Le Paris #un
I was off on my first holiday abroad as an adult. I hadn't had time to be nervous, and at the time point also hadn't had time to be excited but as I was on my way to the airport, I knew my stomach cramps and the rain outside wouldn't dampen my spirits, only my clothes.
I was all kitted out for Paris. i'd got my angry birds passport cover and had made a selection of BMA items to wear with Rosie. Including matching berets, a "best friend" eiffel tower necklace and matching olaf pez dispensers. That's pretty much you could ever want.
We set off to get checked in which was a medium ordeal. The lady said she liked my burgandy hair colour and it was her favourite which was really nice and then she asked me to give my bag to this other area.
Under strict instructions, i put my bag on some random scales and then pressed a door bell, which automatically opened up a hole in the wall where a mildly irritated and bored man took the bag from me and put it in a machine. Okay then.
We then had to go through all the scanning procedures. Rosie got to go in the big scanny thing and i was jealous. I had to have my bag searched and to my none-surprise, my selfie stick had flagged up a red on the screen. No guys, its not a weapon. It's just so i can get the best angles with the eiffel tower you know? #selfiepro
We had some coke, to which we both seemed to form an addiction to over the course of 4 days and boarded our plane.
(Just re-read this back, feel like i should point out i am talking about legal beverage)
Guys, i forgot how fast a plane goes at the beginning. I did alot of freaking out medium quietly, claiming to Rosie i needed the toilet whist she just laughed at me for the duration of 4 minutes. Thanks babe, supportive.
When we arrived in Paris, we got on the Met, which is pretty much just a French tube. I enjoyed this because i felt like i knew what i was doing and that i was just born to be Parisian, even though Rosie was leading us most of the way.
We got our little metro tickets which are the most annoying little shitty things ever and barged our way through the double barriers.
Turning up at Blanche tube stop was dope. We were in Montmartre. As soon as we stepped outside there was the Moulin Rouge windmill and further up was Amelie's cafe.
It promptly started to hammer it down along with some nice chaotic thunder, so we headed straight to our apartment.
After getting excited that the porch light was labled "Lumière" #beautyandthebeastanyone? we buzzed our host to be told he was located on the 6th floor. Of course he was.
After a trek up the wooden hills, we finally arrived to be greeted by Alexander who was the cutest French man ever. He said keys like kays.
He showed us around our apartment just stood in the middle of it and then left us on our way.
The only questions we asked were where to get bread and wine so i'm glad we had our priorities straight.
We ventured out for my first night in Paris and i was feeling good. We stopped at a restaurant just outside our house for some much needed wine.
We were greeted by a lovely waiter and we sat outside to soak up the atmosphere.
France is probably the only place where no one cares if you smoke or drink a lot in the daytime- which is like a totally different world to what i'm used to. (Not the actual drinking part)
We ordered a mixed plate which is a French staple, and luckily for me, also my favourite.
It was a platter of all things good. Blue cheese (which i don't like on the whole but this was tasty :O ) Camembert, brie, cheddar and some others i wont know the names of.
And then we had salami, parma ham, and bresaola along with lots of fresh bread.
I was in heaven.
After not eating all day and us not breathing in between speaking, the wine went to our head and we decided to go for a wander around Montmartre.
We went up the giant steps to Sacre- coeur and had a look at the view. To my surprise there were loads of people out and the atomsphere was buzzing.
People were selling beer, Eiffel tower charms and selfie sticks. One step ahead of you buddy!
We had a wander down through the gardens and just as we were about to walk down the final steps, a man grabbed my wrist.
I was fully alarmed, but stayed relatively calm. He wanted to make a bracelet on me and i politley declined and said no until he got hostile with me.
He said to me " Look over there! They are doing it!" and pointed at some other tourists. I kept saying no and he kept holding onto my wrist tighter. Rosie started yelling at me (Ha!) "Let go Sophie, come on, let go!" and i was talking to her like he wasn't even there. " I can't let go, im not holding onto him! he's holding onto me!"
I wasn't scared but i was upset. He finally let go and started doing a bracelet on me, at which point i just let him because i didn't want to be grabbed again.
He started saying "peace and love"whilst he did it - ironic. And asked me if i was having a good time in Paris. I replied that i was. He seemed to ignore that and i started to tear up. Luckily, not moments away were some French security guards which made him scarper like a small boy. They were moving everyone on, which i didn't realise and by then i was stood by a wall finding my emergency cigarette.
(Every ex-'smoker' needs one)
The security guard who didnt speak English also moved us along and walked down the hill with us. He noticed i was crying. He asked if we were "Anglais" - so cute and then asked me why i was crying but with hand motions. I said i was ok and that i promised and did the ok hand signal. If he didn't speak English it would be far too difficult to explain and not much he could have done anyway.
He thought for a while, and then accepted that i was ok after my 3rd attempt of trying to reassure him and then he gave me a considerate stroke on the arm and said goodbye as he locked up the gate.
I was still totally shaken up but i felt immediately better that someone with authority had taken a worry in how i was. I don't want this to sound wrong ( i have a habit of it, just ask James) but it meant more to me that he was French. You hear a lot about people hating tourists etc and in a close minded and possibility instinctual way, people tend to look out for their "own" more, but this guy really didn't care that i couldn't speak English, he just wanted to know why i was crying and if i was okay.
I decided i needed more wine. Rosie said sorry for just yelling at me (which is totally hilarious now) and said she had no idea why she just didn't come and get him off me. We went to a local shop where the guy was really lovely aswell. 1:2 - in your face you horrible bracelet man!
