It's finally almost here -- my long-planned and eagerly-awaited return trip to Paris! My wife has suffered me in married format for 12 years now, and the woman deserves a break. Despite that, she still wants me to go with her. So thanks to the cheap fares on IcelandAir, the City of Lights is once again at my beck-and-call.
Ok, I'm on to your little tricks, IcelandAir. THIS time I'm bringing extra water, extra food, extra movies, extra music, extra edibles (to be consumed BEFORE getting on the plane) and a mountain of Xanax. Can't sleep on the plane? Not this time! They'll have to crowbar my ample butt outta that seat once we reach KEF.
I arrive at CDG the day after the run-off (May 8); hopefully, the city won't be in flames following a Le Penn win. Also, I have to run around Terminal 1 buying SIM cards and museum passes before I even pay a month's salary to a licensed bandit in a taxi due to it being a bank holiday.
Hotel Boquet: that's right, I'm pitching camp in the 7th, right off Rue du Rick Steves'. I know Rue Cler is about Gallic as a French Tickler, but I liked it last time and damnit, I -AM- a tourist! I have no shame in admitting this. You could paint a chimp blue, white and red and it'd be 100% more French than I will ever be. Plus, I'll betcha ten bucks it'd vote for Le Penn!
Schedule? What's that? Oh yeah, the idea that at certain times I'll be certain places. Tee heee heee! You're so cute! We don't need no steenking schedules! Here's my honest-to-god schedule:
Monday - Friday: Whatever the Hell I please, involving wine and cheese in the sunny afternoon at a quaint cafe', until such time as I'm perfectly content to sod off somewhere else, preferably somewhere else with more wine and cheese and enjoy the sunset. Maybe some nice dinner and a little after-dinner drink. Rinse. Lather. Repeat. I may go to a museum or I may just sit in a park. I have nine days in Paris and I refuse to make a sprint out of it.
Saturday: Off to Lyon and yummy, yummy French cuisine.
Sunday: Mass at Notre Dame. Call this "Religious Tourism". As an atheist, I'm fascinated by the beauty of religion. I love churches, shrines, mosques, temples and other holy places. I love the sounds and smells of these places, the sights, and most of all the rituals. I've never been to a Catholic Mass (with Gregorian chant, no less!), so I figure this is my big opportunity.
Monday: Reims, anyone?
Tuesday: Walk around Paris and enjoy my last day, preferably with wine and cheese, crepes, baguettes and all the other joys that make life in Paris so wonderful.
Weds: Depart for Ghent and my much-anticipated Rick Steves' tour of Belgium et al.
So there we go: not the most structured of trips, but who said Paris was structured?