocolate, so of course I like :P)
(seriously, I would rather die pale than tan here. why? cos this is not legit for a beach...)
(Le Komptoir: one way to stop Ivy from whining about the heat: give her beer)
(hmm, I could snack on this ALL DAY~)
Actually, that was suppose to be a snack before dinner, but I think none of us were hungry after that, so we called it a night and headed home. We did need to rest early, for tomorrow was a big day!