I have put off writing this post. For no other reason but that it is going to be a very long post. But here we go!
After flying from Barcelona to Paris I was delayed a few hours thanks to multiple different issues. Now, this normally wouldn’t be an issue, but my Mum was waiting for me. And if you’ve ever met her, you know already that she would have been stressing out. When I finally arrived at our Hostel luckily she hadn’t gone completely gray with worry. We didn’t want to waste our evening, so we decided to visit the closest attraction. Notre Dame! I’m a Disney freak, so for me this was the perfect destination to visit my first night in Paris. I even posted a Hunchback of Notre Dame quote with my Instagram selfie. We decided to grab a bite to eat, before moving on. Of course, we ordered a glass a champagne each, and I found it to be the most smooth and delicate bubbly drink I had ever consumed. It’s was beyond delightful! I would have happily sipped on champagne all evening long. We ordered a three course dinner, and sat back chatting and people watching. By the end of our meal it was getting late, so we decided to have an early night because we were going to visit Disneyland the next day. That night while laying in bed, we planned our weekend. We organised Disneyland, Moulin Rouge, dinner with friends, and general sightseeing.
After a slow start to the morning, because of video calls to family back home, we made our way to the small information hub near the Hostel. We booked in for Moulin Rouge that night, and got information about Disneyland. Afterwards we got on to the metro and made our way towards Disneyland. I was expecting to be very jittery, I mean, this has been a dream of mine since I was a young girl. But I remained reasonably calm. When we arrived we waited in line to buy our tickets, and the most unbelievable thing happened. I was standing close to the fence of the ticket line and a random woman walked up to me and asked if I wanted a ticket in to the parks. Mum and I tried to explain we didn’t have any cash, thinking she was scalping a ticket. She explained that she was given 4 tickets by her work to take her children to the park, but had a spare and was happy to give it to me for free. No catches. I was beyond shocked and kept asking if the lady was sure. She insisted and gave me the ticket. I couldn’t stop saying thank you and she blew it off as nothing. If there wasn’t a fence between us, I would have hugged that woman. I was well prepared to purchase my ticket for €90, but this was honestly the best thing to happen to me. I got free entry in to DISNEYLAND! I nearly cried. Mum was under the impression that it was fate that I got that free ticket. When we entered Disneyland I was unable to decided where to go first, as there were so many adorable little buildings. In the end the first thing I did was buy some Minnie Mouse ears to wear for the day. As Mum and I didn’t want to go on any rides, we spent the day strolling the little streets in all the different themed areas of the park. My favourite area was Fantasyland, which was the princess theme area. The only characters we met all day was Smee, Chip and Dale, and Aladdin. And of course I got my photo with Aladdin! I was really bummed that I just missed out on meeting Peter Pan, my childhood crush. I admit, that that was the only thing I was disappointed about, that there wasn’t characters walking around for photo opportunities. When we went to the studio park we only stayed long enough to go in to the auditorium, and it was here that I became so overwhelmed with happiness that I began to cry. We watched a video consisting of different scenes from all Disney movies to display the different emotions displayed within the movies. I’m thinking my reaction was what the studio was aiming for, so I didn’t feel ashamed being a grown woman crying over Disney. We headed back to our Hostel for a freshen up before we met Kim and her partner for dinner. After a quick lay down and applying some makeup we were presentable. We met Kim and Miki, and we went up to their friends apartment to get aquatinted with their closest friends. We sat and drank wine, smoked cigarettes, and engaged in conversation. As I looked around the room, I thought to myself that this is what I imagined Parisians were like. I had to smile. As the conversations were flowing I leaned out the window and just melted away in to my own thoughts. I watched the people below, coming and going, unaware of the young woman watching them from above. I felt very at ease keeping to myself in the windowsill, just enjoying the sound of friends enjoying each other’s company. At one point a young man below caught me standing in the window watching people, and stared up at me. It became a staring contest, and after several long minutes I bowed down and moved back inside the apartment. I sat on the arm of the couch and spoke with Kim, were we discussed travel and love. Finally it came time to depart for dinner. We went to a little restaurant close by, were the wine and conversation continued to flow. There was nothing special about the meal I had, but I thoroughly enjoyed the company. At a quarter to 11, Mum and I departed for the Moulin Rouge. It was a wonderful show, with many different acts, with many different themes. We shared a bottle of champagne, and sat back to enjoy. My only criticism is that parts of the acts weren’t all in time with each other. Also, it would have been nice to have more male nudity. All the nudity was from the females in the show. Considering we paid €112 each, I would have expected better. As we had an early morning to visit Versailles the next morning, Mum and I didn’t linger further than needed.
