Paris (France) - Time is the longest distance between two places

Paris (France)

26 November 2016

The last time we were in Paris together we were virtually strangers, meeting for only the second time on our first date. That was only two years ago but my, hadn’t we all rung in the changes since then. Up until that point my life had felt static, like I had slowly but surely found a way to sink deeper into the quicksand of complacency and the commonplace. I had all the right  to get me out of the quagmire but I just hadn’t been able to utilise them in the right fashion. It wasn’t for the sake of my own effort either. What it took however was a seismic shift, and when that necessary circuit break of rudimental certainty came, it flipped everything on its head. It also gave me the opportunity to take my life back.

Two years ago in this city I stood in the centre of my life’s own Venn diagram. There’s quote by Graham Greene that says, ‘A story has no beginning or end; arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead’ – symbolically or actually, Paris represents the end and start points of where I got to and where I’ve gotten to now.

Place de la Concorde - Paris - France

Roue de Paris - Place de la Concorde - Paris - France

Roue de Paris - Place de la Concorde - Paris - France

Paris - France

Place de la Concorde - Paris - France

Only two days earlier I had asked Inga to marry me. Now he we were, in the city where we’d had our first date only two years ago, standing now on the precipice of a life together.  It was a poignant moment in many ways, filled with impactful, stirring memories. It sought to act as a great way to allow us reminisce but also, plan the way forward.

In these last gasps of Autumn Paris produced another wonderful day. Cold, for sure, but the sun was out, the leaves had reached a deep yellow, amber colour and symbolically underpinned this moment of change in my life.

Roue de Paris - Place de la Concorde - Paris - France

Roue de Paris - Place de la Concorde - Paris - France

Roue de Paris - Place de la Concorde - Paris - France

Jardin de Tuileries - Paris - France

Avenida de Champs Elysees - Paris - France

Jardin de Tuileries - Paris - France

Transit cities for entering/exiting Belgrade to somewhere else is almost an obligation for travel out of Serbia (other than Australia, strangely enough), so Paris was a necessary stop, but one that we were happy to have. Even though our time in the city was short we did spend a bit of time walking around the Jardin de Tuileries, before entering the Place de la Concorde and taking  a turn on the Roue de Paris, a 60mtr tall Ferris wheel that offers some fairly impressive views over Paris.

Late Autumn in Paris

River Seine - Paris - France

River Seine - Paris - France

River Seine - Paris - France

Cathederale de Notre Dame - Paris - France

Pont Neuf - Paris - France

Pont Neuf - Paris - France

Pont Neuf - Paris - France

Pont Neuf - Paris - France

Cathederale de Notre Dame - Paris - France

Cathederale de Notre Dame - Paris - France

Cathederale de Notre Dame - Paris - France

Walking in Paris is always a pleasure and we took on a small-ish circuit by heading down to the Seine, and casually strolling to Pont Neuf where we ‘locked ourselves’ into a chained fence, like so many before us.  Strangely, the origin of the ‘love lock’ or pad lock dates back to an old melancholic Serbian tale of World War 1, with an attribution for the bridge of Most Ljubavi, in the spa town of Vrnjacka Banja. Apparently, as the tale goes, a local school mistress named Nada, who was from the town, fell in love with a Serbian Officer named Relja. After they committed to each other Relja went off to war in Greece where he fell for a woman in Corfu (and of course who wouldn’t want to stay in Corfu, I mean the place is gorgeous). Nada was of course devastated, never recovering and died eventually from a heart-attack, literally a broken heart. A young woman from Vrnjacka Banja who knew of the situation wanted to do something to protect their own loved ones and thus came up with the idea of affixing padlocks on the bridge where Nada & Relja used to meet.

Pyramide de Louvre - Paris - France

Pyramide de Louvre - Paris - France

A late night Aperol special - Paris - France

Charles de Gaulle Airport - Paris - France

After locking ourselves into Paris for eternity, or until such time the locks are forcibly removed, we had an afternoon meal before finishing up with evening drinks somewhere in the 1st.

Paris, you are always a pleasure, and so nice to have you take part in this part of our journey. You're a city where we can both reminisce about what was, how we got there, and now also, where our collective futures will take us.

Sydney: All the easy shots down the line - this one is for you dad

Sydney (Australia)
23 December 2014

Yesterday I saw your car parked outside of the house and for a split second, before my brain allowed me to truly remember, I got excited because I thought you were home, and then when I realised what I'd done, I tried to hold onto that feeling of you still being with us for a few seconds longer. I took those few seconds for all they were worth.

