Oh, to live in Paris

In my short time in Paris, I find myself quickly getting lost in daydream - wondering what it'd be like to live in this beautiful city.

We began Day 3 walking in the Tuileries Gardens. With an espresso and a croissant in hand, I enjoyed the cool, cloudy morning mixing in with locals and tourists. I joked the tourists were taking pictures of shrubs (my photo's above), while locals were sitting on chairs around the fountain. I imagined that I was sitting on a chair, scribbling ideas onto a notepad.



After passing by Place de la Concorde, we strolled along slowly for the rest of the morning down the quays of the Seine, enjoying the river's calm. I imagined living in one of the beautiful buildings along the Seine; enjoying long walks every day or, hell, even getting the inspiration to jog!



Along our walk, we passed by interesting portable street vendors (above) that populated a strip of the street. They sold everything from old books and magazines to prints and postcards. They were a nice contrast to the fancy boutiques across the street.

We were hit with bad luck and rain in the afternoon - as several venues we wanted to see were unexpectedly closed; one of them due to flooding. At this point, I got pretty crabby. So we went shopping in the Galleries de Lafayette. One store sold these cool Mickey Mouse shirts - seriously - so I just had to buy one.



Our day ended with an uphill ascent towards Sacre Coeur (above) - located by the textile district of Montmatre. The climb to the top was absolutely worth it - as it revealed a beautiful view of the city below (see video below)



The rain continued relentlessly, so we quickly made our way back down. We stopped by a nearby supermarket. I wanted to make a home-cooked dinner, because I was so sick of eating out.

When we got home, I was still feeling crabby, because our day did not go as planned. But as I chopped the vegetables, the familiar feelings of being at home were conjured up.

As my pasta sauce finished boiling, I looked out the window to Paris 21 storeys below. The rain stopped and the sun came out for the day's final moments. My crankiness faded, because I felt - at that moment - as close as I ever would to what it'd be like to live in this city.

Windy Panorama Atop La Tour Eiffel

Another highlight from a busy Day 2 in Paris was the Eiffel Tower.

You can access this world-famous landmark from many parts of Paris - but the best way to experience it is to get off Trocadero subway station and walk up the steps to Place du Trocadero. The view from there (above) is just stunning.

As you walk closer to the tower, you reveal the gardens below and a pathway to the tower. Our second afternoon was cold and windy - so we stopped by for an espresso and to enjoy the view.

When we reached the Tower's base, I looked up. The 1889-built lattice tower is more impressive and grander up closer than it is from afar or in people's pictures.

You can walk or take the elevator to the three viewing levels. The second level provided the best panorama (see video below). It was far enough so everything looked grand, but not too far - like the third and highest level - so that everything looked too miniscule.

Looking at the city from above, I felt very appreciative to be spending the moment with Ma and Andrew.

Losing Ma in The Louvre

I'm not an art lover, nor know much about it. But we couldn't leave Paris without seeing the world most famous Louvre museum - our first stop on Day 2 (May 31).

Upon stepping into the courtyard of the Louvre Palace, Ma's face just lit up and she walked off by herself, eyes looking up mesmerized by the sculpted walls. I was awed too. The pyramid in the middle - completed in 1989 - was a nice contrast.



For a mere 9 Euros admission, you get to see so much. You really can spend a whole day at The Louvre, discovering every room and collection. We only budgeted a morning - so we headed first for the two most popular works: Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo (above).

But there were so many other cool stuff inside. I found myself especially transfixed by the paintings - from the 13th to early 19th centuries. I especially liked the ones that had an air of whimsy and mischief.

After viewing the Mona Lisa, we lost Ma. I got slightly panicked, because there were literally multiple directions she could have gone. After searching for a while, we headed back to the entrance, where we said we'd meet if we lost each other.

Staring at the sea of hundreds of people for half an hour, it was like finding Waldo when Ma emerged. We then ate a light sandwich from the museum cafe before continuing with our day.

Hunchbacking at Notre Dame

Our last stop of our first afternoon in Paris was Notre Dame. Like the rest of the city's embarrassing treasure trove of architecturally-stunning, detail-rich buildings, this beautiful gothic-style cathedral, completed in 1345, was gorgeous.

The long line-up to get in moved quickly - but gave us enough time to admire the razor-sharp exterior details - from the rose window to the sculptures. The inside was just as beautiful, with its tall ceilings, lovely cross vaults and stained-glass windows.



Ma and I lit a candle each and said a prayer for Pa. Minutes later, a late-afternoon mass started and the priests were greeted with papparazi-like flashing cameras as they marched in a single row onto the stage.

By this time, we were all pretty damn fucking exhausted - having been up for 34 hours and jetlagged. I started to lurch and drag my feet like Victor Hugo's famed fictional hunchback. After grabbing satisfyingly greasy food at a Chinese restaurant, we crashed in bed at 8:30 for a long-awaited 12-hour slumber.

Kicking off Parisian arc in triumph spirit

We hopped on the Metro subway from Charles de Gaulle Airport to our apartment hotel. Andrew and I always like to take public transit in a foreign country, because aside from being a cheaper way of travelling, it allows us to quickly immerse ourselves into the city and its people.

After checking in at 1pm - and despite being up for almost 30 hours and feeling the luggage under our eyes gravitate towards the floor - we headed out to start exploring the city of lights. After all, if it's anything us gays love to do, it's to pack as much in as we can.

Our first stop was L'Arc de Triomphe. We took the Metro - the easiest and cheapest way to get around Paris. The Arc was our first encounter with Paris' stunning architecture and we were quite impressed by this early 19th century creation - commissioned by Napoleon, to honour those who fought for France, in particular, the Napoleonic Wars.

Located in the heart of Place De L'Etoile and standing 150 feet tall - with several avenues branching out from it, like the spikes of a star - it is an arc to trump all arcs. We ventured to the top - all 284 steps of its skinny spiral staircase - and took in our first of undoubtedly many more panoramas of Paris. Beautiful.

Standing atop the Arc, I enjoyed getting a high-level view of the city. What I loved instantly about Paris were the old buildings; their beautifully-detailed architecture and character-filled French windows and balconeys told me instantly why so many people come to and fall in love with this city.

Family trip

I still remember it well. I was only 10. The bedroom door opened. Pa and Ma woke Sa and I - who shared a room in our tiny 2-room apartment - up. Pa could barely contain his glee: he got 5 out of the 6 numbers in Lotto 6/49.

A few moments later, we sat around the breakfast table, excitedly dreaming about the possibilities. Then Pa and Ma said they'd like to do a family trip to Ottawa. Later that day, we discovered 5/6 numbers did not equate millions; but rather $1,500.

I don't know what cracks me up more to this day: thinking we were millionaires or deciding that - out of every single thing to do in the world with our imagined millions - we'd go to Ottawa.

Sadly, since coming together as a family to Canada in April 1989, we had never travelled as a family again. It was a dream of Ma's to travel together again, before Pa passed away in September 2008.

And in less than 24 hours, that dream will become a reality as Ma, Andrew and I travel together to Paris for a 5-day stay, followed by a weekend soujourn to Zurich. Sa can't join us - but I'm ever hopeful this will be the first of many such trips - and will include Sa and Andrew's family - in the years ahead.

I hope this trip is filled with joy, laughter, pleasant surprises, good weather, adventure, good food and relaxation. Honest to God, I can barely contain my excitement!

2010 Keywords

My new year's resolutions can be summed up with five keywords:

Cherish

Nourish

Experience

Leap

Balance

Wishing y'all the best this year!