The next morning was an early one! We’d gotten about 6 hours sleep, which for me was a nightmare! But we powered through. All in the name of the Palace of Versailles! We went with a tour company called fat tire tours, but instead of the bike tour we settled for the walking tour. As a group we caught the metro out to the palace. The first part of the tour was the gardens, and in my personal opinion the best part. These gardens were manicured to absolute perfection. To think about how they were able to construct, grow, and maintain these gardens hundreds of years ago was outstanding. Our guide was a lovely, young Canadian woman, who had moved to Paris only 2 years prior. Such knowledge this woman had on the palace, it’s garden, and the people that once inhabited this area was outstanding. She was a joy! The palace itself was a marvel, but I still loved the gardens more. I learnt a great deal of interesting things on this trip. After the tour concluded, Mum and I got back on to the metro and headed to the Eiffel Tower! We couldn’t figure out how to get around to the garden side, so settled for the bridge side. As that day was No Car Day, I was able to walk around on the road to get a good look at the tower from some different angles. I had wished I was able to get around to the other side to view the tower from the garden side, but I had other days here I could explore. The next stop was the Arc de Triomphe, which was fantastic! Again, as it was No Car Day, so you were able to stand directly in the middle of the road to get a front on photos of the Arc. Which, on a regular day, is virtually impossible! Lucky us! As Mum had a flight to catch, we headed back to the Hostel. She packed and left, and I crashed.
The next day, which was the Monday, I had a rest day. I only went out a few times to grab some food and stretch my legs.
On the Tuesday I decided to get out a bit more, and ended up walking to Sacré Cœur, which was only around the corner. There I met a cool busker and his manager, they were touring parts of Europe together to promote their album. Bruno (singer) and Gennaro (manager) were both from Italy, and even though their English wasn’t strong we still enjoyed having a chat. The guys had to go pick up their tickets from the train station, and asked if I wanted to come for the walk. I accepted as I needed to obtain information for my own travels in a few days. Turns out the guys were going to Amsterdam that night, which just happened to be my next destination. When they found out about this they tried to convince me to come with them, but I politely declined. I said I might come to Amsterdam early, should that suit. They were happy with the compromise. After spending the afternoon with them, we went back to Sacré Cœur and as Bruno played a little more, Gennaro and I enjoyed some beers on the steps. We lost track of time and had to run to the train station, so they didn’t miss the last train to Amsterdam. I couldn’t help but laugh, it was kinda funny.
The next day I had no idea what to do with myself. Over the last few days I’d been chatting with Kim on Facebook about another catch up, and that evening we were going out for dinner. But what to do with my day? I did nearly everything I wanted to, but I just couldn’t think of what else to do! Kim suggested I walk to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, so I decided to do that and then see what the world threw at me. Well, did the world throw something unique my way… As I climbed the steps out of the metro I could hear some music playing, and just as I exited my ears were blasted with one of the most deeply powerful voices I’d ever heard singing Over The Rainbow. I was literally stopped in my tracks, utterly enthralled by this singers voice. I couldn’t pull myself away, I was literally lost in the sound of this voice, this song. I was completely stunned. After a few more songs, the singer took a break. I was going to go up to him, give him some money and compliment his singing, but then he stunned me again by taking his shirt off. This guy not only had a killer voice, but also a killer body. I was too flustered to approach him, so I began to walk away towards the stairs to the Arc de Triomphe. But then I thought of my friend Jacob, and about how he’d tease me about becoming so whimpy. So I squared my shoulders, turned around, and walked directly up to the singer. I kept thinking to myself that everyone, especially the singer, would think I was only talking to him because he was hot. But honestly guys, it was his voice that drove me! We ended up talking, and I found out he was Irish. Which got me going on about how my family originate from Ireland. I can’t remember a lot of what was discussed, I got distracted by his accent and chest. I know, I know… Classic Tahlia! After a while he started to set up again, and while he did he asked me to grab him some water. When I got back, he was singing again. This time topless. My mind pretty much split in two, and from what I could see in the crowds, it was happening to a whole bunch of other woman too. I had to smirk. He was certainly using his assets to his advantage! A police officer, much to every woman’s dismay, came and requested that the singer didn’t play here. We then left, and as we were walking the singer came to the realisation that we didn’t know each other’s names yet. After introductions, Stephen and I kept walking around the Arc de Triomphe, just chatting as we went. We didn’t find any good spots for him to stop and sing, so we just kept walking. This was the last thing I desperately wanted to do in Paris, stroll through the quiet, quaint streets and just enjoy the beauty of this city. I even mentioned this to Stephen, and thanked him for letting me tag along. After walking a while, we somehow stumbled on to Paris Fashion Week. We stopped and stared at all the beautiful and odd people. There was some massively famous fashion designer there, and Stephen kept calling him Crocodile Dundee. I tried not to laugh. Stephen had this scooter, and I was finally comfortable enough around him that I could make fun of him about it. But I ended up playing around with it, and I’m ashamed to admit that it was fun. After the people gawking we did, we headed off again. At some point on our walk I had mentioned that I’d been to the Eiffel Tower, but didn’t get to see the gardens side yet. And after a while I started to realise where we were. Stephen had taken us to the GARDEN SIDE OF THE FREAKING EIFFEL TOWER! I was beyond thankful! Of course I went in to crazy tourist mode and took many photos and selfies. Stephen set up and started to sing again, and I took photos and videos for him. After a while of standing and appreciating his music, I closed my eyes and started to dance. I kinda didn’t realise what I was doing, until I opened my eyes and there were some Asian tourist recording me. I was mortified, but there wasn’t much to do about it. I think Stephen found it amusing. When I realised the time we hurried to the metro to try and get me back to Kim on time, and on the train we made quick plans to meet up for a drink that night. When we went our separate ways I ran, I ran hard and fast. By the time I got to the music shop next door to Kim’s apartment I was red in the face, and slightly sweaty. It’s safe to say she was slightly concerned I was late! I told her about my day over drinks in her living room and she completely understood. After finishing off a bottle of wine, we decided to go eat. My one condition was that we had to have Creme Brûlée! Kim took me to a lovely restaurant near the train station I was suppose to meet Stephen later that night, and we eat muscles and drank more wine. When the time came to meet Stephen I went outside and literally spied him crossing the street. He joined us for dinner, and to my embarrassment witnessed my blubbering over how delicious my Creme Brûlée was! And trust me guys, it was fucking delicious. After a while Kim got contacted by her partner Miki, who wasn’t far off from their apartment, so we all ended up back at theirs. As we continued to drink, we played some music and sat around talking. At one point Stephen ended up with a guitar and sang Miki a few songs. And I, as I tend to do when I’m drunk, danced on my own a little bit. As 1am drew close Kim had to cut the night off, as she had work the next day. I hugged and thanked them all for the best day ever, and with that headed off.
The next morning I was feeling okay, just a little seedy. I ended up spending a lot of the morning I bed smiling at how perfect my previous day and night was.
Stay tuned for photos, and my post about Amsterdam!