 

I still have the 2014 World Cup chart pinned up on the wall next to my desk, it gives me a chance to assign a day, time and place to the games that we watched. That was our thing. Waking up at 3am, making coffee, watching Australia play or watching any world cup match that we thought might be interesting. Sometimes I'd dose through the second half of games but I'd try and hide it from you, I'm sure that you knew I was sleeping, even when you would ask 'Henry, are you watching?'.

 

I hated hearing the racing channel blaring at anytime. I couldn't stand the sound of live race calls, but now I wish there was a reason for me to hear it again other than it allowing for me to remember you in my mind. I watch games of football and I know I lack the insight and intuition that you had to be able to analyse a game and see events before they happened. I never quite understood how you were able to do that, but you could do it, just as in the same manner you were able to read the character of a person so much faster than anyone else.

 

Now I look at photos and can't seem to reconcile the images of you smiling as you sailed on past Notre Dame, or the surprise on your face when I met you in Paris, with the memory of you. For now you exist for me in memory and in spirit, and whilst I'm thankful for all the great memories I have of you I would much rather be talking to you about them rather than thinking of them in order to give context to such a great person that was you, my dad.

 

So now, I leave this. Times that we shared whilst travelling. I was lucky enough to have had some fabulous moments with you in the last few years and they will stay with me for the rest of my life. This last journey however is one that you must do on your own and I hope that wherever your destination is that you have a chance to sit back, watch a game or two and back a winner. Let me just say that for right here and now, the space that you left is enormous and I miss you being in it, maybe we'll meet somewhere and sometime else, maybe not, but for the last 39yrs you were fantastic person and I feel more than lucky to have had a father like you.

 

Montjuic - Barcelona - Spain - (2010)

 

 

Olympic Stadium - Barcelona - Spain - (2010)

 

 

Trocadero - Paris - France - (2014)

 

Seine River cruise - Seine (Ille de Cite - Notre Dame) - Paris - France - (2014)

 

 

High Atlas Mountains - Morocco - (2010)

 

 

 

Davis Cup Semi-Final - Srbija v. Czech Republic - Belgrade - Serbia - (2010)

 

 

Outside of his primary school - Belgrade - Serbia - (2010)

 

 

Topcider - Belgrade - Serbia - (2006)

 

 

Cuban style in the High Atlas - Morocco - (2010)

 

 

'A sandy caravan' - Empty Quarter - Qasr Al Sarab Resort - United Arab Emirates - (2014)

 

 

Near Hallstat - Western Austria - (2014)

 

 

 

 Dad & Big V - Kosmaj - Serbia - (2008)

 

 

 

World Cup Semi-Final - Spain v.Germany - Temple Bar - Barcelona - (2010)

 

 

Ready for Departure - Charles Kingsford-Smith - Sydney International Airport - Sydney - Australia - (2014)

 

 

L'Hotel - 13 Rue des Beaux Arts - St.Germain - Paris - France - (2014)

 

 

Australia v.Iran - Stadium Australia - Homebush - Sydney - Australia - (2013)

 

 

 

Paris: Vivid dreams of colour in the brightest of black and white

Paris (France)
21 SEPTEMBER 2014

 

The open French windows of our apartment on Quai de Montebello allow our curtains to carelessly dance on the  gusts of wind entering our room, both teasing and provoking us as we dose in the early hours of this Parisian morning. That unmistakable scent of rain is intoxicating and energizing, it stimulates the senses, and its driving force, silvery grey curtains falling with purpose, blanketing this city, producing such a welcoming, soothing and calming sound, working as the perfect accomplice to a Sunday morning that has no enforced obligations. I slowly open my eyes and turn. Gazing out from my vantage point I can see the greyness of the sky, the grey leaves of the trees and the grey backdrop of Notre Dame, the historical cathedral standing imperiously on Ile de la Cite. The world to me at this moment seems to be vivid in black and white, a film noir, classic, evocative, unreal. Moments such as these you just can't script.

 

The morning hours pass with the same carelessness that you associate with a dream. Wonderful in its design but coloured by the lament caused by its own fiction. That however was the point where for today we had won, we had managed to trump the 'dream theatre'   by  creating a superior reality, the city of Paris playing the perfect supporting role. Thinking back now I can only ever remember those early hours of that Parisian morning in black and white, typifying the seductive atmosphere of that morning.

