So I’ve become acquainted with some young French people, they all speak a good amount of English, well most of them anyway. It is better when they don’t I guess, as it means I have to try speak some French, something I have to really try and get into the habit of doing – since I do live here! So when I meet with Jennifer to partake in the English/French exchange it is fascinating, two people who barely know each other’s tongue – yet we manage to have a fairly fluent conversation and understand one another. Well we are both slowly getting better. By any means I’ve befriended four Engineering male students, three from Morocco and one from Senegal, a bunch of lads who are some of the loveliest warmest that I’ve met. Then there are the French fashion girls who range from 18-22, I happened to venture with three of them to Paris for the weekend, as one of them is originally from Paris. When a Parisian invites you to come to Paris (for the weekend), to stay with her sister and party it up with her friends . . . there is only one logical thing you can say – hell yes!
Going to Paris is a momentous occasion in one’s life to say the least, as it’s a place with such history and culture you feel like it is somewhere of great significance in the world. Paris is 2nd only to London for population size for urban centers in Europe, and like London, Paris, is populated by people all over the world, many Africans from the French colonies reside here, as well as people from all around France, and obviously from all around the world people flock to see (it is both the most expensive and the most visited city in the world). It is easy to see why it so many people are so taken by it, it’s truly a magnificently romantic place: with all those famous monuments, old buildings, iconic art galleries, and simply the general makeup of the city!
However on my trip to Paris I didn’t: see the Eifel Tower; go to Versailles; enter the Louvre; but I did take in Parisian culture through other means. I lunched on Saturday in your typically Parisian surroundings, on the top floor of a classic French apartment which is small yet classy, subtle yet warmly decorated – with books and art work instead of flat screen TVs. The lunch was classically French as well, four courses, and one imagines you put on weight eating so much! Not when you have a small breakfast, and an average sized dinner – the French way of eating is healthy I reckon. Even the fats are good for you, camembert cheese with whole-wheat French bread; maybe the Chocolate Pear tart and Cheese Cake quashes my point – still it was delicious!
On Sunday night I was invited to the most special expo I have ever witnessed, a huge building filled with wine makers across the country! Entrance was free, and it is basically all the wine you can drink! Now knowing my Kiwi mates (no offense to them – bless their hearts): they would abuse such a privilege and get totally sloshed! The French people I was with, drunk a bit, but treated it like a piece of art or even a science! They would go from one type of grape to the next, as they conditioned their palate to each style of wine. They started with Champagne, moved onto white, then red, and finished with well aged cognac. These guys took it seriously, shown by their bronzed red teeth, and a favourite box of wine (for the day) that they each left with.
The soiree on Saturday night was equally impressive, with young French people coming together to party it up! Extravagant is one way of describing this party – white was the theme! Granted when fifty per cent of the occupants are gay, the night is going to be more extravagant than your average night out! Nonetheless not sure if it was all the alcohol, the early hours of the morning, or just the fact they are French – they all ended up breaking into patriotic French tunes as they hugged each other swaying with feeling and passion – tis was a lovely site to see!
Nevertheless my best night was the first night, the Friday! I had arrived naturally pumped after a long train journey! We went to a cosy cocktail bar decorated with classic Pop art such as portraits of Audrey Hepburn, we sat on miniscule stools and then got up and danced to Soul! One round of cocktails and we were all energized – we ran the streets of Paris in the 0 degree temperatures, crossing the road impulsively and jumping upon bins – it sounds silly but it was the perfect Paris experience. The vodka in my veins, the coldness on my face, the spirit of my newly found Parisian friends – I felt the passion and the excitement! Their natural (part alcohol-induced) vibe inspired me, and made me realize wow – this place is special – a weekend that will live on in my memory forever!
