la vie en rose

Edith Piaf's "la vie en rose" is one of my all time favorites. Ever since I was a little girl, every time I heard the song, it reminded me of Paris. Paris became the epiphany of romance to me and I have always wanted to see it, breathe it and live it. In fact, my dream in life, if I am free of responsibilities and all worldly worries, would be going to school in Paris learning to master multiple languages of romance such as French, Italian and Portuguese.

When I finally arrive, it's an early October morning after a fresh rain. The grey skyline instantly sends me into a nostalgic mood. Everything is new yet seems so familiar as if I have seen it in the past or maybe in my dreams. Our hotel is one block from the Seine. As soon as we check in, we take a stroll to the river. Notre Dame de Paris stands couple hundred meters away in the light fog. We pass the gorgeous rose window, cross one of the many bridges over the Seine and head up the cathedral to take in a grand view of the city. Covered in mist, Paris looks white washed. I can hardly make out the Eiffel Tower far away, half hidden in the fog and cloud. Usually I would have wished for a drier, sunnier day but strangely I feel calm and content in my environment. I have little desire to ask for more.

After viewing the city from each angle on the top of Notre Dame, I am so mesmerized that I decide I would pay another visit the second day. Indeed my favorite memories of Paris are studying the expression of every single gargoyle adorning the Notre Dame, napping in the canopied garden behind the cathedral, and sharing a tasty ham and cheese baguette with Mike and the pigeons in front of the cathedral.

Mike's favorite spot in Paris is this long pathway along the Seine below the street level. One entire season of the Highlander show was filmed here. Mike has all six seasons of this immortal collection and believe it or not, the reason he comes to Paris with me is because he wants to find this spot where Connor MacLeod parks his boat and battles the other immortals! We find his spot in no time since he has taken a cell phone picture of the DVD scene back home where the boat is parked right near a bridge of noticeable character and has the background structure that happens to be the Notre Dame. :) We have spent two lazy mid afternoons here, leaning against each other, reading or just looking at the river boats cruising by. It is very quiet and traffic free. Occasionally a few locals come jogging by and some street musicians from the nearby bridge above us play jazz.

Beyond our tranquil "secret" spot, the rest of Paris is bustling. Cafes, bakeries, flower shops abound. We sit down every so often to sip coffee, taste the crepe, and people watch. I know I can get used to this and I can certainly continue to dream about studying languages here.

The night before leaving, we hold our hands and roam around one last time crossing the many bridges over the Seine. Edith Piaf's voice is again drifting in my mind and soon infuses the air surrounding us.

Quand il me prend dans ses bras,
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose,
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ça me fait quelque chose
Il est entré dans mon cœur,
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause,
C'est lui pour moi,
Moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré
Pour la vie.
Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cœur qui bat...