Hearing: People chatting in the lobby.
After spending only 14 days out of the whole month so far in my own bed it was good to be home. I spent the 1st day just doing chores including a huge pile of laundry which I had no idea where it came from and in the evening curled up on the trusty old sofa infront of tv. The next couple of days was spent catching up with friends (finally) and running some errands that had been postponed and postponed again. My old lappie threw in the towel yesterday, I could hear it boot up but nothing would display on the monitor so I had to put it in to get checked, I wont know what the deal is till tomorrow, speaking of which...
tomorrow signals the start of my new roster which includes the 1st 2 days training for 777 ( which I'm looking forward to, it has really good destinations) the last 4 service enhancement and in between a very short London, 2 short Paris a Frankfurt, and 4 standbys. Unfortunately I'm disappointed again as I didn't get my requested 4 days off at the end of the month (I was planning yet again to go to Cairo since I still have the ticket from last time *sigh*). My friend A thinks its pretty lousy of them not being able to give us our request since were only allowed one a month, you'd think they could manage that. But never mind, all the best for Miss TT whose training is going really well.
VP
Hearing: Hotel music and people chatting in the lobby.
This trip has been my first operating trip to Paris, the one I wrote about in my last entry was taken on my 4 requested days off. I was called off standby for it which I didn't mind but it meant that I wouldn't be able to meet one of my friends in London. Anyway I had a wonderful day.
Since I didn't go inside last time my first stop was Notre-Dame. Out front these kids were feeding sparrows from their hands, very cute.
I shelled out 5euro for the audio guide and listened to all sorts of things about the cathedral I didn't know - like one of the oldest tombs is the most modest one and quite easy to overlook, that the cathedral fell into ruin at one stage and Victor Hugos ¨Hunchback of Notre-Dame¨ while exciting controversy, brought attention to the cathedral once again and saved it and that over 12 million visitors come every year. It also explained the significance of its layout, the stories behind famous round windows and sculptures in the portals on the facade. Although there were signs saying photography wasn't allowed tourists everywhere were posing for photos all over the place, in such a disrespectful manner and while I sometimes do take photos inside churches and cathedrals I didn't feel right to take photos here.
From there I i walked to the Louvre where I wanted to see that Da Vinci's smiling lady but it so happens that on Tuesdays the Louvre is closed...Oh well, next time maybe (I love being able to say that so simply *grin*). I sat to the side of the square and watched people taking photos infront of the glass pyramids, kids playing while their parents took respite in the shade and sellers lugging around buckets of ice and water bottles.
A lazy walk through the park infront of the Louvre (Jardin Du Carrousel) took me past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (a smaller version of its famous brother), to the Obelisk and down Ave Des Champs Elysees till I found a nearby metro stop.
The Metro is very easy to navigate and efficient like that of London, so a short ride later and I found myself in the Jardin Du Luxembourg. Its not a typical 'site' of Paris to see but my friend recommended it and it definitely fell within the lazy day category. The garden forms the grounds of the Palais du Luxemborg which was built for the widow of Henri IV but she was banished before its completion and its had many uses since including an air raid shelter built under the gardens themselves. Anyway the gardens cover 60 acres of land and are beautiful. They have everything from tennis courts, horse rides, kids playgrounds, outdoor cafes, a bee-keeping school, puppet theatre to large man-made ponds with toy boats floating around. Being a sunny day the lawns were covered with people stretching out in the sun or settling down for a chat. Naturally these were my kind of people so I pulled up a patch of grass and stretched out myself.
As the sun began to sink and I began the long trip back to the hotel feeling well and truly lucky.
VP
Hearing: Fan whirring on high and traffic
Bonjour, Sava?
What a day! What a day! What a DAY! Is Paris overrated? NO WAY!
So it started with 4 requested days off where I was supposed to be going with my friend O- to Prague except in true VP style the plans fell through. O- is buying an apartment and the papers would be ready for her to sign halfway through my days off so that was that. What to do?
I was chatting to a friend of mine A- who said he'd been given a long Paris and I thought to myself why not? Next day I bought a ticket, hopped on the flight - got upgraded to business since I was friends with the CM and my friend was serving the side I was on - Perfect! I had a window seat and coming into land I could clearly see Paris below including my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe and the square like frame building in the La Defense district...I was very happy.
The next day I woke up not feeling 100% - I was sick and not the I've got a headache/flu sick, it was the I'm going to throw up any minute sick but I was not going to stay in the hotel, HELL NO! I got Primperan off A- and it worked to kill that feeling but left my temperature high and me still feeling nauseous and unsteady but I could cope with that - I was more worried about having to run into the bathroom every 5 seconds if I needed to throw up.
That handled, A- and I set off for Paris - first stop Notre Dame. It was horrible going, so hot on the trains so it made me feel worse but seeing Notre Dame was worth it. I'll let the photos do the talking.
Next was the Eiffel Tower and I confess I got a little teary - my eyes could not believe what they were seeing and my brain did not register it either - I stood there just looking up overwhelmed that I was lucky enough to see this icon.
We grabbed more water, a couple of ice creams, I called mum, pulled up a patch of grass to lay on in the shade and just drank in the atmosphere and breath-taking view. A- had to cool off first underneath this huge fan that was also sending out a mist. You can see he wasn't the only one with the same idea.
We walked from there up one of the fancy streets before landing smack bang in the middle of Champs de Elysees right next to the famous Arc de Triomphe. Being such a shameless tourist, as I was crossing the road I stopped in the middle and took a photo.
The last stop for this trip but not the least was Sacre Coeur atop a hill. Beautiful - everything - the cathedrale, the area surrounding it, the atmosphere, the view - oh my - the view was just stunning. Directly infront of Sacre Coeur is a whole bunch of steps (its pretty high up - thankfully the alternative was a sort of cable car the price of which was included in my day trip metro ticket) which was littered with people all enjoying the view of Paris below. To the right there is an area where you can see the Eiffel Tower and we were fortunate enough to be there for the sunset and the lighting up of the tower. The area around Sacre Coeur was filled with restaurants, creperies and portrait artists who would draw you to perfection for a small fee.
The Montmartre district in which Sacre Coeur lies is bustling and alive - very different to the rest of Paris. It feels like you've stepped away from the typical and uncovered the real Parisian atmosphere - its also home to the Moulin Rouge and associated businesses lower down. Just be careful where you go and when.
For now good night, I look forward to the next adventure.
VP
