I took the metro again and walked up and down the Senna River. It was frustrating because I knew something was off. Of course the inevitable happened. It started to rain. Hard. I took cover at a bus stop. I waited, and waited, and WAITED for the rain to stop. It wasn't. I was getting frustrated and hungry. I was looking for the arch for over an hour before it started to rain. Now I was waiting for over an hour for it to stop. I will say this. Parisians walked around as if nothing was happening. I barely saw umbrellas too. It does rain a lot in Paris and I think the people are use to it. I stopped a couple who were roller blading and asked for directions. They were very helpful. But they continued on in the rain with their blades. I was impressed. I finally worked up the nerve to get moving because I feared I'll be stuck at that corner the whole night if I didn't. If Parisians don't mind the rain, neither will I! Of course I walked under a lot of trees first for cover. lol.
I made my way across a bridge and FINALLY saw an itty bitty sign with the name Champs Elysees pointing this way! I was super excited. But of course, I'm in Paris, and I couldn't find the avenue. A word of advice, YOU WILL GET LOST IN PARIS. It's a matter of fact. The streets are short and end abruptly. It's impossible unless you know where you're going in the first place. But it's a beautiful city, and trust me, I didn't mind one bit.
Except this time. lol. I was starving!!! It was near 10pm and I had not had dinner. My girlfriend in Italy who I messaged earlier at the hotel told me not to leave Paris without having some French cuisine. I knew she was right. It would be a pity not to.
I kept walking back and forth to where the sign cut off hoping I could see another sign pointing out which direction the Champs Elysees was. But again, no such luck. I stopped a pretty young woman who was super helpful as well. She spoke French but asked if I knew Spanish. (I did). Another word of advice. I did not encounter many Americans out there in Paris. But if you need help with translation, look for hotels, restaurants, etc. Any service industry should know multiple languages. Yes it's true if you do know some simple phrases in French it may help but the problem is understanding the dialect from the locales. If you don't hear French back in the States, you will have a hard time understanding them here as well.
I walked over a couple of blocks and saw a busy street. And there it was. The Champs Elysees Avenue. It houses retail, restaurants, nightclubs and bars. It kind of reminded me of Washington Avenue in South Beach. There was so much action going on! I got my second wind and ran down the avenue and headed to the arch.
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| IT'S GORGEOUS!!! |
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| Of course I had to take a selfie! I look tired here. lol
By this time it FINALLY stopped raining. My feet were done. I sat at a bench and people watched for half an hour. I was hungry but I couldn't move. I slowly made my way back down the avenue. I spotted a nightclub I wanted to check out, too. along the way. I'm glad I knew where I was going later on. I was hoping I didn't have to go through another ordeal looking for that.
There was all kinds of restaurants up and down the strip, but one caught my eye. My friend in Italy recommended I have seafood in Paris, especially oysters. But I'm not a fan. I DO however, LOVE mussels, and one particular restaurant tempted my taste buds. Luckily I got seated right away. The best part was the restaurant had WIFI!! I messaged my friend in Italy that I was safe and told her my plans about heading to the nightclub later on. I also sent her a picture of the glass of champagne I ordered. She approved. (She is a sommelier in Italy). I HATE bubbles, but she insisted I have champagne as well. The waiter looked confused when I asked for it with my mussels but then corrected me by asking if I wanted pink champagne instead. Sure, why not?
Well I must say, that it was the BEST GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!! And yes, the mussels were delish too. I finished that whole bowl. It was getting close to midnight and I figured I'll walk over to the nightclub to check out the scene for a bit before I head back to the hotel. I had to check out in the morning to catch a train to another airport. From there I was flying to a smaller airport in Italy where my friend was going to meet me.
I knew I couldn't stay out late. That's why I only ordered one glass of champagne. I really couldn't drink. When I got to Queen Nightclub, I was a little frustrated because it looked empty. Great, I thought. It's a late night spot. UGH!! As the night went on, the club got busy. I stuck around because the music was awesome! Being from Chicago, I LOVE house music. Everyone was dancing up a storm in there. I also noticed that they're wasn't much action at the bar. I think we Americans LOVE to drink, so the French definitely are not the heavy drinking types. I had a great time by myself. I made my way back to the hotel accomplishing everything I wanted to do in Paris! It was time to say goodbye and I had no hard feelings about it.
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| The Louis Vuitton flagship store on Champs Elysees avenue... |
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| Mussels and Pink Champagne at L'Alsace |
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| My one and only glass and it was delish!! |
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| Good times at Queen Nightclub! Parisians love to dance! |
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| I had a blast! Until next time... |
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| Queen Nightclub is owned by international DJ David Guetta |
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