Today I left Munich, my stay here went by to fast. The week was nice and filled with walking the city, visiting a few museums and spending time with my cousins. In the evenings we would get together for dinner and drinks. Both my cousins had to work during the day so usually by 6pm we would meet up and spend a few hours together, after all most people do have to work, I am the old ball in this category.
Because I didn’t have internet I was not as disciplined to keep up with my blog. I have one entry that I will post from my first weekend in Germany, but the rest of the time I can summarize in this post.
On Monday one of my cousins was off so he picked me up in the morning and we went for a fabulous breakfast. We caught up with each others lives and talked about everything. Then we went to the city center and walked around, looking at all the shops and beautiful buildings. In the evening we decided to cook some spaghetti and relax at home.
Tuesday was my birthday and I had to be up and ready early because of all things, I had a doctors appointment for a cough that I have not been able to get rid of. I walked to the city and went to the doctor, ends up that I have had bronchitis and a little sinus infection...good thing I was having a hard time breathing and decided a doctor was needed ;) I was happy that there was an end to my misery and I went straight to the pharmacy for my meds. I spent the rest of my birthday relaxing. I walked the city looking desperately for something to buy, but surprisingly I found nothing. In the evening my cousins and I popped some bubbly and went to eat some sushi. Most of you know that sushi has become my birthday tradition so we had to keep that going. We went to a great restaurant and ate tons of food followed by some sake.
Wednesday I went to a few of Munich’s museums and spent the day looking at beautiful art. I packed my lunch and ate it at a small park and afterwards headed home to rest. On my last day I decided to cook some food and just be home in order to do laundry, shower and pack. I went to the store for some groceries and on the way home decided to treat myself to a Thai massage. It was my first time experiencing this and it was quite nice. Once I was nice and relaxed I hit the kitchen and cooked up a storm. I was craving some Persian food..surprise surprise...so I made rice with eggplant. The guys came home and we chowed down. Then we reminisced and looked at some old reunion pictures from a few years before and had some cocktails. It was a relaxing evening and I enjoyed my time with my cousins! They were great hosts and so kind to have me!
This leads me to today! I left Munich early in the morning and came to Paris. I have to say that after all that I have heard and it being my first time here, I was a bit nervous to be here on my own. I just didn’t know what to expect and everyone has warned me to be careful. I grabbed my bags and easily found the metro to the city. Once I arrived at the right station I had no clue where I was with respect to my hotel. One lady at the airport had told me that I could walk and it was only 5 minutes. Thank God I didn’t listen to her because it was about a 10 minute cab ride! Once I arrived I was starving so I went to a local cafe and ordered my first French meal with a glass of red wine :) It was nice to have reached my destination with no problems and to be sitting in the heart of Paris relaxing! All my nerves went away and I was smiling ear to ear.
My impression of Paris is great so far, I hope I am not cursing myself by saying this. After lunch, I went back to the hotel to freshen up and then decided to explore the area. People here are nice, it’s not the typical French stereo type that I have so ofter heard. At one point, I had my map out and looked a bit lost and a kind gentleman stopped and helped me. He ended up talking my ear off and I didn’t understand 50% of what he was saying, but he was nice. Then I went the opera house, then La Fayette Galleries. They are so beautiful and so grand. Lots of sparkling lights and I was like a bug going towards them. I walked a lot and eventually found a cute place for dinner. Its weird to eat alone in a city that you don’t know. It’s a lot lonelier than I expected and I think thats because I love being with people on trips. At the same time this is what this whole trip is about...being on my own and exploring the world!
So I had my dinner and as I was getting up the owner of the restaurant came over and began speaking French. Of course after seeing my face he asked where I was visiting from and the minute he found out I was from the states he quickly began talking about Miami and how much he loves it. So we instantly have something in common. He asked if I was ok because I looked sad while I was eating and I said I was fine just tiered and didn’t really know what to do on my own. So he kindly invited me to the bar for a coffee and began drawing me a map. He wrote all the places I should see and gave me some great advice. He was very nice, and he also lectured me about being a lady in Paris on my own. He said that this was not very safe at night and to be super careful. When I was saying bye he said to stop by if I needed anything and then gave me the number to the place in case I needed help. The conversation ended with him welcoming me to one of the greatest places!
I was so happy to have met him and just to have a great experience like that. It made my night and even though I am sure I will not see or run into him again it’s nice to know that I can stop by for a friendly conversation and some coffee!
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