PARIS – Trip 2 (day 1 - 25th May 2010)

So off I go again to Paris: the city of love; and the city I fell in love with a couple of months ago when i went there for 2 days to celebrate my 30th b'day with my girls (Cara, Erika & Rachel). This time around I'm flying solo (scary!) to enjoy 2 days @ Roland Garros: French Open Tennis 2010. Being such a huge tennis fan that I am it's always been a dream of mine to attend all 4 grand slams (have only been to the Australian Open on many occasions). So coming to Paris for the French Open meant that I would have been to 2, and have 2 to go (Wimbledon in the UK and US Open in America).

I was up early @ 3.50am taxi booked for 4.30am, Eurostar train departing @ 5.25am, arriving in Paris @ 8.50 (Paris time). On the journey caught up on 3 episodes of Dexter season 1. Arrived in Paris on a beautiful sunny morning. Time to catch the Metro to my hotel. Last time I was in Paris I had my tour guides (thank ladies), but this time I was all by myself. Would I get lost??? Know me YES! But thanks to my pre trip     preparation and studying the Paris metro map, I felt confident enough that I would find my way around, I think once you get your bearings your pretty safe and the Paris metro system is genius.

My hotel Campanile Paris was a stones throw away from the gorgeous, beautiful monument that is the Eiffel Tower. Got a little lost finding the hotel, went down the wrong street, but didn’t panic and quickly corrected my wrong doing by searching my trusty street map! What a location I was in for at the end of the street where I was staying you could see the top half of the Eiffel Tower – heaven!

Checked into my 89 euro a night, single room with bathroom. 3^rd floor room 307a. My room was very tiny, but cosy (tiny as in you couldn’t swing a cat tiny!). No air-conditioning, the room was stinky hot from the glorious weather Paris was putting on. Had a shower and got changed (sweating from the heat), with my trusty metro map in hand I headed out to find my way to Roland Garros, the clay grand slam! 

2 Metro changes and I had arrived. Walked 5mins to the gates, lined up for a further 20mins, but finally through the gates I went. Now to get my bearings and where to start exploring! I only had a ground pass for both days so this meant I could only watch matches on the outside courts. Bought the daily program for 2 euro, scanned it quickly and found that Aussie girl Rodinova was playing. She had already won the first set and well on her way to winning the second. After watching a couple of games, I left and take some pics of the surrounding: Suzanne Le Glen arena, Court Phillip Chartre and just the grounds themselves. Wondering around I came across Aussie girl Sam Stosur having a practice session with her double partner Russian Nadia Petrova. Was so happy to see Stosur, not only because she is Australian, but also because of the all the success she’s been having lately, makes me proud to be an Aussie! Today’s visit to Roland Garros was only a short one as I was meeting my cousins (Lisa, Danny, Alex & Xavier Pellin) at the Eiffel Tower @ 2.30pm. So I exited the gates and headed back to metro to jump on a train that would take me to my favourite place in Paris – the Eiffel Tower.

I got off a stop or 2 earlier, as I was starving having not eaten breakfast, so I found this little café and picked myself up a cheese and Jambon pannini. YUM! Washed it down with a bottle of Vittel (water). With it being such a beautiful day, I walked along the River Seine towards the Eiffel Tower. 25mins later and I was back, standing underneath the Eiffel Tower, having an indescribable feeling of emotion running through me. This place makes me happy, and although millions visit this extraordinary structure every year, I felt like I was the only one there. Having arrived ½ early (at 2pm) I had time to take some pics and buy a hand drawn painting. I had this fear of not being able to find my cousins, as we didn’t stipulate a particular place to meet, and the masses of people at the Eiffel Tower would make it hard to find them. So I walked up and down a few times, and just after buying my painting I turned to my right to see my cousin Lisa and the boys walking in the distance. I was greeted with a massive hug from Lisa and Danny and again the emotions of seeing family for the first time since August 2009 (my brother Adam visited me in London for the night) was a little hard to contain and a few tears were shed. We headed to find some shade, as I was only wearing a tang top and was getting burnt from the sun. After a quick catch up with the family, it was time for them to climb the Eiffel Tower, as the had a booking for 3pm. We decided to meet back at the same place at 4.30pm. 1-½ hours to roam around Paris: what to do??

I headed on over to the Palais de Chaillot, which is across the road from the Eiffel Tower, and the view it gives you is breath taking. So out came the camera and my finger went snap happy! I decided to just walk and not worry about where I was going to end up, as long as I was back at the Eiffel Tower by 4.30pm. So down the street I headed, walking about 20mins and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe. This monument is very stunning and historic. I had visited this place last time I was in Paris, but never did the climb to the top of it. So with time on my hands and a spare 9 euros, I bought my ticket and climbed the 248 steps up the spiral staircase to the top (and I thought I was fit! but some how the heavy panting from being out of breath tells a different story). WOW – the view is spectacular, a 360 degree look at Paris and all its surroundings. Out came the camera again of course and snap snap went the lense. After breathing in the view, it was time to head back down and make my way back to the Eiffel Tower; instead of walking back I took the metro. (my legs were a little shaky from the climb).

