"Voulez-Vouz Voyager Ici? Mais Oui! " a Paris Travel Page by SFHulaGIrl

"It is in Paris that the beating of Europe's heart is felt."

Victor Hugo

The mere mention of Paris evokes memories of gliding along the Seine in the evening on a bateau mouche as lovers kiss on the banks, of standing beneath a café awning as shelter from a sudden shower while an elderly Frenchman joked that he’d heard that it never rains in Southern California, of receiving drinks from an anonymous admirer at a restaurant in Le Quartier Latin, of tearing down the steps of the Pont des Arts on a motorcycle with a man I’d just met, and of so much more.

A broken heart prompted my first trip to Paris back in May, 1991. I emerged from the St. Michel Metro stop to the beautiful Parisian light shimmering through the leaves and to the soft sounds of French being spoken at cafes. As I wandered among the booksellers along the Seine and caught my first glimpse of Notre Dame, I knew that a childhood dream had just been fulfilled.

I just returned from my 7th trip to Paris, and it was truly one of the best. My initial reason for traveling to France was to attend a four-day wedding celebration in Normandy. Of course, I had to throw Paris into the mix!

Paris always is beautiful to me. During the first 3 days there, when I was alone, I wandered the Marais, bought macaroons at Laduree, browsed the sales at Printemps and Galeries Lafayettes, dined/drank at outdoor cafes and generally relaxed. Though the weather was almost unbearably hot, I find it hard not to have a good time in Paris. I ventured to the Musee Carnavalet for the first time and adored it, especially the art deco pieces. When it came to the Laduree macaroons, the framboise was my favorite. I saw many things that I wanted to buy at Printemps and Galeries Lafayettes, but most of them were large and breakable!

On that first Sunday night in Paris, Jacques picked me up and we tore around town on his motorcycle. He took me by the mini Statue of Liberty, by the Eiffel Tower just as it lit up at 10:00 p.m. (or was that 11:00 p.m.?), by Notre Dame, etc., etc. We had drinks in the Marais and dinner somewhere in the Bastille, where my appetite for cheese was sated. He suggested pear and mango ice cream at Berthillon, but I was too full to even think about it.

The following night I met Vincent, and we had dinner at a place in St. Michel. Our evening ended by sitting down by the Seine, talking, drinking, watching the bateaux mouches float by, and listening to music on his I-Pod.

Both nights were perfect.

On the last evening before heading off to Normandy, I had dinner by myself in the Marais, while the madness of the Italy-Germany football game was going on all around me. I could have gone with Jacques and his friends, but I thought it best to let the boys enjoy the game themselves!

The following day, it was off to Normandy!

I returned to Paris a week later, with a friend in tow. During those last days, I was more about taking photos and shopping than anything else. My perfect day consisted of getting up early (before the heat and humidity kicked in) to walk towards the Eiffel Tower, following along the river for awhile and ending up on Avenue Montaigne. Then I went through the Tuileries and by the Louvre. After a very relaxing lunch at Cafe du Pont Neuf, I went in search of a copper pan at E. Dehillerin. Of course, I followed that up with a drink or two in the shade of a cafe in the Les Halles area. Then it was off to the Marais for a little shopping, a quick snack at Le Tartine and back to the hotel to get ready to meet Jacques & his friends at the Bal des Pompiers.

This day reminded me of another perfect day -- in Rome -- when I had gotten up early on a Sunday morning, walked all along the Tiber to Trastevere, and browsed through the flea market there. After which I went to Castel Sant' Angelo.

One of my main reasons for going to France was to replace my Laguiole tire-bouchon. In the spring of 2002, I'd bought one in Paris for my ex-husband, Laurent. It then disappeared from the apartment (and no, Laurent does NOT have it!). I can only surmise that one of my former roommates decided to "borrow" it, forgetting to return it. As you might expect, I've been steamed that it's been missing ever since.

On this trip to Paris, I replaced the Laguiole tire-bouchon on my second day. I'd picked a beautiful olivewood one at a small store somewhere near the Grand Magasins. Over the next week, I showed several people -- I was SOO happy with my purchase and the fact that I'd replaced the tire-bouchon after its disappearance several years ago.

Fast forward to my last night in Paris. I went out with a friend (still tired from being out late the previous night) and stayed out until about 4:00 a.m. By the time I caught a cab and made it back to my hotel, I was in bed around 4:30 a.m. After a mere 2 hours of sleep, I packed in a rush and dashed off to the airport. I was looking forward to picking up some Mariage Freres tea and some perfume at the Duty Free shops in CDG. Just as I was rushing through the metal detector, the airport security asked if I had a knife in my toiletry bag. "No," I said, and began opening everything for them to search. That's when I suddenly remembered that my tire-bouchon was in the bottom of my toiletry bag! They told me it was strictly forbidden, that I'd have to speak with a policeman and that it would either have to be checked or destroyed. Well, the policeman certainly took his time getting around to me. He questioned me and I filled out some forms. He also suggested that I check it. "Do I have time?" I asked, as my flight was already boarding an hour before take-off. He was SOOO kind; he ran with me all the way back to the counter, cutting off people all along the way -- telling everyone that I was with him and didn't need to go through any special security checks. Back at the counter, the man looked up my info on his computer. "Madame, you've already checked two bags," he informed me. "And?" "Another bag would be considered extra, which means you would have to pay." "That's fine. How much is it?" I asked. Believe it or not, it was 125E!!! I actually hesitated, but both the man at the counter and the policeman insisted that it wasn't worth it. The sad thing is... that was the first time I've ever checked two pieces of luggage. I'd taken a backpack and stuffed it with my shoes, etc., to make my suitcase a tad lighter! So... word to the wise (or Word to your Mama!), don't ever stay out late drinking and pack in a rush shortly before you're due at the airport. Something is bound to go wrong!