I listed myself in business class and in coach, obviously preferred business class, but would sit in coach if I absolutely had to. One of the giant perks of my job is being able to fly for extremely cheap. No one can ever tell me that I did not enjoy the benefits of my job. If I were to quit today, I would be completely content in the fact that I used my flight benefits wisely. (Which, explains the reason why I am never in New York.)
The night I went to JFK in hopes of taking the 5:15pm flight out, I looked online and the flight had been oversold by 10. (Whyyyyy do they do that in the first place?) So I had lost all hope and began chipping away at my fingernail polish out of nervous habit. Everyone had boarded the plane and there were still two standby passengers ahead of me. She called them both, then I heard my name. Eeeeeek! And a business class seat at that. YES, I was in.
It was hard for me to get excited about coming to France, because I had no idea that I was going to be able to even get here. I couldn't let the anticipation build because I didn't want to be disappointed.
But as I rounded the corner to my favorite place in Paris, Place de la Concorde ...and I saw that beautiful Tour Eiffel (my, she is a beaut), the Louvre to my back, those magnificent fountains and the Arc de Triomphe shining in the distance I couldn't help but pinch myself in awe that I was here. I never dreamed I would be back so soon. My goal was just to meet the family in the south, but since I was able to get away a day early, and dearest Rozy said she would have me at her place one night, I had the chance to spend the entire day in Paris. I didn't want to run around from place to place all day....so the Champ de Mars or the Arc de Triomphe didn't make the list. Montmartre certainly did. As well as my favorite shoe store, of course.
The sun was shining bright and almost reflecting off the pavement. It was hot...so hot that it was one of those days that if I had still lived here, I would have hated. One of those days where I would have escaped to the movie theater just for some air conditioning.
But I couldn't keep my mind off of little Marie-Cesare and my excitement to see her. And the rest of the family of course, but that little girl had changed my life, and I wanted to know how hers had changed since I've been gone.
I ate crepes and macarons and visited my favorite boulangerie in Montmartre, Coqueliquot, for my favorite sandwich: beurre, jambon and gruyere. On a freshly made baguette. It was a delightful day. I sat on the steps of the Sacre-Coeur and enjoyed people watching, I entered the Sacre-Coeur for a quick rest inside the magnificent and breathtaking church, then walked over to the Place de Tertres where the same artists were painting creation after creation. I headed down to my favorite crêperie, where I learned (the most heartbreaking news of all) that it had been turned into a Starbucks!!!! ZUT!!!!! Right there on Place de Tertres...there it was: a nasty, public, chain coffee place where drones of people were getting Grande caramel macchiato's instead of piling into the small café's nearby to get a quick café au lait and enjoy the ambiance. OH MY it was just seriously saddening.
I wandered down through Abesses, through my favorite book store and to the metro to meet Rozy. We went for a quick drink with some of her coworkers and then wandered around for awhile, got my luggage and headed out to hers. We found some sushi along the way for dinner. Turns out, Rozy has a full out cute little apartment! Not really just a room, but she has a separate bathroom INSIDE her room, a CLOSET, and a garden!!! Not too shabby!!!
I was shattered and had not slept in about 28 hours, so I didn't make it too late...but we had breakfast in bed the next morning and I was off to the train station to head down to Provence!
