Paris, je t'aimes.

Je suis en amour, en amour, en amour!!!! Je ne veut jamais Partir Paris!!! D'accord, en anglais.

I am in love, in love, in love!!! I never want to leave Paris!!! I knew it I knew it...the moment we stepped out of the hostel I started jumping and doing our family happy dance. By fire to back up...

When I last left you I actually just finished my blog and then...yes yes...I see locks of golden curly hair enter the building and she turns, drops her bags and we rush into such a tight embrace- finally the ash's reunited!!! Oh tears of joy and passing frustrations all spilled out as well as our stories and difficult travels. Oh man just being with ash again alone feels SO amazing oh yeah AND that we are in Paris on top of all that!! Man...couldn't be better. So far this is the happiest and most alive I have felt on this entire trip; this is the transformation I have felt itching inside of me...and I had a feeling deep down this would bein in Paris. And oh yes it has commenced, the sheddin of old skin and new beginnings and more than a more than anything discovering bits and pieces of myself that already reside within me. Bring it ON!

So....as I waited for ash to arrive all the while in the lounge wifi area I was catching up on emails, Facebook, my blog and this British sounding guy was also in the room (who also speaks some French as well)- I diet say anything because I needed some me time and also was a bit why of course - but it was only us two I the room for a good hour and a half! Then Ash arrives and after out reuniting he starts to kind of chuckle in agreance to something and that's when we three hit I off. Hahaha and ash was like " wait he speaks English this whole time?? After witnessing the break down and spillage??" yes ash, yes lol. But it was great. And we just let loose and made a great new friend right away! Finally ash and I could check in and our new friend Hamish invites us to join him for crêpes at this great little hole in the wall literally place - asd so my French is put to the test on the streets of Paris! Even when we checked into our room I said I needed to practice and the girl web slowly with me which loved! I am understanding and conversing much more than I thought! Still lots ahead but I am SOOO excited.

So Hamish became our little tour guide since he had already been here for a couple days - we wandered Montemarte and went to Sacre Couer where we got an amazing view of he city!!! Inwas crying inside and I haven't smiled so much in Awhile. I have a constant grin. We then proceeded inside after seeing some distant street performers and observed some extremely fat and fury pigeons (an albino looking one too! Haha). Inside was breath taking and people were confessing all around - so sacred and no pictures. Afterwards we proceeded around he back and found un petit rue et voilà, we found a stand stating: "vin chaud et chocolat ancienne" - hot wine and ancient chocolate! We stopped in of course and picked up a glass of hot mulled wine mmmmm soooo good. Then the wandering continued.

We made our way back to near the hostel where Hamish departed so ash and I went to the front of the Moulin Rouge and took photos and everything! Then we went back up to Montmartre, found a cafe and had coffee (amazing btw) with a plate of three cheeses, un baguette, and a salad with walnuts...yes I had cheese and it was SOO good. Yeah the vegan thing...kind of going out the window on this trip heh...but I will stick tobmy vegetarianism. Lol. OH and on our way to this cafe we stopped into a boulangerie for our first croissants aux buerres!!! Oh mon dieu!!! C'est très très manifique!! And sitting at that cafe, it hit me. I was SO happy just SO incredibly happy. Nothing matters but this moment and I realized I don't need dance or anything else to make me happy - just me. I just felt so alive and still do. No worries, no regrets, nothing but the present. Everything else will fall into place as it should but in that moment I lived and it was perfect. Being alive is attaining "perfection" because once you just shut up and be still, you become aware of all the little parts to make you up and you are alive which is exactly why we are on this earth- to be ALIVE and share that wih everything and everyone!!! I am in love my heart is swollen.

So we decide to go back to the hostel while picking up some affordable good cheap wine and stopping into a little shop where we purchased little silk scarves. Our next plan was Eiffel Tower. Mmmmm and so our adventure begins: and man let me just say soonanistic these French men are too much! Twice in this evening at he metro two different guys have come up very closer me and damn lemme just tell you if looks could kill, my eyebrow would have done a number on them!!! Ash was laughing. Haaaa. Yeah back off yo. But anywho as we are approaching our metro stop we are hit like a ton of bricks by the Eiffel tower's beauty (while she was lighting up and sparkling- she knew we were coming and what an entrance!!!). Oh I like lost it on the train and then skipping in the streets and smiling all the way! The closer we got he more we were hit with such awe by its magnificence and size!! The bottom! And the art crafted into the metal! We take out pictures and of course another art of guys come up to us and offer to take our photos and we had some conversation - of course they are wanting to hang out with us and we are trying to be nice - eventually we get rid of them though heh. But I am happy for that moment because it really put my daily conversation with French to the test! I have broken French and he had broken English lol...some stuff I understood, some sort of, and some not at all heh...but just more submersion! More is the key!

So we wanted to go up to the top but even at 8:45 pm the line was sooooo long! And we imagine kind of expensive too so we decided to come back during the day for a clearer view of the city and maybe wih tickets ahead of time heh... But good thing we didn't go tithe top because we really wanted a view of the tower being lit up with sparkles, which happens once every hour. So we went across the street for the best free view and bought ourselves some popcorn to enjoy the show. =]. Hahaha and of course it was windy a bit and our popcorn was free standing on the wall next to us; ash says " watch out popcorn will go flying" and I kind of looked at her and shrugged in agreement but still we sat there looking at it. Sure enough moments later the popcorn goes flying, spillin most Of itself all over the floor...we sat laughing and then i down to pick up the remaining bits in the box. I said " well we did ask for a small..." haaaaa...

Just in time, 9pm hits and we go "aaaa!" she lights up the sky!!! SOOO beautiful! I even took video of this moment ;P. so we decide to head back to Montmartre to seek out this place for dinner open late on Sunday's, according to my hidden Paris book of knowledge ;]. We pick up some postcards at a great deal on the way while also having hilarious conversation with the man working there, comparing Paris to california etc. he just added to my love affair with Paris.

Then we arrive at our destition but...no restaurant to be found...? So strange because we actually found it! We had the righ address and all! But we decided ok good job on finding it but let's find a place to eat. We wandered a familiar street and finally stumbled into a cafe called Le Chinon where our waiter was soooo cute and nice!!! I swear once I attempt conversation in French everyone treats is well! But I want to and I'm loving it! French is music to my ears!! Plus I was sold on this cafe because they were playing radiohead mmmmm and we all know my thing with thom and radiohead...and all night long they were playing great music. So, i had the penne pesto, ash gets a tartine bœuf and we both have a vin rouge de Bordeaux - mmmm SOOO good!

What a perfect first day in Paris!!! I just want to be parisienne!! I feel as though I am home, that it had been true all these years, that a part of my heart had always belonged here. And the crazy thing is we are just getting started! Oh I am in love!!!!

Alright off to bed and onto more excursions tomorrow!

Bon soir et à bientôt!!