As I am seated at the Dubai airport, hopelessly waiting for the information desk screens to reflect our boarding gate number, half droopy and half excited, I can't help but work on my first account of the Europe diaries.
Starting early morning from Pune, we reached Bombay only to be welcomed by the famous (not) Bombay rains. A smooth check-in and immigration was followed by a meal at Burger King to satiate our hungry selves. The excitement reached its crescendo when we lapped ourselves on the airplane, running an hour late, with the choicest menu from Emirates on our platter. The white wine bottle (now carefully preserved) in particular caught my fancy. With my eyes fixated on the movie 'Martian' playing on screen, I couldn't help but draw parallels between the NASA mission to Marsjuxtaposed by the stranded hero 'Mark Watney' and our flight launching into infinity and beyond... Into the land of dreams, lights, and where a million eyes blink at the sight of the majestic Eiffel.
Dubai was a brief halt and officially my third visit although only a touchdown at the airport this time around! Oscillating between brief periods of sleep, inactivity, hunger and endless waiting, we scouted the terminals for freebies at food counters available on the 'Emirates Meal voucher'. Shwarmanji and Costa Coffee were thus selected after much research and many rounds about the food court. As we were transitioned from one terminal to the next, a queue of Airbus 380 lining the airport caught our attention. Minutes later, we boarded onto this giant of a beast, and were only too happy to proclaim it as the best airline experience by far.
Landing at Charles De Gaulles, we quarried our way from the information desks to the train tickets queue ensuring that we were on the right train. The first sight of the city streets embarked a spark upon our tainted, tired faces, as we strolled across Gare Du Nord in the oxygen-rich air. With 'Vintage Hostel' board in sight, we beamed at the thought of a baggage-free self. Since there was time before our room got readied, we went strolling about the nearby streets in the hope to explore a Paris we had never seen. And surprised we were!!
A walk past the by lanes, we came across a man juggling tumblers and wooing his audience urging them to spot the tumbler under which the ball rests. It was only minutes later that I found my friend falling trap to the gimmicks. With the entire gang involved, extracting more euros out of my friend, and later prodding me to 'contribute' when my friend exclaimed that he had exhausted all that he had. It was only seconds later that the entire gang vanished with the money bet on spotting the ball. The girl who was whispering in my friends' ear a while back was nowhere to be seen. Aghast, my hassled friend followed the gang leader, and argued with him urging him to return his money. What seemed like a settlement of sorts from a distance turned out to be a deal turned raw for the gang lords, while my friend heaved a sigh of relief with his money back in the pockets.Having learnt his lessons the hard way, he vowed to never again bet in his life, not at least in Paris.
Recovering from the aftermath of the incident, we stumbled upon a swarm of people - tourists and locals alike.Wandering about we realized later that we were at the footstep of the Sacre Couer Basilica. Randomness had found its target. What seemed like a thousand steps up to the basilica in the scorching heat coupled with the almost jet lagged selves was compounded by the ordeal of another set of men trying to find the 'right' targets. With threads in hand and a resolve so adamant wanting to experiment God knows what gimmick in lieu for money they barged in our direction. Their body language seemed to tell that they had indeed found their bait, but needless to say we did not relent, my friend more so this time around. ;)
At the highest step up the basilica, the entire Paris seemed to be on my feet. The top most view of the city was the most gorgeous. With a tiny me perched on the brick wall, I felt like a speck in the Parisian sky that stretched before me.
A change of clothes, and we were ready to take Paris by the storm. Struggling initially with the machine for train tickets taking help from people who could speak 'English' (at least a little), we trailed our way to the Concorde - statues, fountains and the first view of the Eiffel across the bridge. Delight discovered a new found embodiment in us.
Walking down Champs Elysees with a row of top-notch brands wading by reiterated the status of the city as the fashion capital of the world. Add to that the prim, petite and dolled up French faces with sharp, crisp features that walked past you. Amidst the fanfare roads went berserk with frenzy as France forayed into the UEFA euro cup quarter finals - quite a sight (imagine bunch of people hooting, scooting by at flash of a speed in their jazzy cars with flags waving and loud music ;P)
End of sight, Arc' De Triomphe shone bright in the Parisian sun - a hallmark of glory for those who died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.
Completing an entire circuit and walking down a few kilometres more, we scouted our way to the points nearest to Eiffel. Going beserk with selfie stick clicks, we stopped every 5 minutes, soaking in the view from every angle till we reached right under the embrace of the mighty tower. Digging into the crepes from the close by stall ensured that our taste buds and stomach too got their fill.
Eiffel not only surprised us but also challenged our beliefs with its grandeur and enormity. At that moment, all else stood still and the only thing that stood testimony to that awakening reality was time. Time that spoke of a world, right out of a dream, thats so so beautiful and you a tiny part swarmed in its embrace.
Day 2 brought with it unwarranted surprises, ecstatic moments and unblemished joy all the same. We headed for the Louvre the first thing in the morning, after grabbing a quick bite from one of the cute eateries. Excitement was at its peak - the sagas from Da Vinci, the pyramid, sculptures of Michael Angelo and the Mona Lisa of course- the mystique was for real. Delighted to get a free entry courtesy the ISIC card, we were elated at the near accomplishment. The museum is huge, with separate galleries for paintings, sculptures, drawings and works of art, although the most popular attraction remains the Mona Lisa. Reaching it is almost like walking past a maze from one gallery to another until you spot the find in a treasure trove.
Walking across the Seine River, trying to find the 'We love Paris' blocks of concrete and failing miserably at it, we decided to head for Montparnasse next. Known as the heart of intellectual and artistic life in Paris, Montparnasse is replete with fancy restaurants to quick take-away cafes and the omnipresent supermarkets. We scrounged the streets in search for pocket-friendly food options, much like the starving artists who ideated and debated, perched themselves on a table all evening only we were there for only a few hours. We stopped by the upmarket Galeries Lafayette but didn't find much.
Top of Eiffel
That evening we got down at the Bir-Hakeim station, the station that resonated Eiffel for us. Returning back to our favourite spot, this time around we approached the Eiffel from the other side. Immersing ourselves in its grandeur, it was some while before we bought our tickets to the top. We were going to head right at the TOP of the Eiffel.
This was insane and truly the most exhilarating experience ever. While we stopped at the second floor, going crazy with pictures and panoramic views from every angle, it was only when we reached the top most floor post dusk that the excitement got the better of us. The entire city shone bright under the twinkling stars and teeming lights with Eiffel itself lit up in more than 20,000 light bulbs. Shine like a diamond, we literally did that evening, mesmerized and besotted at the top of the mighty Eiffel. Lovers, friends, families, solo riders - gathered there in numbers, as if it was one big happy family cheering and clicking from different view-points.
It was only until the last glass lift went down at 11 p.m. that we moved down with it. Stopping by the first floor, with the entire floor made of see-through glass, our intimidated selves experienced the thrill of looking down at the tiny world from 187 foot above ground.
