Bienvenue à Paris!
Bonjour!!
So as you may have figured out already I have finally arrived in Paris. Today marks day 3 in my new hometown and I must admit, it has been impressive so far.
I left Adelaide bright and early on Monday morning. It was a strange goodbye. I have left Adelaide so many times now that it never feels like I will be gone for long. When I arrived in Melbourne I had a mission to head into the city to run a last minute errand to break up the 5 hours between my domestic and international flights. As stressful as it felt at the time, it was nice to have a few final moments with the city I have called home for the last few years before I headed off on next my big adventure abroad.
Then there came the flight(s).
For those of you that have traveled abroad, you probably know well the joys of international travel. Now I have been a seasoned international traveler for over 10 years now so I should be used to the long flights from Australia. Don't get me wrong, I am. I just don't like them. I flew with my favourite airline Singapore Airlines which made it better, however I swear the more I fly from Australia to anywhere around the world, the longer it seems to feel!! The first leg was from Melbourne to Singapore which took 8 hours. I was lucky enough to score the entire row to myself (a long-haul economy travelers dream!) however it was only 4pm in the afternoon & I hardly felt the need lay down and sleep. I entertained myself with movies and the learn a language program throughout most of the trip and seemed to be the passenger of the day for one of the flight attendants who insisted on coming over to have a chat or just smile awkwardly at me every hour or so. Strange. Anyway, all in all an uneventful flight.
Flight number 2 from Singapore to Paris was a little more eventful. This is where I had my first of little did I know many 'serendipity' moments of my trip so far. I ran into one of the reps I worked with back in Melbourne who was heading to Paris for a conference. It is always nice to see a familiar face from home and we chatted while we waited for the flight to board then parted ways as she took the lane for business (Grrrr) and I lined up for humble economy. Unlike the flight from Melbourne, this one was practically full, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a spare seat between me and the lady next to me. Excellent. Not quite as lucky as on the first flight, but still enough room for me to spread out and sleep a bit, or so I thought. The lady next to me must have been in her 70s. She seemed older and on the frailer side anyway, so imagine my surprise when I woke up after briefly nodding off to see her sprawled across the 3 seats. Yes, you read correctly. All 3 seats. I woke up with a strange french ladies feet essentially on my lap. Awesome. I was sitting next to France's oldest yoga master. 13 longs hours later I arrived in Paris and things have been on the up ever since.
It feels so surreal being here. It has been a dream for so long, that reality seems to be taking a while to catch up with me. I spent the first day wandering around in a vein attempt to fight the jet-lag and stay awake. When I was walking back to my hotel I had my second serendipity moment. I bumped into the only French person I know it France. At first I thought it was my imagination playing tricks on me, but when he stopped to say hello I realised it very much was reality and just stood there in shock. Then it just kept happening. On my first night I went to a dinner at L'Arc where I bumped into my lovely old Adelaide colleague Mel. The next day we bumped into each other again at Place de la Concorde and we ended up spending the afternoon together exploring Paris and visiting Berthillon to sample their delicious ice cream.
So that takes me to here. Day 3. Laying in my hotel room on my first public holiday in France watching french cartoons. The first couple of days have been surprisingly eventful and I look forward to what today and the next few days have in store. I am completely frustrated with my lack of french language skills, but I am sure that will improve as time goes by and I will be able to order more than a croissant or baguette with my coffee!!
Until then I will just take each day as it comes and enjoy the adventures that come my way...
So as you may have figured out already I have finally arrived in Paris. Today marks day 3 in my new hometown and I must admit, it has been impressive so far.
I left Adelaide bright and early on Monday morning. It was a strange goodbye. I have left Adelaide so many times now that it never feels like I will be gone for long. When I arrived in Melbourne I had a mission to head into the city to run a last minute errand to break up the 5 hours between my domestic and international flights. As stressful as it felt at the time, it was nice to have a few final moments with the city I have called home for the last few years before I headed off on next my big adventure abroad.
Then there came the flight(s).
For those of you that have traveled abroad, you probably know well the joys of international travel. Now I have been a seasoned international traveler for over 10 years now so I should be used to the long flights from Australia. Don't get me wrong, I am. I just don't like them. I flew with my favourite airline Singapore Airlines which made it better, however I swear the more I fly from Australia to anywhere around the world, the longer it seems to feel!! The first leg was from Melbourne to Singapore which took 8 hours. I was lucky enough to score the entire row to myself (a long-haul economy travelers dream!) however it was only 4pm in the afternoon & I hardly felt the need lay down and sleep. I entertained myself with movies and the learn a language program throughout most of the trip and seemed to be the passenger of the day for one of the flight attendants who insisted on coming over to have a chat or just smile awkwardly at me every hour or so. Strange. Anyway, all in all an uneventful flight.
Flight number 2 from Singapore to Paris was a little more eventful. This is where I had my first of little did I know many 'serendipity' moments of my trip so far. I ran into one of the reps I worked with back in Melbourne who was heading to Paris for a conference. It is always nice to see a familiar face from home and we chatted while we waited for the flight to board then parted ways as she took the lane for business (Grrrr) and I lined up for humble economy. Unlike the flight from Melbourne, this one was practically full, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a spare seat between me and the lady next to me. Excellent. Not quite as lucky as on the first flight, but still enough room for me to spread out and sleep a bit, or so I thought. The lady next to me must have been in her 70s. She seemed older and on the frailer side anyway, so imagine my surprise when I woke up after briefly nodding off to see her sprawled across the 3 seats. Yes, you read correctly. All 3 seats. I woke up with a strange french ladies feet essentially on my lap. Awesome. I was sitting next to France's oldest yoga master. 13 longs hours later I arrived in Paris and things have been on the up ever since.
It feels so surreal being here. It has been a dream for so long, that reality seems to be taking a while to catch up with me. I spent the first day wandering around in a vein attempt to fight the jet-lag and stay awake. When I was walking back to my hotel I had my second serendipity moment. I bumped into the only French person I know it France. At first I thought it was my imagination playing tricks on me, but when he stopped to say hello I realised it very much was reality and just stood there in shock. Then it just kept happening. On my first night I went to a dinner at L'Arc where I bumped into my lovely old Adelaide colleague Mel. The next day we bumped into each other again at Place de la Concorde and we ended up spending the afternoon together exploring Paris and visiting Berthillon to sample their delicious ice cream.
So that takes me to here. Day 3. Laying in my hotel room on my first public holiday in France watching french cartoons. The first couple of days have been surprisingly eventful and I look forward to what today and the next few days have in store. I am completely frustrated with my lack of french language skills, but I am sure that will improve as time goes by and I will be able to order more than a croissant or baguette with my coffee!!
Until then I will just take each day as it comes and enjoy the adventures that come my way...
Bienvenue a Paris! Let me know if you want to meet a fellow Aussie in Paris some time. :) A group of us are meeting at the Parc de Bagatelle on Monday if you want to stop by. Tweet me @destinationeu if you're interested. )
ReplyDeleteBonjour!! That would be lovely!! I can't make it this monday as I will be in Bordeaux, but definitely keen to catch up when I get back!! :)
DeleteThis makes me so excited to come to Paris! I'll be studying abroad this coming September! Glad I stumbled upon your blog :)
ReplyDeletedarladear.blogspot.com