I had a funny incident happen to me when I was in Paris. By funny, I mean it is humorous now that I am alive… a bit scary in the moment.
I had just gotten into Paris and taken the subway to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was a rainy gray day, but the view was still beautiful. All of a sudden I noticed a man bee-lining towards me. I was like, “Perfect! I’ll ask him to take my picture.” I made eye contact and immediately regretted it. Something was not right.
The man was too eager to take my photo and took several. Eventually I told him that was perfect and I was done. He looked at me and said in his thick French accent, “You are a very sexy lady and a woman like you should not be travelling alone.”
I laughed on the inside because it was raining I was wearing sneakers and a bright rain jacket and had travelled for days. Nothing about me was sexy, but whatever. ” I’m not travelling alone (lie), I’m about to go meet up with some friends (second lie).”
“Well… Let me be your tour guide until you meet them. What do you want to see? The Eiffel tower? The Louvre? Tell me I show you.”
My map was getting drenched in the rain and he grabbed it out of my hands… pointing to all the places he could show me. “I’m fine.. thank you.” I grabbed the map back. At this point we had begun walking away from the Cathedral along the road.
“Please mademoiselle. Let me show you.” He hugged me around the shoulders.
“Please. Do not touch me.”
“Don’t touch you? How will we make love afterwards if I cannot touch you?”
I tried not to laugh out loud, but in hindsight I should have. “I promise you one thing… there will be no love-making tonight.”
And then the funniest and humorous thing happened. There was a fork in the road and without skipping a beat my little lover boy started scoffing into the air like those stereotypical angry French characters and disappeared on the other side of the road. I was irritated at the exchange… but find the story humorous to share.
Besides that Paris was BEAUTIFUL! I am a huge history nerd and it was beyond awesome to see a city that has contributed so largely to Western Philosophy and art. The Palace of Versailles was my favorite part… and the pastries are more delicious then they look!
I loved Paris and it was one of the cities to which I would love to go back.
