Is it beer o'clock yet?
Hmm. Where to start? I had a fabulous time with my English guests, and have to say they are welcome back anytime. We hit up most of the major tourist sites in Paris, helping me slowly get my bearings in this city. I felt a bit bad though since I don't know anything about anything. When was that building built? What was it built for? What's that over there ''m sorry, I absolutely no idea'' - said with a Gallic shrug. I should really buy a book and read up on the history of Paris one of these days....
The trip was not without its mishaps though - there were incidents involving chocolate-covered gypsy children and one lovely dress, getting into an argument with a guard at at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, us doing a runner at a snooty Louvre café and me finding a hair in my pasta, only to have the waiter insist that it was mine. How very dare he. I also burnt my tongue so bad on the pasta sauce that it still hurts three days later. Which is why I'm advising you all to avoid the restaurant "La Solita Taverna Italiana" at 10, rue du Fouarré like the black plague. DO NOT GO THERE. But feel free to shake your fist in their general direction as you walk by.
On a positive note, they did get to experience the glory (or the pain, take your pick) that is the rhum-rhum:
And I discovered the 25th hour of the day, also known as "Beer o'clock". The wonderful thing about beer o'clock is that it has no fixed time - it can be as early or as late as you want. Though be warned, indulging in beer o'clock before noon may have dire (and un-ladylike) consequences:
All in all, it was a fantastic trip. I'm so happy to have met the lovely Miss Leyla all those years ago in Helsinki. Who'd have thought we'd still be in touch today?? Lucky for me though - they're the closest thing to family I've got on this side of the ocean. Leyla was there for me when my dad died (and really, we were just babies back then and barely knew each other) and she was there for me when the whole Fab fiasco happened. Now that's a true friend - here's to many more years to come (and many more fabulous trips to Paris) mon amie !Labels: Life in Paris
posted by Ksam @ 1:18 PM
9 Comments:
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Sounds like you had a wonderful time! And new to 'beer-o-clock' eh? I have been a fan of it ever since university when it often coincided with the end of exams, or on a random wednesday when the grill made an appearance. Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than beer-o-clock ;-)
i never understood new york city until 30 years after my first trip there, i took the double decker bus tour. sat in the top, so i could peer into peoples' second story windows on park ave., and also so i could stare at the skyscrapers as long as i wanted, without being stampeded on the sidewalk and told to go back to the provinces, plus, you get to stare at the gargoyles and stuff on the older buildings which is all carved at that level.
it also gave me perfect orientation to the city, and was worth way more that the $40 i paid.
treat yourself.
i also do it here in my own city, just to see what's going on and changing (it's d.c., and since 9/11 they've turned it into the green zone.)
it sounds like you had a wonderful time. yay!
Those rhum rhums look yum yum!! Are they a specialty to one bar or can they be ordered at any over-priced cocktail bar in Paris? ;)
I've always been a big fan of Beer Thirty. And after all, its always 17:00 somewhere! ;)
Awww... Your friends are soo nice, it was a treat to meet them... Glad you guys had a fun time...
It's really nice to have a true, blue friend that you know you can count on in any type of weather.... Take care...
In my part of France it's frequently wine o'clock, or wine time as we call it. The precise time actually fluctuates due to the fluid nature of the time zone itself.
In wine time, fluidity is the rule.
ha, walt, i love it!!
An excellent book to have, is the collections "Les guides bleus"http://livre.fnac.com/a1753384/Collectif-Guide-Bleu-Paris
Not what I would call touristic but you can learn absolutely everything about historical building in it pretty much. When I studied tourism and tour guiding, those little books were our bible. Full of information.
I do believe you find out more of the "richesse" of where you live when you have to take people around it. It's so easy to get used to it and not pay attention when you just live there.
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