A Few Days Away, S'il Vous Plaît!

Bonjour! I am currently en route back to Galway from a little jet-setter trip to Paris! My friend from earlier days (I'm talking All Saints days), Claire Chilton, is studying abroad in Paris this semester, so it's only fitting that I visit her and blow all my money doing more than a little Parisian shopping and dining, right? Added bonus: Sydney Booth flew in all the way from Texas to spend her spring break with Claire! So I was fortunate enough to spend a wonderful few days with friends that had been dearly missed. Not to mention a free place to stay! (Thanks Claire and happy 21st birthday, girl!)

Sydney is SO Parisian

I arrived in the beautiful city Tuesday morning, having been traveling for 8 hours straight. At that point I did not feel like paying for a cab, so I took on the large Metro network to find my way across the city. It went smoothly enough--the Parisian Metro is clean and efficient, if extensive. (Claire said she was proud of me, so I must have done alright!) Sydney and I met Claire for lunch at one of her favorite cafés by her university, Le Gymnase (if I've butchered that, I'm sorry).
Before she arrived, Sydney and I were lost. A majority of Parisians speak English, so we didn't have too much trouble with that; it was more of trying not to offend or make a fool of ourselves which was difficult. The French are, as they are known for, a wee bit snobby. I got more than a few sighs when I asked "parlez-vous anglais?" before proceeding with transactions. Having Claire as our fluent French-speaking guide was our saving grace!

After eating lunch we walked for a little along the tree-lined boulevards. We wandered into the park by the Champs-Élysées, with a sweeping view of the Louvre at one end and the Arc d'Triumph at the other. The sun was shining, the temperature was lovely, and the locals were soaking in the sun. Claire then turned and asked an oh-so-inviting question: "Do y'all like macaroons?" Is the sky blue? Is my name Rachael Graham? The answer was obvious. She spirited us away to the most famous macaroon shop in Paris, Laduree . Let me tell you that it did NOT disappoint. We each had a glass of rosé and four petite macaroons; I got coffee, caramel, rose petal, and pistachio. Those last two were unreal. I'm still dreaming about them.

Afterwards we continued to walk down the Champs-Élysées, which was a shopping Mecca. We were unfairly tempted by the thousands of shops and beautiful clothing. However, after saying "get thee behind me" to the devil in the form of a mid-thigh cut straw colored coat, we moved on. At the end of the Champ we stopped to snap a quick picture of the Arc de Triomphe! It's a shame part of it was under scaffolding, but thankfully this wasn't my first trip to see it :) In fact, that is a quick point I should clarify-- I have been to Paris before with my family a few years ago, so I had already seen all the necessary sites. This is how our time came to be left open for wining, dining, and shopping ;)

We met up with some of Claire's friends to have a sidewalk dinner that was deliciously filling, followed by a street vender crêpe (proooobably the best one I've ever had) filled with Nutella. The night ended with a trip up to the second tier of the Eiffel Tower! Like I said, I have seen the Eiffel before, but I had never been up in it that high. It was beautifully lit and gave a grand view of the city of love under the stars. I was so tired by the time we got home that evening that I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. 

The next day began with Sydney and I clad in our Raybans on the prowl for some brunch while Claire went to take an exam for her French phonetics class. Again, the sun was miraculously shining, and it got up to a warm 65 by noon! Despite the warmth of spring, the Parisians continued to strut in their sleek black clothes, looking perfectly haute. Sydney and I blended well with our blue and burgundy tops and  bright blonde hair....

We then wandered about and got coffee until Claire rejoined us. We rode the metro over to another district to pop into a few cute boutiques and met up with a few of her friends again. Claire had told me about something uniquely Parisian she had been wanting to do since arriving in France: creating a personalized perfume! In the city world famous for its alluring and intricate scents, I found the prospect undeniable. We got an appointment for four o' clock at Le Studio des Parfums, a delightful little salon that had a perfume organ (scent range) of over 250 essences, all lined up and labeled in little bottles in tiers around the edges of a vanity. Over the next two hours I received a thorough crash course in refining the olfactory sense in broken English from the kind owner. I was initially given a set of 16 unmarked, unlabeled, tiny bottles and were told to our two favorites. These strains would be the basis for the tone we aimed for. The perfumer identified mine as a woodsy, slightly amber base with light notes of florals, and strove to help me create that scent throughout the process. We moved on to identifying combinations of bottom notes, or the base scents that would be most identifiable when you wear the perfume. I feel like I endlessly picked up bottle after bottle, wafting it under my nose, feeling immediate warmth or sharp dislike with each. It's intriguing how decisive a smell can be. I ended up with 5 base layers combined: lichen, vanilla, a hint of tobacco, amber, and something roughly translated as "musk of florals," whatever that means. It was a deliciously woodsy and was so strong that it sent my head spinning. We then repeated the process for the middle and top notes. For the middle, I think I had rosemary, lemon citrus, a warm floral scent that smelled too strongly on its own but yielded when mixed, lavender, and Thai woods. When blended, it smelled to me like a spring garden: earthy with light tones of blooming flowers. For the top notes I had a rather interesting combination that the perfumer suggested but that I never would have picked out on my own: Green tea, bamboo, Japanese hakone grass, and something called "fruit complex." Finally I carefully poured different measures of each scent into test tubes and stirred it, breathing it in. My perfumer smelled it and closed her eyes for a second, then told me exactly how many drops to add of various scents that needed a boost. With my final personalized scent created and bottled, she asked me what I would like to name it. I said my name, but pronounced the way the Parisians had been saying it, with the -ch softened into an -sh and lingering on the last half with an -elle sound. So we left out the "e" to make it the French "Rachel." I seriously hope someone asks me what perfume I'm wearing some day so I can say, in my worst French accent, "Et iz Rachel from Pari." Lol. In all seriousness though, it was one of the most intriguing and truly cultural experiences I had in France! I'd highly recommend it for anyone who wants to give it a whirl!

That night we had some falafel and more macaroons which I munched on in the metro and were perfect conclusions for my lovely trip in Paris. It definitely felt much longer than two days, and it made me giddy to be able to rendezvous in Europe with Claire and Sydney! Needless to say, we felt glamorous, cultured, and very grown up ;).  While Paris may not be good for the ego or the wallet, it is a fabulous treat for the senses, and I'm grateful for the wonderful time I could spend there. However, I have to get myself back to Irish culture for the big weekend we've all been waiting for. It's St. Patty's Weekend, people!! I am SO excited to see what's in store for the island's biggest holiday. A blog post about it will follow shortly! Until then, merci et au revoir!!