We bought wine and milk and made our way to another restaurant on the way back.
This is a photo of that moment.
I then gave a accordion busker a euro because he made me feel like i was in France. And i was tipsy.
I was all kitted out for Paris. i'd got my angry birds passport cover and had made a selection of BMA items to wear with Rosie. Including matching berets, a "best friend" eiffel tower necklace and matching olaf pez dispensers. That's pretty much you could ever want.
We set off to get checked in which was a medium ordeal. The lady said she liked my burgandy hair colour and it was her favourite which was really nice and then she asked me to give my bag to this other area.
Under strict instructions, i put my bag on some random scales and then pressed a door bell, which automatically opened up a hole in the wall where a mildly irritated and bored man took the bag from me and put it in a machine. Okay then.
We then had to go through all the scanning procedures. Rosie got to go in the big scanny thing and i was jealous. I had to have my bag searched and to my none-surprise, my selfie stick had flagged up a red on the screen. No guys, its not a weapon. It's just so i can get the best angles with the eiffel tower you know? #selfiepro
We had some coke, to which we both seemed to form an addiction to over the course of 4 days and boarded our plane.
(Just re-read this back, feel like i should point out i am talking about legal beverage)
Guys, i forgot how fast a plane goes at the beginning. I did alot of freaking out medium quietly, claiming to Rosie i needed the toilet whist she just laughed at me for the duration of 4 minutes. Thanks babe, supportive.
When we arrived in Paris, we got on the Met, which is pretty much just a French tube. I enjoyed this because i felt like i knew what i was doing and that i was just born to be Parisian, even though Rosie was leading us most of the way.
We got our little metro tickets which are the most annoying little shitty things ever and barged our way through the double barriers.
Turning up at Blanche tube stop was dope. We were in Montmartre. As soon as we stepped outside there was the Moulin Rouge windmill and further up was Amelie's cafe.
It promptly started to hammer it down along with some nice chaotic thunder, so we headed straight to our apartment.
After getting excited that the porch light was labled "Lumière" #beautyandthebeastanyone? we buzzed our host to be told he was located on the 6th floor. Of course he was.
After a trek up the wooden hills, we finally arrived to be greeted by Alexander who was the cutest French man ever. He said keys like kays.
He showed us around our apartment just stood in the middle of it and then left us on our way.
The only questions we asked were where to get bread and wine so i'm glad we had our priorities straight.
We ventured out for my first night in Paris and i was feeling good. We stopped at a restaurant just outside our house for some much needed wine.
We were greeted by a lovely waiter and we sat outside to soak up the atmosphere.
France is probably the only place where no one cares if you smoke or drink a lot in the daytime- which is like a totally different world to what i'm used to. (Not the actual drinking part)
We ordered a mixed plate which is a French staple, and luckily for me, also my favourite.
It was a platter of all things good. Blue cheese (which i don't like on the whole but this was tasty :O ) Camembert, brie, cheddar and some others i wont know the names of.
And then we had salami, parma ham, and bresaola along with lots of fresh bread.
I was in heaven.
After not eating all day and us not breathing in between speaking, the wine went to our head and we decided to go for a wander around Montmartre.
People were selling beer, Eiffel tower charms and selfie sticks. One step ahead of you buddy!
We had a wander down through the gardens and just as we were about to walk down the final steps, a man grabbed my wrist.
I was fully alarmed, but stayed relatively calm. He wanted to make a bracelet on me and i politley declined and said no until he got hostile with me.
He said to me " Look over there! They are doing it!" and pointed at some other tourists. I kept saying no and he kept holding onto my wrist tighter. Rosie started yelling at me (Ha!) "Let go Sophie, come on, let go!" and i was talking to her like he wasn't even there. " I can't let go, im not holding onto him! he's holding onto me!"
I wasn't scared but i was upset. He finally let go and started doing a bracelet on me, at which point i just let him because i didn't want to be grabbed again.
He started saying "peace and love"whilst he did it - ironic. And asked me if i was having a good time in Paris. I replied that i was. He seemed to ignore that and i started to tear up. Luckily, not moments away were some French security guards which made him scarper like a small boy. They were moving everyone on, which i didn't realise and by then i was stood by a wall finding my emergency cigarette.
(Every ex-'smoker' needs one)
The security guard who didnt speak English also moved us along and walked down the hill with us. He noticed i was crying. He asked if we were "Anglais" - so cute and then asked me why i was crying but with hand motions. I said i was ok and that i promised and did the ok hand signal. If he didn't speak English it would be far too difficult to explain and not much he could have done anyway.
He thought for a while, and then accepted that i was ok after my 3rd attempt of trying to reassure him and then he gave me a considerate stroke on the arm and said goodbye as he locked up the gate.
I was still totally shaken up but i felt immediately better that someone with authority had taken a worry in how i was. I don't want this to sound wrong ( i have a habit of it, just ask James) but it meant more to me that he was French. You hear a lot about people hating tourists etc and in a close minded and possibility instinctual way, people tend to look out for their "own" more, but this guy really didn't care that i couldn't speak English, he just wanted to know why i was crying and if i was okay.
I decided i needed more wine. Rosie said sorry for just yelling at me (which is totally hilarious now) and said she had no idea why she just didn't come and get him off me. We went to a local shop where the guy was really lovely aswell. 1:2 - in your face you horrible bracelet man!
We bought wine and milk and made our way to another restaurant on the way back.
This is a photo of that moment.
I then gave a accordion busker a euro because he made me feel like i was in France. And i was tipsy.
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