Travel: Wanderlusting Wonders: I See London, I See France

Today’s Mood Ingredients: Nomadic, Nostalgic, Dauntless, Dreamy.

I couldn’t begin to tell you when my obsessive love affair with travel began. I credit my parents who always made it a point to take the family to a new place annually, & from then on, all I ever wanted to do was to be in a new place every week. Out of all of the places I have traveled, & I’m discounting New York & Mumbai/Bombay because they are home, two of my most j’adored cities are London & Paris. Now I know you’re all saying, “Ok, what a cliché, you loser. Everybody loves those two.” And I’m replying, “Relax, that’s mean, and when I mean favorite I mean if I could live in 3 cities at once, I would, & if I could marry a location, I’d say ‘Oui Oui’ to Paree & ‘Hip hip’ to London” (couldn’t make that last one rhyme).

I’ve been to London & Paris 3 times; once in the summer 1994 when I was 12, once in the summer of 2010 when I was 29 as part of a 2 week European excursion, & once in the winter of 2012, when I was 31. Each time I experienced the same thing in the form of adoration & elation, and different things in the form of feelings, things to see, and perspectives. I was born an Anglophile (causation could be that I was conceived in London on Valentine’s Day-sorry for the TMI but I had to know it & so now, do you) and everything about England makes me unabashedly happy; the accent, the whole magical land, the history, the architecture, the people, & so long as the Brits are okay with it, the monarchy. The amount of Union Jack clothing I own is becoming concerning, & my crowning glory in life is when multiple real life British folk told me that my British accent is, & I quote, “quite posh & not terrible.” The fact that I refer to this as my crowning glory tells you something about me that we’ll save for another day.

Though I can’t articulate my love for London (& the rest of the country), I can tell you where I had some of the best times of my life & where I think you should do the same. Do the touristy things, but don’t hop on that hop on-hop off big red Clifford bus! Grab a map, get familiar with the Underground/”tube,” & off you go. You’ll save pounds while losing pounds (haaaa) and you’ll see everything in a brand new light. If you want the history and all that, grab a guidebook or read something from the library. The only way to experience London is by exploring it. The usual tourist spots include The London Eye (highly recommended if you don’t have a fear of heights or motion sickness), actually going inside Westminster Abbey, standing in front of & hearing Big Ben chime at 12, trying to talk to a guard at Buckingham Palace before or after The Changing of the Guards (which my brother did when he was 5 & pretty much drove the poor man nuts). Watch a play or a musical on the West End (I saw Les Miserables the day I landed with jet lag when Nick Jonas was in it & I loved it for many reasons), have dinner in Leicester Square & then grab drinks at The W there, go see the Kohinoor & the Tower Jewels (just don’t start yelling that the British stole it from India & the Taj Mahal & you’re going to get it back a la, again, my brother & that way you won’t be arrested). I could’ve lived at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre simply imagining every historical character that was created/performed there. CAN YOU IMAGINE SEEING THE ORIGINAL A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM!? Walk along & see that London Bridge is still, in fact, intact & no one is locked up in there as the creepy children’s song suggests. Go to Nando’s & eat chicken with the hottest Peri Peri sauce they have because that’s the right thing to do in life, saunter down Regent Street & either think of your hometown mall that has all the same stores like I do (also because 1 pound is approximately 3 million dollars) or be that cool person & actually buy stuff from there because you can. Stop in the middle of Trafalgar Square in the evening hours & just look around and think about how lucky you are that you’re in London & how much cooler it would be if I were with you! The cruise on the Thames is kinda fun & boozy, so definitely do that. Hop on over to the Warner Brothers Studio in Leavesden and see all of the real sets and props from ALL EIGHT HARRY POTTER FILMS. And never show me those pictures because I have yet to do that & it would be depressing if you went before I did. If you’re creepy like me, the London Dungeon is the most fascinating place ever & whoever the sicko is who decided to charge people to go there is a mild genius. If you’re really bored in London, although why you would be is beyond me, go to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum & compare/contrast it to the other billion Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museums. If you’re in the mood to feel Indian (whether you actually are or not), you can go to Southall or Brick Lane and partake in the culture within the culture. In the mood to set fire to your stomach lining? Try the infamous Bollywood Burner challenge at The Cinnamon Club or the Curry Hell challenge at the Rupali Restaurant. This is not an endorsement because personally, I’m emotionally attached to my intestines. Visit Sylvia Plath’s house if you’re into morbid literaries as I am, & then cheer yourself up with some retail therapy under Harrod’s iconic green canopies. And finally, hobnob & have high tea and watercress sandwiches with the high & mighty over in Hyde Park & let me know how that goes; I’ll probably be over in Notting Hill looking for Hugh & Julia. Actually, I’m always looking for Hugh, London or anywhere.

Go in the summer & go in the winter (we went for New Year’s Eve & it couldn’t have been greater). Go whenever you can. The city is rich with culture, history, modernism, and life. London’s Ministry of Tourism should really consider hiring me, although I’d much rather prefer The Ministry of Magic.

