I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris around 6 o'clock on the morning of January 1, 2013. My good friend, Carole Bodin, had invited me to stay with her during my time in Paris, but she and her boyfriend were in the south of France and would not arrive in Paris until around 7 in the evening. So, upon arrival, I took the metro to Gare du Nord to store my luggage in a locker. I had been traveling light in India, but stocked up on gifts during my last couple days in Delhi, so my bags were quite heavy. I was sweating by the time I reached the train station, and very happy to leave the bags behind.
From Gare du Nord, I took the metro straight to the Marais, my favorite part of Paris. It was just a natural inclination to go there, because that is where I always go when I arrive in Paris (believe it or not, I've lost track of how many times I've visited this amazing city - at least twenty). I exited the Hotel de Ville metro station and came face to face with May of 2010 as I passed the Villa Mazarin, the hotel where we stayed for our wedding. I glanced to my left as I passed the sign above the door of the hotel, paused for a second, and kept on walking. And with that, I let it go. There's no ignoring the fact that the wedding was awesome. I'll remember it for the rest of my life. All of my family and many close friends, together in Paris for several days - I don't want to forget it, ever! And, thankfully, I don't have to. I just have to accept it as something different, a celebration of family and strong friendships, a wonderful time together. How incredible is it that each of my wonderful friends who I asked to come - Anne, Christine, Sisse and Christian - immediately agreed and actually made it happen?! I feel so lucky to have the best friends in the world. The only missing friend was Nancy, with the lame excuse of chemotherapy.... I missed her then, as I do whenever I'm in Europe without her, but I always feel close to her when I'm here anyway. And I'm really, really thankful for that chemo! (She's cancer-free now, by the way! Thank God!)
Anyway, the wedding was what it was. You saw the pictures. Crazy awesome. But Paris is not just the place where I got married. It is my favorite place in the world! So, I walked down Rue de Rivoli, past the memories and into the New Year with a smile on my face. Paris is mine. Nobody can take it away from me.
As it was New Year's Day and still quite early, I wandered around nearly empty streets until I came upon a brasserie that was just opening. I sat at the bar and ordered a cafe creme. A few moments later, a French guy walked in and sat next to me. He ordered a coffee and we started talking. He was a Parisian banker with a day off work, and offered to show me some of his favorite parts of the city. Of course, I had nothing planned, so I spent the day seeing Paris through the eyes of a history buff who had spent most of his life in the City of Lights. We went places I had never been and he told me about the historical importance of some places in the city that I had never realized. It was fun! I love Paris!!!
From Gare du Nord, I took the metro straight to the Marais, my favorite part of Paris. It was just a natural inclination to go there, because that is where I always go when I arrive in Paris (believe it or not, I've lost track of how many times I've visited this amazing city - at least twenty). I exited the Hotel de Ville metro station and came face to face with May of 2010 as I passed the Villa Mazarin, the hotel where we stayed for our wedding. I glanced to my left as I passed the sign above the door of the hotel, paused for a second, and kept on walking. And with that, I let it go. There's no ignoring the fact that the wedding was awesome. I'll remember it for the rest of my life. All of my family and many close friends, together in Paris for several days - I don't want to forget it, ever! And, thankfully, I don't have to. I just have to accept it as something different, a celebration of family and strong friendships, a wonderful time together. How incredible is it that each of my wonderful friends who I asked to come - Anne, Christine, Sisse and Christian - immediately agreed and actually made it happen?! I feel so lucky to have the best friends in the world. The only missing friend was Nancy, with the lame excuse of chemotherapy.... I missed her then, as I do whenever I'm in Europe without her, but I always feel close to her when I'm here anyway. And I'm really, really thankful for that chemo! (She's cancer-free now, by the way! Thank God!)
Anyway, the wedding was what it was. You saw the pictures. Crazy awesome. But Paris is not just the place where I got married. It is my favorite place in the world! So, I walked down Rue de Rivoli, past the memories and into the New Year with a smile on my face. Paris is mine. Nobody can take it away from me.
As it was New Year's Day and still quite early, I wandered around nearly empty streets until I came upon a brasserie that was just opening. I sat at the bar and ordered a cafe creme. A few moments later, a French guy walked in and sat next to me. He ordered a coffee and we started talking. He was a Parisian banker with a day off work, and offered to show me some of his favorite parts of the city. Of course, I had nothing planned, so I spent the day seeing Paris through the eyes of a history buff who had spent most of his life in the City of Lights. We went places I had never been and he told me about the historical importance of some places in the city that I had never realized. It was fun! I love Paris!!!
Delhi to Paris - 1/1/2013
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