First Night in Paris

     Life on the farm has come to an end.  The language barrier may have been a struggle at times but I am very happy I decided to take the plunge and actually go through with it. It was a great experience and I made memories that I will keep with me forever.

Now I sit in a quaint hotel room at the Hotel Edouard IV off the historic Boulevard du Montparnasse in Paris.  I've always dreamed of coming to Paris and now I've made it a realization.  Even though I've been in France for well over a month now, I feel like I'm in a different country again.  The differences between the south of France and Paris are enormous.  And as much as I like the laid back feel of the countryside, I always feel more at home in the heart of a bustling city where movement is constant and noise is abundant yet I can feel so still and alone with my thoughts as I sit at a street-side cafe with my coffee or glass of wine and watch the city as it passes by.

Last night I went walking around the neighborhood of Montparnasse, wandering aimlessly and just taking in everything there is to see.  Wandering aimlessly is something I am very good at.  Wandering with a purpose, that's another story.  I possibly have the worst sense of direction known to man.  Even with my iPhone and Google maps, I went in the wrong direction at least ten times.  There was even an instance when I was trying to head south and ended up going north and after realizing that I turned around.  Five minutes later I checked again and I somehow was headed north again...  Tricky streets of Paris...  But I did manage to stop at a little place called Le Doucet on Rue D'Assa for dinner.  I had the tartare de boeuf, salade, et frites.  Paired with a fantastic glass (actually two...) of vin de Bordeaux.  It was a superb meal to welcome me to this lovely city.

With so many sites to see and my brain working overtime trying to take it all in, I was finding it more difficult to focus on my route back to the hotel as I can sometimes become easily distracted.  Take for instance when I was walking down the street and I came across two GIGANTIC sparkling green doors with HUGE golden door knobs in the center of each door.  First thought that comes to my mind... "That must be the door to the merry ol' land of Oz!"  So then I had the song, "Merry Ol' Land of Oz" stuck in my head...  Then that sparked an internal debate of, who's gayer? The Tin Man or The Cowardly Lion?  Then I started thinking about how different the characters where from The Wizard of Oz and Return to Oz...  Then "Interpol" zoomed by and I wondered whether they were chasing Catherine Zeta Jones or Matt Damon...  Then I realized I was going in the wrong direction again.

But getting lost isn't without it's perks.  I got to take in more of the architecture and I came across some awesome statues that I wouldn't have seen if I had known where I was going.  I didn't know I was walking towards the Eiffel Tower since my hotel was the opposite direction and, Wham!  There she was.  All lit up and glowing in the night sky.  Beautiful.

Paris is beautiful!  The architecture, the sculptures, the high-fashion boutiques, the people hanging out at the cafes, everything about it.  I've been here not even 24 hours and I know why everyone falls in love with Paris.

The countryside has the natural beauty.  And it's amazing.  But Paris is where the beauty of humanity is celebrated.  C'est beau!