And, one 2.5 hour Eurail ride later, we’ve arrived in Paris; the city of love, lights, croissants, & Chanel. I love Paris a little less than London because some of the people there aren’t quite so friendly (the rumors are true, in my experience at least), but I j’adore it nonetheless. I had always imagined sitting on the grassy banks of the Seine jotting away in a journal, gazing at the Eiffel Tower, & sipping my hot chocolate since a latté would have me zig zagging through the banks of the Seine. Though that particular fantasy has yet to occur, I’ve fulfilled many another in my Parisian trips thus far. As I watched the Eiffel Tower come into view my first time there at the age of 12, I couldn’t bring myself to believe that I was even there. I remember just sitting there, mouth agape, wanting to hug it (if you’ve gotten the impression that I’m extremely strange from the posts you’ve read on Champagne & Cookie Dough so far, you are absolutely right & I’m completely ok with you judging me). 😉 I was in Paris & Paris was in me and all I wanted to do was everything, which is what I want you to do too. Go to Nice. It’s nice (I’m killin’ it today, guys). Stroll down the Champs de Elysees from the Arc du Triomphe all the way down to the ferris wheel (I suggest summertime for this, my friends). Hang out at the bar at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, stay there ’til evening when the lights go on & sparkle on the hour. The day Disneyland Paris was announced to open, 11 year old me vowed to get there at some point. You can’t put two things like Goofy & Paris together & expect me not to get there. 20 years later, on the 20th anniversary of Disneyland Paris, the dream came true & it was spectacular. GO THERE DURING CHRISTMASTIME, IT WILL BE THE GREATEST THING YOU EVER DO! [warning: slight embellishment there, you will definitely do greater things] Get a pass for the métro & go roam the city of dreams, see the museums aside from the very beautiful but very obvious Louvre (But don’t forget the Louvre! It’s so much more fun to walk back & forth in front of the real  Mona Lisa to see her eyes eerily follow you around while other tourists wonder wtf you’re doing)! Please, oh, please, go see the Notre Dame, marvel in its beauty & architecture inside & out, and then go to the Latin Quarter. This incredible area of bars & restaurants is one of the most fascinating and fun places I’ve ever been to. Various cuisines, a multitude of music, humongous portions of food & drink, and an eclectic mix of locals and tourists make this the go to hotspot for, well, people who like fun. Georges Café & their every-30-minute sparklers forever. Ride the carousel near the Eiffel Tower after you (physical ability permitting) climb up the stairs to the top of it, the sommet if you will (see how cultured I am, I remembered the sign from when I was wheezing past it). Go on a booze cruise on the Seine in the summer (clearly, you see I’m a fan of booze cruises if you’ve been reading the travel posts here). If you go during the Christmas season, nothing is better than the Christmas markets in front of the Eiffel Tower (please see my cool beer picture) & on the Champs Elysees (please see my macarón/homemade chocolate/flying Santa pictures). The market has everything from what I mentioned above to hot wine, fresh fruit, children’s rides, hot toddies, spiced ales, ornaments, blown glass, & more. The spirit is well & alive in Paris during the December days. Can’t forget to peek into Moulin Rouge because if you don’t, then why are you there anyway!? For a stellar view of the Eiffel Tower/Arc du Triomphe combo, try & stay at the Hotel Concorde Lafayette in the La Defénse area. If you don’t want to stay there, but still want the view, make sure to make window seat reservations in advance (& bring a fat wallet) for Bar La Vue on the top level of the hotel. Hot pink interiors, DJed sounds, & the most scenic view you could ask for (reminiscent of Robert @ MAD in NYC). If you leave Paris without eating fresh baguette sandwiches, giant chocolate croissants, & sumptuous Nutella & strawberry crepes, you are not a human being. I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you. They will all melt in your mouth & make you wonder why you can’t date food and you will go home 291 pounds heavier but the bond you forged with that meal will last forever. Tired from all of the meandering? Pop into Shakespeare & Company and sit in their cushy little armchair with a tome to pass your time. Read something by Marcel Proust, Victor Hugo, George Sand, or Honoré de Balzac..& then go visit their homes that are now museums open to the public. Fashion fiends like me can at least see the exterior of Coco Chanel’s apartment at 31 Rue Cambon (the Chanel store is on the ground floor so go [window] shopping or something while you’re there). In the mood to drink where plenty of famous people just like yourself have? La Fouquet’s Brasserie on the Champs de Elysees. Brilliant brews, fine wines, tasty bites, and the most fascinating people watching ever! I had wanted to go every time I went to Paris & in 2012, I finally got the chance and it was completely worth it. Want to just relax and embrace the surroundings? Make a pit stop at the Tuileries Palace & Garden with a book and a baguette in 1st arrondissement. If that palace ain’t big enough for you, Versailles is only a 20 minute train ride away for you to relish in your royal reveries. Not enough reign for you? Take a 6.5 hour train ride, & there you are in Monaco/Monte Carlo. Enjoy the French Riviera, take in the classic view, & head an hour further to Cannes & walk your red carpet fantasies into reality.

Now that I’ve waxed poetic about Paris, you think France will reinstitute an actual monarchy & make me Queen? I look good in a crown & it can be my new, more literal crowning glory of life.

I’m not a local so of course I’ve left out plenty of things to discover in London & Paris (if you’re a local, please send me a list so that I can do them myself the next time I go, & there will be a next time)! However, I sincerely hope you can get to these cities one day, whether by yourself, with a significant other, or with your families. If you’re lucky, you will be able to do all three & treasure a completely unique experience from each one. Until then, keep calm & carry on, mes amis!

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For an even more COMPLETELY ABSURD amount of pictures of two of my favorite cities from 2010 & 2012, you can go here, here, here, & here!

Today’s Interlude(s): “Les Champs Elysees,” Joe Dassin & “Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner,” Hubert Gregg (video sung by Yavuz Ozisik)