I got back to the Eiffel Tower to find my cousins sitting waiting for me. We swapped stories of our adventures from the past hour and ½, and headed off to find something to eat. We found this little café that served pastries and cakes. So of course we had 1 of each. After a bite and chit chat, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower to take some more pics and so that my cousins could get back on their tour bus and head to their hotel. Another massive hug from my cousin Lisa was enough for both of us to start crying again, and with that they boarded the bus and I headed back to my hotel for a rest and to plan my night’s activities.

I stopped off at the pharmacy to buy some after sun lotion, as my sunburn was a little sore. I arrived back to my hotel just in time, before the thunder and lightning and heavy raining decided to grace Paris with their presence. It was very refreshing after the stinky hot weather of the day. Opened the window in my room to let the breeze in, the smell of fresh rain was so relaxing that I fell asleep. A quick nap, I woke to find it still raining and not really sure what to do later that night! A few options were tossed around in my head, but the one the won was heading to the naughty end of Paris to visit the Moulin Rouge. A quick shower and change and back on the metro I went.

At the end of my street I was greeted with the Eiffel Tower, all lit up from the glittering light show – it looked AM-A-ZING! 2 metro stops later, I emerge from the underground to have the famous windmill on top of the roof at the Moulin Rouge spinning in my face! The bright lights, the seedy smell, the hustle and bustle of people rushing to get from here and there, the sounds of cars beeping their horns, cafes full of patrons and me, standing their soaking it all in. This truly was a wonderful sight; I think the night time light make this area worth seeing. A couple of happy snaps and I headed down the street to explore more of this sexual landscape. SEX, LADIES, TOYS, DILDO’s. COSTUMES: they were just a few of the things I came across on my walk. I got stopped by a metre de of a sex club, who at first spoke to me in French, I told her I speak English, and the language then changed. She offered me to come in and see the ladies, but having said that men were more my thing and thought she would have walked away. Instead she took me by arm and led me into her establishment. 20 euros she said, and that she had the best looking man to hook me up with! I got to about the 4^th step in the place, her arm firmly cusped with mine. I told her thanks but I couldn’t do it, and for 20 euros I could have some proper meat, with a side of chips! So off I went again, crossing the road only to have more and more strip joints and sexual stores in my face. I'm amazed how any of them can stay in business and they all offer the same thing and are competing against each other for the clientele. But as I turned the corner, I saw the neon lights flashing SOHO CLUB, thinking it was a gay bar where I might find a vodka! But no, instead a brothel, 6 woman on stool sitting in the front rooms, all claddly dressed, 2 of them waved at my and invited me in. Next door another brothel, then another and another, across the road 4 more in a row. For straight men this was heaven, pick and choose, for me not so happening! I walked back to the main street, stopped at the café across the road from the Moulin Rouge and ordered myself a hot chocolate. As I sat there sipping away, I people watched for a while. Every few seconds there was some else posing for a pic outside the Moulin Rouge, laughter was heard all around, car horns, sirens the atmosphere was buzzing and electrifying. So much happening, so much going on and it was 11.30pm on a Tuesday night. I love Paris.

I decided to get back on the metro (as trains stop running just after midnight) and head back to my hotel. I got off at my stop, and as I looked over at the light still shining on the Eiffel Tower I decided to head back to where it stands to take some night shots. I fell in love with this monument even more, having now seen it at night. I didn’t want to leave, but my stomach was telling me differently. So I headed off to find something to eat.

As I was walking I could feel my body getting weaker and weaker, and I was sweating very heavy and my hands were starting to shake. Now I was unsure why this was happening, but thought it could have something to do with being sunburnt, walking a lot during the day and having almost been awake for 24hrs. I need some eat and I need to eat now! Every place I past was closed or closing, and I felt even more nauseas. Then behind a pillar, I saw the magic yellow light with the symbol M, and I knew that I have been saved! (how dramatic am I). Thank god for 24hr McDonalds. My meal was gone in 5mins: double cheeseburger with bacon, larger fries, large coke and 6 nuggets. Feeling full and fat, I walked the 3 blocks back to my hotel. As I got to the top of my street, I looked to my right to find the lights on the Eiffel Tower were out. To me this meant that Paris was asleep for the night and best I do the same.

Pictures: 

1. Eiffel Tower at daytime

2. A view from court 3 @ Roland Garros

3. Roland Garros: French Open 2010

4. me with my cousins - Alex, Danny, Xavier & Lisa

5. view from top of the Arc de Triomphe

6. me and the view at the top of the Arc De Triomphe

7. The Eiffel Tower sparkling at night - beautiful

8. me outside the Moulin Rouge

9. the sexy Moulin Rouge

10. the Eiffel Tower by night

11. the bright lights of the Eiffel Tower at night