Postcards from Paris: All In

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Day 1 was quite amazing, fun and ramdom.

My first experience in France? Getting into a physical altercation with a crooked cabbie, trying to hold our luggage hostage because we were refusing to pay the full amount, due to him taking us on a crazy detour. Thank goodness for GPS and Google maps, oh and weightlifting, because there was no way he was going to get my luggage from my grip of death, without being checked into the wall and tossed aside by us.

Our hotel is situated in a nice area, less than .5mi from Bastille and it's not a touristic area at all.

We learned that at 10am and within our 10 city blocks, a petits déjeuner (small lunch) is quite small, a coffee, croissant and juice.

Solution? Walk into a random Middle Eastern bar for beers. The guy there was cool, when we asked if he served food, he told us to go pick up some from the bakery and bring it back.

Every bakery here looks delicious and I almost drooled over the giant macarons. I also picked up some great cured meats at the local butcher. That's another great thing here, there are lots of small corner stores selling fresh meats, rotisserie chickens, seafood and veggies.

I walked in and it was such a charming experience listening to the butcher talk to the woman in front of me, grabbing her usual.

My french is quite rusty, so it was funny when I asked for a bit of salami and he replied "which I have 5..."

We ate, drank and slept for most of the day, then spent the evening along the various streets surrounding the main loop of Bastille.

Highlights, crepes at a carnival like street vendor, getting a giant Paris lollipop, having a 2.5 hour dinner, making friends with 2 Italians, and finding ourselves at a Jamaican bar playing awesome French reggae music.

Today we'll head closer to the river, check out the Christmas market, take pictures and try to find more street food.

I shouldn't be surprised, but I can't help marveling at how stylish and chic Parisians are. Men with their tailored blazers, cashmere scarves and varying slim fit trousers, women with their wool coats, cute boots and dresses.

It's chilly but not as cold as people think. I find it utterly charming that even in December, people sit outside with their wine and friends to laugh and chat.

Paris really is the city of love, everywhere we walk people openly express their affection for one another and it's quite beautiful.

Cin cin! Till next time...
Chow. ❤



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