Ep IV - Paris, France - Fancy Pants and Bling Bling
Sunday, March 6th, 2016
Poor Jen was sick all day yesterday; so I had a wonderful time playing nurse and being a traveller, which I much prefer to being a tourist.
My definition - if you’re hitting up the stuff that tourists and not locals do - the sights of the city; museums, hanging out with busloads of mainland tourists - that’s being a tourist. Nothing wrong with it; especially if it’s your first time in a place. I agree with Jen that there is a substantial amount we should cover ‘just-cause’ we’re in Paris, if only to assuage the dozen people that will inevitably ask us upon return “but did you do this? Why didn’t you see X? X is awesome.” Yeah, okay, Mary-Kay - you do you; we’ll just do us.
I prefer just being present in an unfamiliar place; trying to hang out where locals frequent and no tourists are; walking quieter streets and eating at the same time and place that locals (instead of tourists) do. Cause Corps often affords us the opportunity to meet people that aren’t just the normal people you encounter in the service industry as a tourist - it’s been great to meet friends in London in that way.
Jen being sick gives me a great change of pace to do experience of rather a quieter kind; visiting tiny tea shops to get her some Spicy Rooibos, walking into fromageries to sample lots of cheese; and visiting with the local delis to buy her food from the stalls. Stock up on vitamin-C rich drinks, Ratatouille, some truly wonderful beef pot au feu. Rue Cler, in the 7th arrondissement is becoming quite the familiar little home spot for us.
So today we hit up a Michelin three-star restaurant L’Epicure, inside the La Bristol Hotel. It’s an o-la-la hotel with bling bling decor, looking like a modern day Versailles. As I gradually understand the traditional French sense of architecture and interior design, I realise that Kanye West and Chinese Emperors are comparatively understated.
This restaurant is fancy. How fancy? It’s the kind where the dessert is covered in gold foil; where they change your napkin six times during the meal; where crappy espresso costs ten Euros (about $15).
On the other hand; it’s pretty good. There’s some fancy pictures for you all:
Jennifer’s much more into this stuff than I am; and she “waaahs” and “oohs” her way through the courses. For my part, I am happy to play the indulgent boyfriend. We have time for a very long, very leisurely meal. The super attentive waiters are skilled in interjecting politely to check if we are okay. I’m not personally used to being asked if “everything is okay” every 25 minutes, but I guess that manual labour is part of the experience. I’m also getting used to the Gallic bustle-cum-nonchalance that seems characteristic of those in the service industry here. I doubt I’ll miss it, and it’s awfully environmentally unfriendly (what with the single use of 12 cheese knives to cut 6 small pieces of cheese for us); but there are parts to the human touch in these things that makes one wish they were more present in day-to-day services.
I’ve grown very attached to my leather gloves, which we purchased the other day at Galleries Lafayette. As I’m asserted earlier, it makes me look like I’m James Bond about to kill some mofo. I’m wearing them cause they look good, I need them in this cold; and also I don’t think I’ll get an opportunity to wear them non-ironically in Sydney even in the winter.
So we’re writing from here at the moment, at the train station waiting for the train to Milan. It’s a over nighter; with bed and everything! Very Darjeeling Limited.
Better go practice my italian. Until next time, arrivederci!
