Pooped Out in Paris

I won't lie to y'all - we did not exactly enjoy Paris.

For some reason, my mum and I were constantly fatigued. Were we suffering from remnant jet lag? Or was it the sweltering heat from the strange, summery weather that did us in? (I hear Paris is NEVER that warm in Spring.)

Je ne sais pas?

We left Paris last night with nothing but a sketchy opinion of the city and our digital photos (I took no less than 355 shots). Oh, and a newly-developed aversion to bread, baguettes and crepes. I'm not a fussy holiday eater, neither is my mum. But 4 consecutive days of carbohydrates - tho' served in different styles, with different sandwich fillings - can be a tad nauseating.

Shocking as it may seem, we did not visit any of the museums (du Louvre, d'Orsay, Rodin etc), didn't walk down the 'most beautiful avenue in the world', Champs-Élysées , nor take a boatride down the Seine River. In fact, our visit was so scanty we didn't even sight a Starbucks outlet to purchase a Paris City mug or buy a fridge magnet as proof of visit, as we often do during holiday visits.

Even then, there were good things.

Paris certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The roads are wider compared to London, and are lined with (seemingly) endless rows of well-coiffed trees & shrubs. And because it's Spring, the gardens were abloom with all kinds of fleurs, covering the landscape with hues of lavender, pink, yellow and red.

C'est beau!

We put up at a modest (read: el-cheapo) hotel located at rue Saint-Honoré, near Musée du Louvre. The accommodation was clean & adequate enough. But there was a tiny hitch- there was no flask for boiling hot water. So every day, we had to climb up and down the stairs (there was no lift to the 4th floor either!) to get hot water for Danielle's milk. Amenities mishap aside, the hotel's location was pretty good - a stone's throw to Louvre Museum, Metro/RER stations and lots of eateries around the corner. Eateries that sell crepes, baguettes and croissants, that is. Bah!

Most days, we took the 'open bus tour' to get around and that gave us a quick overview of Paris, its famous landmarks and monuments. Unfortunately, unlike in the UK, Parisian bus tours (or at least the one we took) had no tour guides to provide running commentary. Instead, we had to rely on headsets for interesting nuggets of information on Parisian history and architecture. Trouble was, the recorded commentary was indecipherable most times due to interference. Merde.

Nevertheless, Tour Eiffel et Arc de Triomphe did not disappoint. They were 'suck-your-breath-in-ly' awesome. And we took many a happy family shot at the world famous monuments.

And not forgetting, the lovely wedding. It was a cosy affair celebrated with friends and family from all over the world. Joanna was stunning in her champagne gown and Emmanuel cut a dashing figure in his suit. The Catholic ceremony was held in a quaint church and I thought the priest did pretty well speaking in both English (albeit haltingly) and French. The reception was held at a clubhouse about a 15-min drive away. Needless to say, we were treated to a full-course French dinner that included favourites like duck confit and foie gras. Ooh lala!

+++++++

If you ask me what I thought was the highlight of the whole trip? I'd say being holed up in the stuffy hotel room chatting with Mum and Dennis. We reminisced bygone days, shared life experiences and family stories. We even gushed over (at least, I did!) how good chichi was/is! I know, we ALL have ISSUES! Heh heh.

But most of all, the look on Danielle's face as she took her first ride on a donkey at Tuileries garden! :)

J'adore, Maman!