When it comes to ’taking a break’, spontaneity is the key word. The more spontaneous u are, the more exciting will the trip be!!!
And considering I wanted to be away for 2-3 weeks to another continent which required these horribly irritating things called ’visas’ which required showing a confirmed itinerary, the spontaneity went for a toss ! Not only was submitting duniya bhar ka documents to prove to the firangs that YEP, I wont go broke in your expensive country was a pain, but waiting for the interview literally felt like kneeling on the ground & begging for entry !!!
So after all that jazz.. When I finally landed in a fully automated land of fool proof systems, good connectivity & lush green - I realized that u require almost zero planning to backpack in europe!
So here are some t I t bits of the entire >2 week vacation !
Flight to paris ~
Was miserable cuz of my horrendous cold- was miserable until the French food came along! Teh ’french’ Cant do without items on the tray – Olive oil & vinegar, butter, mayonnaise, cheese cheese and more cheese. My goodness ! if this would be my daily diet I probably wouldn’t make it inside the air craft door…
Paris ~
1st stop – Arc de Triumph—yes I actually climbed the 200 steps to take the view of avenue de champs & all the spoke & wheels roads…….
The only must do agenda I had in mind while adding paris in the itinerary was the lido show/ Moulin rouge show…….. apparently, although Nicole kidman made Moulin Rouge famous, its the lido shows that are a must see! 60-100 Euros per head ticket included free champagne – which I gulped down in spite of my sickness--- (c’mon its paris !). the lido started with a bang… with topless girls kicking their endless legs high in the sky… but the monotony bored us a little until they started with their Indian charade…. Which blew my mind ! the innovative stages had elaborate sets of khujaraho, giant elephants, horses, water fountain and god knows what not !!!! all kudos to the sets !!! they definitely get my vote.
Little tipsy (by 1 piddli glass of champagne!) we walked the windy streets of paris & barged in a French restaurant. The hapless waiter tried all his best to communicate with us- while I raked my poor brains with the French I’d learned years ago for my 12th board exams… I struggled with verbs, prepositions, adjectives…, and went around the town muttering ques que ce vous parle anglais and je ne parle pas frainces …… like an idiot. I was surprised to find majority of the French NOT speaking English !
Notre Dame Cathedral was the 1st stop the next day. Mindblowingly splendid (very very clichéd adjective I know)…. Unfortunately I couldnt take a full frontal pic cuz of its proximity to other structures…
We walked around the sienne river… and crossed various cafes, shops, hotels, churches…. Till we reached the louvre.
I had to rest for a while at home (cuz I was sick, remember?) to be alive the next day for italy. It rained by evening – which was quite exciting – I just love the rains! We took a walk around the wet streets, lush green & cool breeze. Chilled out having chocolate & banana crepes overlooking the lazy streets.
Observations ~
Many many French ppl do not speak English..
French Fashion aint as cool as Greece ..
All cafes have their seating facing the streets ...