Mornings such as these have a knack of passing by all too quickly. In the blink of an eye we were standing out on the street, saying our goodbyes and wondering, I'm sure, when and where in this world we'd be seeing each other again. And even though now, typing this, I know the answer to that question, those sort of goodbyes are quite cruel in their design.

Some hours later my parents and I jumped on a train at Saint-Michel Notre Dame and headed up to Gare du Nord where we in turn bundled ourselves into a cab and made our way to Montmartre. It was the only time during our stay in Paris where the weather turned on us, rain occupying the best part of this Sunday morning as we were forced to negotiate the ever present crowds up on the butte. In all honesty, unlike other times in Montmatre, the crowds made it difficult to enjoy the morning. The little village was filled to the brim and perhaps I should have thought better of heading up there when I knew the crowds would be out in force.

Au de Gascogne - Montmatre - Paris - France

 



We made our way back to the Latin Quarter around mid-afternoon. My parents priming themselves for dinner at Jules Verne restaurant on the second floor of the Eiffel tower, and me, getting ready to head out into the Marais in order to steal a few evening cocktails and then pull up a chair at Chez Robert et Louise for another one of their famous meals, and yes, as always it was fantastic. A nice Bordeaux, boudin noir, entrecote and some salad. Its just such a treat, a place that always makes me happy for the food it serves up and its ambiance. It was the fourth occasion that I've had dinner there and I always seem to walk away in the same manner, happy, content and with a slight food induced daze.

 

Evening in the Marais - Paris - France

 

Afternoon on the Seine - Paris - France

 

Evening on the Seine - Paris - France

 

Evening on the Seine - Paris - France

My walk, or rather meanderings took me back down through the Marais and back down to Ille de Cite where I was able to watch the sun drop out of sight and leave its orange glow as its own reminder of the day. Boats drifted by carelessly, and my thoughts were equally as aimless. Seriously though, how many times in your life do you fly to Paris for a first date? Or how many times do you fly to Paris in order to simply surprise someone that expects you to be on the other side of the world? As I've said so many times in this blog, there are many times when I think of my travels, their outcomes and realise just how fortunate I've been. At times I even think that my 'luck' is due to turn at some point and that rolling the dice one too many times might just turn everything on its head, but I'm addicted, and as a travel addict I'm just going to have to deal with whatever punishment that fits my crime!

Making my way back to Rue de la Harpe I waited for my parents to make their way back from Jules Verne. Somewhere close to midnight they made their way back in, with alcohol inspired cheer and raving at what a magnificent evening they had. That was it, mission accomplished for me, now I was fully satisfied.

Hitting the streets of Paris once again I made my way slowly through the Latin Quarter, once again alone, once again living in my own thoughts but already thinking ahead as to where and when my next port of call would be. Only the night before Inga and I had been discussing a few months in South America in 2015, and writing now about what my thoughts were then, I'm happy to advise myself that I'll be spending  three months with Inga, in South America commencing in Buenos Aires on the 28th of March, 2015! So watch this space, 2015 is going to be an amazing year for both my own travels and the unravelling of an amazing storyline that commenced some four years ago.

 

Paris: What midnight in Paris commits

Paris (France)

20 SEP 2014

 

'Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.’

...Also see Friday in Paris which accompanies this blog entry.

I don’t need to re-tell our story, suffice to say, we met on a beautiful Summers’ afternoon in Riga and I waved goodbye at 3am, walking out of the bar with the promise of an almighty hangover and a crudely drawn map in my pocket. Four years later we had our first date in Paris…and it was unforgettable!

It started here: Riga - Latvian nightmoves

...this is what happens when destiny gives you a second chance.

 

KLM flight to Paris. This is how you should get to a first date! Amsterdam Schipol Airport - Holland

 

Leaving my bag behind, thank you KLM and Air France! Amsterdam Schipol Airport - Holland

 

Apartment view over the Seine to Notre Dame - 19 Quai de Montebello - Latin Quarter - Paris - France

 

View over the Seine from the second level of the Eiffel Tower - Paris - France

 

The famous Champs Elysees from the top of the Arc de Triomphe - Paris - France

 

The Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe - Paris - France

I always liked the look of this place - Au de Cadet Gascogne - 4 Place du Tetre- Montmartre - Paris - France

 

Evening view along Seine - Paris - France

 

Notre Dame - Paris - France

 

Finally got my luggage and my clothes back! A shame it was 2:30am and on the morning I was leaving! Anyway, here's a 'selfie' @ 19 Quai de Montebello - Latin Quarter - Paris - France

 

 

 

 19 Quai de Montebello - Latin Quarter - Paris - France