A emporter ou sur place?

September 27, 2010

14h30. Waiting for my train to Orleans at Gare Austerlitz.

I’ve got an hour to kill, so why not write a little. The past two days in Paris were quite amazing. Cat and I, despite being jetlagged and fatigued, made our way to some of the best parts of Paris. We first crashed and took a much needed four hour nap at the apartment where we stayed for two nights, located near Nation in the 20^th arrondissement. Upon waking up, hungry and energized to explore the city, we decided to go the Opera district, just north of the Seine and the Louvre. We wanted to eat at a Japanese soup place, whose noodles are known to be deliciex, according to Cat, but when we arrived, there was a huge the line too long for our stomachs to wait in. Watching the hot noodles boil and people eating would be torture anyway. I definitely will try to go back the next time I’m in Paris. So we settled for another Asian place a few blocks away.

The food was pretty good, but my feeling about Asian food in Europe is that it always seems bland. Not enough of spice and kick. (I ended up putting loads of chili sauce in my noodle soup, which still wasn’t sufficient for my Asian tongue.) Maybe they don’t put enough MSG? Who knows… I already miss Canton Cooks and their House choumen. In any case, we then took a nice stroll through the neighborhood, stopped by a café at a square for espresso, and walked some more along the Seine and through l’Ile de la Cite. Walking is such a joy in Paris. Everywhere you look, you find buildings which probably date back hundreds of years and you see people all over even at 10 o’clock at night. I felt alive and part of a civilized society, not alienated from reality like I often feel as I drive around in the suburbs of Atlanta.

Of all the Europeans cities I’ve visited, I do feel most at home in Paris, maybe because I’ve been here two times before, but I think it’s mostly because I’ve learned the French language in college and learned to appreciate the Parisian way of life. I guess it’s based on a simple idea that life isn’t all about work, ambition and material success (though I know some would disagree) and that one should enjoy the little things in life – drinking espresso with friends while talking about n’importe quoi, going to the park to people watch, eating good food, watching old films at the local cinema, buying fresh fruits and veggies at the open market… the list goes on. This aspect of French living is something, I think, America could benefit from. Oh another thing I’ve noticed in Paris is diversity. I see people of all races and ethnicities: Whites, Blacks, Arabs, Asian, etc. Being a minority myself, that makes me feel included, not excluded.

Alright, time to ‘composter’ my train ticket and off I go to Orleans!

By the way, this is what it was like trying to carry all my luggage through Paris. It just didn't look right, quite laughable nonetheless.