Ah.. How long it has been since I have made my last post..sheesh looks like I was on a deep slumber all this while . While it has been just the opposite , I have lived in Paris for a week and in Berlin for a month now after my last post. Unbelievable how time evoporates like spirit in open air ..
So so.. How was Paris?
This has been the most obvious question I have faced ever since I spent a great week there. It is a great city..no doubt. Amazing history and breath taking monuments that are dotted all over the city like nuts on a Cadbury crunch bar . The tourists are all over as well.. but luckily I never had to spend hours on queque anywhere. So the day I landed in Paris the metro I was taking to reach my friend’s home stopped mid way and I was shocked as it was hot and getting claustrophobic and I could not understand why we were not moving further. And it only made it worse when they announced (in french of course) that there is a problem in the track further no more information is available. Sighing, I was already missing the two friends who I had met at the airport who were travelling with me untill then and had just gotten away in the previous stops. One was a young Brazilian guy on his way to Eindhoven for a summer job and the other was a young ‘Municherin’ who was on her way to have a good party and shopping weekend in Paris. Both loved Paris however the former told me that he never wanted to live there as it was too much of stress. They both agreed in unison that Paris is too vibrant and it can get to one’s psyche at times.. As I sat in the train pondering all this my Parisian friend who was waiting to pick me up at the metro station asked me to get out of the train and wait . Later I was told there were some demonstrations and burnings by some Algerian fans after their exit from FIFA on that day.
Adventure did not end there. I got more insight into the Parisian way of life the next day when there was a big strike –protest from the employee union demading for decreasing the retirement age in service. It was a huge strike (i heard the biggest in the year .. so there were no public transport and all the shops were closed. I should say it reminded me of Kerala and my childhood there when we could miss school for many days 
. So my friend and I took to the streets. I loved walking along the narrow charming rue’s of Paris. The graffiti on the walls, the charming Boulangerie and Pattisserie, the sauve French girls, the dense buildings and the perfect weather (28 degree) that made my first day. Of course the highlights were visiting the school were my friend had studied (it was really old and of excellent repute ) and was amazed to find secret passage ways underneath. I learnt Paris has a very huge underground network that has its own culture attached to it.I could imagine the history attached to these caves and tunnels.
We did go into one of these later during my stay when my friend’s friend invited us to view one of the oldest building in Paris where she as a masters student in architecture was working about restoration of the building. It had an interesting history to it and now when the state has acquired it from the owner and the power struggle was in the court some poor students had occupied it discreetly and another struggle was on again between them and the state. All in all it was a learning to be there in that ancient building which had a big centre courtyard just like old Indian houses and also had a breathtaking underground tunnel which was now used by the students to throw parties.. how enchanting!
I saw most of the elite parts of Paris including the Grand E’cole on the first day and catching up with the strikers marching through the city happily chanting slogans against Sarcozy and the government, they rallied on the main roads old men, women and children all out on a sunny day with food stalls around them; all looking happy on a day out of work demanding to work less ..it was all soo French! I was routed to my spot munching French fries thinking of the French revolution days and the Guillotine. All in all it was exciting two days and I could not wait to catch up more about the city..
The next day started again with petit déjeûner which is typically of FRESH bread and cheese ; they need to get it right from the bakers in the morning. It is a great insult to the French if one stored bread from the previous day and they are sure to vouch supermarket breads are no good. It is the classic BAGUETTE that tasted so good– crusty outside and just the right softness inside. The traditional pain au chocolat was also something we had on one of the days. I loved the pasteries that I was pampered with especially the one with almonds on it.
You have to wait to find out what more adventure awaited for me in Paris the following days.. for now I will leave you with some picture
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- The place where the elite French and the world compete to get into
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