Paris

The previous day had been spent cycling around Cambridge and punting along the River Cam. Through all the study group discussions that had occurred over the past 2 months a subject which arose constantly between brainstorming sessions and between the 4 of us (No. 4, Pappu, Guanxi and me) was the Euro trip. The time was finally here, Cambridge was the trailer.
We landed in Charles de Gaulle late at night. Number 4 wasted no time in flipping things, this time he inserted his tube ticket in the wrong slot and the machine displayed no inclination to return it. 2 hours and a few rides on the tube later, we found ourselves in the beautiful flat of Agnes overlooking a busy junction at Voltaire. We had our first view of the Eiffel tower in the distance from her balcony, its revolving beacon indicating a presence that was not completely lifeless……..we would see it burst into life the next night. Considering it was late in the night, and not wishing to trouble Terry and Agnes, we had resigned ourselves to having a quiet night and begin taking in the sights of Paris from the next morning. But to our pleasant surprise, our wonderful hosts and friends (as they would prove to be in the next 2 days) took us to the streets of Paris within the hour which saw us visiting more than a few bars, including my first visit to a gay bar, albeit an almost empty one. The 2 week Euro party kicked off that night!
The next day, 30 May 2008, started at 5 am for me. I got into bed then. More than a few hours later, we set off to see Paris in all her grandeur, the sun supporting our endeavour. The Notre Dame, the river Seine and the Eiffel tower greeted us in the warm sunlight and the running stream of information provided by Agnes helped us understand the history of the city better. The day progressed, we picked Agnes’ son Sousou from school and proceeded to the centrepompidou. At a nice restaurant at the topmost floor, I had my first taste of foie gras and I must say I did enjoy it. After a round of free hugs with some random strangers we moved to the Louvre and then to the gardens around the Champs-Elysées. We had run out of daylight by then, but the most spectacular sight of Paris still awaited us. Soon we were on a cab headed towards the Eiffel tower. As we were driving, I could see the tower rising in the distance well lit, however all of a sudden an array of flashing lights started sparkling like diamonds all over the structure. The Eiffel tower, she glittered!
The next day, we woke up late, had a nice brunch at a pleasant café and before we realised we were bidding adieu to our friends Agnes and Terry. By late noon we were on a bus headed to Beauvais, to catch our next flight to Milan.