mitchjet: one night in paris

what can i say about my first time in the city that i've been dreaming/day-dreaming/fantasising about for the last 10 years?

paris absolutely broke my heart with her beauty -- i was dumb-smacked by everything paris offers: the architecture, the people, the food, and that inexplicable buzz that completely blankets this magical city

i'll allow myself to wallow in self-pity for 30 seconds, and that's all: for all the times i'd pictured myself in this city, never once did i imagine that it would be for such a tiny amount of time of 24-hours, and never did i picture that I would experience paris for the first time all on my lonesome -- but when given the option of doing it alone and quickly, the other option of not seeing paris didn't even register in my mind. non, je ne regrette rien

it was a grey, drizzly day in paris, but i had enough sunshine inside me to light up the whole damn City Of Light! i walked all over that city, all over, but i swear my feet weren't sore at the end of it, i was floating! i will live in this city one day, i'll get to know her like the back of my hand

j'adore paris!

my adventures in paris:
after four hours sleep, wake up at 5:30am (because when you're given 24-hours in paris, who wants to waste it sleeping?) and catch the underground metro to the centre of paris . feel the thrill as years of French language lessons come flooding back to you, and slowly but surely, the "ummm's" and the "eerrrrr's" disappear and the conversation begins to flow freely . walk around the city carrying a big breadstick, because this is France, and obviously that's what the locals will be doing -- (and then consider purchasing a beret) . eat banana and nutella crepes til they're coming out of your ears . buy an all-day pass for the metro, and use it all day . pay a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral and do your best to say "G'Day" to Quasimodo . take a stroll along la Rue due Rivoli (ok, so really, i was power-walking -- time was limited -- but "strolling" sounds so much more appropriate for paris, so i'll continue to use that word) . pay a visit to la Musée du Louvre and say "G'Day" to your home-girl, Ms. Mona Lisa (she's a petite little thing, a mere postcard really. Ahem, i mean une carte postale) . stroll (there's that word again) through la Jardin des Tuileries on your way to l'Avenue des Champs-Élysées . ride a ferris wheel to get a mind-blowing view of paris (and i mean really, when was the last time i rode a ferris wheel?!) . be genuinely confused by the lack of French people walking around carrying a big breadstick (and berets too, for that matter) . try to resist temptation, but end up giving in to "just a quick browse" through the flagship Louis Vuitton store -- i swear it was only a quick browse, the store is only seven-storeys high, how long could it take me to browse through everything?! ok, truth be told, two hours -- but it's my paris and i'll shop if i want to!) . eat croissants, in France!! . buy the obligatory fridge-magnet for the collection . stand below l'Arc de Triomphe and feel somewhat triumphant yourself that you've achieved a goal: paris . jump back on the metro, and head on over to La Tour Eiffel and feel the breath be sucked out of your lungs as you see in front of you the image that previously had only captured you from pages of textbooks, from other people's holiday snaps, from post cards, from music videos -- right there in front of you, standing there like she has no idea the effect she has on a 24-year old boy from Newcastle, Australia . stand in line for 2 hours to catch the elevator to the very summit of this amazing structure -- the whole time being incapable of wiping the dumb smile off your face, to the point where one might begin to think you are somewhat retarded -- but be ok with that, cos you look somewhat retarded IN PARIS!!!!

here are the photos: