My hero took a notion that it would be nice to visit Paris, since we were in the neighbourhood (Europe being the neighbourhood). Given that our time, and French, was limited (“Ou est les crayons?” not being the most useful of phrases, unless of course, you are seeking pencils,) we decided that a guided day trip would be our best option.
We travelled from London to Paris via the chunnel. The train trip took a little over 2 hours (around half the time it would take to reach my mother’s place from here) and wasn’t scary at all-if you can keep your mind off all that water over your head.
We spent the morning being bussed around the streets of Paris passing by all the main tourist sites, which were more impressive in reality than I’d imagined, though what sticks with me most was the recurrent panic that struck whenever we turned a corner onto the right side of the road. I had no idea just how wrong being on the right hand side of the road would feel.
Naturally our day included a visit to the Eiffel Tower, where due to a mix up with tour dates, the tour company comped us lunch. The restaurant was everything you would imagine. The view from the first floor of the tower was spectacular even though the day was overcast. The food was delicious, although staff and fellow diners would be forgiven for believing we thought otherwise when Boy Genius critiqued the coffee in a manner which transcended all language barriers. (He stood, pointed at his cup and said very loudly “Eww, yucky.”)
After lunch we took a cruise along the Seine before spending the rest of the afternoon at the Louvre-which naturally included a visit to the Mona Lisa. Philistine that I am, I wasn’t particularly impressed by her but in my own defence that might have been due to the number of spectacular art works she was surrounded by.
There was a slight incident with Boy Genius as we were leaving, suffice to say the French security guards showed exceptional support and understanding.
I had never really had a desire to see Paris but after this brief trip I am quite keen to return for a longer visit without the entourage. The city made an obvious impression on Master of the Bleeding Obvious who has embraced her French lessons with a passion and is determined to go back someday. If I don’t improve my own French, I just might take her.
